"Working with YUDU puts us firmly into the mobile age, as we can now provide our dedicated users with high-quality interactive content they can access anywhere."
Peter Adams, Press Manager, Esri.
Background
Esri (www.esri.com) is a global developer of geographic information system (GIS) software, providing solutions to more than 300,000 organizations worldwide including two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies.
An Esri Bookstore division manages hundreds of publications, including various texts for academic and professional usage. It also produces content intended for current Esri clients.
The challenge
Esri management was looking for an app solution that would be able to provide a convenient way to deliver content.
Their application needed to provide free and ubiquitous access to a variety of Esri publications that needed to include scrollable text, functional maps, live apps, videos, and other engaging content. The company’s existing customer base includes 750,000 subscribers who rely on Esri’s content to keep them informed.
The team at Esri was initially skeptical that a single application could offer all of their desired content in a simple and interactive form. They reviewed several vendors including YUDU and took a few months to formulate project plans.
“We needed to move into the mobile age with our content delivery,” said Peter Adams, Press Manager at Esri. “We required a technology partner that would help us to quickly and cost-effectively put our plan into action.”
The solution
Esri began working with the YUDU development team in the spring of 2013 and quickly discovered they could build an app that would contain a wide breadth of content. The company sends paper magazines to 750,000 global partners.
"We had a prototype of an app that we developed in March of 2013 that showcased the interactivity possibilities with YUDU’s platform,” said Mr. Adams.
“Once we showed it around we saw a lot of excitement and decided to include maps and apps and also the ArcUser and ArcNews digital magazine.”
An important feature developed alongside this was Maps + Apps, an adaptation of a print volume that Esri prints which features static ArcGIS-built maps. The app allows users to obtain additional information, view related dynamic maps, compare maps side-by-side, and scroll through the maps, all with live data.
"We chose YUDU not only for its technology platform but also because of the clear and reasonable pricing model,” continued Adams.
“Our app works well with both iOS and Android devices and also has the potential to integrate with our ecommerce model, giving us more flexibility and control. This was our first foray into app development, and YUDU was very helpful throughout the entire process."