What is an 'iGage' and why does it sell professional GPS
receivers?
iGage Mapping Corporation began as a small engineering company
in Salt Lake City, Utah. Founded in early 1996, iGage began
by providing electrical engineering design and software services
for industrial and automation customers.
+  =
Eye + Gauge = iGage
The word 'iGage' is a play ('Eye Gauge') on the machine vision,
non-contact measurement devices that were the basis of our core
products. The name was coined long before iEverything and eEverythingElse
become popular.
Over the years we have come to regret our trendy name, we
are just boring engineers. It always appeared to be too difficult
to change our name to something more descriptive like 'Light,
Radio and Chemical Based Measurement Tools and Systems'.
iGage is responsible for many of the infrared absorption
gas measurement devices that check automotive emissions; the
gas analyzers for oxygen concentration measurement and calibration
used in hospitals and industry; several lines of high speed
laser based measurement tools for the non-contact measurement
and control of wire, fiber and cable extrusion; motorized valve
testing equipment; and lots of other nifty, but equally unexciting
tools and devices.
In March 1998 Mark Silver, an iGage engineer, built a software
tool that allowed him to view all the 7½ minute quadrangle maps
in the North Eastern corner of Utah where he fishes. Mark paid
his way through the University of Utah fighting range fires
and working on survey crews for the Bureau of Land Management
in Vernal Utah. He loves maps, and he had always dreamed of
making a tool like 'All Topo Maps'. Originally he called his
hobby 'iTopo' and it intrigued everyone who saw it. He soon
expanded it to cover all of Utah.
By August 1999, Mark was literally burning up the iGage office
CD-ROM burner making copies for his friends and their acquaintances.
In October 1999, Mark decided to have a couple hundred copies
made to give as Christmas gifts. He learned that it was about
the same price to press 1,000 sets as it cost to burn 100 so
he made a simple User's Manual, some cover art and had 1,000
sets of CDs pressed and assembled.
Mark spent several weeks giving maps sets away, pulling the
front covers and autographing them as if he was a famous rock-star.
Very quickly it became evident that he would not be able to
give them away fast enough to satisfy everyone who wanted a
copy so he convinced three local retailers (Denali, Utah Idaho
Map World and the Utah Geological Survey store) to retail 'All
Topo Maps'.
When 'All Topo Maps' was released, there was no competition
and no comparable products to set a price against. Mark decided
that $100 was a fair price that he would be willing to pay for
the two-disk set. Within a couple of weeks the concept of a
simple, reasonably priced consumer mapping tool was proven.
Hundreds and hundreds of copies were quickly sold. The 1,000
original map sets barely made it through Christmas.
Four-disk Utah sets followed and surrounding states were
completed.
Selling maps was a lot more fun than building gas measurement
systems, so iGage had a GPS interface tool written, improved
the resolution and viewing software and released several new
states (Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming.) Soon iGage had sold over
5,000 copies of All Topo Maps to consumers, and to our surprise
other engineers. More states and nifty mapping tools like BigTopo
followed.
Eventually over 200,000 copies of 'All Topo Maps' with a
registered user list exceeding 75,000 customers and an estimated
120,000 individual software customers.
In September 2000, all of iGage's mapping products, employees,
equipment and technology were acquired by 'IGAGE MAPPING CORPORATION'.
iGage Mapping Corporation is owned by employees.
John, the proprietor of Denali (one of the largest retail
points of sale) was hired and is now the director of iGage.
Why Topographic Maps?
Topographical maps are the basis for almost everything that
our society does. Early maps guided exploration. Later maps
formed the basis for land sales, plat maps and land ownership.
The topographic map series is one of this nation's finest treasures,
a resource of uncountable value. The series was paid for by
citizens for their benefit, it should be available in a concise,
friendly form for everyone to use at a reasonable price.
Topographical maps are art. Each map has been painstakingly
generated by hundreds of artisans, each improving on the work
of their predecessors. When you hang a quadrangle on your wall
and look your favorite place you don't see a paper map. Your
mind sees the places you have been, the mountains, hills, streams
and lakes. You can instantly remember those hikes you took 20
years ago and the events that occurred on them. The maps, like
fine art, are more than paper and ink.
The Fall of Topographic Maps
Since 2010, Google mapping products have become the go-to
source for consumers and professional users. Much the same as
'All Topo Maps' lead to the demise of paper topographic maps,
Google Mapping products have taken most of the share of all
mapping products.
As of 2016, only two of the many players in the digital topographic
mapping business remained (us and one competitor). In March
2017 iGage stopped marketing 'All Topo Maps'. Support supposedly
stopped in March of 2020; however we still do as much as we
can for our original customers.
Mapping and Survey Hardware
It was by accident that iGage fell into the role of providing
digital mapping and survey solutions. At the time of this writing
we have served millions and millions and millions of maps. Hopefully
our mapping products provided extreme value, and simple to use
map gratification for the map needy and the truly map obsessed.
In 2004, we become a supplier of Mapping and Survey GPS equipment
representing the linage of Thales-Magellan Professional-Ashtech
and Spectra Precision products. By the end of 2005, the GNSS
market had grown to be substantially larger than our mapping
market.
In 2013 we began a relationship with CHC to produce the
X90-OPUS receiver which has
extended to a complete line of iGage mapping and survey grade
precision GPS equipment. iGage is now one of the largest suppliers
of GNSS equipment in the USA.
We are not a big outfit, so your comments and suggestions
make an immediate difference! Don't hesitate to drop us a note
if your have a great idea or hate our guts and want to let us
know about it. You will get a quick response!
Our Name and Apple's 'iEverything'
One of the most common questions that we are asked is 'How
come Apple has not forced iGage to change its name?'
The iGage company (originally a DBA, now a Corporation "iGage
Mapping Corporation") was
registered in the State of Utah on July 3, 1996. At the
time, any existence of Apple products bearing the 'iAnything'
name was unknown to us.
For reference the iMac-G3 was introduced August 15, 1998
(two years after our origin) and the 'IMAC'
trademark is dated June 2000 (four years after our origin.)
In early 2000 we were contacted, by phone, by someone representing
themselves to be counsel for Apple. We informed them that we
think our
business registration predates their trademarks. We have
never been contacted again.
The iGage name is kind-of unfortunate. The original intent
of 'measurement by looking not touching' worked well for our
gas analyzers and still works well for our GPS lines.
If we had known in 1996 that our name would be hip and trendy,
we probably never would have never chosen it. But it is far
too late to change now. Hip and trendy we remain (...just kidding:
no one would ever describe iGage as hip, trendy or cool.)
Good mapping to you!
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