C D R Group
CDR Group is a UK-based GIS software and services company that distributes MapInfo Professional, Ordnance Survey data, and proprietary vertical GIS applications to local authorities, utilities, emergency services, and government agencies across Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersHope, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What C D R Group does
CDR Group (legal name: Contract Data Research Ltd.) is a UK-based Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software and services company headquartered at Eccles House, Hope, Derbyshire. Founded in 1994 as a MapInfo Business Partner, the company has operated continuously for over 30 years as a value-added reseller and domain-specialist in British GIS, holding MapInfo Premier Partner status with Precisely and Licensed Partner status with both Ordnance Survey (GB) and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland. The core offering is the distribution, support, training, and customisation of MapInfo Professional desktop GIS — complemented by Ordnance Survey data products (OS MasterMap, AddressBase, OS NGD themes), proprietary vertical applications (MISalt for winter maintenance routing, GMIS for grounds maintenance, MICruise for marine isochrones, TARS for traffic accident recording, STC25 for manhole data, HS Gridder for hotspot mapping), MapInfo extensions (CDR Maplets), and resold third-party tools (RouteFinder, MapGML, MapRite, Maps4Site). Service lines include large-format scanning, data capture and digitisation, GIS consultancy, MapInfo-accredited training, and Aqua3 waterproof map printing. The business serves UK local authorities, utilities, emergency services, central government, environmental bodies, and a small commercial base, with documented customers including Staffordshire County Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Environment Agency, North Lincolnshire Council, Surrey Police, and Shell UK.
The revenue model blends recurring and transactional streams: annual MapInfo software subscriptions (one- and three-year terms), annual Ordnance Survey data licences priced by user count and area of coverage, recurring technical support contracts, one-time custom application licences, project-based professional services (£250 to £250,000), and per-course training revenue. Distribution is primarily direct sales via the Eccles House sales team, supplemented by procurement-framework listings (G-Cloud 14, CCS Supplier, Ariba Discovery) that enable UK public sector procurement, and channel partnerships through Precisely and Ordnance Survey. The company holds ISO 9001:2015 certification (audited annually by NQA), is registered under the UK Procurement Act 2023, and is a Corporate Member of the Association for Geographic Information.
Technically, the platform centres on MapInfo Professional — a desktop GIS supporting 3D visualisation, spatial analytics, and integrations with relational/spatial databases (Oracle, SQL Server, PostGIS, SQLite, Snowflake via query pushdown), OGC web services (WMS, WMTS, WFS), GIS formats (SHP, GML, GeoJSON, KML, DXF/DWG, DGN, GeoPackage), and Ordnance Survey products. The customer base is overwhelmingly UK public sector, with hundreds of organisations across local government, utilities, and emergency services; named enterprise customers are limited. The business is privately held and independently operated, with no disclosed external investment, M&A activity, or institutional shareholders, and operates with a small headcount of 1–10 employees.
C D R Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- C D R Group
- Legal name
- Contract Data Research Ltd.
- Website
- https://cdrgroup.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CDR Group is a UK-based GIS software and services company that distributes MapInfo Professional, Ordnance Survey data, and proprietary vertical GIS applications to local authorities, utilities, emergency services, and government agencies across Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
C D R Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- GIS Software
- NAICS
- Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- GIS & Spatial Data Management Platforms (BPAMANAK)
Keywords
Where C D R Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hope
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
C D R Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Software Licensing (MapInfo Pro): Subscription-based licensing for MapInfo Professional software. One and three-year subscriptions include maintenance, automatic updates, and access to features formerly only in MapInfo Pro Advanced.
- Ordnance Survey Data Licensing: Annual licence fees for Ordnance Survey digital mapping products including OS MasterMap, AddressBase, Code-Point, VectorMap, terrain data, and OS OpenData products. Pricing calculated by number of users and area of coverage.
- Custom Applications: Specialist applications including MISalt (Winter Maintenance routing), GMIS (Grounds Maintenance), MICruise (Marine isochrones), TARS (Traffic Accident Recording), HS Gridder (Hotspot mapping), RouteFinder (Routing), MapGML (OS MasterMap translator), and MapRite (PAI software).
- Professional Services: Data capture services (digitising, scanning, conversion), consultancy, and project work ranging from £250 to £250,000. Includes heads-up/down digitising, data clean-up, and bespoke application development.
- Training Services: MapInfo training courses including Foundation Level (2 days), Advanced Level (2 days), 32 to 64-bit Transition (1 day), and MapBasic Essentials. Offered at Eccles House or on-site.
- Technical Support: Annual technical support services for MapInfo Professional providing unlimited telephone and email support during term of policy. Based on number of active software units.
- Aqua3 Waterproof Maps: Site-centred waterproof maps printed on demand from Ordnance Survey data at 1:25,000 or 1:50,000 scale, laminated with Aqua3 coating. Sold through partnership with Hope Digital.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | MapInfo Pro v2023 |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Data Licences |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project Work |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Training Courses |
| Unit Pricing | Annual | OS MasterMap Topography Layer |
| Per seat | Annual | AddressBase Products |
| Subscription | Annual | Technical Support |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
C D R Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
C D R Group is a UK-based GIS software and data specialist that distributes Precisely's MapInfo Professional desktop GIS software as a Premier Partner, supplies Ordnance Survey digital mapping data as a Licensed Partner, and develops proprietary CDR applications (MISalt, GMIS, MICruise, TARS, STC25) for specialised workflows. The company also offers accredited training courses, data capture/digitising services, large format scanning, GIS consultancy, and Aqua3 waterproof map production to public sector and enterprise customers across the UK.
Product overview
CDR Group is a MapInfo Premier Partner and Precisely reseller specialising in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Their product portfolio centers on MapInfo Professional as the core desktop GIS platform, complemented by their own proprietary applications including CDR Maplets (extensions), MISalt (winter maintenance routing), GMIS (grounds maintenance), MICruise (marine navigation), TARS (traffic accident recording), Browse-A-Map (web mapping), and STC25 (manhole data management). They distribute Precisely/Spectrum products including HS Gridder (hotspot analysis), RouteFinder (routing), MapGML, MapRite, and Maps4Site. Their data offerings include Ordnance Survey premium products (OS MasterMap Topography, Highways, Imagery; AddressBase family; Code-Point; OS VectorMap; OS Terrain5), OS NGD themes (Address, Buildings, Transport, Water, Land, Land Use, Structures, Geographical Names), GBPro200/500 datasets, and free OS OpenData products. Services include large format scanning, data capture/digitising, MapInfo professional training (Foundation, Advanced, 64-bit Transition, MapBasic), GIS consultancy, and Aqua3 waterproof map production.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- MapInfo Professional Desktop GIS software for capturing, managing, analysing and visualising location data. Supports 3D visualisation, spatial analytics, and integrates with Oracle, SQL Server, PostGIS, Snowflake, and OGC web services.
- MISalt Route planning application for Highways Winter Maintenance fleet deployment, helping route planners deploy salting vehicles for road treatment.
- GMIS Grounds Maintenance Information System for managing grounds maintenance operations and related spatial data.
- MICruise Marine application for rapidly calculating isochrones for coastal navigation purposes.
- TARS Traffic Accident Recording System for recording and analysing traffic accident data.
- Browse-A-Map Web mapping application built on Open Source software for browser-based map access and interaction.
- STC25 GIS application for storing manhole record card data in computerized form to government-defined standards.
- HS Gridder Hotspot mapping tool for MapInfo that generates hotspot maps and performs temporal analysis using Kernel Density Estimation and Getis-Ord Gi* routines for crime or incident data analysis.
- RouteFinder Routing software for network analysis and routing within MapInfo Professional.
- MapGML OS MasterMap translator for converting GML data formats for use in MapInfo.
- MapRite Positional Accuracy Improvement software for enhancing the positional accuracy of spatial data.
- OS MasterMap Topography Layer Detailed, intelligent geographic database covering Great Britain with almost half a billion features from built and natural landscape, structured into nine themes.
- OS MasterMap Highways Network Layer High-quality road network data combining surveyed data with National Street Gazetteer information including routing, asset management, and road routing restrictions.
- OS MasterMap Imagery Layer Seamless aerial photography covering Great Britain with consistent resolution and over 97% of imagery less than 5 years old.
- AddressBase Premium Flagship address database with over 40 million addresses and 100 million cross references, referenced by Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN).
- AddressBase Plus Address product with Royal Mail PAF data, local authority addresses, and OS MasterMap TOID references for direct marketing applications.
- AddressBase Core Weekly updated address product with over 33 million addresses, each uniquely referenced with UPRN and property-level coordinates.
- Code-Point with Polygons Postcode data with notional polygon shapes showing the extent of each postcode unit in Great Britain, derived from AddressBase.
- OS VectorMap Local Highly-detailed, customisable street-level map showing fences, building outlines, paths and street names, generated from OS MasterMap database.
- OS Terrain5 Detailed digital terrain model of Great Britain available as grid of heighted points and contours at five-metre intervals.
- Points of Interest Location-based directory of over 4 million geographic and commercial features across Great Britain with classification system for identifying specific types of locations.
- OS National Geographic Database (NGD) Comprehensive OS NGD data products covering Address, Buildings, Transport, Water, Land, Land Use, Structures, and Geographical Names themes, available via OS Select+Build download service.
- GBPro200 and GBPro500 Premium and entry-level 1:200,000 scale map products with over 60 or 28 layers covering boundaries, roads, water features, gazetteer, and contours for Great Britain overview mapping applications.
- OS OpenData Products
- Large Format Scanning Service Large format scanning service for maps, plans, drawings up to A0 and Emperor size (44 inches wide) with unlimited length, supporting TIFF, JPEG, PDF formats and georeferencing capabilities.
- Data Capture Services Digitising services from paper, linen, acetate, microfiche, and digital sources, including heads-up and heads-down digitising, data conversion, and validation. Project work ranges from £250 to £250,000.
- MapInfo Professional Training Accredited training courses including Foundation Level (2 days), Advanced Level (2 days), 32 to 64-bit Transition (1 day), and MapBasic programming courses at Eccles House training facility or on-site.
- GIS Consultancy Services Consultancy services for asset management, data cleanup, digitising, facilities management, GIS training, spatial decision making, software development, and system implementation.
- Aqua3 Waterproof Maps Site-centred laminated maps printed on Aqua3 synthetic paper with all-weather coating, available at 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scales with optional extra panels.
- Maps4Site Affordable mobile solution for field data collection and site visits.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 30 years in the GIS market with consistent growth
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use C D R Group
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
C D R Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration22 records
Feature5 records
C D R Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, supporting and core.
- PreciselyflagshipCDR Group is a MapInfo Premier Partner to Precisely, providing sales, training, and technical support for MapInfo Professional software. Also offers Spectrum Spatial (web mapping) and other Precisely products via G-Cloud framework. Precisely acquired MapInfo from Pitney Bowes Software in 2020.
- Hope DigitalsupportingCDR Group partnered with Hope Digital to provide site-centred Aqua3 waterproof maps. Maps are printed to the area of interest, laminated with Aqua3 coating, and include magnetic data from the British Geological Survey.
- Portolan TechnologysupportingCDR Group has a partnership agreement with Portolan Technology to offer HS Gridder software for MapInfo Pro, providing hotspot mapping and spatial/temporal analysis capabilities for crime or incident data analysis.
- UK Government (CCS, G-Cloud, Ariba Discovery)coreCDR Group is registered as a supplier on multiple UK government procurement frameworks: G-Cloud 14 Framework for cloud software, Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Supplier, and Ariba Discovery. This enables public sector organisations to procure CDR's GIS solutions.
- Association for Geographic Information (AGI)supportingCDR Group is a Corporate Member of the Association for Geographic Information. Training courses provide AGI CPD Points.
- Ordnance SurveycoreCDR Group is an Ordnance Survey Licensed Partner licensed to sell digital mapping products covering all of Great Britain. Products include OS MasterMap Topography Layer, Highways Network, Imagery Layer, AddressBase products, Code-Point, VectorMap, terrain data, and Points of Interest. A new Pricing and Licensing model was introduced allowing partner businesses to licence and resell almost all OS products.
- Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland (Land & Property Services)coreCDR Group is also an Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland Licensed Partner (now part of Land & Property Services). Different data products cover Northern Ireland including Code-Point and AddressBase Islands.
Scale indicators17 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
C D R Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Dotted Eyes: UK GIS solutions provider and Ordnance Survey Licensed Partner offering consultancy, data, training, and software distribution. Closely mirrors CDR's business model of bundling OS data, GIS software resale, and professional services for UK public sector.
- Cadcorp: UK-based developer of desktop, web, and developer GIS software (Cadcorp SIS, GeognoSIS). Competes head-to-head with CDR for UK local authority, emergency services, and infrastructure customers with similar product-and-services one-stop-shop positioning.
- Bluesky International: UK aerial survey and geospatial data company providing high-resolution aerial imagery, LiDAR, and derived data products. Overlaps with CDR on UK geospatial data distribution to local government and infrastructure clients.
- Esri UK: UK arm of Esri, the dominant global GIS software vendor. Directly competes with CDR's MapInfo Pro offering in the same UK local government, utilities, and emergency services customer segments. Both sell desktop GIS plus data plus services to UK public sector buyers.
- Getmapping: UK provider of aerial photography, LiDAR, mapping data, and GIS services. Sells directly to UK local authorities, utilities, and infrastructure clients with overlapping customer base and complementary product set (geospatial data + services).
- GGP Systems: UK GIS consultancy and software developer serving local government, utilities, and emergency services with bespoke GIS implementations and OS data supply. Comparable scale and target market to CDR.
Others
- TomTom: Location data and mapping technology provider offering maps, traffic, and location APIs. Not a direct competitor but addresses adjacent location intelligence use cases for enterprise and government customers in the UK.
Broad incumbents
- Precisely: Parent of the MapInfo product line and CDR's flagship vendor partner. Provides the underlying MapInfo Pro platform plus a much broader data integrity and location intelligence portfolio sold both directly and through channel partners like CDR.
- Hexagon Geospatial: Global GIS and geospatial analytics vendor (Erdas Imagine, GeoMedia, Luciad) serving national mapping, defence, and infrastructure customers. Competes with MapInfo/Esri in the same UK accounts with broader portfolio.
- Trimble Geospatial: Global provider of surveying, mapping, and GIS software and hardware. Serves UK infrastructure, utility, and government clients with end-to-end geospatial workflows that overlap with CDR's value proposition.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
C D R Group social profiles
Digital presenceC D R Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
C D R Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
C D R Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
C D R Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
C D R Group 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 C D R Group
What does C D R Group do?
C D R Group is a UK-based GIS software and data specialist that distributes Precisely's MapInfo Professional desktop GIS software as a Premier Partner, supplies Ordnance Survey digital mapping data as a Licensed Partner, and develops proprietary CDR applications (MISalt, GMIS, MICruise, TARS, STC25) for specialised workflows. The company also offers accredited training courses, data capture/digitising services, large format scanning, GIS consultancy, and Aqua3 waterproof map production to public sector and enterprise customers across the UK.
Is C D R Group a public or private company?
C D R Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was C D R Group founded?
C D R Group was founded in 1994. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is C D R Group based?
C D R Group is headquartered in Hope, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does C D R Group make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Software Licensing (MapInfo Pro) is the primary driver. The others are ordnance Survey Data Licensing, custom Applications, professional Services, training Services, technical Support and aqua3 Waterproof Maps.
Who are C D R Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Dotted Eyes, Cadcorp, Bluesky International, Esri UK, Getmapping and GGP Systems. TomTom is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Precisely, Hexagon Geospatial and Trimble Geospatial.
Does C D R Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for C D R Group.
What industry is C D R Group in?
C D R Group's product category is GIS Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMANAK, GIS & Spatial Data Management Platforms. Its NAICS code is 541370 and its SIC code is 7374.