Compare
MapAI vs the way it is done today
The hard part of spatial work happens before the map. MapAI removes the queue without removing the expert.
The short answer
Today a place-based question goes one of two ways. It joins the queue for a GIS team that is already at capacity, or the person who needs the answer works around the queue with portals, screenshots, spreadsheets and a consultant, producing evidence nobody can fully trace. MapAI gives the second group a proper spatial engine with the evidence trail intact, and gives the first group their time back to validate methods instead of repeating them. The expert stays in the loop. The queue gets shorter. The evidence gets better.
Who each is built for
MapAI Explore
- Built for
- the planner, adviser or analyst with a question and a deadline, and the GIS expert who wants to validate once rather than answer the same request repeatedly.
- The job
- assemble a trusted evidence base for a place, project or decision.
- The moment you reach for it
- “I need this by Thursday and GIS can't get to it until next month.”
The current way
- Built for
- nobody in particular; it is what happens when demand for spatial evidence outruns the capacity to produce it.
- The job
- get something defensible enough onto the page.
- The moment you reach for it
- “I'll pull a few layers from the portal and screenshot them.”
Where each sits in the stack
1 Capture
2 Data and infrastructure
3 GIS systems of record
ArcGISQGISthe GIS team4 Spatial Evidence Layer
MapAIthe gap: queues, portals, spreadsheets5 Decisions and workflows
briefingsbusiness casesplans
The gap between the GIS system of record and the decision is where the queue forms and the workarounds live. MapAI is built for that gap.
Side by side
Built for
MapAI
Domain professionals and the GIS experts who validate for them
Core strengthThe current way
Whoever has the question, with whatever skills and access they have
Not a focusHow you work with it
MapAI
Plain-English questions, refine as you go, @mention your data
Core strengthThe current way
A request form to GIS, or self-service through portals, downloads and spreadsheets
AvailableFinding and assembling data
MapAI
Searches connected open, partner and organisational data and suggests what is relevant
Core strengthThe current way
Manual: find the portal, find the layer, check it is current, download, repeat
Not a focusSpatial analysis
MapAI
Joins, buffers, intersections, proximity and demographic cross-tabs on a PostGIS engine
Core strengthThe current way
Done properly by GIS when capacity allows; approximated in spreadsheets when it doesn't
AvailableThe evidence trail
MapAI
Datasets, currency, assumptions and steps visible for every answer
Core strengthThe current way
Lives in someone's head, an email thread or a consultant's appendix
Not a focusValidated, repeatable methods
MapAI
Common questions routed to validated methods; new ones flagged until reviewed; rerun when data changes
Core strengthThe current way
Each request starts again; methods vary by who did the work
Not a focusWorks with your GIS
MapAI
Imports and exports standard formats; connects public ArcGIS REST services; GIS keeps the system of record
Core strengthThe current way
Already is your GIS, when you can get to it
Core strengthData residency and security
MapAI
Australian-hosted, residency options for government, enterprise controls
Core strengthThe current way
Governed inside GIS; ungoverned in downloads, spreadsheets and shared drives
AvailablePricing model
MapAI
Capacity, not seats: unlimited users, free to start, additional capacity in batches, enterprise capacity on request
Core strengthThe current way
GIS licences per user, GIS staff time, consultant day rates
AvailableAvailability in Australia
MapAI
Available now in Australia · Free to start
AvailableThe current way
Available now
Core strengthWhere The current way is the better choice
- Questions that need an expert's judgement from the first step, not just their validation at the end.
- Authoritative products: statutory maps, published datasets and anything that must come from the system of record.
- Deep analysis, modelling and cartography that is the GIS team's core craft.
- Work that is already funded, governed and scheduled, where the queue is short enough.
Where MapAI is the better choice
- The repeatable questions that fill the GIS request queue: what is near what, how much, how many, where is the exposure.
- The first pass of an evidence base, done by the person who owns the decision, before an expert refines it.
- Reruns: the same question for a new area, a new quarter or a colleague.
- Anything currently answered with a portal screenshot and a spreadsheet.
- Showing a decision maker where the evidence came from, in the meeting.
What changes for each role
MapAI changes who does the first pass and how the work is recorded. It does not change who is accountable or who holds the system of record.
- Domain professionals: ask, inspect the evidence trail, export, and brief with the sources visible.
- GIS experts: validate methods once, review flagged queries, keep the system of record, and spend less time on repeat requests.
- Decision makers: see the datasets and assumptions behind a recommendation, not just the map.
- IT and data owners: control which data is connected, who can use it and where it is processed.
Pricing model
MapAI
Pay for capacity and value, not seats.
- Unlimited users
- An allowance of free credits every month
- Additional capacity in batches when you need more
- Enterprise committed capacity on request
The current way
Paid for in time and licences rather than on an invoice.
- Per-user GIS licences for the few who can use them
- GIS staff time on repeatable requests
- Consultant day rates for evidence assembly
- The cost of decisions made on evidence nobody can trace
Pricing checked on 15 October 2026. Prices in their published currency. See each vendor's pricing page for current details: MapAI pricing.
Data residency, security and trust
MapAI
Australian-hosted infrastructure, with data residency options for government work. Your organisation's data is not used to train public models. Single sign-on and advanced security controls on Enterprise. SOC 2 and ISO 27001 programmes underway. Bring-your-own model account supported for Enterprise.
The current way
Data inside your GIS is governed. Data in downloads, spreadsheets, screenshots and shared drives generally is not, and neither is the method that produced the result. MapAI keeps the method and the sources attached to the answer.
Common questions
Isn't this just a nicer front end on data we already have?
Partly, and that is the point: the data exists, the capacity to turn it into evidence doesn't. MapAI adds data discovery across sources, a spatial engine, a visible evidence trail and a library of validated methods, so the people with the questions can produce defensible answers and the GIS team can validate rather than repeat.
Will our GIS team see this as a threat?
In our trials GIS experts are usually the first to value it, because it takes repeat requests off their queue and gives them a way to validate methods once for the whole organisation. MapAI Source and the QGIS companion, planned for 2027, are built for them.
What if MapAI gets it wrong?
Every answer shows the datasets, assumptions and steps, and new methods are flagged as unvalidated until a specialist reviews them. You can inspect the work the same way you would review a colleague's. Professional judgement stays with you.
How do we start without a procurement process?
Sign up and start free with an allowance of free credits each month and open data. Organisations can request a structured trial around one real workflow; enterprise committed capacity is quoted on request when you are ready.
Is MapAI available now?
MapAI Explore is available in Australia and free to start. Sign up to get started, or request a structured trial built around a real workflow for your team.
Shorten the queue. Keep the expert.
Sign up and start free, or talk to us about a structured trial for your team.
Checked 15 October 2026. This page describes common patterns we see in planning, infrastructure and policy teams; your organisation will differ. Send corrections to info@mapai.net.
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MapAI and QGIS
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