MetaCarta enters civilian government market
The Environmental Protection Agency is MetaCarta's first government customer outside of defense, intelligence and homeland security agencies.
MetaCarta is providing geographic search technology to the Environmental Protection Agency for the EPA's Window To My Environment Web tool. The agency is MetaCarta's first government customer outside of defense, intelligence and homeland security agencies.
The company’s technology will enable the tool’s users to find documents, reports and other resources in a specific geographic region. Users, for example, can find information about environmental impact statements filed for industrial runoff onto a specific parcel of land. They can quickly retrieve a record of all discharge permits issued for a particular river.
The 6-year-old technology company has been pursuing government business for about two years, said Randy Ridley, vice president and general manager of MetaCarta's Public Sector Division. Its early business came from the Defense Department, but the company has been trying to expand its government base.
“We have been talking to a number of other agencies," he said. "EPA represents a first victory in a broader initiative.”
MetaCarta recently got $10 million in venture capital funding, which Ridley said will allow the firm to more aggressively pursue additional government contracts.
Lockheed Martin is the systems integrator coordinating the EPA project.