Taking surprise out of Shanghai Metro

COMMUTERS on Shanghai’s vast underground network are in for an easier ride thanks to the efforts of a Southampton mapping company.

Following in the footsteps of Harry Beck, designer of the iconic London Tube map, digital map designers Communicarta have revolutionised navigating the world’s longest metro network by creating a mobile phone application.

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Lost in Shanghai? Not anymore, thanks to British design expertise!

Press release 22 July 2010

Lost in Shanghai?

Not anymore, thanks to British design expertise!

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South East firm puts the “app” into transport mapping

British design success in China is not limited to our brilliant architects, such as Norman Foster, with his Bird Nest design for the Beijing Olympics stadium, or Thomas Heatherwick and his award-winning UK pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010.

In the digital map design field, Communicarta Ltd, with operations in High Wycombe and Southampton, is building a world-leading international business, and Shanghai is the latest success for its precision digital transport map technology. This small company’s cutting-edge digital mapping applications are making a global impact with support from UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).

The company has teamed up with China’s oldest (113 years old) and most prestigious publishing house, The Commercial Press (CP), Beijing, to produce mobile applications (apps) for the Shanghai metro.

The digital publishing partnership with CP was formally announced at a press conference in Beijing at CP’s headquarters on 12 July.

“We have completely re-designed the Shanghai metro map,” said Robin Woods, Communicarta’s CEO. “Our philosophy is about presenting our maps in a way that is clear and easy to follow. And now, with Communicarta’s Shanghai Metro apps available on iTunes, Nokia Ovistore and Blackberry Appworld, guests to Shanghai are in for a real treat. This is instant and effortless journey planning on a brand new level!”

Over 20 years of research by Communicarta Ltd found that many of the official maps of transport systems in major cities are either inaccurate, out of date or difficult to use. Now, with export trade advice from UKTI South East, the firm is building an international business with its dependable and precise customised city transport maps and apps.

Until last year, printed maps were the firm’s staple. The move into digital apps followed an approach in March 2009 from Nintendo for an app for its DSi device. Collaboration with Nintendo’s technical developers in Kyoto, Japan, resulted in the creation and licensing of nine city transport map apps to the video/computer games giant.

Speaking of the CP hook-up, Robin said: “The future is really exciting for our business in China. We plan to develop digital maps for Beijing, Hong Kong and many other cities, in collaboration with CP. We are also looking to use our developing expertise to help CP create many interesting and educational apps in the future.”

Four years ago, in order to be better prepared to explore the Chinese market, the company signed up to UKTI’s Passport to Export programme of advice and assistance for new exporters, working with International Trade Adviser and China specialist Chris Lowsley.

“Without UKTI, I doubt we would have achieved so much. Apart from the welcome financial assistance and logistical support, it has been invaluable to have access, in Chris, to a specialist who keeps abreast of market developments in China, and to all the practical support and knowledge that this translates into for us,” Robin said.

Chris said: “Communicarta’s Shanghai Metro application is very innovative and shows that, with the right preparation and support, a small British company can do well in China through collaborating with the big dynamic players.”

The Press Conference in Beijing

Our journey of co-operation with our esteemed Chinese partner began here

Back in December  2009, Communicarta embarked on a momentous journey to Beijing to further bolster its relationship with one of China’s most prestigious and highly regarded publishing house, The Commercial Press, Beijing , following on from a number of successful visits since 2007.

Industry leaders met at the World Metro Rail Summit-China 2010

Very recently, Communicarta was invited to speak at the the 6th World Metro Rail Summit-China 2010. The event was  a huge success and was attended by Industry leaders from around the world ( ranging from New York’s MTA, Communicarta Ltd. UK to Seoul’s Metro)

Communicarta’s CEO Robin Woods delivered a thought provoking presentation on “Improving Customer Information”, which was well received by the audience (video to follow soon)

We would like express our gratitude to Mr. Henry Tan of HNZ Industry Media, Shanghai, for his very warm welcome and the great Chinese hospitality shown to us throughout the 3 days Summit.

Glorious Washington: Well worth a visit anytime of the year!

But especially at leaf fall or during the Spring time Cherry Blossom Festival. It’s really difficult to decide when to go and what to see when you have such great beauties in a city Don’t be fooled by its cliche image. There is a lot more than just high powered politics here !

If you love architecture and all its different styles , then there is plenty to feast the eyes and the metro and suburban rail will take you to the places where you can see the examples, and more, in our gallery .

As you know, we do all our own ground research and for this reason, you can be sure of getting to the place you want to go to .

The Communicarta Style 45 Washington map features all the metro lines in a clear and easy to use lay out but not only  that , it also features the bus routes to the two international airports of Dulles and Baltimore - BWI - making it synch to get to the city centre.

We hope you enjoy Washington as much as we do every time we go.

Shanghai Metro App: Now available on Nokia Ovistore!

Yup! It’s in the store now. Our excellent Shanghai metro journey planning app that aims to save guests to the Expo 2010, time and hassle, is now available for download to Nokia devices, from the Nokia Ovistore

We wanted to make available this very useful application to as many guests as possible, hence, we have created applications not just for the iPhone but also Nokia and Blackberry devices.
The Blackberry application will be available from the Blackberry Appworld very shortly.

New & Noteworthy: Apple’s promotion of our Shanghai Metro Expo 2010 iPhone app!

Day 3 of the app http://tinyurl.com/33mbkl4 being in the App store. Really pleased to see the kind of support it has received from the Appstore !

Florence: The Tuscan beauty that captured our Hearts!

Big changes in one of our favourite cities, Florence, where the inner city bus routes have received an overhaul. The original A, B, C and D routes have been replaced with the new route designations of C1, C2, and C3.

Interestingly, the D route is still the same, although slightly changed in its running order. You can still use these cute little buses to visit some of the very interesting parts of Florence. They operate exclusively in the very  narrow old streets, where the larger buses just cannot travel.

Our map is featured in a number of books , most notably the AA’s Key Guide, City Pack and City Map titles as well as the Thomas Cook City Spot guide.

We’ve leave you with some of our hand picked photos for your enjoyment !

Expo 2010 update1- Artistic Expo

These are just a selection of some of the images that we loved and thought of sharing with you all . They were captured during our very recent visit to the Expo. More to come soon….

Shanghai Metro made Easy

With street names, metro station names , ticketing instructions, signboards and travel information announcements made in both Chinese and English, using the Shanghai Metro is really rather easy.

All you really need now is the Communicarta’s Shanghai Metro ( Subway) map application for  the iPhone, Blackberry and Nokia phones to help you journey plan your fastest routes to the Expo and anywhere in Shanghai. And it’s coming very soon.

The Green Green Lungs of Shanghai …

When one thinks of Shanghai, it’s very likely that you might conjure up images of an ultra- modern Chinese metropolis that is packed with skyscrapers, vying to be the next NYC.

Well, here’s what I found on my recent trip to Shanghai. The skyscrapers indeed but also the very essential “Green Green Lungs” in the heart of this dynamic city!

Shanghai World Expo 2010. Spectacular Opening Ceremony Videos!

China has waited for 159 years to host this event and is said to have spent $57 billion to make it a success. A lot of that money has gone into building new metro lines to ensure a smooth journey to the Expo site and throughout Shanghai , with Line 13 being the dedicated Expo Line.

Surely, that can’t be a bad thing? More  and better metros to alleviate the increasing traffic congestion problems that every  big metropolis  face, hence helping to achieve a  Better City, Better Life ??

I am leaving you with some of the Expo 2010 Opening Ceremony Videos that I particularly like. Hope you will enjoy them as much as I have : )

Bring it on! Spring in Paris…

With spring finally here, there  will be many people  planning trips to the romance capital of the world. Hence, the launch of two different apps to help make  journey planning effortless and stress-free in Paris .

Bon Voyage!!

Paris Metro (Link to App store)

Designed for offline use to avoid horrendous data roaming charges Paris Metro covers all central areas of Paris & beyond. No internet connection is needed to journey plan. If you are visiting Paris, using this application you’ll get around on the Metro, RER, Tramway & Transilien (SNCF) just like a local.Key sites & attractions are clearly shown on the map.

Paris Planner (Link to App store)
Offers users with a internet (data) connection real-time journey plans across the Metro, Bus, RER, Tramway & Transilien (SNCF). It also includes access to timetables and many other features.

Berlin’s 60th International Film Festival 11-21 Feb 2010

Berlin, the German capital , a city on par with the likes of New York , London and Paris most certainly knows how to look backward and forward at once, how to remember and how to renew. Shaking off its heavy past, today’s Berlin is fast-changing, lively and fun.

Also known as the ” Berlinale” , the Berlin Film Festival has long been one of Europe’s most important film festivals alongside the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival. The festival has hosted world renowned filmmakers such as Ingmar Bergman , Roman Polaski and many others.

2010 sees the festival celebrating it’s 60th Birthday accompanied by a special programme of world-class and enthralling shows.

So, where does it all happen?

Potsdamer Platz is where the Berlinale’s main office is and a majority of the cinemas are located here.

How do I get there?

The two main railway stations in Berlin are the Berlin Hauptbahnhof and the Ostbahnhof . Using the highly efficient U and S Bahn, you can get to Potsdamer Platz is only 8 mins from the Berlin Hauptbahnhof or 14 mins from the Ostbahnhof .

And it’s really simple with your QMapp Berlin. All you  have to do is key in the station you are travelling from and to ( Potsdamer Platz for the Festival) & leave all the hard work of journey planning to QMapp.

Available in  5  different languages : German, French,Italian, Spanish and English, we truly  have  got something for everyone!

DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY OF THE BERLIN QMAPP HERE!!

And now, ladies an gentleman,it gives us immense pleasure to share with you our very own creation for the 60th Berlinale. You’ll never know!! With enough support from all of you, we may just be accepting our first Golden Bear Award this year

Munich: It’s architechtural splendour ,Mountains ,Lakes and Hot Springs !

Munich, the capital of Bavaria, which is also the region where BMW comes from, is world famous for it’s annual 2 week long largest and most exciting Beer Festival in the world.

If beer is not your thing, fret not as there is tonnes else that you can do in this beautiful city, all within easy reach of the city centre ,using the very efficient U-Bahn ( Underground), S-Bahn( Suburban trains), Trams and Buses. You can be walking in the streets of the city centre admiring the awesome architechture one minute and be out in the suburbs breathing in mountain air whilst admiring gorgeous lake views , just 30 minutes outside of the city, at the end of line S6 at Tutzing.

And then there is Europe’s largest Thermal Spa with its very own natural hot spring feeding the various pools  and plenty of hydrotherpay features at the end of line S2 at Erding.

Have Fun!

Communicarta’s maps in iphone Apps!

You can now download our clear, crisp, uncluttered and easy to navigate with maps on to your very own iphone / ipod touch.

First two apps on offer are Frankfurt and Munich. soon to come, Berlin, the hype capital of Germany.

Don’t miss out on these great apps. You will never get lost again in these cities and finding you way to the nearest station is easy peasy using Locate which will pin point the nearest stop to you wherever you are in the city , plus you also get walking or driving directions to these stops , all in one application !!

Communicarta leading the way with iphone Apps

Back in July 09, Communicarta teamed up with Cocoa Project Ltd, which is headed by  Malcolm Barclay, well known for his Number 1 iphone application( London Tube Deluxe).

Q Mapps Ltd was born out of this union of the two companies which share the same passion for quality . Hence the name Q Mapps which stands for Quality Maps , Quality Apps.

Communicarta is very proud to be working with Cocoa Project Limited to fully utilize its extensive  portfolio of quality transit mapping in this ever expanding and hugely exciting market.

September saw the launch of Q Mapp Munich which is enjoying great success in the German App Store

And now , the month of October sees the birth of Q Mapp Frankfurt to tie in with the biggest and most famous bookfair in the publishing world.

Communicarta is truly proud to be a part of this very important event in the publishing calendar. We wish everyone a Fantastic Fair!!

Spring In Paris? Even mother nature seems to favour this city of lights and romance!

Paris is undoubtedly  one of the great capitals of fashion, lights and romance.  Our recent field trip to Paris to update the RER, SNFC and tram lines would suggest that fashion and style is very much pervasive everywhere, including the  trams stops , railway stations and  disused railroad tracks.

Even mother nature seems to offer a helping hand with it’s magnificent and flamboyant burst of blossoms, as if to say , ” Well , what a way to travel, enjoy my show!”

Filming in Milan

Over the years we have been asked why we need to travel to each of the destinations we provide maps for. Some have even suggested it is just a junket for a cheap holiday!

To put the record straight, our researchers work extremely hard in, sometimes, difficult environments for 8-12 hours every day for up to six days travelling every part of a city’s network. If you’ve ever spent just a few hours as a tourist walking the streets of an unfamiliar city, you’ll appreciate just how demanding and tiring it can be.

But this still doesn’t answer the question.

So, we thought the best way to do this would be to shoot a couple of short films demonstrating the research that takes place to enable us to provide detailed and accurate maps.

Take a trip with us to Milan, undoubtedly, one of the major fashion capitals!