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The 147 W. Airport Road firm was established in 2006 when the business was spun off by MapQuest. It started with about 40 people, according to news accounts at the time.
GeoNova later was acquired by HowStuffWorks, which in turn was acquired by Discovery Communications.
A GeoNova executive declined to comment on the firm's status, referring questions to Discovery, best known for its Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet and other channels.
A Discovery spokeswoman confirmed that GeoNova will be closing but wouldn't say when, why or how many workers will be affected.
GeoNova traces its roots to the formation of R.R. Donnelley & Sons' Cartographic Services in 1967 in Northbrook, Ill. The division moved to Lancaster the following year.
Donnelley Cartographic was spun off as a separate firm named GeoSystems Global in 1994.
In 1999, the firm renamed itself MapQuest and went public. Later that year it was acquired by America Online.
GeoNova provides print maps and online mapping content for publishers, retailers and corporations.
Products include road maps, road atlases, travel guides, map pages, map posters, business-location maps, electronic trip planners, maps for textbooks and reference works, mapping content for GPS systems, and mobile applications for such devices as iPhones and iPods, and other content.
