Featured Publisher - Map the Xperience
Appreciation of the outdoors and the love of maps turned into a Map Store Success Story
The Avenza Maps Store is home to thousands of map publishers from around the world and each one has a unique story. This week we profile Map Store Publisher Map the Xperience founded by Andrew Gaskin, Daniel Bryant and Greg Tanaka. Though they each live in different parts of the country (Minnesota, Colorado and California respectively) they are a group of enthusiasts with a few things in common; the appreciation of the outdoors and the love of maps!
The three have been making maps for over 20 years, and started Map the Xperience in 2014 as an innovative digital cartographic and GIS company specializing in creating superb and highly detailed maps for the outdoor industry.
Their specialty is creating information-rich maps with spectacular 3D hillshade topography of rivers in the western US. These maps are intended for those who use them get the most out of their outdoor experience whether fishing, hunting, backpacking, mountaineering, kayaking, rafting, running, and mountain biking.
'As avid outdoors people ourselves, we understand the small details that make each experience more enjoyable. Details like launching areas, restroom facilities, mile markers and electric power line crossings to name a few.' says Bryant. 'We think of maps as informational works of art so it just made sense to create nice looking maps of the prettiest areas in the country, whether it be your favorite river, trail or National Parks, and then add in as much locally gathered information as we could to make the maps as useful and easy to use as possible. '
Map the Xperience currently has 34 digital fishing maps available in the Avenza Maps Store, with another 20 in production. 'The one we haven't been able to make yet but would love to is Smith River in Idaho.' Smith River is a popular fishing site well known for its scenery, unpredictable weather and limited number of permits granted each year. 'Let's just say it's on our bucket list.' adds Bryant.
In addition to digital mobile maps, Map the Xperience also offers their maps in paper format and prints their unique and one of kind map designs on blankets, cloths and the their self-proclaimed 'world's finest microfibre bandana'.