The appointment gives North American broadcasters who have invested in Curious World Maps the opportunity to learn from a former high-end user with more than five years hands-on experience on the software.

Established in 2003, The Map Doctor offers a training and design service for broadcast, post production and corporate clients who want access to high quality still or animated maps of any location. Headed by David Wells, former Art Director of NBC Nightly News, the company helps broadcasters decide which map software and satellite data to buy - and how to efficiently use it once it is installed.

"Mapmaking has become highly competitive. Nowadays, news organisations demand animated maps to explain the 'where' of many news stories," Wells says. "However, finding a software package that's quick, accurate and easy for graphic designers to use is much more difficult. Back in 2000, when NBC decided to invest in this kind of software, it took us months of searching and testing before we finally identified Curious World Maps as the right solution. Having been through the process of choosing map creation software, I can give broadcasters informed, unbiased mapmaking advice and, of course, the benefit of my own experience creating thousands of maps from 9/11 through the Iraq War."

Curious World Maps has rapidly gained a reputation amongst broadcasters for its versatility and ease of use. The speed at which maps can be created and updated makes it ideal for news, and now traffic reporting. It also plays a vital role in the post-production of documentaries, sports and travel programs where maps are needed to set the scene or identify an area of particular interest.

The software, which won a (UK) Queen's Award for Innovation in 2004, gives users total creative control, enabling them to quickly and easily create broadcast quality still and animated maps of anywhere in the world, in their own customized style. It includes built-in vector databases of the whole world comprising detailed outline data for countries, regions, states, counties and highways. It also includes over a half million place names - towns, rivers, lakes and more. Imported local data or satellite images can also be incorporated, making it simple to create in minutes an animation than zooms in from a spinning globe right down to a single building. All the networks are now using CWM on a daily basis, including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, CBC, ESPN, BBC, Sky and ITV.

As the company's first Certified Independent Trainer, Wells is able to help new Curious World Maps users to get the most from their software, regardless of their level of expertise.

"The training I provide really helps new CWM owners establish processes to maximise and accelerate the use of their software," he explains. "If necessary I can also help set up Style Sheets and Animation Templates for CWM clients who want to customise the look of their maps and speed up their mapmaking processes."

Halid Hatic, President of Sales for Curious Software, says the company is delighted to endorse Wells as The Map Doctor.

"Like him, we are passionate about maps; and his work helping our customers optimise their use of our software is a win-win all round," he says.

Since leaving NBC, Wells has worked with more than 60 television broadcasters and production companies around the US and Canada. These include affiliates from all the networks, from the first to 125th markets.

One recent customer who has benefited from The Map Doctor's medicine is Katharine Landmeier, Design Director at KRIV, the FOX O&O in Houston. "In three days, David solved all the 'nudgey' problems we were having with the software, taught us innumerable 'work-arounds' and left us with a fantastic adaptation of our on-air map look, maintaining the quality and uniqueness of our maps in a way we were simply unable to reproduce on our own," she says. "The animation templates he created will save us hundreds of hours."

Wells has also extended his Map Doctor skills to corporate clients, web designers and independent television producers who need anything from a one-off still to an HD animated map for a specific program or special presentation.

"These clients have no interest in buying or learning map creation software but they do need a map," he explains. "And what's more, they need a good map - and they usually need it yesterday!"

For further information, please contact David Wells on 623-535-0744. Email: david@TheMapDoctor.com

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