WeoGeo
WeoGeo was a geospatial-data marketplace and cloud-software company whose platform helped professionals discover, transform, share, and acquire geographic content.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
WeoGeo was a United States geospatial technology company founded in 2006 by W. Paul Bissett and Dave Kohler. The company grew out of the Florida Environmental Research Institute, where the founders had worked together for approximately nine years. Its purpose was to improve productivity in the geospatial sector by reducing the organizational and technical barriers that separated the creation, management, distribution, and use of geographic data. The company introduced its platform publicly at the 2007 Where 2.0 Conference in San Jose, California. WeoGeo positioned its technology as infrastructure for professional geospatial content rather than as a consumer mapping product. Its central offering, WeoGeo Market, functioned as an internet-based business-to-business marketplace through which geospatial users could search for, evaluate, customize, and obtain professional geographic data and maps. The system was designed to accommodate very large collections of files, from megabyte-scale resources to datasets measured in terabytes. WeoGeo also developed tools intended to support the publishing and management side of the market. The Library Appliance, released in July 2008 alongside the Market service, provided a dedicated form of the company's library and distribution technology. A software-as-a-service edition of the Library followed in March 2009, extending the model from installed or appliance-based infrastructure toward hosted access. The service left private beta on May 6, 2010, making the platform available to the public. Partnerships formed an important part of WeoGeo's cloud strategy. In 2008, WeoGeo and Safe Software announced an arrangement to bring Safe Software's FME Server technology to the cloud through Amazon Web Services. FME is used for data transformation and integration, making the partnership relevant to WeoGeo's goal of helping customers prepare and distribute geospatial content through an online environment. By the fall of 2012, WeoGeo was placing greater emphasis on marketplace operations. The company was acquired by Trimble Navigation in 2014. Following the acquisition, its platform became known as Trimble Data Marketplace, connecting WeoGeo's marketplace capabilities with Trimble's broader portfolio of positioning, surveying, mapping, construction, transportation, and geospatial technologies. Trimble later discontinued Trimble Data Marketplace in 2018 and directed users toward other services. As a result, WeoGeo no longer operates as an independent active brand.
History
WeoGeo was established in 2006 by W. Paul Bissett and Dave Kohler. The company originated from work the founders had undertaken at the Florida Environmental Research Institute, where they had been colleagues for about nine years. Their concept was to make professional geospatial content easier to create, organize, distribute, and obtain by removing the vertical barriers that traditionally separated different parts of the geospatial-data workflow. The company made its public debut at the 2007 Where 2.0 Conference in San Jose, California. During its early development, WeoGeo pursued a cloud-oriented approach to geospatial information management and was named a finalist in the 2007 Amazon Web Services StartUp Challenge. This recognition was consistent with the company's use of web infrastructure to support data-intensive professional workflows. In 2008, WeoGeo announced a partnership with Safe Software to bring FME Server to the cloud through Amazon Web Services. FME Server is associated with the transformation and integration of geospatial data, and the arrangement complemented WeoGeo's objective of allowing customers to prepare and distribute geographic content online. That same year, WeoGeo released its Library Appliance alongside the Market service. The appliance represented a packaged approach to managing and serving geospatial data, while the Market provided a channel for finding and acquiring content. WeoGeo expanded its hosted model in March 2009 with a monthly software-as-a-service version of the Library. The company continued operating the service in private beta until May 6, 2010, when it opened the platform to the public. Its principal marketplace was designed for professional and business users rather than casual consumers. WeoGeo Market could handle millions of individual geospatial files and maps, with file sizes ranging from megabytes to terabytes. Users could search, discover, customize, and acquire professional geographic content through the online service. In the fall of 2012, WeoGeo concentrated more strongly on marketplace offerings. The shift reflected the company's effort to make the commercial discovery and exchange of geospatial content the central part of its business. The marketplace model also gave data providers a way to make specialized geographic resources available to potential users without relying solely on conventional direct sales or isolated file transfers. Trimble Navigation acquired WeoGeo in 2014. After the transaction, the acquired technology and marketplace were operated under the name Trimble Data Marketplace. The change connected WeoGeo's data-distribution capabilities with Trimble's wider geospatial and positioning technology portfolio. WeoGeo's independent identity therefore gave way to a product and service identity within Trimble. In 2018, Trimble shut down Trimble Data Marketplace and directed users toward other services. This closure ended the marketplace's public operating life and left WeoGeo as a defunct geospatial technology brand. Its historical significance lies in its early attempt to combine cloud computing, geospatial data transformation, online data libraries, and a business marketplace for professional geographic content.
- 2018
Trimble Data Marketplace discontinued
[1]Trimble shut down the successor marketplace and directed users to other services.
- 2014
Acquired by Trimble Navigation
[1]Trimble Navigation acquired WeoGeo and subsequently operated the service as Trimble Data Marketplace.
- 2012
Marketplace strategy emphasized
[1]WeoGeo increased its focus on marketplace offerings during the fall.
- 2010
Public service opening
[1]WeoGeo left private beta and opened its service to the public on May 6.
- 2009
SaaS Library introduced
[1]WeoGeo released a monthly software-as-a-service version of its Library.
- 2008
Cloud partnership with Safe Software
[1]WeoGeo and Safe Software announced a plan to bring FME Server to Amazon Web Services.
- 2008
Library Appliance and Market released
[1]The company released its Library Appliance together with the WeoGeo Market service.
- 2007
Public debut at Where 2.0
[1]WeoGeo launched at the Where 2.0 Conference in San Jose, California.
- 2007
AWS StartUp Challenge finalist
[1]WeoGeo became a finalist in the Amazon Web Services StartUp Challenge.
- 2006
Company established
[1]WeoGeo was founded by W. Paul Bissett and Dave Kohler after their work together at the Florida Environmental Research Institute.
Products and positioning
A business-to-business geospatial-data marketplace and cloud platform designed to reduce friction in the discovery, transformation, management, and acquisition of professional geographic content.
Geospatial data marketplace · 2008
WeoGeo Market
WeoGeo Market was the company's principal business-to-business service. It enabled geospatial professionals to search for, discover, customize, and acquire professional geographic content and maps through an internet marketplace. The system was designed to manage millions of individual files and could accommodate data ranging from megabytes to terabytes. Its marketplace model connected users with specialized geospatial resources while supporting online discovery and delivery.
Geospatial data management appliance · 2008
WeoGeo Library Appliance
The Library Appliance was a packaged WeoGeo product for managing and serving geospatial content. Released in July 2008 alongside the Market service, it provided an appliance-based option for organizations that needed structured handling and distribution of geographic files and maps. It formed part of WeoGeo's broader effort to connect data storage, publishing, and marketplace access.
Software-as-a-service geospatial library · 2009
WeoGeo Library
The WeoGeo Library was offered as a monthly software-as-a-service edition beginning in March 2009. It extended the company's data-library capabilities into a hosted model, allowing customers to organize and provide access to geospatial content without relying only on the earlier appliance format.
Brand decisions
2018
Closure of Trimble Data MarketplaceOtherBackground
The WeoGeo-originated marketplace had been operated by Trimble under the Trimble Data Marketplace name since the 2014 acquisition.
Action taken
Trimble discontinued Trimble Data Marketplace and directed users to other services.
Aftermath
The closure ended the public operating life of the platform and confirmed WeoGeo's status as a defunct brand.
2014
Acquisition by Trimble NavigationM&ABackground
WeoGeo had developed a cloud-based marketplace for professional geospatial content and related data-management capabilities.
Action taken
Trimble Navigation acquired WeoGeo and integrated the service under the Trimble Data Marketplace name.
Aftermath
The WeoGeo brand ceased to operate independently, while its marketplace technology continued under Trimble for a period.
2012
Increase emphasis on marketplace offeringsStrategyBackground
By the fall of 2012, WeoGeo was operating in a market where professional users needed more efficient ways to find and obtain specialized geographic datasets.
Action taken
The company placed greater strategic focus on its marketplace services rather than treating the marketplace as only one component of a broader library and infrastructure offering.
Aftermath
The marketplace orientation preceded WeoGeo's acquisition by Trimble Navigation in 2014.
Recent events
- 2018
Trimble shuts down Trimble Data Marketplace[1]
Other
Trimble discontinued the successor service and directed users to other Trimble services, ending the operational life of the WeoGeo-originated marketplace platform.
- 2014
Trimble Navigation acquires WeoGeo[1]
M&A
Trimble Navigation acquired WeoGeo, after which the platform was rebranded as Trimble Data Marketplace.
- 2012
WeoGeo shifts emphasis toward marketplace offerings[1]
Other
In the fall of 2012, WeoGeo placed increased strategic emphasis on its marketplace activities.
- 2010
WeoGeo opens its service to the public[1]
Product launch
After operating in private beta, WeoGeo opened its service to the public on May 6, 2010.
- 2009
WeoGeo releases a software-as-a-service Library[1]
Product launch
A hosted, monthly software-as-a-service version of the WeoGeo Library was introduced, providing customers with an alternative to the company's appliance-based model.
- 2008
WeoGeo and Safe Software announce cloud FME Server partnership[1]
Other
WeoGeo and Safe Software announced plans to make FME Server available through a cloud deployment on Amazon Web Services, supporting online geospatial data transformation and integration.
- 2008
WeoGeo releases the Library Appliance and Market service[1]
Product launch
The company released its Library Appliance together with the Market service, expanding its tools for storing, organizing, and distributing geospatial content.
- 2007
WeoGeo launches publicly at the Where 2.0 Conference[1]
Product launch
WeoGeo introduced its geospatial-data platform at the Where 2.0 Conference in San Jose, California, bringing the company's marketplace concept to public industry attention.
- 2007
WeoGeo becomes a finalist in the Amazon Web Services StartUp Challenge[1]
Other
The company was recognized as a finalist in Amazon Web Services' startup competition, reflecting its early focus on cloud-based geospatial services.
Sources1 sources
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