Written in 1992
A Short History of Genasys
This document presents a short history of how Genasys II, Inc. was formed and how it happens to be located in Fort Collins, Colorado. Names are often mentioned to show continuity and to help explain why there is so much GIS activity in Colorado.
In early 1976, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Western Energy and Landuse Team (WELUT) released an RFP for developing computer-aided analysis capabilities for impact and mitigation studies related to strip mining. The initial statement of work called for a computer mapping system, and was quickly evolved into a GIS statement of work. The funding for the project was shared between the USFWS and the Environmental Protection Agency. The contract was awarded to the Federation of Rocky Mountain States, Inc. (a not-for-profit quasi-governmental agency) in late 1976. The work was to be performed in Fort Collins.
At the same time this RFP process was evolving, the USFWS National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) also released an RFP. The statement of work for this RFP was to develop computer-based technologies for digitizing wetlands data directly from aerial photography (stereo pairs). The funding for this project was 100 percent USFWS. This contract was also awarded in late 1979. The company selected to perform the work was Autometric, a Virginia-based company that specializes in software-based photogrammetric systems and imagery exploitation. The work was to be performed in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Both these contracts reached completion in mid-1978. The WELUT contract final deliverable was a software package called MOSS (Map Overlay and Statistical System). The system designer and programmer was Carl Reed, Ph.D. MOSS was originally developed on a CDC mainframe using Tektronix storage tube (models 4009 and 4014) technology for graphics output.
The NWI contract resulted in the delivery of a software package called WAMS (Wetlands Analytical Mapping System), later renamed AMS. The system architects were Cliff Greve and Harry Niedzwiadek. The AMS software was developed on an HP 3000 under the MPE operating system. The input device for the stereo imagery was an analytical stereo plotter called an APPS-IV. Graphics output was to a Tektronix 4009 storage display
After these products were delivered to USFWS, it was quickly determined that AMS and MOSS should run on the same hardware environment to support full data entry and analysis GIS functionality. Further, AMS needed to be upgraded to handle table digitizing and MOSS needed to be upgraded to handle AMS-provided files, as well as DEM processing. WELUT selected a Data General (DG) minicomputer (C-330) under the AOS operating system to be the target platform. The DG had 64KB of memory and 192MB of disk. Autometric was awarded the follow-on contract to port and enhance AMS. Dr. Reed became a federal employee and was tasked with porting and upgrading MOSS.
While the initial contract work was being performed, HRB Singer of Pennsylvania was also placed under contract to WELUT. As part of this effort, they were tasked with developing a plan for implementing the Western Data Support Center. Eric Strand was the technical manager for HRB Singer. This center was to provide photo interpretation, map digitizing, and GIS processing services. The report was delivered to WELUT in August 1977. WELUT determined that they should proceed with the plan. Implementation began in 1978 and the center was ready in late 1978 when the AMS and MOSS efforts began on the Data General mini-computer. Denny Parker was the first manager of the Data Center.
Also during the same period, Colorado State University was under contract to WELUT to provide personnel for programming and other development-related services. This contract was initially put in place in early 1979. Two of the first employees were Mr. Jim Kramer and Mr. Randy Frosh. Their first task was to develop a Cartographic Output System (COS). This work began in 1979 and continued through 1980, when Mr. Frosh became a federal employee.
The port and integration of the AMS, MOSS and COS programs was fairly well completed by the end of 1979. As a result of management changes, as well as changes in focus, Carl Reed decided to leave the federal government. He took a job with Autometric in January 1980. As part of this transition, an Autometric office was opened in Fort Collins. The first major contract for Autometric was to install, train, modify and support AMS, MOSS and COS in the Bureau of Land Management office in Portland, Oregon. The second major contract awarded to Autometric was with Colorado State University for providing support services to WELUT and the BLM. This contract was awarded in late 1980. Immediately, Mr. Kramer and Mr. Danny Alberts were hired by Autometric to perform the technical and support tasks. Meanwhile, WELUT began developing the MAPS raster processing system under the direction of Mr. Frosh.
The Colorado State University contract terminated in 1982. Another support contract, with Martell, also terminated in 1982. A new support contract was awarded to TGS (Technicolor Government Services). Autometric became a subcontractor to TGS for software development services. The TGS contract was managed by Mr. Dave Linden. As part of the transition, existing Colorado State University and Martell technical staff were hired by TGS. These staff included Ms. Laure Pawenska and Ms. Carol Lloyd. In 1983, Mr. John Lee joined the TGS team. Also in 1983, Autometric hired Mr. Frosh, who had decided to leave the federal government, and Dr. Robert Starling, who had left a environmental consulting firm in Alaska.
In 1984, the Fort Collins office of Autometric, consisting of Dr. Reed, Dr. Starling, Mr. Kramer and Mr. Frosh, was awarded a contract for generating a detailed design for converting the MOSS data storage structure from a full polygon to a topological data structure. At the same time, the Fort Collins staffwas also involved in two other major R&D efforts that were critical to the eventual design of GenaMap. One was with the US. Army Topographic Lab (ETL) in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. This contract focused on using GIS for terrain analysis for Army applications. The hardware platform was a UNIX-based HP series 550 workstation. The other work focused on performing basic research and writing white papers on many facets of future directions in GIS. This work was performed as part of the proposal preparation effort for the prime contractors who were bidding MARK 90 and 92. These were the Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) modernization contracts. As a result of these contracts, the Fort Collins staff was able to spend considerable time reading, thinking and talking about GIS technology for future systems. About this time, Ms. Anne Hunter joined the staff as a part-time employee while finishing her master's degree at Colorado State University.
In early 1985, the Fort Collins staff recognized that the federal government support of MOSS, COS and sMAPS was problematic. Further, funding was sparse, the government could not demonstrate any form of product strategy, and the GIS focus was very disperse. As a result, the staff began to hold informal meetings at a local restaurant. These meetings resulted in the presentation of a formal proposal to the Autometric home office in
Washington, D.C., for the design and implementation of a new-generation, commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS), UNIX-based, topologically oriented GIS. Autometric responded positively to the proposal. Design work for this system began in April and was completed in July 1985.
In July, a thorough design review was performed. A "red team" from Autometric headquarters and the design team from Fort Collins spent two weeks evaluating the design for consistency, completeness and feasibility. Based on this review, the go-ahead was given to implement an alpha version of the software. The alpha development had to be completed by October 1, 1985. The development integration platform was an lIP 9000 series 200 workstation running the UNIX operating system, which was one of the first workstations running UNIX. Much of the actual software coding and compilation testing was performed on a Data General desktop computer. The agreed-upon name for the new GIS was Deltamap.
Concurrent with the design and development process was a developing relationship with an Australian company that was looking for a mapping system to integrate with their existing local government solutions software. This company, called Genasys II Pty. Ltd., was a long-time supplier of administrative and records management software for local government. Their software operated on HP 3000 computers. The company's managing director, Mr. Trevor Wilson, traveled to the United States to look for a GIS software vendor that Genasys could work with to develop this integrated solution. Through a mutual contact at Winnebago County, Wisconsin (where MOSS, COS and AMS was
installed) - Mr. Dave Schmidt - Mr. Wilson learned about Autometric. Mr. Wilson came to Fort Collins and quickly determined that we were the group he wished to work with. Even though we could not demonstrate Deltamap, he agreed to become our Australian distributor.
As part of this agreement, Dr. Reed and Dr. Starling traveled to Australia in September 1985 to present a series of 12 seminars to local government officials. These seminars served two purposes: 1) To begin selling the mapping system to the Genasys installed base, and 2) to validate many of the assumptions made in designing Deltamap. In many respects, this trip was the proof-in-concept validation that was necessary for Autometric
as a corporation to decide to bring Deltamap to market.
In October 1985, Autometric management came to Fort Collins to review progress. The Fort Collins team, which by now included Mr. John Davidson, was able to demonstrate the alpha version of Delta map and Deltacell and obtain approval to bring the product to market. The remainder of the year was devoted to finishing version 1.2 of the product and developing an initial documentation package. A basic market strategy was also initiated: sell into existing HP local government accounts. It was imperative to develop an installed base, and this was perceived as being the best way to achieve this goal.
The product actually came to market in the first quarter of 1986. The first sales calls were made, and a series of seminars with HP initiated. In April 1986, Autometric split the Fort Collins office into two groups. One group continued to perform support services for the federal government and the public domain packages MOSS, AMS, MAPS and COS. This group was headed by Dr. Bruce Morse. Dr. Morse now works for UGC Consulting. The other group was headed by Dr. Reed.
This group, which included the original design and development team, was actually split off as a wholly owned subsidiary of Autometric called Deltasystems. One of the stipulations was that Deltasystems would not sell Deltamap into the Federal government marketplace for a period of not less than two years, which avoided competition with the MOSS family of software. (2015 note: In retrospect, this was a REALLY bad decision)
The first port of Deltamap (GenaMap) was initiated in the fall of 1986 to a MASSCOMP computer, performed at a customer's request. This port was relatively difficult and quickly educated the development staff that a more machine independent development environment could be implemented that would dramatically facilitate software ports to other UNIX platforms in the future. We did not know it at the time, but many of the design objectives stated after this first port are many of the concepts now used when Open Systems are discussed. By the end of the first year, we were able to develop an installed base of six customers worldwide. Unbelievably, the company broke even in its first full year of operation. By the end of the second year, we had a worldwide installed base of 18 customers. During 1987, the Deltasystems staff began to feel that Autometric did not represent the best corporate structure for developing and selling COTS GIS. This was because Autometric was primarily a Department of Defense contractor that specialized in developing prototype software systems. Deltasystems wanted to develop a sales- and support-oriented corporate climate in which technology was an integral part, but not the end goal. In 1987, we implemented the first windows version of Deltamap using HP Windows.
By early 1988, Autometric management agreed with this analysis and gave Deltasystems approval to find outside investors to buy the Deltasystems stock. Also in 1988, the first annual Users Conference was held. In this first Conference, there were only 22 attendees. During 1988, the development staff adopted X Windows as the ideal window management environment. By the end of 1987, Deltamap was operational on
three different platforms - HP, SGI and MASSCOMP. By early 1989, we found an interested party for buying 100 percent of the Deltasystem's stock - Genasys. They had just completed a stellar year in Australia, capped with the winning of SLIC, a huge statewide GIS-LIS project (based on use of Deltamap ). Thus, in April 1989, the ownership of Delta systems changed hands. The company name was changed to Genasys II, Inc. The product name was changed to GenaMap to conform with the name used in Australia. The name changes, while perceived as being good in terms of long-term global recognition, impacted our ability to conduct business. As a result, 1989 was the first year the company did not experience a rapid growth. During the same period, Genasys Fort Collins hired our first full-time sales staff. We were also able to once again market into the federal government. We immediately added two additional vertical markets: defense, and environmental, including forestry. Both of these markets took more than 12 months to develop but now represent more than 40 percent of the Genasys business base. In addition, the software was ported to the Sun hardware platform. Full continuous mapping was released in 1989. A distributor for Mexico was signed in 1989. In December 1989, the first version of the GenaCivil product line was released on HP workstations.
In March 1990, Genasys developed a joint venture with Pyser Holdings, PIc. of London to start an operation in England. This office's goal was to sell GenaMap directly into England and Scotland, and to develop a distributor network in Europe. Simon Thompson was hired to perform technical support. Genasys already had a distributor in Holland. The new office quickly signed a distributor for Spain.
In March 1991, Genasys in Fort Collins opened two regional sales offices - one in Florida to serve the southeastern United States and the other in California to service the U.S. West Coast. Genasys was able to expand due a very successful period from late 1990 continuing into 1991. In October 1991, Genasys completed the negotiations for the buy- out of the Pyser share of the England operation. The complete transfer of all assets and the books was completed in April 1992. Also in 1991, Genasys Australia opened an office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to service the Asian market. In the spring of 1992, Genasys U.S. opened a technical office in Washington, D.C., and will register an office in Vancouver, B.c., Canada, during the third quarter of 1992. Currently, the Genasys company statistics are:
• More than 100 Genasys employees worldwide
• Approximately 290 customers worldwide, with 1,312 licenses
• Currently, six new customers per month are being added
• Three corporate offices and seven regional offices
• Fourteen country distributors
• Annual growth rates of 40 percent in the U. S., 40 percent in Europe! Africa and 20 percent in Australasia
• Annual sales for 1992 exceeding $20 million