Holly's jolly. Angela too

NEWS RELEASE

SAULT STE. MARIE INNOVATION CENTRE

************************* Local GIS analyst wins international award in Washington DC

CGC’s West Nile Virus surveillance map edges out The National Library of Medicine to win first prize

The Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC) is pleased to announce another win for its award-winning Community Geomatics Centre (CGC).

GIS analyst/ technician Holly Harten was recently awarded the 2008 International ESRI Health GIS Communication Award for her West Nile Virus surveillance map.

The Communication Award recognizes excellence in map presentation, visualization and communication.

The award was announced at the 2008 International ESRI Health Conference in Washington DC, where SSMIC was participating as a keynote speaker and an exhibitor.

Holly’s West Nile Virus surveillance map won over other prestigious and international organizations such as The National Library of Medicine (United States of America), The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The University of Texas School of Public Health and the Palacky University (Czech Republic).

The map was co-authored by GIS analyst/ technician Angela Piaskoski and created using Arc GIS 9.2 and Adobe Photoshop CS2.

“I am very happy to have my map chosen for its communication value. I believe that GIS can accomplish a lot in the way of public education and knowledge,” said Holly. “In health care, the geographic extent of an issue can often tell us a lot of information about the determinants of the problem. Having the ability to communicate this clearly to the general public allows them to make their own informed decisions.”

“We are very proud of Holly and our GIS team for this incredible achievement at the international level,” said Tom Vair, executive director, SSMIC. “It is a great honour to be recognized by our colleagues in the health GIS field while being able to represent Sault Ste. Marie and showcase our local talent.”

Holly is a double graduate of Sault College of Applied Arts & Technology where she completed a diploma in parks and outdoor recreation and a postgraduate certificate in geographic information systems - application specialist.

The Innovation Centre first hired Holly as a GIS technician intern for the Community Geomatics Centre.

She was hired on after completing her internship and has since completed ESRI’s spatial analysis training and 3D analyst training.

Holly is currently enrolled in Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC) epidemiological training – skills enhancement for public health practitioners – through the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).

While Holly works primarily on healthcare related projects at the CGC, she has also gained considerable experience working on municipal/utilities projects and community development projects.

The CGC has won several awards including the ESRI Canada Special Achievement in GIS Award (2007), Leadership in the Field of GIS in Ontario (2006), ESRI Award of Excellence for GIS in Health Care (2006), Best Municipal GIS in Ontario (2003 & 2006) and the Most Comprehensive Municipal/Utilities GIS in Canada (2003).

About Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre

The Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre was founded in 1999 as a catalyst for economic development activities in the IT and knowledge-based sectors in the Algoma District.

It works closely with community partners to enhance and improve IT sector opportunities.

The Innovation Centre is focused on three core areas: the operation of a business incubator to encourage the establishment and growth of technology start-ups; the provision of support services to the SME (small to medium enterprise) IT community and the development of strategic markets such as the highly successful GIS project.

The Innovation Centre has developed and implemented an award-winning GIS product, which serves a number of municipal customers and is responsible for the growth of private sector GIS firms in the Algoma District.

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