PCI Geomatics smooths mapping wrinkles
The Ottawa Citizen Thursday, October 19, 2006 Page: D5 Section: Business Byline: Jennifer Campbell Source: The Ottawa Citizen An Ottawa software company and an Irish web management company had a challenge on their hands yesterday as they launched a new system they developed in partnership. They had to surmount the Google factor. Everyone's used the ubiquitous Google Earth program to search for a photo of the roof of their house. And Google makes it look simple. But it's not simple, these two companies insisted, as they described the applications of their technology. PCI Geomatics, which has offices in Gatineau, worked with eSpatial, a company with headquarters in Ireland and branches in the U.S., to develop a system for the Mapping Centre of Natural Resources Canada. PCI's role was to design software that would spruce up the satellite images, peeling away layers of fog and condensation from the images and making them sharper than the ones you see on Google. Sharpening them also makes them more useful. "Basically ... we remove some of that information that makes it cloudy and then come up with a nice, crisp, clear image," said Brad Schmidt, vice-president of sales for PCI. eSpatial then figured out a way to get the "clear, crisp" images, which are continuously generated, into a secure web-based application to make it easier to use. "We provide the front-end tools for the delivery of PCI's imagery to allow people to manage their imagery data from the Mapping Centre in Canada," said Jon Polay, vice-president of sales for eSpatial in North America. For analysts at Natural Resources Canada, that means the Mapping Centre can now easily update national map coverage, and quickly disseminate the information without having to use several different systems, something it's had to do in the past. Now other would-be customers can also order the technology and get it over the Web. At the launch, PCI president and CEO Robert Moses said customers would include all manner of government departments including agriculture, health, public safety and emergency response. Joining the two companies for the announcement was a trade delegation from Ireland, led by Micheal Martin, the country's minister for enterprise trade and employment. Mr. Martin and his team are touring Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa to spread the word about Ireland's booming economy, often called the Celtic Tiger. Canadian companies' investment in Ireland stands at $8 billion while Irish investment in Canada is about $1 billion. Idnumber: 200610190038 Edition: Final Story Type: Business Length: 387 words