Cadcorp

Cadcorp is a British geographic information system (GIS) software company headquartered in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. Established in 1991, the company develops software for managing, analysing, publishing and integrating spatial information. Its principal technology platform is Cadcorp SIS, or Spatial Information System, which has been offered in desktop, server, web-mapping, cloud-hosted, developer-tool and specialised-application forms. The company began with Wincad, a Microsoft Windows-based computer-aided design product. Cadcorp sold all rights to Wincad in 1994, after which it concentrated on geographic information systems. The first version of Cadcorp SIS was released in 1995, marking the strategic shift that defined the company. Cadcorp subsequently built a business around spatial data management, GIS analysis, web mapping, application development and sector-specific workflows rather than around a single consumer-facing software product. Cadcorp's customer and market focus has traditionally been professional and institutional. Documented application areas include local, municipal and central government; emergency services; land and property; insurance; oil and gas; utilities; maritime operations; environmental management; and national mapping agencies. The company has also maintained a network of distributors and value-added resellers outside the United Kingdom, giving it an international route to market while retaining a British headquarters and strong UK public-sector orientation. Interoperability has been a central part of Cadcorp's technical positioning. The company has been a member of the Open Geospatial Consortium since 1997, and versions of Cadcorp SIS have achieved compliance in areas including Simple Features for OLE/COM, Grid Coverage Service, Coordinate Transformation Service, Web Map Service and Web Feature Service. The platform also supports geospatial standards and formats such as Web Map Context Documents, Geography Markup Language, Simple Features and Web Coverage Service. This standards-oriented approach is intended to help customers combine spatial information with existing databases, mapping services and enterprise systems. Cadcorp has also developed integrations with important UK geospatial data infrastructure. Its SIS platform supports direct links to the Ordnance Survey Data Hub and provides guidance for using the OS Features API, OS Maps API and OS Vector Tile API. These capabilities include support for British National Grid and Web Mercator-related coordinate and mapping structures. In 2020, Cadcorp expanded its product range with SIS ETL for extract, transform and load workflows and extended its cloud services to include SIS Desktop. The company completed a management buyout in May 2015, becoming privately controlled following that transaction. In August 2025, NEC Software Solutions UK completed the acquisition of Cadcorp. The acquisition places Cadcorp within the NEC software organisation while preserving its identity as a specialist GIS technology business. Cadcorp's current proposition is therefore best understood as enterprise geospatial software for organisations that need configurable spatial data management, mapping, analysis and integration across operational and public-service environments.

Cadcorp was established in the United Kingdom in 1991. Its initial product was Wincad, a computer-aided design system designed for Microsoft Windows. The company sold all rights to Wincad in 1994. Subsequent development and maintenance were later associated with Informatix and its UK subsidiary under the MicroGDS name, with development and maintenance eventually ending in March 2013. After divesting Wincad, Cadcorp redirected its activities toward geographic information systems. The first release of Cadcorp SIS, short for Spatial Information System, appeared in 1995. SIS became the foundation of the company's product and market strategy, supporting the management, analysis, publication and integration of geographic information for professional users. Rather than pursuing a consumer mapping business, Cadcorp concentrated on organisations where spatial data forms part of operational, regulatory or public-service processes. Cadcorp's documented markets include local and central government, emergency services, land and property, insurance, oil and gas, utilities, maritime operations, environmental management and national mapping agencies. The company developed an international distribution and value-added-reseller network while remaining based in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. Its institutional orientation was reinforced by technical and industry relationships, including Microsoft SQL Server spatial partnership, Ordnance Survey licensed developer status and membership of the UK Association for Geographic Information. Interoperability and open standards became important elements of Cadcorp's development. The company joined the Open Geospatial Consortium in 1997. In 2004, technical director Martin Daly received the OGC Kenneth G. Gardels Award for contributions to the OGC vision of integrating geographic information into information systems. Cadcorp SIS subsequently gained certification in several OGC interoperability categories, including web mapping, web feature services, coordinate transformation and grid coverage. The platform also implemented support for a range of related geospatial standards and representations. The SIS product family broadened over time. It became available as desktop software, server technology, web-mapping functionality, cloud-hosted services, developer tools and specialised applications. In 2020, Cadcorp introduced SIS ETL as a product for extracting, transforming and loading spatial data. During the same year, it expanded its cloud services to include SIS Desktop. Cadcorp also continued supporting Ordnance Survey data through direct connections to the OS Data Hub and documentation for the OS Features, OS Maps and OS Vector Tile APIs. These integrations addressed the needs of UK users working with British National Grid and web-based mapping coordinates. In May 2015, Cadcorp's leadership team completed a management buyout. The transaction maintained the company as a private specialist software provider. In August 2025, NEC Software Solutions UK completed the acquisition of Cadcorp. This changed the company's ownership context, placing its GIS capabilities within NEC's software portfolio, while the Cadcorp name and specialist geospatial focus remained relevant to its market identity.

1. 2025NEC Software Solutions UK completes acquisition

   NEC Software Solutions UK completes the acquisition of Cadcorp in August.

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2. 2020SIS ETL is introduced

   Cadcorp adds SIS ETL for spatial data extraction, transformation and loading workflows.

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3. 2020SIS Desktop becomes available through cloud services

   Cadcorp expands its cloud services to include SIS Desktop.

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4. 2015Management buyout completed

   Cadcorp's leadership team completes a management buyout in May.

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5. 2004Technical director receives OGC award

   Cadcorp technical director Martin Daly receives the OGC Kenneth G. Gardels Award for contributions to the integration of geographic information with information systems.

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6. 1997Cadcorp joins the Open Geospatial Consortium

   Cadcorp becomes a member of the Open Geospatial Consortium, reinforcing its focus on geospatial interoperability.

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7. 1995First Cadcorp SIS release

   The first version of Cadcorp SIS, the company's Spatial Information System platform, is released.

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8. 1994Wincad rights are sold

   Cadcorp sells all rights to its original Windows-based CAD product, Wincad, and shifts its focus toward GIS software.

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9. 1991Cadcorp is established

   Cadcorp Limited is established as a British software company.

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A professional, standards-oriented and configurable GIS platform provider for government, infrastructure, emergency services and other organisations with complex spatial-data requirements.

• Cadcorp SISEnterprise GIS platform1995

  Cadcorp SIS is the company's core Spatial Information System platform. It is designed to manage, analyse, integrate and publish geographic information across professional and enterprise environments. The product family is available in multiple forms, including desktop, server, web-mapping, cloud-hosted and developer-oriented deployments. It supports standards-based geospatial interoperability and is used across government, emergency services, utilities, property, environmental and other specialist sectors.

• Cadcorp SIS DesktopDesktop GIS

  SIS Desktop provides professional users with desktop-based tools for working with spatial information. It forms part of the broader SIS environment and can be used for GIS data management, mapping, analysis and integration workflows. Cadcorp later included SIS Desktop in its cloud services, extending access beyond a traditional locally installed desktop deployment.

• Cadcorp SIS Web MappingWeb GIS

  SIS Web Mapping supports the publication and use of spatial information through web-based mapping applications. It is part of Cadcorp's wider deployment model and is intended for organisations that need to make maps and geographic data available to operational teams, public-service users or other stakeholders through browser-based interfaces.

• Cadcorp SIS ServerGIS server software

  SIS Server provides server-side capabilities within the Cadcorp SIS product family. It supports the delivery and management of geographic information and contributes to enterprise deployments in which spatial data and mapping services must be shared across departments, applications or web interfaces.

• Cadcorp SIS ETLSpatial data integration2020

  SIS ETL is Cadcorp's spatial extract, transform and load product. Introduced in 2020, it addresses workflows in which geographic data must be extracted from source systems, transformed into usable structures or formats, and loaded into target GIS or enterprise environments. It extends Cadcorp's offering beyond mapping and analysis into data preparation and integration.

• 2025Acquisition by NEC Software Solutions UKM&A

  Cadcorp remained a private specialist provider of GIS software and services.

  What changed. NEC Software Solutions UK completed the acquisition of Cadcorp in August 2025.

  Aftermath. Cadcorp became part of the NEC software organisation. No transaction value is included because the available reference material does not provide one.

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• 2020Introduction of SIS ETLProduct launch

  Organisations using GIS increasingly required tools for preparing and moving spatial data between systems.

  What changed. Cadcorp introduced SIS ETL as a contribution to its vertical and spatial-data technologies.

  Aftermath. The product broadened the SIS portfolio to cover extract, transform and load workflows in addition to core GIS functions.

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• 2020Expansion of cloud deliveryStrategy

  Cloud computing was becoming a more significant way for organisations to access business software and GIS capabilities.

  What changed. Cadcorp expanded its cloud services to include SIS Desktop.

  Aftermath. The move gave Cadcorp a broader cloud-based delivery proposition alongside its desktop, server and web-mapping options.

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• 2015Management buyoutM&A

  Cadcorp was operating as a specialist private GIS software company with an established SIS platform and international reseller network.

  What changed. The company's leadership team completed a management buyout in May 2015.

  Aftermath. Cadcorp continued as a privately controlled business until its later acquisition by NEC Software Solutions UK.

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• 1994Shift from Wincad to GIS softwareStrategy

  Cadcorp's initial product was Wincad, a Windows-based CAD system. After selling the product rights, the company needed to define its next core software direction.

  What changed. Cadcorp moved its development focus toward geographic information systems, leading to the first Cadcorp SIS release in 1995.

  Aftermath. The GIS focus became the foundation of Cadcorp's subsequent product portfolio and specialist market position.

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• 2025NEC Software Solutions UK completes acquisition of Cadcorp

  NEC Software Solutions UK completed its acquisition of Cadcorp, bringing the specialist GIS software company into the NEC software organisation.

  M&A
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• 2020Cadcorp expands SIS cloud services

  Cadcorp expanded its cloud offering to include SIS Desktop as cloud computing became a more important delivery model for GIS software.

  Product launch
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• 2015Cadcorp completes management buyout

  Cadcorp's leadership team completed a management buyout, returning the company to management ownership as a private GIS software business.

  M&A
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1. Cadcorp
2. Cadcorp official website