Prestigious UK Innovation Smart Grant Awarded to Mapstack

Bristol, UK – October 5, 2023 – Mapstack, the world’s first social network of maps and data, is excited to announce its award of a prestigious UK Innovation Smart Grant. With a mission to democratise open data access, Mapstack has been founded with the belief that access to open data is a fundamental human right.

Administered by Innovate UK, the UK Government’s innovation agency, the grant acknowledges the potential of Mapstack's game-changing R&D project to make a significant contribution to the UK economy.

Mapstack's vision addresses a significant problem faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), nonprofits, and educators worldwide - the challenge of accessing, analysing and making sense of open data and the immense value it can offer. Mapstack will remove barriers like technical complexities, credibility concerns, and the trouble of integrating data into existing workflows, which are often exclusively reserved for enterprises with the resources to hire expert consultants and purchase high-end software.

"Our goal is to make Mapstack the Wikipedia or GitHub equivalent for open data - a single, free to access, and user-friendly resource that everyone can use, not just those with the deepest pockets," said Chris Brown, Mapstack founder and CEO.

Mapstack enables practical data usage by allowing users to integrate their own data, collaborate around data, make informed decisions, and publish or consume data. In doing so, it will not only eliminate the need for costly enterprise solutions but also widens the reach of valuable data-driven insights to individuals and organisations that were previously excluded. Moreover, Mapstack aims to foster trust and understanding by providing features like social proof and data provenance, alongside offering visualisation tools like interactive maps with graphs, charts, and tables to follow in the future.

Chris Brown added: "With Compound Annual Growth Rates (CAGR) of open data, location intelligence, and data analytics markets being 18%, 13%, and 30% respectively, we are confident that Mapstack is venturing into a significant growth opportunity. The funding from Innovate UK will significantly help us in reaching our goals."

Compared to the limitations of existing solutions - government portals, enterprise systems, and open data sites - Mapstack aims to emerge as a comprehensive, freely available and easy-to-use alternative, with paid plans for anyone who wants to upload their own data privately and securely.

By clinching the UK Innovation Smart Grant, Mapstack aims to cement its commitment to its mission and stands prepared to make waves in the global open data landscape.

About mapstack

Mapstack is the first social network of maps and open data. Our vision is to create a community-driven platform that provides individuals and organisations with actionable insights, enabling them to make informed decisions through data. We believe that data literacy and access are fundamental human rights, and we’re committed to empowering everyone, regardless of their budget or technical capability. By democratising open data, we will foster a culture of collaboration and innovation, where people can freely share their knowledge and expertise with others. With Mapstack, anyone will be able to easily create maps, access open data from around the world, and collaborate with like-minded individuals to unlock the full potential of the world’s data.