International Map Industry Association (IMIA)

What International Map Industry Association (IMIA) does

The International Map Industry Association (IMIA) is a private, non-profit professional association founded in 1981 and headquartered in Hanover, Maryland, USA, with 7 employees and a board of directors representing members across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, India, Austria, and Belgium. IMIA exists to foster the growth of the global mapping and geospatial industry through business networking, industry education, and knowledge exchange among mapmakers, publishers, geospatial technology companies, location-based services, content producers, and distributors.

The association generates revenue through three primary streams: annual membership dues structured across ten tiers by organization size and type (ranging from $25 for students to $995 for organizations with 51+ employees), tiered annual sponsorship programs (Platinum $8,000, Gold $5,500, Silver $2,750, Bronze $1,450), and event-specific sponsorships ranging from $250-$1,000. IMIA delivers member value through the annual in-person Mapping Leaders Forum, virtual programming including Where Cartography Meets Industry sessions and Points of Interest webinars, Map Industry Summits, a bi-monthly newsletter, industry awards, and a collective presence at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Major Platinum and Gold sponsors include Esri, East View, National Geographic, and NextByte Technologies.

IMIA maintains formal mutual alliances with the British Cartographic Society, the Cartography and Geographic Information Society, the International Cartographic Association, and the Open Geospatial Consortium, and jointly administers the ICA-IMIA Recognition of Excellence in Cartography at the Esri User Conference. The association does not develop proprietary technology products and operates without external investment, private equity, or parent company ownership, functioning instead as a member-governed trade body.

Name

International Map Industry Association (IMIA)

Legal name

International Map Industry Association

Website

https://imiamaps.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The International Map Industry Association (IMIA) is a non-profit, US-headquartered global trade association serving map publishers, geospatial technology firms, distributors, and cartographic content producers through tiered memberships, sponsorships, events, and industry awards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanover

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Membership Dues: IMIA generates revenue through annual membership fees structured by organization size, ranging from $25 (students) to $995 (51+ employees). Membership tiers include government, education, non-profit, and individual categories.
2. Annual Sponsorship Programs: Annual sponsorships at multiple levels (Platinum $8,000, Gold $5,500, Silver $2,750, Bronze $1,450) provide marketing exposure, event benefits, and comp tickets to events throughout the year.
3. Event Sponsorship: Event-specific sponsorships ranging from $250-$1,000 allow direct support of IMIA events and programs with substantial marketing benefits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IMIA is a global nonprofit professional membership association serving the mapping and geospatial industry. It provides tiered annual memberships, sponsorships at multiple levels, in-person and virtual events (including the Mapping Leaders Forum, Points of Interest webinars, and Where Cartography Meets Industry sessions), industry awards programs, a bi-monthly newsletter, and a member directory to connect map publishers, technology companies, distributors, and content producers worldwide.

Product overview

IMIA (International Map Industry Association) is a global professional membership association for the mapping and geospatial industry, not a product company. It does not offer commercial products or services for sale. The organization provides membership benefits including business networking, industry knowledge sharing, educational events (such as the Mapping Leaders Forum, Points of Interest webinars, and Where Cartography Meets Industry sessions), industry awards (IMIA Clark Swinehart Leadership Award, IMIA Lifetime Achievement Award, Industry Choice Award, and ICA-IMIA Recognition of Excellence in Cartography), sponsorship opportunities, a bi-monthly newsletter ("Hello Mappers"), and access to a member directory. IMIA also organizes a collective booth at the Frankfurt Book Fair and various regional summits for its members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IMIA Annual Membership

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• British Cartographic Society (BCS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021BCS is a dynamic association of individuals and organizations dedicated to exploring and developing the world of maps. Members include mapping companies, publishers, designers, academics, researchers, map curators, individual cartographers, GIS specialists. BCS is regarded as one of the world's leading cartographic societies and its main publication, The Cartographic Journal, is recognized internationally.
• Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CaGIS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021CaGIS is composed of educators, researchers and practitioners involved in the design, creation, use and dissemination of geographic information. CaGIS provides an effective network that connects professionals who work in the broad field of Cartography and Geographic Information Science both nationally and internationally.
• International Cartographic Association (ICA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The mission of ICA is to promote the disciplines and professions of cartography and GIScience in an international context. ICA and IMIA jointly present the ICA-IMIA Recognition of Excellence in Cartography Awards at the Esri User Conference.
• Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021OGC is a consortium of experts committed to improving access to geospatial, or location information. OGC represents over 500 businesses, government agencies, research organizations, and universities united with a desire to make location information FAIR - Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Avenza Systems: Mapping software/app company (Avenza Maps) and IMIA member/sponsor; included as a representative geospatial-software participant in IMIA's ecosystem rather than a peer association.
• Esri: GIS software platform incumbent and IMIA Platinum sponsor; not a peer organizationally but a key ecosystem participant and joint presenter (with ICA) of the cartography excellence award.

Broad incumbents

• Geo Week / GeoBusiness Events: Major commercial geospatial conference and exhibition organizer — comparable to IMIA as a competing convener of the mapping and geospatial community.
• GIM International: Global trade magazine and information portal serving the geomatics industry — comparable to IMIA as an industry knowledge and networking platform for mapping/geospatial professionals.
• Geospatial World: Global media, events, and consultancy platform covering the geospatial industry — comparable as a convening/marketing platform serving the same geospatial ecosystem as IMIA's members.

Direct peers

• International Cartographic Association (ICA): Global umbrella organization promoting cartography and GIScience internationally; a direct peer that jointly presents the ICA-IMIA Recognition of Excellence in Cartography awards with IMIA.
• Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CaGIS): US-based professional society for cartography and GIScience educators, researchers, and practitioners; a direct peer serving the same cartographic community as IMIA, with whom it has a mutual affiliation.
• Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC): International consortium of 500+ businesses, agencies, and universities advancing geospatial interoperability standards; a peer/mission-aligned counterpart that IMIA formally partners with.
• North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS): North American society for cartographic professionals with parallel mission of advancing cartography and geographic information — directly comparable to IMIA but with a more academic/professional tilt.
• British Cartographic Society (BCS): UK-based cartographic membership association serving mapping companies, publishers, designers, academics, and GIS specialists — a direct peer of IMIA that explicitly partners with IMIA on member initiatives.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/imiamaps
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-map-industry-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/imiamaps

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Map Industry Association (IMIA)