Calgary, Alberta — April 19, 2010 — (TSX: HEM) Today, Hemisphere GPS proudly introduces GateMate™ – a portable Alpine ski racing gate placement and tracking system. First used at the Olympic Alpine Skiing events in Whistler, GateMate incorporates Hemisphere GPS’ Crescent® or Eclipse™ technology and custom designed software in a portable Windows Mobile® package, GateMate allows course workers to reduce by more than half the average time to place gates on a course.
The current system used on Alpine ski courses involves manually recording gate locations using various landmarks and measuring tapes to triangulate the position of each gate. When the gates are removed to groom and clear the course, course workers use the previous measurements to place the gates in their original positions – this can take many hours. With GateMate course workers can map the gates to under 1m of their original location without the use of landmarks or measuring tapes in a fraction of the time. In a typical situation one person uses GateMate to mark the gate location and the other person places the gate. The system can also be upgraded to provide gate locations accurate to the centimeter level.
“Being part of the Olympic experience by seeing GateMate improve the efficiency and accuracy of Alpine course setup was a tremendous opportunity,” says Steven Koles, President and CEO of Hemisphere GPS. “The advantages of increased gate placement accuracy and greater efficiency in course placement can benefit Alpine race organizers at venues throughout the world.”
Hemisphere GPS’ R200 DGPS dual frequency receiver with RTK was used with GateMate at the Olympics to accurately plot gate positions, allowing the event crew to precisely recreate the course path when the gates were moved for snow grooming. Detailed course distances and elevations were logged with GateMate for technical review with the racing committees. This data was also uploaded to Google Earth™ for further visualization.
“GateMate increased our confidence in course setup at both the Olympic and World Cup events,” says Mike Kirker, Chief of Course for the Men’s World Cup Downhill at Lake Louise and the Olympic Alpine races at Whistler. “The benefits of using GPS and simplicity of the GateMate application have made significant improvements to course management.”
GateMate’s intuitive user interface includes a strategic gate numbering system that allows gate tracking from start to finish. GateMate enables users to pinpoint, position, and number a gate at the same time, making removal and replacement efficient and fast. GateMate can be integrated with Google Earth and set to simulate a lifelike run on the screen. The Google Earth map along with the GateMate data allows users to see the gates and entire course up close and personal.
GateMate is compatible with the XF102 DGPS receiver which tracks GPS and SBAS (WAAS, EGNOS, etc.) signals, and with the R200 Series of dual frequency DGPS receivers for use with RTK via base station or cellular.
GateMate is available through the Hemisphere GPS website and through direct sales. Please visit www.hemispheregps.com for more information on GateMate.
Hemisphere GPS
Hemisphere GPS designs and manufactures innovative, cost-effective GPS products for positioning, guidance, and machine control applications in agriculture, marine, construction, and other markets. The Company holds numerous patents and other intellectual property and owns leading brand names, including Outback Guidance® and BEELINE®, two of the leading brands in precision GPS for ground agriculture. The Company is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, with major product development, sales, and marketing facilities in Arizona, Kansas, and Australia. Hemisphere GPS is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) trading under the symbol “HEM” and is one of the TSX Cleantech designated companies. For more information about Hemisphere GPS, please go to www.hemispheregps.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
The above disclosure contains certain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond Hemisphere GPS’ control, including: the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, increased competition, the lack of availability of qualified personnel or management, fluctuations in foreign exchange or interest rates, stock market volatility and market valuations of companies with respect to the announced transactions and the final valuations thereof, and obtaining required approvals of regulatory authorities. Hemisphere GPS’ actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits, including the amount of proceed, that Hemisphere GPS will derive there from.
For more information, please contact:
Kirk Burnell
Applications, Support and Training Manager
Hemisphere GPS
Phone: (480) 348-9919 x 7313
E-mail : precision@hemispheregps.com
www.hemispheregps.com