Archive for the ‘Business’ Category

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Unadvised: Software Releases on Valentine’s Day

February 15th, 2008 by Steven Myhill-Jones

I sighed a few weeks back when I was informed that the Essentials team had selected Feb 14 as the release date for Geocortex Essentials 1.2.1. Why? Their commitment is incredible (they’ve been working long hours to hit this target), so I didn’t doubt they’ll get it out the door given the tight timeline. The problem is that they selected Valentine’s Day as the release day, and release days often turn into release evenings.

Though I had nothing to do with setting today as the deadline, you can probably guess at whom their significant others’ will direct their chagrin for being abandoned on Valentine’s Day (evening)… the archetypal whip-cracking CEO. I’m going to have to make up for this somehow, but I don’t think even a complimentary spousal-use Geocortex Essentials 1.2.1 license would help (as outrageous as that sounds).

Posted in Business, Geocortex Essentials | 2 Comments »

Job opportunities at Latitude

February 2nd, 2008 by Steven Myhill-Jones

Once again, we’re facing a situation where finding the right people is the biggest obstacle to our growth. While the frequency with which we receive high-calibre applications has dramatically increased over the last couple years, we still encounter bottlenecks from time to time (that said, we’ve been able to hire several great people in the last six weeks and have had to get more office space).

We’re especially interested in (and consistently challenged by) hiring junior account managers (a.k.a salespeople). It is unfortunate that so many new graduates have such negative associations with a career in sales. I suppose we’ve all had unpleasant encounters with salespeople as consumers. I can only speak for Latitude when I state my belief that it is a valuable and honorable profession when approached with a core focus on the best interests of the customer and you needn’t ever sacrifice your integrity. At Latitude, our account reps don’t just “sell” either… they really do act as technology advisors and our customers seem to like and respect them. I wish I knew how to translate this message into a program that would get new grads to give sales a try that might not otherwise. Anyway… if you’re a new grad, there are lots of possibilities in sales out there at good companies–especially if you’re a smart, friendly person who likes and understands technology.

Incidentally, if you know of anyone looking for a GIS/cartography job in the Victoria area, we posted a new position earlier today.

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New Webinars Scheduled

January 14th, 2008 by Darin Herle

We put together a number of webinars for the launch of Geocortex IMF 5.2 a little while ago, and got some great feedback from clients. So, we’ve added a few more and hope to offer them on a recurring basis. Topics vary from new products to new releases to technology we feel clients and prospective customers should keep their eyes on. Check out our Learning and Education page for more information and to sign up.

Posted in Business, Clients, General, Geocortex, Ideas, Products | No Comments »

New year, new logo

January 1st, 2008 by Steven Myhill-Jones

On Tuesday, we rang in the new year with a soft launch of our new Geocortex logo on the websites.

old_geocortexBecause of the hassle and expense associated with the switch, we’ve put it off for a long time despite the fact the old logo (at right) looks like something a graphic design-challenged entrepreneur might have hacked together in his old Fort Street apartment circa October 1999 using a student license of CorelDraw 8 (and that observation would be as correct as it is specific).

I suspect that nobody really notices a decent logo, but they do notice an amateurish logo. With the help of our qualified graphic design staff, I think the new version better fits the Latitude Geographics of 2008. I’m still wondering if we should’ve dropped the Internet Mapping part, given that the term doesn’t adequately capture what we do (web-based Geographic Information Systems for non-specialist users is on the long/inaccessible side). Oh well.

Posted in Business, Geocortex | 2 Comments »

2008 IMF/Geocortex User Conference Registration Opens

December 18th, 2007 by Darin Herle

Registration for the 3rd Annual IMF/Geocortex User Conference, April 20-22nd, 2008 in Victoria, BC, is now open! To learn more and to register, head over to our user conference homepage at www.geocortex.com/uc

We look to improve our conference experience every year, and our 2008 conference is no exception. We sold out our workshops very early last year, and as a result, we’ve added additional seats this time around. Our workshops will be on the University of Victoria campus this year, and I’m told we may have a double-decker bus (which are seen regularly around town) in the works for the short shuttle up to campus! Since we’d have the bus for the day, we’re also considering combining the shuttle trip with some sightseeing for those not attending the workshops – contact us if you’re interested.

We hope to see you in Victoria in April ’08!

Posted in Business, Clients, Events, General, Geocortex, User Conference | No Comments »

Summer Ends, Conference Season Begins

August 30th, 2007 by Steven Myhill-Jones

airbusI was reviewing the list of upcoming conferences with the team yesterday, and I can’t believe how many events are happening in September/October. Even with four digital projectors, numerous exhibit configurations, and half a dozen staff who attend these events, there is so much happening simultaneously we simply can’t attend everything. At one point, Steve Maddison will have about three hours at home between returning from Europe and hitting the road for New York.

Posted in Business, Events | No Comments »

Visitors from Above

August 10th, 2007 by Steven Myhill-Jones

People googling other people to learn more about them has become part of modern life. A few months ago I was debating the best way to ship something to a company, so I brought up their location on Google Maps. On a whim, I switched to imagery and saw “head office” was a rural farm (incongruous).

It is common knowledge that lots of businesses (particularly small ones) hope to make themselves look bigger/different than they are. While I’ve always used a consumer mapping engine to figure out directions to a place I’m about to visit, I’ve recently started using aerial imagery to scout the location of some firms prior to doing business with them.

Because I made a decision from Victoria, I depended heavily on aerial imagery during the selection of the location for our new office in Toronto. And yes, I absolutely considered how people might read into possible office addresses based on a bird’s eye spatial query.

If I’m visiting from above, then I imagine lots of other people are doing it too. I wonder if we’re entering an era in which location as seen from above will become increasingly relevant for businesses (especially for small/online businesses that may never have a customer visit their premises). Will growing birds-eye visits fundamentally change site-selection criteria? Might lower-quality premises in a quality area be superior to a nice office in a lower-quality area? Might appearance from above be more relevant than appearance from ground level when determining “quality” and making decisions about where to establish an office?

Posted in Business, Google, Ideas | 3 Comments »

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