In today's world, personal GPS systems are ubiquitous, thanks to the convenience of mobile devices. However, it's essential to remember that digital maps are a relatively recent invention.
With the introduction of MapQuest in 1996, personal digital mapping slowly became accessible to the public. This revolutionized personal navigation and left a profound impact on various industries, including field sales.
Before Waze, Google Maps, and OpenStreeMap, a team from the UK developed a software known as Autoroute. It quickly gained widespread popularity and in 1994 Microsoft recognized its potential and acquired it. It and its sister products were eventually merged and renamed as Streets & Trips in North America in 2000.
For 14 years, Streets & Trips served as a cornerstone mapping and routing program, along with Microsoft MapPoint and AutoRoute, laying the foundation for routing and directions tools. These products provided users with detailed street maps, business listings, and the ability to create multi-stop routes efficiently.
As the software evolved, it introduced features that are now commonplace in online navigation tools, including real-time weather updates, traffic monitoring, and construction alerts. Its user-friendly interface and vast database with over six million miles of mapped roads made it an indispensable tool.
However, in 2013, Microsoft made the decision to discontinue Streets & Trips, and by 2015, it had ceased support for the product. This strategic move was part of Microsoft's redirection of resources toward Bing, a web search engine aimed at competing with Google.
While Microsoft hoped that Bing Maps would become a strong competitor to Google Maps, the reality proved to be more challenging. Streets & Trips users were encouraged to transition to Bing Maps, but this change left a void in the enterprise market. Bing Maps, primarily designed for consumers, couldn't fully meet the needs of sales professionals and other businesses that relied on Streets & Trips. Maptitude mapping software has filled this void by providing outstanding and affordable analysis tools that suit the needs of businesses.
Streets & Trips bid farewell to its loyal users, leaving behind a legacy of innovation in mapping and routing technology. While its discontinuation was part of a broader corporate strategy, the software played a unique role in serving the enterprise market. As the digital navigation landscape continues to evolve, we remember Streets & Trips as a pioneering force in the world of digital mapping.
“We purchased Maptitude for a yearly mapping project. We are a non-profit charitable organization and our volunteers deliver gift bags to all 930 member families. It was my task to map 85+ delivery routes to all member families in our local area. I was seeking a substitute for Microsoft Streets and Trips. Maptitude is like Streets and Trips on steroids. I think there is probably not much Maptitude can't do...But I like the ability to customize the map points with a staggering array of colors and shapes. I can save the maps, make PDFs, optimize routing. Everything I need—plus. Thank you Maptitude.”
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AutoRoute, Streets & Trips, and MapPoint were discontinued on December 31, 2014. MapPoint was Microsoft's flagship mapping product. Online support was available for the products through July 14, 2015.
Maptitude is a location-intelligence software covering all the areas that Streets & Trips covered.
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