Time: 1999–2000
Location: Nankeli Community Service Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Employees: 20–60
In the early stages of entrepreneurship, faced with numerous challenges, the SuperMap team remained undeterred and instead forged ahead with innovation. By the beginning of 1999, the R&D department had grown to over ten people, a significant team in a company with just over twenty employees.
At the end of 1999, SuperMap's newly developed but not yet publicly released SuperMap GIS platform attracted industry attention at an exhibition in Shenzhen.
The year 2000 marked the beginning of SuperMap's rapid expansion, with its workforce growing from just over 20 to more than 60 employees. To expand working space, SuperMap relocated from the 917 Building to the Nankeli Community Service Center at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In October 2000, SuperMap launched its—SuperMap 2000—officially to the market.
At the product launch ceremony held at the Beijing International Convention Center in October 2000, SuperMap 2000, SuperMap's first large-scale fully component-based GIS platform was officially introduced, garnering widespread industry attention.
For SuperMap, the release went far beyond the significance of a new product—it was the company's first publicly released GIS platform software and a crucial milestone in the development of the SuperMap GIS product series.
Alongside the release of SuperMap 2000, SuperMap also established a long-term development strategy focused on GIS platform software, adopting a model that relied more on developers and partners to undertake projects. This approach brought tangible benefits to SuperMap: by collaborating with developers familiar with various industries, providing them with GIS platform software, and having them handle projects and develop application products, SuperMap avoided the burden of expanding its team to take on projects, which allowed the company to concentrate on R&D with undivided attention.
Almost simultaneously, in July 2000, SuperMap Japan was established in a 100-square-meter office in Minato City, Tokyo. This joint venture, funded by SuperMap and its local Japanese partners, aimed to develop a Japanese version of the SuperMap software and promote its application in the Japanese market.
The initial team of SuperMap Japan
"Software knows no national boundaries. I believe a software company must be internationalized," said Zhong Ershun, defining the market positioning for the company and expressing his determination to steer SuperMap onto the global stage. "I hope SuperMap can grow steadily and expand internationally, which, in turn, will impose stricter requirements on our software."
Starting with the establishment of SuperMap Japan, SuperMap has never ceased its efforts in global expansion, achieving significant milestones in setting up branches, appointing agents, and expanding its user base. By 2014, SuperMap had branches in Hong Kong, China, and Tokyo, Japan, with agents covering dozens of countries and regions, including Sweden, Singapore, India, Malaysia, and Botswana. Beyond these, its user base extended to France, Italy, the United States, South Korea, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and others.
Throughout its international expansion, SuperMap has earned praise from numerous users. "A gold or silver award is not as valuable as user recognition." For instance, the company's application project for Japan's Shinkansen railway system received unanimous acclaim from Japan National Railway, which sent a letter of appreciation to the company.
Notably, during the major earthquake in Hanshin, Japan, in 2005, the seismic intensity caused severe economic losses across many industries. In contrast, Japan National Railway, having successfully implemented applications based on the SuperMap platform, effectively mitigated losses and provided critical information for disaster relief decision-making.
From the domestic market to the global stage, from a renowned domestic brand to an international one, SuperMap's journey of globalization continues unabated. Today, SuperMap has agents and partners in 50 countries, with users spanning 100 countries. In the future, SuperMap will persist in technological innovation and collaborative development to achieve even greater growth.
