Paul Geoffrey HARDY - Curriculum Vitae

 

Roles:

·        Consultant, presenter, and technical expert on digital mapping and GIS

 

Profile:

I am an experienced and versatile software professional, with particular experience covering software products, digital mapping, GIS, cartography, charting, geospatial data and data models, location services, automated generalisation and data re-engineering techniques. All this is based on my experience of over 30 years at the leading edge of the digital mapping and GIS software industry. I bridge the gap between the technologists and the users, having worked both in software development and in business development.

 

Skills:

  • Consultancy, from strategic analysis and advice, through technical options, platform selection and solution implementation, to performance analysis and problem solving.
  • Design of complete software systems, including customer visits and requirements analysis, through architecture design, implementation planning, to detailed system/module design.
  • Database design and data modelling of object and relational spatial databases, including Oracle and UML, ESRI Geodatabase, and Gothic object database.
  • In-depth knowledge of standard spatial data formats and data models: UK civilian such as OS MasterMap and LandLine NTF; international (ISO 191xx), open standards like OGC (SF, WMS/WFS/TWSF), European like TOP10NL and OSNI NTF; military like DFAD, DTED and VMAP (VPF/DIGEST); and hydrographic like S57 and DNC.
  • Operation of GIS, database, mapping, charting and graphics software, particularly ESRI products (ArcGIS Desktop and Server), and the Laser-Scan products (LITES2, Gothic LAMPS2, Clarity, Radius Topology), but also MapInfo, Intergraph GeoMedia, Safe FME, Adobe Illustrator, etc.
  • Communication, including giving training courses, dealing with customers at all stages from pre-sales support onwards, and information exchange within a company. I speak fluent French.
  • Software Engineering and Quality Assurance, including implementing software codes of practice.
  • Project management of software projects and combined hardware/software/data projects.
  • Technical and applications programming, with particular strengths in GIS, location services, digital cartography, graphics, object-oriented databases, and VMS systems. Language expertise includes “C”, Fortran, SQL, PERL, PostScript, Java, Python, XML, etc.
  • Computer systems management, on Windows, Unix and VMS.
  • Advanced use of word processing, spreadsheets, databases, email, raster and vector graphics.
  • Trouble-shooting and problem solving, whether involving software, hardware, data, or procedures.

 

Qualifications:

  • MA (Hons) Computer Science, Cambridge University, 1975.
  • MBCS (Member of the British Computer Society), 1988.
  • C.Eng (Chartered Engineer), 1990.
  • F.B.Cart.S (Fellow of British Cartographic Society), 2002

 

Experience:

Since 2008 I work for ESRI Europe as:

·         Business Development Consultant – focused on the National Mapping Agency and Cadastral marketplace, being a trusted technical expert.

During  2007, I worked jointly for ESRI UK and ESRI Inc (Redlands California) - as:

·         Technical Solutions Consultant (ESRI UK) – Advising large customers (governmental and commercial) on best use of GIS and ESRI technology.

·         Cartography Evangelist (ESRI Inc) – Continuing aspects of the Product manager role described below, particularly the external communication.

I spent 3 years (2003-2006) at ESRI Inc in Redlands California - the market leader in GIS - as:

·         Product Manager for Cartography – Defining and coordinating a company-wide vision for cartography, acting as evangelist and presenter to communicate that vision externally, writing white papers and articles, collecting business requirements and translating them into technical requirements for future releases.

·         Software Program Manager for Cartographic Representations – In parallel, I managed a key software project to engineer advanced cartographic representation capabilities into the core of ArcGIS for the 9.2 release.

Before that I spent 28 years (1975-2003) at Laser-Scan Ltd, a world-renowned supplier of leading-edge solutions for digital mapping, charting, GIS, and spatial databases. During this time, I held following roles:

  • Principal Consultant - Consultant and presenter, providing expertise on the full range of mapping and geodata software products to the benefit of current and future customers. Dissemination of product and industry knowledge. Clients for consultancy included government agencies like UKHO (the Admiralty), and commercial organisations like the AA (Automobile Association).
  • Chief Product Manager, coordinating the future direction of the company's mapping and geodata software products, together with dissemination of product and industry knowledge.
  • Expert on hot topics, e.g., on automated generalisation to derive mapping from base-scale data.
  • Technical Liaison with major national mapping agencies – OSGB, Military Survey, UKHO.
  • Software Production Manager with responsibility for turning high-tech spatial software developments into robust, timely, appropriate products for customers. This involved ensuring efficient production procedures, managing product release scheduling, and communicating release contents.
  • Business Development Manager with responsibility for the Mapping and Charting market, spending much time being an evangelist and presenter for the company's object-oriented mapping technology.
  • Project Leader or Project Manager of many large and small projects (see full c.v.).
  • Chief Programmer and Software Architect for the LAMPS suite of mapping, charting, and geodata software used by prestige customers such as Ordnance Survey, UK Hydrographic Office, the AA, No1 AIDU, George Philips, USGS, etc. 
  • Programmer: I joined the company in 1975, developing the world’s first line-following automatic map digitising system.

 

Education:

  • Cambridge University course of Part I “Natural Sciences” Tripos, which gave a wide scientific training, and Part II “Computer Science” Tripos, which gave an intensive overview of computing.
  • Secondary education at Kimbolton School, Hunts, gaining 9 `O' levels and 3 'A' levels grade at A.

 

Publications:

More than 30 published papers (single and joint). A full list is at http://www.pghardy.net/paul/papers/ with on-line copies of most papers. These include:

 

More Information:

PGH/11-Jul-2008