Meet Brad. He’s the Product Manager at SOLV3D, a Calgary-based start-up that develops innovative software solutions which enable users to easily bring together geospatial datasets to enhance existing workflows and improve data accessibility. Brad brings his industry experience to the team, including roles as Technical Services Manager at WSP and Business Development Manager at the Silvacom Group.

Brad enjoys volunteering his time in the industry, currently, he is the President of the Alberta Society of Surveying and Mapping Technologies (ASSMT), spent 9 years with the AGG, including two as president, chaired the national GeoAlliance Canada organization, chaired and volunteered with GeoAlberta and this is his third year as a TECTERRA Awards judge.

Say hi to Dave Parsell. Dave is co-founder of Localintel, an award-winning government technology company helping economic developers succeed.

Dave's professional background includes senior roles in consulting and local government where he specialized in economic development and strategic planning. Dave's career also includes roles with Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Bank of Scotland and the Australian Army.

Dave joins the Judging Panel for a second year after winning the Startup of the Year category in 2019.

Here’s Kate! She’s a Graduate Student in Geomatics Engineering at the University of Calgary specializing in Digital Imaging.

Kate Pexman was among the top three highest-ranking students in the department academically, a positive role model for many female students in science and engineering, a mentor to many first-year engineering students and is a graduate student herself.

Kate won the 2019 TECTERRA Award for Student Leadership in Geospatial and has joined the judging panel for the second time to encourage recognition amongst students.

Meet Brenda Beckedorf. Brenda started her career in technology with Graycon Group as Director of Business Development for Canada. Ricoh Canada, formerly Graycon Group, is an IT consulting firm that specializes in the design, implementation, and support of all network systems.

Brenda moved on to start her own company “Launch Strategic Group” in 2017 with a focus on supporting growth in technology companies through sales strategies. She worked closely with companies that focus on IoT Solutions across verticals such as mining. farming, and O&G to increase their markets, adding process and establishing new verticals.

Currently, in her role of Executive Director of Alberta IoT, Brenda’s focus is to increase government and local industry awareness of Alberta IoT through dialogue, events, and social. With Brenda being an active and instrumental member of Alberta's technology ecosystem, this is her first year sitting on the TECTERRA Awards judging panel.

Introducing Louise Tierney! Louise, SVP of Alerts and Data at samdesk, leads a team of data and intelligence analysts utilizing proprietary AI to deliver high-quality breaking news alerts.

She boasts an in-depth background in journalism, monitoring social media for breaking news, viral videos and emerging trends, and was recently shortlisted for the Future Star: Tech for Good Award in 2019 and 2020.

Louise is joining the TECTERRA Awards judging panel for the first time this year. 

Say hi to Mark. Mark manages a team of senior digital solution architects to deliver advanced technologies to various business groups at Syncrude. Mark Sombach is a technology expert in areas including IoT, Image Recognition, Voice Recognition, AI, Digital Twin, AR/VR, Drones, Robotics, RPAs etc.

He conducts extensive research for digital innovation technologies and works with business groups to experiment and commercialize. He has long-lasting support for start-ups and act as a digital innovation SME to venture capital companies. Mark frequently speaks on technology topics at corporate events, and this is his second year as a TECTERRA Awards Judge.

Here’s Tammy Peterson! Tammy's professional experience has focused on marketing, business development and channel strategy & management. She has worked in a broad range of industries but entered the geospatial realm in 2007 and for over a decade managed Valtus Imagery Services (a division of North West Geomatics), building the Data as a Service (DaaS) business and its sales channel, which became the HxGN Content Program, once North West was acquired by Hexagon in 2014. In 2017, she moved to SOLV3D Inc., a local Calgary software start-up, to take on the challenge of building their sales & marketing department.

As of January 2021, she joined the One-Compass Suite of Companies as the Senior Director, Marketing and Business Development. The Denver-based geospatial organization comprises three companies; CompassCom Software Corp., CompassData Inc., and CompassDrone, for which she oversees all strategic marketing and business development initiatives.

Tammy is the current president of the Alberta Geomatics Group (AGG), as well as a member of the URISA Board of Directors, and this is her third year participating on the Judging Panel.

Meet Dr. Steve Liang. Dr. Liang is currently a professor and the Rogers IoT Research Chair in the Department of Geomatics Engineering at the University of Calgary.

Dr. Liang is also the founder and CTO of SensorUp Inc, a NATO-award-winning Calgary startup company. SensorUp interconnects the world's IoT data empowering the connected workers of the future for productivity, safety, quality, and job satisfaction.

This is Steve’s second year as a TECTERRA Awards Judge.

Say hi to Andrew! With his roots in the geospatial industry, Andrew House joined the TECTERRA team in 2013 and currently holds the position of Director of Programs and Chair of TECTERRA’s Project Advisory Committee. In this role, Andrew leads the TECTERRA team in identifying and selecting investment opportunities, manages program operations, and TECTERRA’s portfolio of technology development and commercialization projects.

Prior to joining the TECTERRA team, Andrew managed the Client Services Department for Itres Inc., a remote sensing technology firm specializing in the development and deployment of hyperspectral and thermal technologies. 

Andrew is joining the judging panel for the first time this year and is looking forward to reviewing the excellent work being done in the Canadian geospatial landscape.