Three Australian technology companies last night took out top honours in the 2009 Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards, announced at a gala dinner at the Crown Palladium in Melbourne. A fourth company was honoured with a merit award in front of an audience of 500 ICT delegates from across the Asia Pacific.
The APICTA Awards, contested by over 150 companies from over across 16 different categories, were hosted by the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) to recognise excellence in technology innovation as part of the Asia Pacific Digital Innovation Summit.
“One of the major Summit outcomes was recognition for the pivotal role that technology innovation will play in the prosperity of the Asia Pacific region over the next decade,” said AIIA CEO Ian Birks.
“New research released at the Summit by the Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization reveals that Asia Pacific economies have the opportunity to deliver 75 percent of the world’s information technology demands over the next decade.
“Technology innovation is the essential ingredient. Australia stands to reap very significant rewards from companies like our APICTA Award winners, who beat out competition from over 20 regional economies. It is a fantastic outcome that reflects the strength of our local industry,” Mr Birks said.
Each of last night’s winners won the right to compete following honours in AIIA’s 2009 iAwards. The winning companies were:
Memory Box Backup (SA) for Memory Box
Tools & Infrastructure Application APICTA Award Winner
Memory Box provides an insurance policy against loss of data and intellectual property. It is a simple, secure, automated backup solution for work and home. Unlike other solutions, Memory Box doesn't rely on a centralised data store. Instead, the spare disk space of a community of users is utilised to lower cost and minimise the effect of natural disasters, theft and spilled coffee.
The Learning Edge International (TAS) for EQUELLA
e-Learning APICTA Award winner
EQUELLA is a digital repository implemented within universities, TAFEs, community colleges, K-12 departments and corporates worldwide. Designed by educators, for educators, EQUELLA is revolutionising the way institutions share, manage and create online content. Market demand for EQUELLA is driven by the need for educational institutions to effectively manage their learning content in a centralised location.
Innovation Science (SA) for Rapid Passenger Tracking
Research and Development APICTA Award Winner
The Rapid Passenger Tracking software quickly identifies the set of passengers that are relevant to any incident that occurs on highly interconnected, mass-transit rail networks. The solution reduces the amount of CCTV surveillance video that needs to be analysed for any given incident by up to 99.5 per cent. The patent-pending technology has been developed to suit major overseas subway networks including the London Underground, Washington DC Metro and Hong Kong MTR.
Stochastic Simulation Limited (WA) for Stochastic Reservoir Engine
Merit Award – Industrial Application Award
The Stochastic Reservoir Engine technology revolutionises the quantification of hydrocarbon resource development risk. Using advanced mathematical algorithms, reservoir engineering and computing, it reduces potential over- and under-investment in oil and gas reserves, and production projects generating increases in value worth up to $40b per annum to the industry.