GITA presents Innovator Award, Excellence Award

San Antonio, Texas, USA, 5 March 2007: At its Annual Conference 30, being held from March 4-7, 2007, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, GITA presented the Innovator Award and Excellence Award.

The Innovator Award recognizes the unique and significant contributions of organizations that have used geospatial technology in the innovative development of a technology, service, or application. The Excellence Award recognizes the dedication, insight, and high degree of initiative in the outstanding application of geospatial technology.

- City of Toronto (GITA's Innovator Award)
City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was named the recipient of the 2007 GITA Innovator Award. Enterprise Stereoscopic Model (ESM) Web was developed to provide average and technical users of mapping information with highly accurate aerial photography (current and historical) and the ability to collect site/object specific information in 3-D.

ESM Web has up to 15-cm accuracy, and enables the viewing and measurement of objects in 3-D while viewing the images with a pair of 3-D glasses or stereoscope. Historical land information is more accurate and reliable as users can take their own 3-D measurements from the fully geo-referenced images dating back to 1931. They can also search and overlay maps from today's buildings, roads, and properties over the historical images to visualize trends and land use changes between years.

"The GITA Innovator Award is a testament to ESM Web's successes, and recognizes the intellectual curiosity and critical thinking required by Survey and Mapping Services staff to provide world-class products and services to our business units," said Bob Gaspirc, Manager, Mapping Services, City of Toronto.

- Emergency Management Alberta (GITA's Innovator Award)
Emergency Management Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, was named the recipient of the 2007 GITA Innovator Award. In 2004, Emergency Management Alberta initiated a project, with financial support from the Alberta Innovation Program, to establish a secure, Web-based, integrated incident logging and mapping tool, used to share information between agencies and jurisdiction in both private and public sectors.

The project will enable decision-makers at all levels to become situationally aware of an incident and make better decisions. Once complete, Alberta will be uniquely equipped with an application system that will significantly enhance emergency management across the province in a coordinated, effective, and efficient manner to minimize risk to Alberta citizens, businesses, environment, and infrastructure.

"The government of Alberta and Emergency Management Alberta are honored to receive this award, and would like to thank GITA for recognizing the work we have done and our vision to expand and utilize geospatial technology," said Colin Blair, Manager, Operations & Training, Emergency Management Alberta.

- City of Aurora (GITA's Innovator Award)
City of Aurora, Colorado, was named the recipient of the 2007 GITA Innovator Award. Development on Aurora Connect started in January 2005. The project's objective was to provide all relevant geographic information based upon an entered address to Aurora's citizens and businesses via one Web site- AuroraGov.org.

The project started by providing information about council, city events, neighborhoods, and property information for an entered address, and has grown to include business tax and license data, building permits, public records, school districts, links to county assessors, and a rich interactive GIS mapping experience. The Aurora Connect Web site continues to grow in the breadth of information provided and number of visitors.

"The City of Aurora is proud to have been recognized for our Aurora Connect application with an Innovator Award by GITA - the preeminent GIS industry association," said Bill Keever, GIS Coordinator, the City of Aurora.

- Baltimore Gas & Electric (GITA's Excellence Award)
Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE), Baltimore, was named the recipient of the 2007 GITA Excellence Award for the gas sector. BGE's GIS project began in 1999, converted more than 15 million features from paper maps and assorted databases, and introduced 34 applications, including GIS facilities design, systemwide pipe risk analysis, and real-time interfaces to CIS. The goal, successfully achieved, was to create a facility information resource to safely and economically manage the gas and electric distribution systems.

"Winning the Excellence Award is a great honor for BGE. Our vision of seven years ago regarding the uses and benefits that a GIS would bring are validated by this prestigious award and BGE is excited to be recognized by GITA for our efforts," Harold Hagen, Supervisor, Atlas (GIS) IT Support Unit, BGE.

- Truckee Donner (GITA's Excellence Award)
Truckee Donner Public Utility District (TDPUD), Truckee, was named the recipient of the 2007 GITA Excellence Award for the electric sector. Since the TDPUD's geographic information system inception in 2000, the system has been built to include: A GIS electric design system fully integrated with its ABS; A GIS OMS fully integrated with its CIS and outsource call center; Integration to electrical modeling software; Integration to AMR software; A National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Award-winning field software that integrates bi-directionally via wireless technology.

TDPUD's most unique trait is its GIS-centric OMS application, fully integrated in real-time with an outsourced call center. The district has the ability to take calls internally and have overflow calls go to Minnesota; amalgamating all calls within its OMS real time.

"Our success in implementing a fully integrated, GIS-centric enterprise system is a testament to both the technical drive of small utilities like ourselves, and the software vendor's delivery of open, configurable products. The Excellence in GIS award proves small utilities can succeed in the implementation of GIS," Ian Fitzgerald, GIS coordinator, TDPUD.

- EPCOR Water Services (GITA's Excellence Award)
In 2003, EPCOR Utilities Inc. started a second generation geographic information system (GIS) project based on Oracle Spatial technology with a proof of concept project. In the summer of 2004, the WALRUS and PUMA projects were started, and the deployment was concluded in November 2005. The entire final migration took only 16 days to complete - during which time, existing data was still available.

Benefits realized from the project: Increased productivity by GIS recorders; Increased usability of GIS data; Reduced support requirements; Increased flexibility to meet business needs of two unique business units; A data-centric, application neutral system that can interface with other systems.

"By providing a single facility master information database, WALRUS gives us reliable and consistent information in all interfaced systems. The WALRUS project has enabled us to start to move towards work management with real-time connectivity to the master facility in the field," said Terry Wilson, director, Distribution Operations & Planning, EPCOR.

- Telefonica S.A. (GITA's Excellence Award)
Telefonica S.A., Sao Paulo, Brazil, was named the recipient of the 2007 GITA Excellence Award for the telecommunications sector. Always in search of innovative solutions, Telefonica once more conquered excellence in its technical and commercial procedures. The expertise of its engineering team made it possible to aggregate additional functionalities to the outside plant records in the state of So Paulo (GIS - SAGRE system), achieving autonomy, agility, and assertiveness, in its operation.

The project, called Constellation SAGRE, allows-in addition to the functions of record-keeping associated with the network automatic assignments-the identification of materials to be used in the maintenance services, control of all network infrastructure that serves a given customer premise, and the integration of the commercial and engineering areas; thus, indicating the data telecommunications services that can be offered at which speeds.

"GITA's Award is a recognition of Telefonica's constant search for innovation and improvements. This can only be achieved with the support and experience of highly qualified professionals. The joy in receiving this award must be shared with all of our colleagues at Telefonica'integrators and others that were directly or indirectly responsible for the SAGRE Constellation success," said Paulo S. Furukawa, Director, Access Network, Telefonica S.A.

Source : http://www.gita.org