Weekly GEOINT Community News

MDA Completes DigitalGlobe Acquisition; Hexagon Acquires Luciad; Jacobs Acquires Blue Canopy; Orbit Logic Awarded Navy Autonomy Contract; More

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MDA Completes DigitalGlobe Acquisition, Rebrands

MDA completed its acquisition of Earth imagery provider DigitalGlobe Thursday. The merger brings together multiple satellite imagery and geospatial solutions brands, consisting of MDA, DigitalGlobe, SSL, and Radiant. To reflect the broader capabilities of the combined organization, MDA has changed its name to Maxar Technologies.

Several leadership changes were announced coincident with the merger. Howard Lance, president and CEO of MDA, will continue to lead Maxar Technologies as president and CEO. The companies senior leadership will include executives from both MDA and DigitalGlobe.

William McCombe was appointed CFO of Maxar Technologies. Anil Wirasekara, who previously served as CFO of MDA, will continue with the company and serve as the senior financial executive, based in Canada. Timothy M. Hascall was appointed COO. Hascall previously served as executive vice president responsible for the imagery business unit at DigitalGlobe.

Daniel L. Jablonsky was appointed president of DigitalGlobe. Jablonsky previously served as general manager of the U.S. and international defense and intelligence businesses at DigitalGlobe. Dr. Walter S. Scott was appointed CTO for Maxar Technologies. Dr. Scott formed DigitalGlobe in 1992, and will continue to lead DigitalGlobe’s platform business while taking on expanded responsibilities for the company. Tony Frazier was appointed president of Radiant Solutions. Frazier previously served as senior vice president of services at DigitalGlobe. Don Schaefer, who previously served as president of MDA Information Systems, has been appointed chief strategy officer of Radiant Solutions.

DigitalGlobe announced president and CEO Jeffery Tarr’s departure from the company following the successful closing of the merger. To help the transition, Tarr will serve as an advisor to to Maxar Technologies through January 2018.

Hexagon Acquires Luciad

Hexagon AB acquired Luciad, a provider of situational awareness technology, in support of geospatial and industrial enterprise applications. Luciad will bring visualization and real-time sensor data integration to Hexagon’s Smart M.App information platform, providing a common operating picture for geospatial missions.

Jacobs Acquires Blue Canopy

Jacobs Engineering Group acquired Blue Canopy, a data analytics, cybersecurity and application development firm, as part of ongoing investments to expand Jacobs Connected Enterprise (JCE) solutions. JCE offers digital solutions to connect critical infrastructure, analyze data to optimize operations, and protect that data and associated infrastructure from internal and external threats. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

New Name Announced for Harris Government Services Business

Peraton has been confirmed as the new name of the former Harris Corporation Government Services business, which was acquired by Veritas Capital earlier this year. Peraton is based on the idea that the operations the company supports are essential to national security. The name is a construct of the prefix “per,” which means “thoroughly,” and the word “imperative,” reflecting the importance of customer missions. Peraton is led by CEO Stu Shea, former USGIF president and chairman.

Orbit Logic Awarded Navy Autonomy Contract

Orbit Logic was awarded a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer contract by the Office of Naval Research to develop mission planning software for autonomous underwater vehicles. Orbit aims to improve the effectiveness and range of long duration missions by intelligently distributing data and energy among collaborating vehicles. The company is teaming with The University of Colorado Boulder on the project.

NGA Inducts GEOINT Hall of Fame Class of 2017

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency inducted six geospatial pioneers into its GEOINT Hall of Fame. This year’s inductees are: David Alspaugh, Ph.D.; Barbara Bond, Ph.D.; Nancy Bone; Keith Hall; Retired Vice Adm. Robert Murrett; and Lloyd Rowland. The Hall of Fame now features 65 members.

Esri Maps the Story of the Two Koreas

Esri recently released a story map visualizing the history of conflict between and current state of North and South Korea: the struggle between North and South for control of the Korean Peninsula; the Korean War of the 1950s; current Korean industry and economy; and the potential future of the two Koreas. 

Photo Credit: NASA

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