SparkMap

What SparkMap does

SparkMap is a web-based GIS mapping and data analysis platform developed and operated by the Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems (CARES) at the University of Missouri. The platform aggregates data from 120+ government and authoritative sources — including the U.S. Census Bureau, USDA, FEMA, CDC, and USGS — into a normalized library of 390+ indicators and 29,000+ map layers spanning demographics, health, economics, environment, food, education, and civic/social topics. Its three core products are the Community Needs Assessment (a reporting engine that generates downloadable county, multi-county, ZIP code-level, and custom-area reports), the Map Room (an interactive mapping tool with 29,000+ data layers and custom data upload), and the SparkMap API (a developer product launched in 2023 providing database access to all 390+ Premium indicators starting at $5,000).

The platform sells primarily through a self-serve product-led growth motion with a free tier plus annual subscription tiers (Intro, Pro, Premium Annual) that unlock multi-county selection, additional indicators, ZIP code-level data, and advanced tools such as Draw My Area and Data Upload. Enterprise API access is sold through direct outreach starting at $5,000. Customer segments are organized vertically — Healthcare (hospitals, FQHCs, health systems performing triennial CHNAs), Government (state/city departments, housing authorities, DOTs), Non-Profits (social service, housing, food security, youth development), with secondary presence in Academics and Real Estate. Notable named users include Southeast HEALTH, Fairview Health Services, Adventist Health, the American Heart Association, U.S. News & World Report (Healthiest Communities), SNAP-Ed, and National 4-H Council. The organization is privately held within the University of Missouri System (legal entity: The Curators of the University of Missouri), generates revenue through subscriptions and API contracts, and has no disclosed external venture capital or private equity backing.

Name

SparkMap

Legal name

The Curators of the University of Missouri

Website

https://sparkmap.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SparkMap is a web-based GIS mapping and data analysis platform operated by CARES at the University of Missouri, aggregating 120+ government data sources into 390+ indicators and 29,000+ map layers. It serves healthcare organizations performing CHNAs, government agencies, and non-profits through freemium subscriptions and an enterprise API.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Data Analytics Software

NAICS

Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (54137), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

GIS & Spatial Data Management Platforms (BPAMANAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data Analytics & Business Intelligence Services (BPAHALAC), Geospatial Data Management & Enterprise GIS (Geodatabases, Web GIS, Spatial Analytics) (EUAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Community needs assessment
• GIS data mapping
• Health needs analysis
• Community data visualization
• Secondary data platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Licenses: Tiered subscription model (Intro, Pro, Premium Annual) providing access to Community Needs Assessment, Map Room, and API. Free tier provides basic single-county CNA access. Paid tiers unlock multi-county selection, additional indicators (100+ for Intro, 160+ for Pro, 390+ for Premium), and advanced features.
2. API Access: Direct API access to all 390+ Premium indicators starting at $5,000, allowing database integration for enterprise customers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SparkMap provides a web-based GIS mapping and data analysis platform that consolidates data from 120+ government and public sources into Community Needs Assessment reports with 390+ indicators and a Map Room with 29,000+ interactive data layers. The platform supports healthcare, government, non-profit, and academic organizations with downloadable reports, interactive mapping, custom area drawing, and direct API access to its indicator database.

Product overview

SparkMap is a mapping, assessment, and data analysis platform developed by the Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems (CARES) at the University of Missouri. The platform consists of three core products: the Community Needs Assessment (reporting tool with 390+ indicators), the Map Room (interactive mapping tool with 29,000+ data layers), and the SparkMap API (data connectivity product). Topic-Based Reports provide pre-configured assessments by category (Health, Civic/Social, Economy, Education, Environment, Food). All products are available through tiered subscription levels (Free, Intro, Pro, Premium) and serve industries including healthcare, government, non-profits, and education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Needs Assessment A reporting tool that generates downloadable reports for service areas with 390+ custom-picked, benchmarked indicators covering demographics, health, economy, education, environment, and food. Supports single county, multi-county, ZIP code-level, and custom-drawn area reports. Used by hospitals, health systems, FQHCs, and non-profits for CHNA development, grant applications, and community needs analysis.
• Map Room

Quantifiable outcome

• Time savings - users no longer need to visit individual data sources as data is pre-loaded in assessment reports
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• U.S. News & World ReportminorOthersU.S. News & World Report is shown as a user/partner of SparkMap for their Healthiest Communities rankings initiative.
• National Park ServiceminorOthersNational Park Service utilizes SparkMap data for environmental and community analysis within park service areas.
• SNAP-EdminorOthersSNAP-Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education) uses SparkMap for nutrition education and food access analysis.
• National 4-H CouncilminorOthersNational 4-H Council partners with SparkMap for youth development program data analysis and community assessment.
• University of MissouricoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSparkMap is a product of CARES (Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems) hosted by the University of Missouri. This is the founding institution providing infrastructure, research opportunities, and work environment.
• Community Action PartnershipminorOthersCommunity Action Partnership uses SparkMap for community needs assessment and anti-poverty program planning.
• American Heart AssociationminorOthersAmerican Heart Association utilizes SparkMap data for cardiovascular health community assessment and program targeting.
• Adventist HealthminorOthersAdventist Health uses SparkMap for community benefit reporting and health needs assessment.
• University of Missouri ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARES' affiliation with University of Missouri Extension provides technical infrastructure, applied research opportunities, and campus work environment.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Social Explorer: Social Explorer is a demographic data and mapping platform aimed at researchers, libraries, and policy analysts. Direct peer because it aggregates U.S. Census and other federal data into interactive maps and reports for the same government, education, and non-profit segments.
• Azavea: Azavea is a geospatial analytics firm building civic and social-impact mapping tools (e.g., OpenDataPhilly, Earthrise). Direct peer because it operates in GIS-based community analytics for non-profits, government, and civic customers with similar data layers and indicator approaches.
• Community Commons: Community Commons (formerly CHNA.org) provides community needs assessment tools, mapping, and indicator libraries for non-profits, hospitals, and public health agencies. Direct peer because it directly overlaps SparkMap's CNA, Map Room, and CHNA-comparable workflows and customer segments.
• Metopio: Metopio provides a community health and social determinants analytics platform used by hospitals, FQHCs, and CBOs. Direct peer because it offers similar ZIP- and county-level indicators, CHNA workflows, and themed data visualizations for the same healthcare and non-profit buyer.
• Conduent Healthy Communities Institute (HCI): Conduent's Healthy Communities Institute delivers community health needs assessment software and population health dashboards to hospitals and health systems. Direct peer because its core product replicates SparkMap's CHNA + indicator library + footprint-tool workflow for the same hospital-system buyers.
• PolicyMap: PolicyMap is a data and mapping platform specializing in community-level indicators for housing, health, lending, and economic development. It is a direct peer because it serves the same CHNA, grant-writing, and government-planning use cases with comparable geographies, indicators, and self-service SaaS tiers.
• SimplyAnalytics: SimplyAnalytics is a web-based mapping, analytics, and data visualization tool used by academic and public-library researchers. Direct peer because it offers comparable self-service geospatial analysis of demographic, health, and economic indicators for institutional customers.

Emerging players

• CARTO: CARTO is a cloud-based location intelligence and spatial analytics platform for enterprises. Emerging player because it overlaps on geospatial analytics and data layer hosting but focuses on commercial enterprise use cases more than community/CHNA workflows.

Broad incumbents

• Esri (ArcGIS): Esri's ArcGIS platform is the dominant enterprise GIS and spatial analytics system used across government, healthcare, and non-profits. Broad incumbent because it powers comparable mapping/analysis workflows but as part of a much wider geospatial portfolio rather than the community-needs focus.
• Tableau (Salesforce): Tableau is the dominant general-purpose data visualization and BI platform with mapping capabilities. Broad incumbent because it covers similar visualization and indicator-reporting workflows for healthcare and government customers but as part of a much larger analytics suite.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/user
• Facebookfacebook.com/sparkmap
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sparkmap

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SparkMap