MapFan
GeoTechnologies, Inc. operates MapFan, a Japan-centric digital mapping and location-intelligence platform serving B2C consumers, B2B enterprises (1,500+ API/DB customers), and OEMs through proprietary map data, navigation APIs, and fleet SaaS.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersMorioka, Japan
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What MapFan does
GeoTechnologies, Inc. (ジオテクノロジーズ株式会社) is a privately held Tokyo-based digital mapping and location-intelligence company that operates the MapFan brand. Its core business is the production, maintenance, and licensing of a proprietary Japan-centric map database covering 1.3 million km of roads, 47 million+ address records, and 400,000+ vehicle regulation data items, refreshed twelve times per year and supported in thirteen languages.
MapFan monetizes this data asset through multiple channels: a B2B API/DB licensing program used by 1,500+ companies across logistics, real estate, transportation, government, automotive, and tourism (tiered from a Free plan to an Enterprise tier at 154,000 JPY/month for 30,000 requests), OEM map-data royalties embedded in Pioneer and JVCKENWOOD head units, consumer-facing web and mobile map applications with premium membership, the Suguroji fleet-management SaaS, and crowdsourced people-flow analytics derived from 1 billion+ daily location data points. Recent product launches (Sakamichi slope visualization, KUMA-DATA bear-activity mapping, GeoQuest View in 2024) and the move onto the RapidAPI global marketplace indicate active expansion of the product surface beyond raw map data into vertical analytics and international developer distribution.
MapFan firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MapFan
- Legal name
- GeoTechnologies, Inc.
- Website
- https://mapfan.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- GeoTechnologies, Inc. operates MapFan, a Japan-centric digital mapping and location-intelligence platform serving B2C consumers, B2B enterprises (1,500+ API/DB customers), and OEMs through proprietary map data, navigation APIs, and fleet SaaS.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MapFan industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Mapping & Location Intelligence
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mapping & Basemap Platforms (Tiles/SDKs) (BPAMANAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- GPS Fleet Tracking & Mapping (TLABAJAA)
Keywords
Where MapFan is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Morioka
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
MapFan business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Premium Membership Subscription: MapFan Premium subscription provides ad-free experience and additional features for individual consumers. Annual and monthly billing options available.
- MapFan API Licensing: Enterprise customers license MapFan API for integration into websites, systems, and applications. Pricing based on access volume and number of licenses.
- MapFan DB Database Sales: Sale of digital map database products including display maps, road maps, address databases, spot databases, and guidance databases for GIS and business applications.
- Navigation Map Updates: Car navigation map update services through MapFan Online Store. Special pricing for map updates for Pioneer, KENWOOD, and other car navigation systems.
- Trima Advertising: Location-based advertising service using the Trima app platform which rewards users for walking with miles/points.
- Geocoding Service: Address geocoding service offered as WebAPI or Excel macro, with tiered pricing from free trial (1000件/month) to Enterprise (30000件/month).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free Trial - Up to 1,000 requests/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Light Plan - 30,000 JPY/month, up to 5,000 requests/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard Plan - 82,000 JPY/month, up to 15,000 requests/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Enterprise Plan - 154,000 JPY/month, up to 30,000 requests/month |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Professional/Outsourcing - 600,000 JPY+ per job |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
MapFan product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MapFan is a Japanese digital mapping and location intelligence platform operated by GeoTechnologies, Inc. It provides consumer-facing map and route search via mapfan.com (with optional Premium membership) and enterprise-facing products including the MapFan API for developers, MapFan DB digital map database, MapFan SDK for Windows, cloud-based address geocoding and cleansing services, and fleet management tools. The offering is built on an in-house Japan-wide map database refreshed 12 times per year.
Product overview
MapFan is a comprehensive Japanese mapping and navigation ecosystem operated by GeoTechnologies, Inc. The offering consists of a consumer-facing web platform (MapFan) providing map display, route search, and spot/address/station/TEL/postal code search, complemented by premium subscription services (MapFan Premium). The enterprise portfolio includes MapFan API for developers, MapFan DB digital map databases, MapFan SDK for Windows, and specialized data products (るるぶDATA, Geo-People人流データ, 住所ジオコーディングサービス). Fleet management is addressed through スグロジ truck navigation and スマートメンバーズ/KENWOOD MapFan CLUB membership programs. Consumer mobile apps include MapFanAssist, トリマ (point-collection), and ジオクエ (photo-to-earn), while the B2B counterpart is GeoQuest Connect. Additional services include advertising (トリマ広告, Geo-Promotion Ads), market research (Geo-Research), and the Location AI Platform for marketing. All services are tied together through the map infrastructure powered by GeoTechnologies' proprietary digital map data.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MapFanプレミアム (MapFan Premium): Premium membership service offering ad-free experience and additional features
- MapFan API
- MapFan DB
- MapFan スマートメンバーズ
- MapFanAssist
- トリマ
- GeoQuest (ジオクエ)
- スグロジ
Products and services
- MapFan Japanese online mapping and route search platform providing comprehensive map display, spot/address/station/TEL/postal code search, distance/area measurement, and travel planning tools for individual consumers.
- MapFan Premium Paid membership service offering ad-free experience, VICS traffic information, parking vacancy status, and unlimited access to travel convenience features for individual consumers.
- MapFan API Enterprise developer tool providing high-quality location data for map display, route search, address search, geocoding, and multilingual support (13 languages/14 types) for websites, systems, and applications.
- MapFan DB Digital map database product with display maps, road maps, address databases, spot databases, guidance databases, and human flow data for GIS and enterprise applications.
- MapFan SDK for Windows Windows PC map development kit for building custom mapping applications for enterprise developers.
- Address Geocoding Service Cloud and Excel-based service for batch geocoding, converting Japanese addresses to latitude/longitude coordinates with support for 47 million+ addresses.
- Address Confirmation Service Cloud-based address normalization and cleansing service for standardizing address notations in CRM, SFA, and e-commerce systems.
- Suguroji (Fleet Management) Cloud-based dynamic fleet management system for trucks with 0 initial cost, vehicle-specific route planning, and delivery coordination features.
- MapFanAssist Mobile app for trip planning creation and car navigation synchronization for individual consumers.
- Trima Ads Location-based advertising service utilizing the Trima mobile app user base for enterprise advertisers.
- Geo-Research Survey research service enabling location-based screening for targeted audience recruitment for enterprise clients.
- MapFan Online Store Online e-commerce store selling car navigation map updates at discounted prices for Pioneer, KENWOOD, and other car navigation systems.
- Geo-People (Human Flow Data) Human flow data service collecting over 1 billion location data points daily for real-time mobility pattern analysis sold to enterprises.
- Rurubu DATA Tourism data service providing travel-related information for tourism and hospitality businesses.
- Location AI Platform Marketing platform leveraging location-based data and AI for customer targeting and analysis for enterprise marketing teams.
- GeoQuest Connect Business-to-business version of GeoQuest for enterprise marketing campaigns and user engagement.
- MapFan Smart Members Member service integrated with Pioneer Carrozzeria for enhanced car lifestyle support and discounted navigation map updates.
- KENWOOD MapFan CLUB JVC KENWOOD Saisoku Navi map update membership service providing discounted map downloads for car navigation users.
Quantifiable outcome
- Delivery planning efficiency improved through large vehicle route optimization
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use MapFan
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
MapFan technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
MapFan partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- パイオニア (Pioneer Corporation)coreMapFan maps are integrated into Pioneer car navigation systems including サイバーナビ (Cyber Navi), 楽ナビ (Raku Navi), and エアーナビ (Air Navi). Special membership service 'MapFan Smart Members' enables integrated car-life support.
- JVCケンウッド (JVCKENWOOD Corporation)coreMapFan maps integrated into KENWOOD '彩速ナビ' (Saisoku Navi) car navigation systems. 'KENWOOD MapFan CLUB' service provides exclusive map update pricing.
- JR北海道 (JR Hokkaido)minorJR Hokkaido operates section guide web pages using GeoTechnologies' railway network data for train operation route visualization.
- Tour NIPPON (宿・ホテル・旅館予約)minorHotel reservation service linked from MapFan website, enabling accommodation booking integration with route planning.
- RapidAPIcoreMapFan API distributed through RapidAPI marketplace alongside direct sales, enabling global developer access to Japanese map APIs.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
MapFan competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
MapFan social profiles
Digital presenceMapFan financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MapFan leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
MapFan funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MapFan M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MapFan
What does MapFan do?
MapFan is a Japanese digital mapping and location intelligence platform operated by GeoTechnologies, Inc. It provides consumer-facing map and route search via mapfan.com (with optional Premium membership) and enterprise-facing products including the MapFan API for developers, MapFan DB digital map database, MapFan SDK for Windows, cloud-based address geocoding and cleansing services, and fleet management tools. The offering is built on an in-house Japan-wide map database refreshed 12 times per year.
Is MapFan a public or private company?
MapFan is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was MapFan founded?
MapFan was founded in 1994. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is MapFan based?
MapFan is headquartered in Morioka, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does MapFan make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Premium Membership Subscription is the primary driver. The others are mapFan API Licensing, mapFan DB Database Sales, navigation Map Updates, trima Advertising and geocoding Service.
Does MapFan have an API?
Yes. MapFan API is a high-quality location-based mapping and routing service for enterprise developers. It provides map display, route search, address search, spot search, geocoding, reverse geocoding, and multi-language support (13 languages/14 types). The API offers features including: map image acquisition, address search (addr, addrlist, addrname), spot search (spot, spotarea), station search (sta, stalist, staarea), polygon drawing on maps, route search with large vehicle regulations, and multilingual map display. Available via direct API and RapidAPI marketplace. Supports OpenStreetMap format and vector file formats. Can be integrated with Leaflet.js open-source JavaScript library for map display. The Vector Map API v2.0 delivers PMTiles format vector tiles optimized for network traffic reduction and high-speed tile loading. Developer documentation is at business.mapfan.com/service/api.
What industry is MapFan in?
MapFan's product category is Digital Mapping & Location Intelligence. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMANAB, Mapping & Basemap Platforms (Tiles/SDKs), with a secondary code of TLABAJAA, GPS Fleet Tracking & Mapping. Its NAICS code is 518.