Internet maps help businesses tap Empowerment Zone grants

Business Wire, Oct 14, 1996

NEWTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 14, 1996--Businesses looking to share in $4 billion of federal grants, loans, and tax incentives can now turn to an interactive map on the Internet to see if they are located in a qualifying area.

The mapping application was created by Caliper Corporation for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It allows businesses to easily determine whether their site is located within the boundaries of one of the 105 Empowerment Zones or Enterprise Communities (EZ/EC) that are scattered across the country and are targeted for job creation and economic development over the next eight years.

Access to the EZ/EC Location Mapping Tool is through HUD's EZ/EC fact sheet, at http://www.hud.gov/ezeclist.html. The process for determining whether a site falls within the boundaries of an Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community or whether some of a company's employees live within these boundaries couldn't be simpler. A person enters a street address and ZIP Code, and is told right away whether that address lies within any of the areas chosen for the federal program. Within seconds, the user sees a detailed map of the area showing the location of the address and the boundaries of the federal program areas.

For Caliper, this marks the first time the company has linked its extensive Geographic Information System (GIS) capabilities to a client site on the Internet's World Wide Web. Caliper has been producing GIS software and consulting to clients on mapping and transportation issues since 1983.

When HUD officials asked the company to create this interactive site, Caliper quickly mobilized a team of software engineers and had the site up and running within two weeks. The mapping application resides on one of Caliper's computers, and visitors to HUD's Web site are instantly linked to the EZ/EC Location Mapping Tool in Caliper's office in Massachusetts.

Caliper can also design Internet mapping applications that reside on clients' computers. In addition, with one of Caliper's packaged software programs Maptitude, GIS , or TransCAD -- businesses and institutions can create their own on-line mapping applications.

The Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities Initiative, administered by HUD, was begun in 1994 to give low-income communities opportunities for growth and revitalization. The goal of the program is to create sustained, long-term economic development in areas of pervasive poverty and unemployment, and to demonstrate how distressed communities can achieve self sufficiency through comprehensive strategic plans developed and implemented by alliances among private, public, and nonprofit entities.

The EZ/EC program provides tax incentives, performance grants, and loans to create jobs and expand business opportunities. It also supports activities that help people look for work and remain employed, including job training, child care, and transportation.

Total private and public investment in the 72 urban areas and the 33 rural communities designated in this program has already climbed above $2.5 billion, according to HUD officials. The EZ/EC program is slated to run through 2004, and dispense $1.5 billion in grants and $2.5 billion in tax incentives.

The EZ/EC Location Mapping Tool is built using Caliper's GIS engine, and runs on a Pentium-based computer running Windows NT.

Caliper Corporation, a private company based in Newton, Mass., has been providing software solutions for businesses, government, and institutions worldwide since 1983. Its leading product, Maptitude, is the first full-featured GIS software on the market to include detailed nationwide data at a price in line with other business software, such as word processors and spreadsheets. Information on Caliper Corporation's services and products can be found on Caliper's home page on the World Wide Web (http://www.caliper.com). For more information please call (617) 527-4700 or send e-mail to info@caliper.com.

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Caliper, Maptitude, GIS , and TransCAD are registered trademarks of Caliper Corporation. Windows NT is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

CONTACT: Peter Van Demark, Caliper Corporation

Tel: (617) 527-4700

Fax: (617) 527-5113

E-mail: peter@caliper.com