F R I D A Y , D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 4
M o d e r a t o r
KEVIN SWITALA
Director, GEODECISION, A Division of Gannett Fleming, Philadelphia, PA
Mr. Switala is the Director of State and Local Government for GeoDecisions, the IT/GIS Division of Gannett Fleming. During the past 5years Kevin directed the technology positioning within government services and integrated innovative web service-based business models into several government portals. He continues to research and help implement new business process management models today. Kevin also manages the business development efforts in the government market space for a wide range of GIS strategic planning, data integration, application development and training projects.
Kevin began his professional career in 1997 with the Philadelphia Police Department where the Crime Mapping Unit successfully developed and implemented various groundbreaking client-server and web-enabled crime analysis and mapping applications.
P a n e l
ROBERT CHEETHAM
President and CEO, AVENCIA, Philadelphia, PA
Robert Cheetham is the founder and president of Avencia Incorporated, a software design and development firm based in Philadelphia. Avencia primarily works with government, non-profit, commercial and research organizations to develop geospatial business intelligence tools. Previously, Robert served as the Senior GIS Developer for the City of Philadelphia and as Crime Analyst for the Philadelphia Police Department.
Robert also serves as a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, frequently collaborates with the Cartographic Modeling Lab at Penn, and is Director of the Japanese Garden Research Network, a non-profit, online database of information on Japanese gardens.
ANDREW DOTTERWEICH
Senior Program Manager, Customer Information Management, UPS
Andrew (Andy) Dotterweich assumed responsibility for shipping systems development and strategy in 2004. As Customer Information Management (CIM) Senior Program Manager, Dotterweich integrates the business and technology groups through a business process that delivers cost-effective, flexible, value-added shipping system solutions.
He began his UPS career 18 years ago as a Cartographic Analyst developing software, database systems and digital maps to support UPS efforts in developing Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Projects included digital map database development leveraging GPS technology to aid in dispatching UPS’s vast delivery fleet, the creation of dispatch planning system software to maximize the efficiency of delivery and pick-up routes, and the development of address validation and correction systems to ensure accurate delivery information.
In 1995, Dotterweich led the development of UPS’s Online shipping systems. These Windows and Web-based systems support UPS’s wide range of services in over 200 countries and territories. In 2000, Dotterweich was selected to lead the effort to develop a state-of-the-art software development center in Roswell, Georgia. The UPS Innoplex now houses more than 500 employees. In 2002, he led the effort to redesign the UPS website to improve its usability as well as provide an application and content management framework to improve business process and software development efficiencies.
Dotterweich received his bachelor’s degree in Geography/Cartography from the University of Maryland and is completing his Masters in Information Systems Management at Johns Hopkins University.
STEVE NICHOLS, Ph.D.
Deputy Director, Chief Technology Officer, GEORGIA TECHNOLOGY AUTHORITY
Before joining GTA, Steve Nichols was a principal consultant at Daugherty Systems in Atlanta, which specializes in Internet strategy and implementation services. He provided technical leadership and strategic advice on enterprise-wide software architectures. His goal was to help clients take advantage of the business benefits of the Internet.
He worked on a variety of projects, including a system that manages reservations for three major airlines, a system for managing medical data, a Web site for a bond trading company and the integration of payroll, benefits administration and accounting systems.
Before joining Daugherty Systems, Dr. Nichols worked for Cemax-Icon, which develops software for medical imaging. He holds a bachelor of science in applied physics, a master of science in physics and a Ph.D. in physics, all from the Georgia Institute of Technolog