February 2005

What's Inside This Month's  Sensor:

Regular Features:

• The Director's Cut

• Company Spotlight: GeoData Airborne Mapping & Measurement

• Image of the Month

• Upcoming Events

• Legislative Corner

• Seen and Heard

• Did You Know???

• Graduate Fellow Feature

• EIGS Press Releases

February Articles:

• Conference Report: Business & Technology Expo

• 2005 Salute to Business & Industry Awards

• Partner Profile: MTA
  

Robin Buchannon Director, EIGS

The Director's Cut

Wow! What a year it has been and we are only in February. EIGS has started off 2005 with a bang and we will strive to maintain this momentum throughout the coming year. Here’s what I am talking about:

• Radiance Technologies was recently selected by NASA’s Exploration
  Systems Mission Directorate to support their new vision for space exploration by developing a comprehensive Planetary Geospatial Exploitation Toolkit (PGET). The effort is for 4 years with an approximate value of $6.5 M.

• Clark Love, CEO of Forest One, an EIGS member, was honored as a member of the Top 40 Under 40 at the Business & Technology Expo.

• NVision Solutions, an EIGS member, was selected as the winner in the Small Innovation category for the Mississippi Business Journal’s (MBJ) 2005 Salute to Business & Industry Awards.

• Air-O-Space, an EIGS member, was selected as a finalist for both the Small Innovation and Small Industry categories for the MBJ 2005 Salute to Business & Industry Awards.

• Forest One, an EIGS member, was selected as the winner in the Small Industry category and a finalist for Most Promising Emerging Company for the MBJ 2005 Salute to Business & Industry Awards.

• Michael Seal, President and CEO of InTime, Inc., an EIGS member, was announced as one of the Delta Business Journal’s top business leaders under 50.

• EIGS hosted a Seminar at the Business & Technology Expo on how GIS technology can help businesses. EIGS intends to continue seeking out lucrative business-to-business opportunities that can support and foster the continued growth of the cluster. 

• Lisa Stone represented EIGS with the Ole Miss contingency at IHL Day at the Capital and had positive interactions with legislators.

• EIGS has strengthened the cluster with the addition of several key partners including: the Mississippi Technology Alliance (MTA); the Mississippi Automated Resource Information System (MARIS); MSU’s GeoResources Institute (GRI); and the Gulf Coast Geospatial Center (GCGC). 

As you can see, great things are happening in Mississippi’s geospatial community. I challenge each of you to keep the momentum going and continue to help EIGS grow this world-class cluster and build this new industry for Mississippi. I look forward to seeing you at the EIGS Annual Meeting on February 17th on the Coast.

A member of the geospatial technology industry cluster since March 2002, 
GeoData Airborne Mapping & Measurement, Inc. is a remote sensing/GIS company based in Choctaw County, Mississippi, that provides a start-to-finish service of aerial source data and base imagery as well as GIS and spatial analysis products derived from the imagery. GeoData Airborne is an exclusive franchisee of the Geovantage, Inc., multispectral sensor system, one of the most cutting-edge systems in the world.

Founded in 1998, GeoData Airborne has grown to serve a variety of customer groups including agriculture, forestry, economic development, and municipal and academic entities. Small, private Landowners are another targeted group that GeoData Airborne is helping with land management solutions using geospatial technology. What was once thought to be unaffordable or unavailable for the small, private landowner is now a reality due to GeoData’s ability to work with them in solving their problems.

Even with all of the modern tools, techniques, and practices available to assist today’s sportsmen and hunting clubs, oftentimes landowners, hunters, land managers, and wildlife biologists find that they need additional critical information to make decisions. Using the latest technology in mapping, GeoData Airborne is providing this critical information by providing aerial images containing referenced data that high tech computer software can help landowners across Mississippi develop management plans.

Through the use of their state-of-the-art technology and 15 years of flying experience, GeoData Airborne addresses critical concerns of property management from identifying types of nutrients the land needs to accurately identifying placement of deer stands. The base images of a property can be overlaid with other types of data such as contour lines, roads, watersheds, bodies of water, and railroads. Professionals, as well as the small, private landowner, can confidently identify and correct problems in diversified habitat types within a specified area. 

GeoData Airborne Mapping & Measurement, Inc. was the first and only vendor to provide 24 hour or less turnaround from flight to delivery of image data needed to support crop research in precision agriculture applications.

For additional information about GeoData Airborne, visit www.maptheland.com or contact Mark Caruth at mark@maptheland.com, 662-547-6929.

IMAGE OF THE MONTH

Banda Aceh, Sumatra
Top image taken June 23, 2004, 
before the tsunami. Bottom image taken December 28, after the tsunami.

This image provided by DigitalGlobe, an EIGS member company.

SEEN AND HEARD

“…An industry that has not only advanced technologies that help us better manage our world – from emergency response to environmental conservation – but has also become an economic engine for our nation – creating jobs and opportunities that offer both personal satisfaction and professional rewards.”
- Scottie Barnes, Editor in Chief of Geospatial Solutions, January 2005

“After working with Leland Speed, local economic developers and business leaders from around the state, Momentum seeks to align our economic incentives to attract high value, high wage jobs and to increase support for existing industries. Our current incentives are geared almost exclusively to traditional manufacturing and do not encourage high-tech businesses which are likely to pay higher wages, provide greater investment, and have greater potential to expand. While we should and will continue to focus on protecting and expanding our manufacturing base, especially in sectors such as the furniture industry in Northeast Mississippi, we must seize the opportunity to attract growing service industries and to build on research and development efforts at our universities by competing with other states for high-technology enterprises.”
- Governor Haley Barbour, State-of-the-State Address, 
January 11, 2005

CONFERENCE SPOTLIGHT

February 17, 2005
EIGS Annual Meeting
Biloxi, MS

UPCOMING EVENTS

February 10, 2005
The Law, Homeland Security and Geospatial Technologies: A Conference
Oxford, MS
Contact: Dr. Joanne Irene Gabrynowicz, (662) 915-6857

March 6 - March 8, 2005
Creating Futures Through Technology Conference & Trade Show - 2005
Biloxi, MS 

March 6-9, 2005
GITA's Annual Conference 28:
Crossing Boundaries
Denver, CO

March 7-11, 2005
ASPRS 2005 Annual Conference -
Geospatial Goes Global: From Your Neighborhood to the Whole Planet
Baltimore, Maryland

LEGISLATIVE CORNER

Bill of interest: HB 1136 introduced by Representative John Reeves was referred to Ways and Means on January 17th. The bill would move the Office of Geology and Energy Resources from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to the Mississippi Development Authority. 

EIGS will continue to keep track of legislative developments for you and keep you apprised of bills that would be of interest to the cluster.

DID YOU KNOW???

Northwest Mississippi Community College is now offering a three-hour credit class in Fundamentals of Geographic information Systems (GIT2123) through the Career Technical division on the Senatobia campus and at Northwest’s Desoto Center in Southaven. In fall 2005, an additional three-hour credit spatial technology course, Remote Sensing (GIT2273) will be offered. For additional information, contact Joyce Brasell, director of Workforce Planning and Development at (662) 562-3458, jbrasell@northwestms.edu.

Conference Report: Business & Technology Expo

The Mississippi Business & Technology Expo, the state's largest business-to-business  networking event, was held January 19-20, 2005, at the Trade Mart in Jackson. The Expo, a special project of the Mississippi Business Journal, is in its 22nd year and featured nearly 200 exhibits and thousands of attendees. EIGS participated in the Expo as an exhibitor and host of a seminar. 

This was the first year for EIGS to attend this event and it proved to be a good investment. Robin Buchannon, Greg Easson, Chris Harvey and Lisa Stone attended on behalf of EIGS. Additionally, several EIGS companies were present including NVision Solutions, Air-O-Space, Forest One, and Digital Quest. EIGS was able to make solid contacts and develop key leads to pursue opportunities for the cluster. 

A key component of the Expo is the Seminar Series held throughout the two-day event. EIGS, selected by the Mississippi Business Journal to host one of the seminars, focused on how GIS technologies can help improve everyday business operations. Eddie Hanebuth of Digital Quest, Clark Love of Forest One, and Craig Harvey of NVision Solutions provided an overview of geospatial technologies and what is being done for utilities, landowners, first responders, and a number of other industries. There were attendees from several key target markets including realty, information technology and casinos. One of the attendees was heard to say that the information provided was excellent and very informative. 

2005 Salute to Business & Industry Awards

EIGS 2005 Salute to Business & Industry Awards Finalists and Winners: Skip Wright of Air-O-Space, Clark Love of Forest One, and Socorro and Craig Harvey of NVision Solutions.

The Mississippi Business Journal recently held the fifth annual Salute to Business & Industry Awards. This prestigious statewide recognition program showcases good corporate citizenship exhibited by companies based in Mississippi. Companies are judged by an independent panel of business experts on their contributions to the region via the following criteria: Community Involvement; Workforce Development Policies; and Leadership in Your Segment. Awards categories included: Commercial; Industrial; Health; Retail; Food and Lodging; Non-profit. Other featured categories were: Most Promising Emerging Companies (5 years or less) and Innovation Awards. Companies were categorized by the number of employees.

This year was a fantastic year for EIGS companies. Several companies were finalists and winners including: 

• Forest One, Winner for the Small Industrial category and Finalist for Most Promising Emerging Company; 

• NVision Solutions, Winner for the Small Innovation category;

• Air-O-Space, Finalist for both the Small Innovation and Small Industrial categories.

  Socorro and Craig Harvey of NVision Solutions receive their Small Innovation Award from Joe Jones, publisher of the MS Business Journal.

“It is evident from these awards that these companies are playing a critical role in Mississippi’s leadership position in the geospatial technology arena. They are directly impacting Mississippi’s economy by increasing the availability of high tech jobs and opportunities here in our state, helping keep our best and brightest home,” stated Dr. Robin Buchannon, Executive Director for EIGS.

Congratulations and job well done!

Partner Profile: MTA

EIGS is pleased to welcome the Mississippi Technology Alliance as a new partner. EIGS has worked very hard to offer its high technology companies a vaster array of services in order to help them reach their full potential. By leveraging and utilizing the state’s existing resources, EIGS is taking full advantage of the investment the state has made in programs and partners without any duplication of efforts. That is why a partnership with MTA is a sound one for the geospatial technology industry cluster. 

MTA is a non-profit organization with the mission to champion science and technology based economic development for the State of Mississippi. For entrepreneurs looking to launch start-up ventures, MTA has experienced business development specialists who help locate the resources necessary to get new business off to a good start. From an idea on the back of the proverbial napkin to the store front, MTA is with you. 

MTA nurtures small businesses through the Mississippi Technology Alliance Innovation Center, which is a business incubator providing companies access to office technology, expert advice, and professional office and conference space at a fraction of the retail cost. 

MTA also publishes a magazine, Pointe Innovation, to tell the story of Mississippi companies who are achieving success with innovation and technology. Additionally, they are responsible for publishing the annual Innovation Index, a measuring stick for evaluating Mississippi’s progress in the technology arena. By tracking our improvements over time, we can find our way to an economy that is more conducive to technology and innovation.

Andy Taggart, President/CEO of the Mississippi Technology Alliance, will be providing further information about the services they will be providing to EIGS companies at the upcoming EIGS Annual Meeting on February 17th. For more information about the meeting, please visit www.eigs.olemiss.edu.

If you would like more information about MTA, please visit www.technologyalliance.ms.

Graduate Fellow Feature

Valentine Anantharaj is currently enrolled in the Computational Engineering Ph.D. program at Mississippi State University. He holds a B.Sc. in Physics and M.S. in Meteorology. Valentine is a second year EIGS/NASA Fellow. 

Working under the direction of Dr. Roger King, the primary objective of Valentine’s project “Application of MODIS Data to Improve Land Surface Parameterization in Mesoscale Numerical Weather Production Models,” is to understand how data from NASA's MODIS sensors can be incorporated into the COAMPS numerical weather prediction (NWP) model. The MODIS multi-temporal observations help determine what land use and land cover (LULC) changes in the earth have occurred over time; and when and where they happen. This information can be used in the COAMPS model in the parameterization of the exchange of energy, moisture, and momentum between the earth's atmosphere and the biosphere. These improvements in the weather forecast information can benefit the U.S. agricultural and energy industry. Valentine presented the preliminary results of his research during a poster session at the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (IGARSS) Conference, September 2004. 

EIGS Press Releases

Forest One Selected as Small Industry Award Winner
January 25, 2005, Jackson, MS – The Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solutions is proud to announce that member company Forest One, Inc., was selected as the winner in the Small Industry category for the 2005 Salute to Business and Industry Awards program. This prestigious statewide recognition program is sponsored by the Mississippi Business Journal. Forest One is a complete information technology company providing consulting services, applications development, data processing, and software to a number of industries including forest products, utilities, and environmental management. Forest One specializes in geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) applications….::MORE::

NVision Solutions’ REACT Selected as Innovation of the Year for Mississippi
January 24, 2004, Stennis Space Center, MS – The Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solutions is proud to announce that member company NVision Solutions, Inc., was selected as the winner in the Small Innovation category for the 2005 Salute to Business and Industry Awards program. NVision garnered this prestigious honor for REACT (Real-time Emergency Action Coordination Tool), their flagship product. REACT is the result of NVision partnering with NASA’s Stennis Space Center and St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, to prototype a computer system enhancing the ability of first-responders to react to natural disasters, homeland security threats, and other emergencies faster, more efficiently, and with greater safety…::MORE::

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