applications


Telling data’s story G


Gemma Church talks to data visualisation company Golden Software about three decades in business,


Microsoft bugs and working in the geoscience arena


olden Soſtware’s focus is data visualisation. Te company develops the tools that transform raw, complex data into an easy-to-understand visual


format. As CEO Blakelee Mills puts it: ‘Our soſtware allows people to tell their data’s story.’ Based in Golden, Colorado, the company’s


clients primarily work in geoscience; they include geologists, geophysicists, archaeologists and environmental scientists, who all process huge amounts of raw data into modelled results. Projects include 3D borehole visualisations and thematic landscape maps. Data can be analysed within the company’s


soſtware products using analysis and statistical tools. Practically every component of the project is customisable to ensure data is represented in the most understandable format. Te company has been in business for 33 years


and has sold more more than 250,000 licenses in 185 countries. Mills says this longevity is, in part, achieved


by matching the demands of the wider modelling industry, which has experienced huge advancements in data collection techniques, resulting in exponential dataset growth: ‘Hardware systems have kept pace with these growing datasets, but it’s just as important for soſtware systems to utilise the available computing power of hardware. ‘Programmatically, this can be achieved


through multi-threading, properly organising and allocating memory, and selecting the right algorithm for the job. No longer must customers choose between fast or accurate modelling abilities. Tey want both, regardless of dataset size.’ It’s not just the breadth of data that has


increased – modelling that used to be performed solely by a dedicated individual or group within an organisation can now be done by anyone, Mills said: ‘Now that soſtware modelling is a regular part of their workflows, we’re hearing more about the need to have intuitive visualisation soſtware. It doesn’t matter how many bells and whistles a program boasts. Tose features are useless if a user is unable to access the tools effortlessly.’


Bug blow Te company has had the odd hiccup. When Microsoſt released a system update containing an inadvertent bug, Golden Soſtware’s users were greeted with an error message and their maps and graphs were gone. Te company was able to pinpoint the specific update that caused the problem, but rolling back a system security update was not a long-term solution. Mills explained: ‘Tis was a very difficult


time for everyone in the company. All focus was on addressing this issue, but we were in quite a predicament as we had no clue when, or if, Microsoſt would fix the problem.’ Te bug affected thousands of users and, to


make matters worse, the company was in the midst of releasing the latest version of its Surfer soſtware. An interim solution was developed that enabled the soſtware to open error-free with the Microsoſt security patch installed. A few weeks later, Microsoſt released a hotfix that addressed the bug. ‘Te Golden Soſtware team did a phenomenal


Created in Surfer, the company’s contouring, graphing, and 3D surface mapping package, this geophysical survey, also known as a seismic survey, details important subsurface information that was collected through non-destructive methods. Surfer’s wide range of import abilities, data manipulation tools, and customisation options allows users to create publication-ready models easily


26 SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING WORLD


job tackling the issue. I was proud to see such teamwork and collaboration during this stressful period. Tempers didn’t flair, people were calm and collected, and all were focused on getting customers back up and running. I truly hope we never encounter another issue such as this, but if we do, I’m confident in our ability to solve it,’ Mills added.


WE WILL SEE WHICH SOFTWARE MODELLING PROVIDERS EITHER STEP UP TO THE


CHALLENGE OR THROW IN THE TOWEL


BLAKELEE MILLS, CEO OF GOLDEN SOFTWARE


Moving forward Golden Soſtware expects the soſtware modelling and engineering space to experience significant growth over the coming years, with demand for intuitive soſtware and seamless collaboration tools continuing to grow. Collaboration is a key trend that is occurring


within the industry and reduces duplication of data and information for both the micro and macro levels of organisations. Mills said: ‘Between advances in cloud technologies and database tools, multiple people can now access the same data without stepping on one another’s toes.’ Te company is all too aware that it must


meet the demands of the soſtware modelling and engineering space, said Mills: ‘Users will be quick to discard soſtware tools that don’t fit their needs. And they won’t settle for subpar visualisation tools. Over the next 10 years, we will see which soſtware modelling providers either step up to the challenge or throw in the towel.’ l


@scwmagazine l www.scientific-computing.com


Golden Software


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