Updated Digital Maps for Germany, Austria and Switzerland

GfK GeoMarketing has updated its digital maps for Germany, Austria and Switzerland to reflect the latest status. The new map editions for Germany, Austria and Switzerland are now completed and include all available maps of postcode and administrative levels such as municipalities and districts as well as supplementary topographic details. The maps provide a reliable basis for detailed market analysis and planning.

GfK GeoMarketing has released new, updated digital maps for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The maps provide comprehensive and detailed cartographic coverage of these countries' administrative and postal boundaries, as well as topographic details. Digital maps of postal boundaries (e.g., the five-digit postcodes in Germany) and administrative boundaries (federal states, districts and municipalities) comprise the foundation for software-based spatial analyses.

Geomarketing analyses require up-to-date maps, as outdated boundaries result in errors when carrying out software-based regional analyses. Only up-to-date maps ensure that customer data can be correctly imported into the maps and subsequently visualized and evaluated by a mapping software. The latest maps are also required in order to correctly import and analyze company turnover figures and external data on market potential.

"Since 2011, reforms have resulted in around 1,000 changes to postal and administrative boundaries in Germany, Austria and Switzerland," explains Klaus Dittmann, head of the cartography division at GfK GeoMarketing. "There has been an especially large number of changes in Germany, including a district reform in the federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, around 100 dissolved municipalities, almost 800 renamed municipalities as well as more than 300 new five-digit postcodes. The approximately 100 maps contained in the new 2012 map editions for Germany, Austria and Switzerland reveal the latest official status of the boundaries and regional levels in these countries."

Germany

Administrative levels:

Districts: District reform in the federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: The former 18 urban and rural districts were restructured into 8 new urban and rural districts.
Municipalities: 99 dissolved, 15 new, 5 name changes, 783 ID changes
Postal levels:

5-digit postcodes: 9 dissolved, 5 new, more than 300 cities and streets received new postcode assignments

Switzerland

Administrative levels:
Municipalities: 66 dissolved, 10 new, 12 boundary changes

Postal levels:
4-digit postcodes: 1 new, 2 name changes, multiple boundary changes

Austria

Administrative levels:

Districts: 2 dissolved, 1 new
Municipalities: 4 name changes, 38 ID changes
Postal levels:
4-digit postcodes: 15 new, 4 name changes, 31 boundary changes

Applications
Digital maps play an essential role in international expansion and sales territory planning, serving as an indispensable component of geomarketing software or geographic information systems (GIS). These software applications are used to analyze and display the geographic component of company and market data on digital maps.

Coverage, quality, format
The high-quality maps included in the edition feature comprehensive coverage; gapless, overlap-free boundaries; national and local attributions and infinite zoom capability.

Like all digital maps offered by GfK GeoMarketing, the new editions for Germany, Austria and Switzerland are available in all standard map formats, including *.shp (ESRI), *.mid/*.mif (MapInfo), *.gdb (GeoDatabase) and *.lay (GfK GeoMarketing). The maps are also available in the Oracle (Spatial) database format for use in Oracle Business Intelligence applications.

The maps are part of GfK GeoMarketing's cartographic coverage of 240 countries, the world's largest collection of digital administrative and postcode maps.

Additional information can be obtained by contacting Doris Steffen, Tel. +49 (0)7251 9295180 or d.steffen@gfk-geomarketing.com.

Print-quality illustrations can be found at www.gfk-geomarketing.com/maps-dach-2012 (2 MB)

GfK GeoMarketing is one of the largest providers of geomarketing services in Europe for customers and users from all branches of trade. Key business areas include:

Consultancy and reports
Market data
Digital maps
Geomarketing software RegioGraph
GfK GeoMarketing is a subsidiary of the globally active GfK Group. One of the world's leading market research institutes, the GfK is represented in more than