Direction, craft, and place
North Forge Geo is a software consulting firm focused on geospatial platforms, cloud services, and applied AI.
The firm
Senior expertise for location-aware platforms
We help organizations, from product teams building their first location-based features to global enterprises running large geospatial platforms, make sound technical decisions and turn them into working systems.
Most of our work is on the Microsoft stack, including Azure, Azure Maps, Azure AI services, and Microsoft Fabric, and on open source geospatial technology such as MapLibre, PostGIS, GeoServer, and GDAL.
The name reflects how we work. North is direction: clear strategy and honest advice. Forge is craft: building systems that are made to last. Geo is place: the location data at the center of what we do.
Our engagements cover technical leadership, architecture, software development, and AI consulting, used on their own or together.
Our founder
Ricky Brundritt brings more than 20 years of experience in geospatial technology, cloud architecture, and enterprise software to every North Forge Geo engagement.
Most recently, Ricky was a Principal Enterprise Architect in Microsoft's Industry Solutions Office of the CTO, working with the company's largest customers to solve business problems with emerging technology. In that role Ricky was technical lead on four major deals that generated more than $3B in new business, lead architect for a geospatial AI assistant with access to more than 100 PB of open data, and delivered AI-enabled supply chain optimization, real-time vehicle routing, and large-scale digital twins for critical infrastructure.
Before that, as a Principal Technical Program Manager, Ricky led the strategy for unifying Microsoft's geospatial offerings, Bing Maps and Azure Maps, and designed, developed, and shipped the Azure Maps SDKs for Web, Android, and iOS, the Azure Maps visual for Power BI, and industry-leading screen reader accessibility for interactive maps. Earlier still, Ricky led the Bing Maps developer platform, including the V8 web SDK and REST services for distance matrices, truck routing, and isochrones, and was part of the initial launch of Microsoft's Bot Framework, Cortana Skills Kit, and Azure Cognitive Services.
Ricky's career began in consulting: architecting enterprise and GIS applications, then co-founding a software consultancy specializing in Microsoft technologies and location-intelligent applications, serving as its CTO.
Throughout, Ricky has invested in the wider community: creating and leading Microsoft's internal geospatial community across more than 32 product groups, serving on the MapLibre steering committee, and helping developers through forums, blogs, samples, and open source projects for nearly two decades.
Recognition & community
- 2025All-Time Top Microsoft Developer Community Contributor, recognized by Microsoft for nearly two decades of help across forums, blogs, videos, and open source
- 2020–nowSteering committee member, MapLibre
- 2015–2025Worldwide Geospatial Community Lead, Microsoft
- 2014Author, Location Intelligence for Windows Store Apps
- 2012Microsoft Circle of Excellence, Gold Club
- 2009–2011Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP)
Have a geospatial, cloud, or AI challenge in front of you?
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