Ryan lely/Sonoma Valley Sun
MoosePoint Technology owner Tim McGee in front of an Internet display.
Sonoma may be a far cry from Silicon Valley, but in the case of MoosePoint Technology, that’s exactly the point.
Quality of life and a five-minute commute were the factors in headquartering MoosePoint in the city of Sonoma. Long-time Sonoma resident and company owner Tim McGee was weary from the hours he spent commuting on Bay Area highways. So last September, when a suitable real estate opportunity arose in Sonoma, he made the decision to relocate the company from Santa Rosa. “Our company works with clients all around the country, so our location is not an issue to them. But for us, the improved efficiency and better lifestyle makes a huge difference,” said McGee.
While MoosePoint Technology and its core product, GeoSmart.net, may not be household words, the company’s product touches many aspects of people’s daily lives. From an Internet display that tracks construction and road work for the City of Petaluma, (allowing people to plan their trips or their commute effectively) to a Sacramento Police Department Web site that shows crime trends in city neighborhoods to a viticultural consulting group, Integrated Winegrowing, which develops custom-designed, high-end vineyards throughout the hemisphere, GeoSmart.net has a wide variety of applications.
GeoSmart.net is built upon GIS (Geographic Information Systems) technology, a way to capture, manage, analyze and display data. The geographic element is the base information, upon which other data is layered. For instance, the Sonoma Ecology Center is tracking Arundo, a non-native, invasive weed in Sonoma Creek with GeoSmart.net. The ecology center’s Web site describes the technology this way: “Maps are like campfires—everyone gathers around them, because they allow people to understand complex issues at a glance, and find agreement about how to help the land. Our GIS is a computer-based mapping technology that combines layers of information—streams, property lines, habitat areas—to graphically support analysis, planning and education.”
McGee developed the GeoSmart.net program while working on GIS-based projects. “As I needed more and different tools for myself and to empower clients and give them fast, easy solutions, the basis of GeoSmart.net was created,” McGee said. MoosePoint Technology was founded in 2001 by McGee and a partner he has since bought out. Today, there are six full-time employees and two support staff to handle current projects and prepare for expansion into new territories and industry segments. MoosePoint is about to release GeoSmart.net 6.0 this summer.
Though the high-tech jargon and cryptic initials can seem daunting, the programs are transparent to the users, meaning the technology provides the underpinnings and the user sees and manipulates information in a familiar, accessible way. MoosePoint helps customers define what kind of information they need and how they want to use it, then offers solutions that can range from custom application programming, Internet or Intranet design, systems integration, project management and on-site support and assistance. On the simplest level, they can perform a needs analysis and then set up the GeoSmart.net software for a client to use, and even provide hosting and maintenance.
So whether it’s analyzing better routes to handle trash pickup in the City of Greendale or finding the best brewpub in San Diego, GeoSmart.net is becoming an integral part of the process.
MoosePoint Technology
454 West Napa Street
707.566.6720
www.moosepoint.com
