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SpatialNews.com Press Release
2005: A Notable Year for Mississippi’s Geospatial Industry Cluster
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December 20, 2005 -- Oxford, MS -- The Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solutions (EIGS) is pleased to announce highlights recapping the year’s accomplishments and achievements for the program and its member companies. EIGS is a statewide industry cluster of 36 private companies, 6 university research programs, 4 state agencies, and 7 complementary partner programs working together to research, develop, and market new geospatial products from Mississippi.
From seven charter members to the current 36 members, the cluster has shown consistent growth from year to year, contributing to the Mississippi economy through higher paying, high technology jobs. With a total payroll for the cluster of nearly $30 million and an average annual salary of $52,500, this industry continues to be a solid investment for the state. In 2005, EIGS member companies invested more than $39 million in Mississippi business operations in 2005, a growth of over $10 million from the previous year.
“Although the cluster was hit hard by the unexpected devastation of Hurricane Katrina, 2005 will remain a year marked by numerous accolades and achievements for EIGS member companies,” said Lisa Stone, Acting Director for EIGS.
§ Forest One, Inc. was selected as Small Industry Award winner for Mississippi.
§ Air-O-Space’s application of a crime-fighting UAV was named first runner-up for the Excellence in Criminal Investigations Award at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference. They were also selected as a finalist for Small Innovation of the Year for Mississippi.
§ NVision Solutions, Inc., was selected as the winner in the Small Innovation of the Year category for Mississippi. This follows on the heels of their recognition in 2004 as the Innovator of the Year for Louisiana. Additionally, NVision won a number of accolades from industry leader ESRI, including ESRI New Partner of the Year and a Special Achievement in GIS award for their innovative REACT product.
§ Radiance Technologies was selected to help NASA with future space exploration for their innovative application of geospatial technologies for the human return to the Moon and Mars.
§ Applied Geo Technologies’ President, Allen Hines, was named by the U.S. Small Business Administration as the "Minority Small Business Person of the Year for Mississippi" and the "Minority Small Business Person of the Year for Region IV."
§ Digital Quest, Inc. gained critical industry support for their STARS Geospatial Certification.
§ Diamond Data Systems won a Phase II SBIR award from NASA for development of a new and innovative method to leverage LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) terrain & elevation mapping data.
“Establishing a leadership role in the geospatial industry is extremely important because of the overall impact the industry has on virtually every market,” said Stone.
Spatial technology permeates a number of markets including medical, utilities, transportation, government, service industry, real estate, defense, homeland security, and disaster management.
Further information about how Mississippi’s homegrown geospatial technology industry cluster continues to lead with innovative, high-tech products and services, can be found in the newly released 2005 EIGS Annual Report located at www.eigs.olemiss.edu.
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The Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solutions (EIGS) is focused on supporting geospatial technology research and business development with the primary mission of growing the research-based, world-class geospatial technology industry in Mississippi. EIGS is a cluster of 36 private companies, 6 university research programs, 4 state agencies, and 7 complementary partner programs working together to research, develop, and market new geospatial technology products from Mississippi. EIGS provides its industry cluster members with access to business and marketing support. In addition, EIGS facilitates complementary geospatial & remote sensing research activities. For more information about EIGS, visit www.eigs.olemiss.edu.
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