“Location, location, location” isn’t just a mantra for potential homebuyers. It underpins the decisions both individuals and companies make every day, says Savannah-based entrepreneur Christopher Nichols.
We rely on location data to get around cities we know well and those we are visiting. Companies use it to pinpoint their customers and where they should expand to next. And developers use it to figure out exactly where their next big project should break ground.
Nichols and the team behind Latapult (previously GeothinQ) have put themselves on the map, quite literally, when it comes to mapping services and data visualization. Its GIS (geographic information system) tools are designed to help better understand the land they are working on. The technology can help people understand the ins and outs of a piece of land, answering questions around whether it is developable or not.
Behind Latapult’s Work
Traditionally, the startup served brokers, site selectors, civil engineers, economic development authorities, and the wider real estate community. But after eight years in business, Nichols has seen a growth in the company’s customer pool.
Now, Nichols said more renewable and sustainable-focused developers are coming to the platform to get help finding property that could be turned into solar farms. He told Hypepotamus that the company’s new name Latapult (a combination of latitude, longitude, catapult), underpins that their customers can use Latapult to “expand their business into multiple areas.”
The Latapult platform is designed to make complex mapping and location-based data accessible, collaborative, and adaptable to users regardless of their experience with GIS.
Today, Latapult’s customer base has grown to over 300 nationwide, and says its platform can speed up the land research process by 50 times.
Clients report that the Latapult’s platform has helped them move more quickly through their GIS data.
“Latapult’s information is more detailed and updated than other GIS information. I can do things in Latapult in 10 minutes that used to take hours,” said Latapult client Hillary Shipley, Principal at Colliers International.
The team, which is a small but mighty seven people, is distributed across the globe. But the company was started in and is firmly rooted in Savannah.