DeLorme

DeLorme was an American mapping and navigation-technology company founded in Maine in 1976 by David DeLorme. It began as a publisher of detailed regional paper maps and became best known for the DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer series, which combined road information with outdoor-recreation and back-country detail. The company’s origins lay in a practical problem: DeLorme considered existing maps of Maine’s Moosehead Lake region inadequate and set out to create a more useful resource for travelers, hikers, paddlers, and other outdoor users. Its first major product was the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer, a large-format publication that brought together highway, county, town, and federal-survey information. The atlas also incorporated information about bicycle routes, canoeing and kayaking opportunities, museums, historic sites, and other points of interest. DeLorme initially marketed the product directly, including from the founder’s car, but demand allowed the business to expand beyond Maine. By the mid-1980s it had a staff of approximately 75 and was producing maps for New England and upstate New York. DeLorme became an early participant in the consumer digital-mapping market. In 1987 it released a CD containing detailed topographic map data for the world. In 1991 it began selling Street Atlas USA on CD-ROM. The product became one of the most successful U.S. consumer street-map software products of its period, and by 1995 DeLorme reportedly held a substantial share of the CD-based mapping market. The company also worked with the American Automobile Association on Map ’n’ Go, an early consumer mapping product capable of automatic route generation. During the 1990s it expanded into GPS receivers and adapted its maps for personal digital assistants, including Palm devices. The company’s technology portfolio subsequently broadened to include digital topographic maps, professional geographic-information software, handheld GPS receivers, downloadable satellite and USGS map data, GPS modules for original-equipment manufacturers, and geospatial data sold to businesses. Products such as Topo and XMap served outdoor enthusiasts and professional users, while the Earthmate line connected DeLorme’s mapping software with GPS hardware. DeLorme was also an early supplier of USB GPS hardware and developed receivers intended to work with laptop computers and later standalone handheld devices. The company’s most strategically important later product was inReach, which combined GPS positioning with satellite communications using the Iridium satellite network. inReach enabled users outside cellular coverage to send and receive text messages and share location information. When paired with a smartphone, it also supported navigation using downloadable topographic maps and NOAA charts. This product moved DeLorme beyond conventional cartography into personal satellite tracking, emergency communications, and remote-area navigation. DeLorme moved its headquarters to a Yarmouth, Maine, campus in 1997. The site became associated with Eartha, a large rotating globe displayed at the facility and recognized as the world’s largest revolving globe. The company also hosted geographic-education visits for schoolchildren and allowed members of the public to view the globe from balconies inside the building. Garmin announced an agreement to acquire DeLorme on February 11, 2016, and confirmed completion of the transaction on March 3, 2016. Garmin stated that operations at the Yarmouth facility would continue. Garmin retained and further developed the inReach technology, but later inReach products were marketed without the DeLorme name. Garmin has also continued selling paper atlases under DeLorme branding, while the independent DeLorme company and its broader original product identity have effectively been absorbed into Garmin.

DeLorme was established in 1976 in Maine by David DeLorme. The company’s founding idea came from dissatisfaction with the available back-country maps of the Moosehead Lake area. DeLorme responded by compiling a more detailed atlas that combined state highways, county and municipal roads, federal surveys, and information useful to people pursuing outdoor activities. The first Maine Atlas and Gazetteer was printed in a 10,000-copy run and marketed directly by the founder. Its inclusion of bicycle trails, canoeing and kayaking routes, museums, historic locations, and other recreational information helped distinguish it from conventional road maps. The business expanded during the 1980s. By 1986, DeLorme employed about 75 people and operated from a Quonset-hut facility in Freeport, Maine. Its publishing program extended from Maine into other parts of New England and upstate New York. The company also began converting its cartographic expertise into digital formats. In 1987 it produced a CD containing detailed topographic data for the entire world, an early indication that DeLorme intended to participate in computerized mapping rather than remain solely a paper-map publisher. In 1991, DeLorme launched Street Atlas USA on a single CD-ROM. The software became a leading U.S. consumer street-mapping product and benefited from the growing adoption of personal computers and CD-ROM drives. By 1995, DeLorme held a reported 44 percent share of the CD mapping market. That year it partnered with the American Automobile Association to produce AAA Map ’n’ Go, a mapping application capable of automatically generating routes. DeLorme also introduced a GPS receiver designed to operate with its map products. In 1996, the company brought its mapping content to Palm-based personal digital assistants, extending its products into the emerging mobile-computing market. DeLorme relocated to a new corporate campus in Yarmouth in 1997. The site included Eartha, a giant rotating globe that became a public and educational attraction and was recognized as the world’s largest revolving globe. DeLorme offered geographic-education sessions for school groups and opened viewing areas to visitors. The campus later became a Garmin office following the acquisition. The company continued to build a digital topographic portfolio. In 1999 it released 3D TopoQuad products on DVD and CD, incorporating digitized U.S. topographic maps. In 2001 it introduced XMap, a professional GIS mapping program, and an expanded version followed in 2002 with GPS functions for Palm OS and Pocket PC devices. In 2004 DeLorme introduced the Earthmate GPS LT-20, described as the first USB GPS device sold commercially. It also began offering downloadable satellite imagery and USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle maps through its NetLink feature, allowing the data to be layered over DeLorme maps. Earlier Earthmate products had been among the first GPS receivers designed to connect to laptops. DeLorme entered the standalone handheld GPS market with the Earthmate GPS PN-20 in 2006 or 2007 and expanded the line with the PN-40 in 2008. It also sold OEM GPS modules for use by other manufacturers and began supplying geospatial data to businesses. In 2009 the company released the Digital Atlas of the Earth, a worldwide GPS-accurate topographic mapping product at a 1:50,000 scale. The product was described as an official world map for the U.S. and Australian militaries and was represented as a virtual globe of enormous scale. DeLorme’s later strategic emphasis moved toward satellite communications. Its inReach product combined GPS and satellite technology with the Iridium constellation, allowing users to exchange text messages and communicate their location from areas without cellular service. Smartphone integration added navigation features based on downloadable topographic maps and NOAA charts. This combination of location, mapping, and two-way satellite messaging made inReach the company’s most prominent bridge between its traditional cartographic business and the connected outdoor-device market. On February 11, 2016, Garmin announced that it had agreed to acquire DeLorme. The transaction was completed on March 3, 2016, and Garmin said the Yarmouth operations would continue. Garmin retained the inReach technology and continues to develop the product family, but it removed the DeLorme name from later inReach generations. Garmin has also continued offering DeLorme-branded paper atlases, which means the name survives in a narrower publishing role even though DeLorme no longer operates as an independent company.

1. 2016Garmin acquisition completed

   Garmin completes its acquisition of DeLorme, retaining the Yarmouth facility and incorporating its mapping and satellite-communications capabilities.

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2. 2009Digital Atlas of the Earth released

   DeLorme releases a worldwide GPS-accurate topographic mapping product known as the Digital Atlas of the Earth.

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3. 2008PN-40 and OEM GPS growth

   The company expands its handheld line with the PN-40, sells GPS modules to other manufacturers, and grows its business geospatial-data activities.

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4. 2006Standalone handheld GPS expansion

   DeLorme introduces the Earthmate GPS PN-20, its first full-featured standalone handheld GPS receiver.

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5. 2004Earthmate GPS LT-20 and NetLink

   DeLorme introduces the Earthmate GPS LT-20 USB receiver and adds downloadable satellite and USGS map data through NetLink.

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6. 2001XMap professional GIS software launches

   DeLorme introduces XMap, a professional geographic-information and mapping application.

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7. 19993D TopoQuad products introduced

   DeLorme releases 3D TopoQuad products on CD and DVD using digitized U.S. topographic maps.

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8. 1997Yarmouth campus and Eartha

   DeLorme moves to a Yarmouth campus featuring Eartha, a giant rotating globe used for public viewing and geographic education.

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9. 1996Mapping enters the PDA market

   The company adapts its mapping products for Palm personal digital assistants.

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10. 1995Route-planning partnership with AAA

    DeLorme partners with the American Automobile Association on AAA Map ’n’ Go and introduces a GPS receiver designed for use with its maps.

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11. 1991Street Atlas USA launches

    DeLorme begins selling Street Atlas USA on CD-ROM, becoming a major U.S. consumer digital-mapping product.

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12. 1987Worldwide topographic mapping on CD

    DeLorme produces a CD containing detailed topographic map data for the entire world.

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13. 1986Expansion across northern New England

    The company reaches approximately 75 employees and expands its printed mapping coverage into New England and upstate New York.

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14. 1976DeLorme is founded in Maine

    David DeLorme establishes the company to produce more detailed and useful back-country maps, beginning with Maine.

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Detailed, information-rich mapping and navigation for motorists, outdoor enthusiasts, professional geospatial users, and people traveling beyond cellular coverage.

• DeLorme Atlas & GazetteerPrinted maps and outdoor atlases1976

  The Atlas & Gazetteer series was DeLorme’s foundational publishing line. State-focused volumes combined roads, towns, public lands, waterways, terrain information, and recreational points of interest in a large-format reference designed for travel and outdoor use. The series extended the company’s original Maine mapping concept across the United States. Garmin has continued selling paper atlases under the DeLorme name.

• Street Atlas USAConsumer digital mapping software1991

  Street Atlas USA was a CD-ROM mapping product for personal computers. It provided searchable road and place information and supported route planning, helping make computerized maps accessible to mass-market consumers during the expansion of home computing. It was among DeLorme’s most commercially visible software products in the 1990s.

• TopoTopographic mapping software1999

  Topo software supplied outdoor users with digital terrain, trail, road, water-feature, park, and elevation information. Topo 10 covered the United States and Canada and included millions of places of interest, supporting route preparation and exploration in areas where ordinary road maps were insufficient.

• XMapProfessional GIS and GPS mapping software2001

  XMap was DeLorme’s professional-oriented mapping and geographic-information application. The product provided digital map management and, in later versions, GPS functionality for Palm OS and Pocket PC devices. It represented the company’s effort to serve professional and technical users in addition to consumers purchasing atlases and navigation software.

• Earthmate GPSGPS hardware and navigation system2004

  Earthmate was a family of DeLorme GPS receivers, beginning with laptop-tethered devices and later expanding into USB hardware and standalone handheld navigation units. The LT-20 was introduced in 2004, while the PN-20 and PN-40 brought full-featured handheld navigation to the line. The products connected DeLorme’s cartographic data with real-time positioning.

• inReachSatellite communicator and navigation device

  inReach integrated GPS positioning with two-way satellite messaging through the Iridium constellation. It enabled users to send and receive text messages and communicate location information outside cellular coverage. Smartphone pairing added access to downloadable topographic maps and NOAA charts. Garmin acquired and continued the product line, but later generations use Garmin rather than DeLorme branding.

• Digital Atlas of the EarthWorldwide digital topographic map2009

  The Digital Atlas of the Earth was a worldwide topographic mapping product released in 2009. DeLorme described it as GPS-accurate and produced at a 1:50,000 scale. The reference material identifies it as an official world map for the U.S. and Australian militaries and presents it as a large-scale virtual globe.

• 1997Eartha public and geographic-education program

  United States

  DeLorme used its Yarmouth campus and Eartha globe as a public-facing educational attraction, providing geographic sessions for schoolchildren and allowing visitors to view the globe from the building’s balconies.

  Outcome. The site became a recognizable part of DeLorme’s public identity and remained associated with the company after Garmin acquired the facility.

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• 2016Garmin acquisitionM&A

  DeLorme had developed capabilities spanning printed maps, digital cartography, GPS hardware, geospatial data, and satellite communications. Garmin sought to acquire the company and its related technology portfolio.

  What changed. Garmin announced the planned purchase on February 11, 2016, and completed the transaction on March 3, 2016. Garmin stated that operations at the Yarmouth facility would continue.

  Aftermath. DeLorme ceased operating as an independent company. Garmin retained the inReach technology and continued selling some paper atlases with DeLorme branding, while later inReach products were marketed under Garmin’s name.

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• 2006Expansion into full-featured handheld GPSProduct launch

  DeLorme had already developed mapping software, laptop-connected receivers, and downloadable map data, creating a base for a more integrated handheld navigation product.

  What changed. The company introduced the Earthmate GPS PN-20 and later expanded the handheld line with the PN-40.

  Aftermath. The move broadened DeLorme’s role from digital-map publisher to supplier of complete outdoor navigation hardware and software.

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• 2004USB GPS and downloadable map-data strategyProduct launch

  DeLorme sought to connect its digital maps with accessible positioning hardware and regularly updated or specialized geographic data.

  What changed. It introduced the Earthmate GPS LT-20 USB receiver and offered downloadable satellite and USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle data through NetLink.

  Aftermath. The initiative strengthened the integration of DeLorme’s software, map layers, and GPS devices for laptop and desktop users.

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• 2016Garmin announces agreement to acquire DeLorme

  Garmin announced on February 11, 2016 that it had agreed to purchase DeLorme, including its mapping, GPS, and satellite-communications activities.

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• 2016Garmin completes acquisition of DeLorme

  The acquisition was confirmed as completed on March 3, 2016. Garmin indicated that operations at DeLorme’s Yarmouth facility would continue.

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• Garmin continues inReach development without DeLorme branding

  After the acquisition, Garmin continued developing the inReach satellite-communication product family, but subsequent products no longer used the DeLorme brand name.

  Product generation
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1. DeLorme