Access Methods for Cityscope Online
Cityscope data is now accessible via a fully online service. You need no local software, except for a web browser.
This document outlines the two methods by which Cityscope Online can be accessed and which might apply to your company. It then takes a look at how Cityscope Online pricing is structured and how this pricing compares with that for Cityscope's CD-based service, CDSCOPE.
There are two methods by which the Cityscope Online service can be accessed.
Method 1 - User Names and Passwords
Under this method Cityscope issues user names and passwords which need to be manually entered by users at the time of logon.
A customer might prefer this approach where only a few members of staff use Cityscope or many staff use it infrequently. In either of these scenarios one, two or three user names and passwords can be issued to individual users or spread across all staff who might need the Cityscope service.
Method 2 - Slots*
Cityscope set up user slots. When a user logs on they are allocated a slot (or user) without needing to know a user name and password. Logon is completed automatically via a special URL issued to you by Cityscope. This logon URL is made accessible to your staff (by you) via your intranet.
* 3 conditions MUST be met before Cityscope will allow the use of the slots method.
Advantages of the slots method:
To determine which of the two access methods is best for your company, you also need to understand how Cityscope Online pricing is structured.
Cityscope Online Pricing Structure
When you subscribe to a Cityscope area, you are purchasing a licence to access the data for that area. The cost of the subscription is therefore dependent on how many licences you purchase.
The "standard" subscription cost is the price for the first licence. Subsequent licences are charged at a percentage of the first licence price.
| Users | Additional Cost |
| 2 to 5 | 5% each |
| 6 to 20 | 2% each |
| 20 to 100 | 1% each |
| 100+ | 0.5% each |
Using the slots approach to logon, the minimum number of users we require is 5. Using a fictitious example:
Subscribers to CDSCOPE 2000 (Cityscope's CD-based service) would recognise this as the price paid for a 6+ user licence.
Under CDSCOPE 2000 pricing paying this extra 20% allows you to install CDSCOPE on as many PC's as you like in your office.
So how does 5 slots under Cityscope Online compare with a 6+ user licence under CDSCOPE?
5 slots really means 5 staff accessing Cityscope data at any one time. How many actual staff 5 slots equates to depends entirely on how heavily Cityscope is used. As a minimum Cityscope expects that 5 slots would cater for 25 staff, but in reality (and again depending on usage) it could cover the needs of 50, 100 or more.
With CDSCOPE there are two additional costs associated with a subscription. These are not costs invoiced for by Cityscope, but rather costs which form part of the "total cost of ownership" of the CDSCOPE software. These are:
With Cityscope Online both of these costs are taken care of by Cityscope.
Still Not Sure?
You can always start with 1, 2 or 3 usernames and passwords and see how they service your needs. Upgrading to more users or the slots approach is easy and can be done at any time throughout the subscription period.