Meet the Mapping Team | Part 1
News|by Gabrielle Alvear|1 August 2024
When it comes to all things Geospatial, no one knows mapping like we do. Which is why Grey Matter has a dedicated team of Mapping Experts that help ISVs, enterprises and developers with their geospatial projects.
To help you get to know the various members you're likely interacting with, we've interviewed some of the mapping team to learn what makes then tick. We discuss everything from their roles and time at Grey Matter, key trends they're noticing in the Geospatial industry, and of course the fun stuff like their favourite music and a movie they often keep on repeat.
First up we have Mark Finch, Martha Head, and Andy Green. Stay tuned for Part 2 where we'll get to know more of the Mapping Team.
How long have you been at Grey Matter? What brought you to join the Mapping Team?
Mark: I’ve been at Grey Matter since 2007 and started the Mapping Team in 2009 when Microsoft Bing Maps was still in incubation.
Martha: I have been at Grey Matter for just over 1 year!
Andy: I’ve worked at Grey Matter for 5 and a half years, 3 of those within the Mapping Team. I’ve always had an interest in the geospatial world, so it was a good fit.
What are your specialist products and solutions?
Mark: Location, location, location. Anything to do with location services or Mapping. I also have a broad knowledge of developer tools, cloud services and anything Microsoft.
Martha: My specialist product is Bing Maps. I help support customers and resellers with queries, contracts, and orders, as well as as supporting their technical issues by connecting them to our relevant teams.
Andy: We have a dedicated Inside Sales Team just for mapping and we specialise in the two Microsoft maps offerings - Bing Maps and Azure Maps. Our expertise covers the full spectrum of functionality within these products, such as location intelligence, logistics and routing.
How do you/Grey Matter help clients with their geospatial projects?
Mark: By ensuring we understand what the client is trying to achieve. We dive deep into the current and future needs of the client to reduce the development effort in the future. We have a strong partnership with our mapping vendors and have direct access to their tech teams to assist clients with their projects. We have built up a large library of resources and can signpost our clients to everything that they need to develop, test and deploy their solutions.
Martha: Grey Matter provides extensive expertise and knowledge, making us capable of assisting with almost any challenge!
Andy: Similar to what Mark said! We make sure to have an in-depth understanding into the client’s requirements, provide awareness on current and future mapping developments and empower the customer with all the information they need to make an informed decision.
Why should organisations purchase their mapping solutions from Grey Matter?
Mark: Grey Matter has been the expert on Mapping Platforms for over 15 years and the team takes a consultative approach to advising its clients on the best mapping solution based on their requirements, whether that be feature-based, price-based, license model or any other consideration.
Martha: In addition to the team's wealth of mapping knowledge, we also strive to maintain a close relationship with all of our partners, vendors, and customers because we like to believe Grey Matter is an extension to your developer teams.
Andy: Our team has seen the changes within the geospatial sector, and as we work closely with our vendors, we can provide the most up to date information regarding any product developments.
What mapping or geospatial trends, challenges, and news should clients be aware of?
Mark: EV Routing is a hot topic. Our mapping vendors help prevent charge and range anxiety as well as improving battery consumption and range estimation accuracy.
Navigation apps are also in high demand whether that be for trucks/vans, taxis or consumers in their cars, bikes or on foot. We are seeing some innovative native Android and iOS applications being built using the platforms we have on offer.
Martha: The Bing Maps unification with Azure Maps.
Andy: Yep, the announcement from Microsoft notifying of the unification of their mapping lines raises a lot of questions. But our experienced team is on hand to guide customers through this process.
Now for some fun & personal questions!
What kinds of music do you often have playing in the background?
Mark: I don’t like to limit my choices as I have a fairly eclectic taste. Firm favourites are David Bowie, The Waterboys, The Killers and Mumford & Sons.
Martha: My shuffled playlist is very random! But my top genres have got to be any variation of Punk/ Metal/ Rock/ Emo.
Andy: I'll often have different genres playing depending on my mood. It’s always good to have some Drum and Bass on whilst smashing through an excel sheet!
What is one movie you’ll never get tired of watching?
Mark: The Blues Brothers – I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched it (and fallen asleep part way through it as I put it on too late at night).
Martha: 10 things I Hate About You
Andy: Anything Christopher Nolan or Denis Villeneuve, but all time rewatchable movie/s has to be The Lord of the Rings trilogy
How would you spend a million pounds?
Mark: I have four daughters so there wouldn’t be much change but I would pay off their mortgages. Hopefully there’d be a little left over for me to buy a 1960’s Mini Mark 1 Cooper S.
Martha: I would convert a van and travel the world, so cliché I know.
Andy: It is a goal to design and build our own house, so that would be number one. Helping out family, and if there’s anything left an Aston couldn’t hurt right?!
Where is your dream holiday destination? Or have you already been there!
Mark: I just love France and visit several times a year. I have sailed there many times in a small yacht but not for some time now and just take the ferry these days.
Martha: Sweden! I’ve been to Stockholm but I'd love to travel round the country a bit more.
Andy: China, the natural scenery looks incredible, it’s been top of my list for a while.
If a customer were to visit our Grey Matter office, where would you recommend, they go visit around the area?
Mark: Cornwall 🙂
Martha: Spitchwich/ New Bridge, or anywhere on Dartmoor for that matter!
Andy: Dartmoor is a must, there are tons of great hikes, and more importantly, some great pubs too!
Want to get in touch with our Mapping Team?
Simply fill in the Contact Form below or send us an email and one of our mapping experts will schedule a call to discuss your project needs.
In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned for the next segment of our Meet The Mapping Team series where we interview more team members, and check out our Mapping Solutions page for more information.