Insights
Location intelligence, geospatial data, and retail strategy, straight from the team.
The Bebauungsplan, Germany's binding zoning plan, is where building rights live, but not every plan settles the same questions. What a qualifizierter B-Plan guarantees, what an einfacher plan leaves open, and how to work with B-Plans as data instead of scanned PDFs.
LOD2-Gebäudemodelle are the standardised 3D building models the German state surveying offices publish nationwide. What the CityGML standard actually specifies, what you can honestly compute from roof shape and height, and why that changes site work before you commission a survey.
Hochwassergefahrenkarten and Überschwemmungsgebiete both show up as 'flood data' in a due-diligence pack, but they answer different questions. One models exposure, the other carries the law. Here is how to tell them apart and use both in one screening pass.
The Bebauungsplan tells you what you may build today. The Flächennutzungsplan, Germany's preparatory land use plan, tells you where a municipality intends growth years before that. Here is what each one actually answers.
The Digitales Geländemodell (DGM) is Germany's official bare-earth terrain, published state by state from laser scanning. What it is, how it differs from a surface model, and why one harmonised national layer beats sixteen separate downloads.
Every German site decision eventually lands on a Flurstück, not a polygon of interest. What ALKIS actually is, why parcel geometry is hard to get as harmonised data, and what Mapular's layer carries across 15 of 16 federal states.
Three countries hold more than half of the EU's public charging points. In the Netherlands there is one for every 127 people; in Romania, one for every 6,600. We mapped the whole continent.
Two dates get conflated constantly, and the ArcGIS Online schedule gets applied to Enterprise where it does not belong. Here is what Esri has actually published, and what each milestone does and does not mean.
The Web AppBuilder retirement is being treated as a rebuild exercise. For a good share of most portfolios it should be a deletion exercise. How to tell which applications to retire, which to merge, and which genuinely need rebuilding.
Mapular has been named one of Geoawesome's Global Top 100 Geospatial Companies for 2026, our first year on the list, in an edition shaped for the first time by the global geospatial community.
Nobody publishes migration effort figures, so estimates get pulled out of the air. Here is what actually drives the cost, ranked by how often each factor appears in 14,978 real applications, and why per-application pricing is the wrong shape for this work.
Deutsche Bank's cheekiest economic indicator prices a night of cigarettes and alcohol around the world. We put all 69 cities on an interactive globe, and the decade-long shifts are wilder than the ranking itself.
Automated converters will move a Web AppBuilder app to Experience Builder for around USD 25. For roughly half of a typical portfolio that is a sensible first move. Here is exactly where the boundary sits, from a consultancy that would rather you tried the cheap thing first.
Nobody publishes data on what real Web AppBuilder applications contain, so we measured it across 921 organizations in six countries. Nearly half have three layers or fewer. Three applications in fifteen thousand use a non-standard widget. And 93.9% rely on a widget Esri itself documents as not at parity in Experience Builder.
The Model Context Protocol gives AI models typed tools instead of raw database access. Geospatial data, exact, catalogued and too large to fit in a prompt, is one of the clearest cases for why that distinction matters.
How a rigorous location analysis works: catchment areas, purchasing power, foot traffic, and competition. The key methods, data sources, and tools compared.
Mapular has been approved for the Esri Nonprofit Specialty, recognizing our expertise in building ArcGIS solutions for mission-driven organizations. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first Esri partner in Germany to hold it.
Before any site gets ranked, it has to clear a simpler test: is it actually empty, big enough, near enough people, and legally allowed to hold what you want to build. Here's how to build that filter instead of checking each site by hand.
What geospatial foundation models actually are, why they matter for a field where labelled data is scarce, and how to evaluate TerraMind, Major TOM, Prithvi and Clay before you build on any of them.
A Bebauungsplan can exist as a scanned PDF or as structured, queryable data, and the difference between those two is one standard: XPlanung. Here's what it actually encodes, and why a municipality's plan being XPlanung-conformant still isn't the whole story.
Three acronyms, one shared object model. What AFIS, ALKIS and ATKIS actually each cover, why Germany's surveying authorities built one data model to hold all three, and why that still didn't produce one nationwide dataset.
Every hectare of reported forest loss passes through one pipeline: satellites, sample plots, human interpreters, and statistics. How FAO's tooling and national reporting actually work, why the bottleneck is expert time rather than data, and where AI genuinely helps.
Not every question needs a pipeline. Mapular Explorer puts the same harmonised model behind the API into a browser tab: pick a dataset, click a feature, read every attribute, no GIS install required.
One EU directive told every member state to make its spatial data interoperable. Nearly two decades later, German geodata still arrives as sixteen different states publishing on sixteen different timelines. Here is why INSPIRE didn't fix that, and what it did fix.
What BImSchG requires for solar glare assessments in Germany: the LAI thresholds, who needs one, what a compliant report contains, and why 3D ray-tracing has become the practical standard.
MRV sounds like a compliance acronym until you try to sell a tonne of carbon on the strength of it. What measurement, reporting and verification actually mean, why verification is the hard part, and what makes a system MRV-grade.
A case study in nonprofit GIS, conservation technology, and early-warning systems on ArcGIS — how UNESCO partnered with Esri and Mapular to build a global monitoring platform.
How we combined ArcGIS Notebooks, Experience Builder, Dashboards, and a harmonized spatial layer to monitor World Heritage Sites worldwide — an architecture story for Esri partners and ArcGIS developers.
Storepoint and Storemapper work for simple use cases. For brands with retail distribution that need analytics, product filtering, and a locator that matches their brand - here are the real alternatives.
CPG brands, D2C brands expanding into retail, fashion labels, franchise networks, and dealer distributors all need different things from a store locator. Here is what matters for each - and how to choose.
Adding a store locator to a non-Shopify website is simpler than most brands expect. Here is how it works on WordPress, WooCommerce, Wix, Webflow, Elementor, Squarespace, and Magento - and what to look for before you choose a solution.
Most multi-location brands are invisible in local search. Learn how to make every store location rankable with structured data, location pages, and a store locator that search engines can actually read.
Step-by-step guide to exporting locations from Google My Maps and importing them into a Shopify store locator with analytics, filtering, and brand control.
Most store locators are invisible to Google. Learn how location pages, schema markup, and internal linking turn your store finder into a local SEO asset.
Not every store locator belongs on your site. We compare Shopify store locator tools on design quality, brand control, and mobile experience to find the cleanest option.
A practical comparison of the best store locator tools for franchise networks. Covers bulk import, brand consistency, analytics, and pricing at scale for multi-location businesses managing 100 to 5,000+ locations.
Marketing teams manage store locators in practice, not developers. We compare 6 Shopify store locator apps through the lens of what marketing teams actually need: easy updates, brand control, useful analytics, and zero code.
Looking for a Storemapper alternative? Compare the best Shopify store locator apps by pricing, analytics, customization, and features side by side.
Step-by-step guide to adding a store locator to your Shopify store. Compare app-based vs custom solutions, learn what features to look for, and get live in under 10 minutes.
Mapular and Closeby match on price. They don't match on features. Compare analytics, filters, customization, and support side by side.
Six new features just shipped for Mapular Store Locator on Shopify, all included in existing plans at no extra cost.
This expert guide compares the top 13 Shopify store locator apps for 2026, covering setup speed, brand customization, analytics, and integration features. Learn why leading D2C brands use store locators as strategic customer intelligence tools to drive expansion, optimize marketing spend, and improve operational efficiency.
A detailed comparison of Mapular and Storemapper for Shopify merchants. Pricing, features, analytics, and customization side by side.
Looking for a Stockist alternative? Compare the top Shopify store locator apps by analytics, pricing, location limits, and features side by side.
A complete guide to creating a where-to-buy page, dealer locator, or stockist map on Shopify. Help customers find your products at retail partners, pop-ups, and physical stores.
Product filtering in your store locator lets customers find stores that carry exactly what they want, turning searches into store visits.
25 real store locator designs from top brands, organized by layout style. See what works, what doesn't, and how to make your store locator match your brand.
Amai ProMap has 594 reviews. Mapular has behavioral analytics. Compare features, pricing, and customization to find the right store locator for your brand.
Your store locator generates valuable data about customer demand. Here's how to use interaction analytics to make smarter retail expansion decisions.
Storepoint works on any platform. Mapular goes deep on Shopify. Compare analytics, pricing, customization, and the trade-offs between native integration and cross-platform flexibility.
Looking for an SC Store Locator alternative? Compare the top Shopify store locator apps by analytics, customization, pricing, and features side by side.
Storemapper and Stockist are two of the most established Shopify store locators. Compare pricing, analytics, and features, then see if there's a better option.
Looking for a Closeby alternative? Compare Shopify store locators with native analytics, smart filters, and no Mapbox token required.
Looking for a Storepoint alternative? Compare native Shopify store locators with better analytics, lower pricing, and deeper integration.
Bold has the brand name. Mapular has the features. Compare analytics, customization, filters, and pricing to find the right Shopify store locator.
Storemapper and Closeby take different approaches to store locating. Compare pricing, analytics, and customization, then see if there's a better option for Shopify.
Growing franchises need to show franchisees why a territory works. ZIP code insights and clear reports help explain population, income and competition in a simple, transparent way that supports confident decisions.
Opportunity Mapping helps new franchise brands understand how many viable locations exist across the country. A simple way to see your total market potential and focus on the regions that fit your concept.
Stop guessing where to expand. Retail Opportunity Mapping connects your brand and market data to reveal your most promising regions.
Retail analytics shouldn't just report, it should guide. Discover how to turn your data into regional opportunity insight today.
Mapular is launching individual store pages, connected to a branded, centralized store overview with built-in SEO benefits.
Planning next year's retail growth often relies on sales reports and experience - but those only show where you already sell. In this article, we explore how Retail Opportunity Mapping helps omnichannel brands see where demand is truly unmet, prove potential to retailers, and prioritize regions with the highest opportunity. Learn how Mapular turns your existing data into a growth map in just three simple steps.
A detailed comparison of Mapular Store Locator and Stockist for D2C brands, covering features, analytics, pricing, privacy, and which tool fits different growth stages.
Third-party cookies are ending. Discover how location intelligence provides privacy-first customer insights that drive marketing, expansion, and competitive advantage for D2C brands in the post-cookie era.
Compare Mapular Store Locator and S Store Locator on Shopify. Mapular offers advanced analytics, predictive modeling, and seamless integration for DTC brands, while covering basics like unlimited locations. Get insights to drive expansion – try free today.
A detailed comparison of Mapular Store Locator and SC Store Locator for Shopify, covering features, analytics, pricing, and why behavioral data separates a basic locator from a growth tool for D2C brands.
This guide shows how foot traffic data reveals competitor strategies, catchment overlaps, and peak hours. Learn the 6-step competitive intelligence playbook, GDPR compliance essentials, and how to use foot traffic analytics to drive retail growth and location decisions.
A practical guide to retail analytics. What data matters, which metrics to track, how to get started, and where location intelligence fits in.
Explore takeaways from the webinar on franchise site selection, including territory packs, overlap rules, demand signals, and scalable decision workflows.
In the evolving landscape of urban mobility, is analog accident reporting holding cities back from reaching their safety goals? Data-driven tools are now empowering transport authorities to take a more proactive role in traffic safety.
A high-performing store locator is essential for consumer brands, boosting in-store traffic, enhancing customer experience, and providing valuable geo-analytics insights. This post explores why store locators are vital for modern retail and how they directly integrate with platforms like Shopify and mapping tools like OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, or Google Maps.
A practical overview of the EU Deforestation Regulation: what it requires, who it affects, how geospatial data and remote sensing support compliance, and a step-by-step due diligence workflow.
In the world of logistics, data is a powerful tool that drives efficiency, informs decision-making, and supports strategic planning. High-quality, processed data, enhanced by robust geographic visualization tools and contextual insights, is a game-changer for optimizing logistics and transforming business strategies.
Our colleague Wieland Glende just published an article on Medium called "Overture Maps - a Fusion of Open and Commercial Data for a New Era in Mapping". The article gives a brief overview of the Overture Maps Foundation, a geospatial project that has the potential to set new standards in mapping.
The story behind Mapular: why we built a modular location intelligence platform, the problems we set out to solve, and how the name reflects our approach to geospatial solutions.