By Stewart Berry
22 November 2023
Maptitude is the best Microsoft Streets and Trips™ alternative. The trip planning tools in Maptitude identify optimal routes for travel and deliveries. They calculate the distances between destinations and produce driving directions. Streets & Trips has been discontinued and Maptitude is the best replacement.
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 and Trips in North America in 2000.
For 14 years, Streets and 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 and 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 and 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 and Trips. Maptitude mapping software has filled this void by providing outstanding and affordable analysis tools that suit the needs of businesses.
Streets and 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 and Trips as a pioneering force in the world of digital mapping.
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.
The top 4 benefits of this Streets & Trips replacement are:
As the alternative to the Microsoft Streets and Trips software, Maptitude calculates the fastest routes between waypoints.
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“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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The top 7 benefits of this Streets & Trips alternative are:
A trip can involve many different stops/waypoints. Maptitude helps you decide the best order to visit them. Most importantly, Maptitude lets you choose what type of route you want:
The best route can mean different things to different people. Often the best route is the one that is the fastest. Others prefer the path that is shortest in terms of mileage. Or a trip that maximizes use of highways or avoids population centers:
Maptitude has the features of Microsoft Streets and Trips 2013 and can meet all the above demands. Maptitude uses an accurate and up-to-date street database. Maptitude handles one-way streets, and supports display of these on the map.
Minimum driving time route map that services multiple locations using Maptitude, the alternative to Microsoft Streets and Trips
Geocoded customer locations map and drive-time rings using Maptitude, the alternative to MS Streets and Trips 2013
You can easily get started planning your route by simply clicking in a map on all the places you want to visit. You can also locate stops/waypoints by typing an address. Or automatically by using addresses in an Excel spreadsheet, table, or database. Select the customers to visit in a customer point layer, and Maptitude determines the best route to use to visit them.
There are also additional best route tools that allow you to:
Maptitude can import waypoints from Streets & Trips. A point layer is created that can be used with the Routing Manager to create directions.
A popular free resource for Streets & Trips was Larry Petersen's POI Mega File – pushpin collections for truckers, RV'ers, and travelers. This includes a huge amount of location information for travelers in North America (a European AutoRoute version is also available). Although intended for travelers using Streets & Trips, it can also be used with and imported into Maptitude.
Microsoft Streets & Trips has been discontinued, and it is unclear what specific program, if any, has replaced it. There are many different mapping and navigation programs available, both from Microsoft and from other companies, so it is possible that one of these programs may offer similar functionality to Microsoft Streets and Trips. Some popular alternatives include Maptitude mapping software, Google Maps, Waze, and MapQuest. It is worth noting, however, that these programs may not be direct replacements for Microsoft Streets & Trips, and they may have different features and capabilities.
To install Microsoft Streets & Trips you need to download it from a website such as CNET. This downloads ST_2010.exe. You will be prompted to run the installer, which you should only do if you trust the file.
Next the install files are extracted:
The installer then prompts you to click Next:
You are then prompted to enter your name:
You are then prompted for the installation folder:
You are then prompted to make optional Microsoft system changes:
And finally, you are prompted to install the software:
You will then see setup progress:
And if successful you will see the Finish screen:
You can now run the software from the start menu:
Please note that Microsoft Streets & Trips is a discontinued program and is effectively no longer available for purchase or download. Therefore, in most cases it is not possible to install Microsoft Streets & Trips 2013 on a computer. You may be able to find older versions of the program for sale or download from third-party websites, but these versions may not be compatible with newer operating systems and hardware, and they may not be reliable or safe to use. It is generally not recommended to download or install software from unofficial sources. Instead, you may want to consider using one of the many other mapping and navigation programs that are available such as Maptitude mapping software. These programs may provide similar functionality to Microsoft Streets and Trips, and they may be more up-to-date and compatible with modern systems.
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Maptitude is also an alternative to Microsoft AutoRoute and the discontinued Microsoft MapPoint.
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“We have found Maptitude to be a really useful piece of software. It allows us to quickly and easily represent various data geographically, and the ease of functionality and ability to layer data makes it really user friendly. It has, among other things, helped us develop our sector-leading delivery service and understand areas that require focus from our sales teams.”
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Learn more about Maptitude to see how you and your team can use Maptitude to make informative and insightful maps!
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