No. 261: Writing in information you get on the blank map (March 30, 2011)

You can write in your favorite restaurants and reliable hospitals on the blank map by yourself. Glissando, an Osaka-based system developer, will launch on April 1 a new social networking service that allows members to write in information they get and exchange the information with other members over the map. The new service is called Gliss Mapping Communication, and Glissando will manage it in alliance with Research institute of Geographic Information System in Osaka using the map data based on the fundamental geospatial data released by Geographical Information Authority of Japan. All members can write in information, and they can be a charged member by paying an annual membership fee of 1,260-2,520 yen. Charged members can share the information on the map with other members. The company plans to market this service in the industrial market for sales activities and distribution of disaster information, and to local governments, schools, and hospitals because it will be helpful for confirmation of the safety of victims and distributing information on evacuation centers in a time of disaster. The company plans to get 10 million members including free members in a few years.