Sponsors/Partners
Private Industry Partners:
Abyl Technologies
ArcSpace
Berry & Associates // Spatial Information Systems
Carta Group
CartoPac Field Solutions
Clear Path Labs
Data Transfer Solutions
Datasplice
ESC Engineering
ESRI
Ferguson-Jenkins & Associates
i-Cubed
John Deere – Agri Services
LBI-X
National Geographic
New Century Software
Numerica
Open GIS
Production Engineering
Red Hen Systems
Riverside Technology, inc.
Technigraphics
Public Partners:
Rocky Mountain Innovation Initiative
City of Fort Collins
City of Loveland
Colorado State University
Northern Colorado Economic Development Corporation
About the Rocky Mountain Geospatial Cluster and the “GIS Alley”
The Rocky Mountain Geospatial Cluster is a collaborative working group from private and public entities seeking to enhance the geospatial, or location-based, industry in the region by building on existing competencies.Vision
Northern Colorado is recognized globally as having a strong legacy in geospatial and location-based technologies. Northern Colorado houses the private and public coordination capability to solve world-wide location-based problems in a unified manner.
About the “GIS Alley”
With its strong legacy of graphics-oriented computer companies, along with being a home of early developmental and educational pioneers in geographic information systems (GIS), the Northern Colorado region has gained notoriety as a world center for geospatial activities both in the private and public sectors. For many years the local saying has been, “We’re not Silicon Valley, we’re the GIS Alley!” As the branding of Rocky Mountain Geospatial Cluster was discussed, it seemed only natural to retain the legacy of “GIS Alley.” For more information on the legacy of geospatial technology in Northern Colorado, see the “Geospatial Legacy of the GIS Alley” section below.
Rocky Mountain Geospatial Cluster Strategies
• Track the growth and vitality of member companies.
• Brand the Rocky Mountain Geospatial Cluster as the leading organization for geospatial solutions.
• Identify gaps in geospatial ecosystem that inhibit growth and pinpoint tactics for further local geospatial industry.
• Identify collaboration opportunities to showcase members’ technologies and resources, draw national attention, and develop commercial opportunities.
• Join forces to develop a major showcase project by utilizing shared geospatial technologies.
Geospatial Legacy of the GIS Alley
The legacy of geospatial technology is rich and diverse in Northern Colorado. The origins of location-based computer systems in the region can be traced back to the opening of Hewlett-Packard’s first facility outside of Palo Alto, California in Loveland, Colorado in 1960. At the Loveland facility, Hewlett-Packard developed and marketed some of the first desktop calculators and distance measuring devices used extensively in the civil engineering and land surveying professions. HP expanded its operations to a facility in Fort Collins in 1978 and it became HP’s center for desktop computer development. The Fort Collins facility produced some of the first UNIX based computers used by the GIS industry. Over the years, HP employed bright, creative people some of whom have gone onto form geospatial-based companies in the region such as Sam Solt, co-founder of Clear Path Labs in Fort Collins.
In 1978, one of the original GIS solutions, called MOSS (the Map Overlay and Statistical System), was developed by Dr. Carl Reed in Fort Collins for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Dr. Reed went on to lead the development of a product, GenaMap, in 1985 for a company called Genasys II. Genasys II’s US headquarters was located in Fort Collins. Dr. Reed then became vice-president of geospatial marketing for Intergraph Corporation. Still a resident of Fort Collins, Dr. Reed is now the Chief Technology Officer for the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC).
In the 1980s, Colorado State University began teaching geospatial technology in its Natural Resources Department under the guidance of Dr. Joseph Berry and Denny Parker who, as it turns out, was also Carl Reed’s boss as they worked on newer versions of MOSS. In 1989, Denny Parker started GIS World (now GeoWorld) magazine in Fort Collins. Dr. Berry now operates his own company, Berry and Associates, out of Fort Collins.
During the 1990s, several geospatial companies were started in the Northern Colorado area. Examples include I-cubed (started 1993), Red Hen Systems (started 1994), New Century Software (started 1994) and Numerica (started 1996). All of these companies are still in existence today and are developers of geospatial solutions for a variety of industries.
Geospatial technologies have been used successfully by local government agencies in Northern Colorado since the 1980s. The Larimer County Assessor’s office began tax mapping with computer systems in the early 1980s and the City of Loveland began its use of geospatial technology in 1987 in one of its utility departments. The City of Fort Collins began its use of geospatial technology in a pilot program in 1994. Today these programs have all evolved into enterprise systems. In 2007, the City of Loveland completed work with ESRI, Inc. on a new data model for local governments. It is now published as the “Local Government Template” on ESRI’s web site.
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