With communications technology advancing at a seemingly exponential pace, its applications for the quick-service industry are increasing at a similar rate. One new development from Vermont-based Maponics combines demographic information, dynamic web software, and old-fashioned maps to create a useful tool for future franchisees.

Maponics has developed new mapping software that uses Macromedia’s web-based Flash Player and demographic information collected by Maponics. The TrueVector Flash maps, as Maponics calls them, should change the way corporate quick-serves delineate territory to franchisees as TrueVector’s core technology allows franchisees to visualize the territory they want to operate in and provides endless options for customizable demographic information. TrueVector debuted in July 2006 and was first marketed to the real estate industry. Maponics is currently in discussion with several quick-service companies and hopes to move TrueVector into that industry as well.

Here’s how the system works: A franchisor would insert a TrueVector Flash map onto its web site. Prospective franchisees could then access a map of territory anywhere in the United States and, with a more sophisticated—and expensive—version of TrueVector, even zoom down to ZIP-code level. TrueVector keeps track of which franchisees operate in which areas and provides a host of demographic information relevant to the business with the map readout.

The benefit of the TrueVector technology is two-fold, according to Maponics’ Darrin Clement. First of all, it replaces traditional ZIP code web-based search tools that depend on users knowing what ZIP code they want to search for. TrueVector displays all updated ZIP code locations in an area so that prospective franchisees can have the entire picture. In addition, TrueVector “helps franchises visualize, choose, and reserve territories. The idea of a franchisee or agent signing up for a few ZIP codes of territory is common, but, without a map, it’s nearly impossible to know which ZIP codes are next to each other; nobody wants a territory with gaps in it,” Clement says.

TrueVector technology is available in two packages. RegionConnect allows users to zoom down to the county level while PropertyConnect enables ZIP-code level views and information. Clement estimates Property Connect products would start around $10,000, while RegionConnect products are priced in the $500 range.

Clement believes that the attractive nature of the colorful, zooming maps adds a certain wow factor that can draw attention. “A map is just so much cooler than a text box, and [web] sites know that cool translates into revenue because cool steals visitors from your competitors,” he says.

Besides providing a visualizing appealing, interactive, and effective way to divide up franchisee territory, TrueVector can be customized to display demographic information about the selected ZIP code or other areas. Because all TrueVector maps are customizable, Maponics can add almost any data set related to a selected county or ZIP code. Maponics offers clients updated demographic information for a fee of 50 percent of the cost of the original map application.

“We can embed any preset demographics our customers want. We offer regular updates. There are also custom packages that allow our TrueVector Flash maps to read in a customer’s data in real-time,” Clement explains.

A prospective franchisee, for example, could use TrueVector to scope out the details of literally any area of the country if the franchisor has a version of PropertyConnect set up on its web site. If the franchisee was interested in operating a store south of Atlanta, he or she could see immediately the population, median income, median age of customers, and number of competing concepts in the area.