Nextspace has appointed returning New Zealand expat Simon Ferneyhough as sales director. He joins the company this week, and will be responsible for leading business growth of the company’s 3D city software platform – Visual City – which allows users to generate virtual models and simulations of cities and infrastructure.
Simon returned to Auckland last week from Hong Kong, where he had been running his own spatial information systems consulting business, specialising in Smart Grid electricity distribution and Next Generation fibre optic network management solutions.
Prior to this Simon lead the Asia Pacific business development at geospatial software company Integraph, where his achievements included expanding the company’s presence China and India.
The appointment comes shortly after Nextspace celebrated its fifth birthday and the opening of its new premises in Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter, an area earmarked as a future ‘innovation precinct’ for high-growth technology companies.
ENDS
About Nextspace & Visual City
Nextspace provides powerful 3D tools that allow cities to visualise their assets and operations as if they were viewing them in the real world. Visual City is the technology platform that captures data from multiple sources and displays the information as a living 3D model. From this, cities can more easily interpret proposed development and policy changes; and offer more robust consultation. For more information, please visit www.nextspace.co.nz
For more information, please contact:
Gavin Lennox, CEO, Nextspace +64 9 571 4113
or gavin.lennox@nextspace.co.nz
Tags: Nextspace, Visual City
Over 150 guests help celebrate 5th anniversary move to the Wynyard Quarter
Photos below from Computerworld 22 March 2012
Photo credit: Sim Ahmed – Computerworld
Selection of other media articles:
Unlimited 21 March 2012
National Business Review 21 March 2012
Idealog 21 March 2012
NZ Herald 22 March 2012
Nextspace press release:
3D city visualisation firm shifts into Auckland innovation hub
AUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 21, 2012 – 3D city software provider Nextspace is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a move to Auckland’s proposed Wynyard Quarter Innovation Precinct, and is the first technology company to set up shop in the area.
Sir Peter Gluckman, the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, will officially open Nextspace’s new offices in front of a crowd of 150-plus guests today at 5pm.
Nextspace CEO Gavin Lennox say he’s excited to be the first technology company to move into the area: “Our business is all about cities and Auckland City is one of our key customers. It makes sense that we move into the heart of the city, to an area that’s been earmarked as a technology innovation hub.”
Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) General Manager Clyde Rogers says Nextspace is exactly the type of company the city is hoping to attract to Wynyard Quarter: “Our focus is adding value to the high-tech sector, producing high demand exports that build on Auckland’s reputation as an attractive place to innovate and do business. Nextspace is leaping ahead of the pack in the 3D technology industry and is an ideal first tenant for Wynyard Quarter.”
The past five years have seen Nextspace grow from a government-funded organisation founded to catalyse the local 3D applications industry, to a self-sustaining private company with twelve employees. Late last year the company attracted investment capital to further develop and export its “Visual City” technology. About the same time, the plan to transform Wynyard Quarter into an innovation precinct for high-tech industries was unveiled by Auckland Mayor Len Brown and the Minister of Science and Innovation.
Auckland City is using Nextspace’s Visual City to communicate the Auckland Plan, and to simulate scenes and activities as if they were viewing them in the real world. An Australian water company is using the same technology to “visualise the underground” when installing sewerage systems, and Auckland University geologists are using it to advance their understanding of earthquakes and volcanoes.
“The way we interpret and communicate information will increasingly involve advanced 3D geospatial technologies,” says Mr Lennox. “Just as everyone is familiar with Google Earth and its ‘streetviews’, new applications for 3D visualisation will continue to become mainstream, providing cities and other agencies new ways of presenting information and engaging in public debate.”
Sir Gluckman says that Wynyard Quarter is a brilliant place to make a statement about Auckland as a knowledge city and grow world-class innovation companies: “Wynyard Quarter is an enormously positive idea. It is uniquely placed to create an environment of innovation and attract companies like Nextspace.”
Nextspace’s new offices are located on the upper floor of 117 Pakenham St West.
ENDS
Tags: Computerworld, Idealog, NBR, Nextspace, NZ Herald, Unlimited, Visual City
Idealog ran an article, in the January-February 2012 issue, #37, highlighting Nextspace’s Visual City
“With the likes of the Auckland Council and Melbourne’s South East Water on the books, Nextspace is scratching the surface of a $2 billion market potential.”
Click here for the full article Idealog #37: ’Nextspace brings super data to the supercity’
Tags: data, Super City, Visual City
AUCKLAND, New Zealand, October 31, 2011 – 3D visualisation company Nextspace has today secured investment capital to further develop and export its interactive Visual City technology to the world.
The funding round is led by the Auckland-based ICE Angels. While the exact investment amount is not disclosed, The ICEHouse’s Director of Startups Ken Erskine says it is one of the bigger funding rounds the group has made this year.
For the full press release please follow the link below:
Nextspace press release 31-October-2011
The release has received coverage on the following sites:
http://tvnz.co.nz/business-news/amp-nextspace-s-3d-visual-city-video-4494877
nz.video.yahoo.com/finance/watch/27114914/
nz.news.yahoo.com/video/watch/27114913
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/31/nextspace_get_virgin_funding/
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10762736
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/nextspace-gets-investment-boost
http://idealog.co.nz/blog/2011/10/nextspaces-3d-visual-city-technology-gets-angelic-
http://business.scoop.co.nz/2011/10/31/nextspace-secures-investment-from-ice-angels-led-consortium/
http://www.btob.co.nz/article/nextspace-secures-investment-ice-angels-led-consortium
http://www.infonews.co.nz/news.cfm?&id=79224
http://kiwi247.com/business/3d-software-firm-wins-cash-injection/
http://topics.treehugger.com/article/072s2eZ5Tah2k
Release also reposted on:
www.findata.co.nz
news.nzcity.co.nz
www.indiatimes.co.nz
Tags: Investment capital, Nextspace
Demand for smart 3D digital city solutions sparks company growth
Growing demand for more accurate, real-time models of fast-growing urban areas has led to the appointment of two new positions at 3D software specialist Nextspace.
Read the full release here: New-Faces-at-Nextspace
Tags: Nextspace
Impressed with how Auckland University geologists have been using Nextspace’s 3D visualisation technology to advance their understanding of earthquakes, the Australian Government Office of Spatial Data Management asked the company join their ceBIT exhibit.
Yesterday RelaxNews International ran a story ”3D city visualization technology helps mitigate earthquake risks: CeBIT Australia” highlighting some of the technologies Nextspace would be showcasing at the CeBIT exhibit.
“To demonstrate its advanced visualization technology, Nextspace will “model the magnitude, place and time of the hundreds of earthquakes that shook Christchurch from September 2010 until early May of this year.”
The company will also example how real-time streaming of vast 3D urban models can be used by Sydney’s Emergency Response Unit to enhance people’s understanding of disasters such as bushfires, floods, earthquakes and acts of terrorism whilst also informing emergency services of optimal emergency access routes or potential risks and hazards during a crisis situation”
Full story: Relaxnews, 30 May 2011
Nextspace press release: Nextspace at CeBIT 27-May-2011
Tags: Visual City
Todays ‘The Business’ in the NZ Herald ran Anthony Doesburg’s story about Nestpace’s interesting work with IESE.
“The institute, with IT company Nextspace, is developing a 3D system for displaying seismic effects, with a view both to understanding Auckland’s risks, and creating technology that can be exported.”
“Auckland Mayor Len Brown has been shown the system’s potential with a 3D display of the Canterbury earthquakes.”
Full article: NZ Herald April 29, 2011. ‘What lies beneath Auckland’
Tags: 3D, visualisation
The Sunday Star Times ran an article last week featuring a powerful illustration by Rachel Ryan of Nextspace. ‘An exodus to turn around’ is the first of a two-part series on the Christchurch CBD. “February’s earthquake was so massive it destroyed hopes of repairing the CBD. Now the enormous task is reinvention and building anew.” Article by Rod Oram.
Full article: Sunday Star Times April 17, 2011. ‘An exodus to turn around.’
Tags: Christchurch, visualisation
Scientists from the University of Auckland’s Institute of Earth Science and Engineering (IESE) are using Nextspace’s interactive 3D visualisation technology to model geological activity.
The newly opened “IESE-Nextspace 3D Visualisation Centre” will project an interactive 3D virtual environment of Auckland’s subterranean rock layers, permitting an underground view of Auckland and alerting scientists to potential hazards.
TVNZ ran a story last night referencing Nextspace’s partnership with the IESE.
Click on the link below to view this story:
Monitoring Auckland’s Earth Movements TVNZ 29/03/2011
Below are images of His Worship Len Brown (Mayor of Auckland) visiting the IESE-Nextspace 3D Visualisation Centre, where Nextspace presented 3D Visualisations of Christchurch’s recent seismic activity.
Photo credit: Rachel Ryan
Tags: 3D, visualisation
To mark World Water Day, 3D visualisation specialist Nextspace hosted an expert panel of Auckland business and government leaders to learn how other fast-growing cities are using visual media to collectively solve critical urban planning issues, sustainably manage water resources, and create economic opportunities.
Panelists:
- Heather Stonyer, NZ Business Council for Sustainable Development
- Dr Maggie Lawton, Manager of Water Policy for Auckland Council, formerly COO Landcare Research
- Richard Simpson, Nextspace, Executive Committee member of International Society of Digital Earth (ISDE), Chair Digital Cities working group, former Auckland City Councillor and Chair of Transport
- Rod Oram, Financial journalist, and adjunct professor in the Faculty of Creative Industries and Business at Unitec
Please click on the links below to listen to the audio recording of the event:
Nextspace Media Release: Nextspace-Release-Visual-Water-Event
Photo credit: Rachel Ryan
Tags: UN, Visual City, water
