AUG Signals

Source: Exec Digital Canada

Date :2/21/2008 6:21:14 AM

AUG Signals is helping customers see and discover a whole lot more. The charismatic and hugely popular Dr. George Lampropoulos tells Exec more

Written by Ian Armitage and produced by Rich Gentile

A firm at the forefront of research and development, AUG Signals is dedicated to excellence in signal, image and data processing. The company, incorporated in 1986, has extensive experience in developing various remote sensing technologies and intelligent systems, offering advanced and innovative products and end-to-end solutions for a variety of industries including oil and mineral exploration, environmental monitoring, land and maritime surveillance, and defence and security.

“We are dedicated to the development of advanced signal image and data processing solutions,” says Dr. George Lampropoulos the President and CEO of AUG Signals, who went on to explain that the company’s mission is to “provide innovative, superior products and services in the area of signal, image and data processing.” Such solutions enable customers to see a lot more of the world they work and live in.

Dr. Lampropoulos has been president of AUG since 1992 and holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario. He has been working in multi-sensor image processing, alignment and secure communication since 1983 and is internationally recognized in his field. He has also chaired several sessions of SPIE conferences in multi-sensor registration fusion, as well as published numerous books, written and co-written over 200 papers in scientific journals, conferences proceedings and technical reports. In addition, Dr. Lampropoulos has been listed in the prestigious Macmillan Marquis Who’s Who in the World, and is the founder of the International Conference of Applications of Photonic Technology (ICAPT) known as Photonics North. Photonics, he says, could do for this century what “electronics did in the last.”

What gives AUG Signals the edge?

The company’s competitive edge is its proven ability, experience and commitment in developing multi-sensor signal, image and data fusion methods for detection, classification and recognition. AUG Signals is at the forefront of research and development in a variety of technologies related to remote sensing and is seen as a leader in the industry. “This is true,” concedes George, who is delighted by the growth the company continues to enjoy.

Why has AUG enjoyed such success? Dr. Lampropoulos pointed out that the company has “an extensive track record of successful projects, collaborating with government, academic and industry partners.” He also says that it “develops customized technologies and solutions and has the capabilities to deliver end-to-end solutions that effectively meet clients’ specifications and unique requirements.”

Concrete applications of AUG Signals technological innovations include the monitoring of drinking water and the environment, multi-sensor surveillance of maritime and land, natural resources mapping and applications for the military.

Cutting-edge expertise

“We provide cutting-edge technology in signal and image processing,” continues Dr. Lampropoulos. “We have developed technologies that allow us to detect and identify much weaker signals than those identified by our closest competitors. We also have outstanding people. We only accept graduates who have a proven academic record and provide them with a nice environment in which to work. We challenge them by accepting challenging projects and also look at what drives and motivates them over and above money. They are responsible people and are highly motivated and intelligent; we trust them and grow and develop together.”

What of the future?

George believes that the future for AUG Signals is extremely bright; there is potential in all existing markets and some new ones too. His goal is for the organization to remain a major player, continuing to build a corporate structure in which people can grow and learn. He also wishes to ensure that AUG Signals “keeps in harmony with its clients and at the same time competitors too because nobody has all the expertise in all areas”. He believes that “if you are well organised, competitors can help each other by working in mutually beneficial relationships.” In his experience “you can often learn from partnerships with competitors – learning from each other. Sometimes that is through acquisition, other times it is through partnership.”

One of the key growth areas, according to Dr. Lampropoulos is the environment, particularly water monitoring, where he says AUG is establishing a solid reputation by working on several high profile projects. He explains: “What we do as a company is incorporate information from different sensors and the extract intelligence that is useful and meaningful for the user. For example, in water monitoring applications, we build or deploy different sensors, fuse the incoming data streams, and extract information pertinent to water quality. The same principle is applied to other environmental applications, such as air quality monitoring, hyperspectral surveying, etc. The environment is clearly changing and this will play an important role in all of our futures. So we hope to be at the cutting edge of technology, monitoring how the environment is changing to enable new pioneering ways of thinking.”

Another growth area, says George, is witnessed when looking at medical optical diagnostics. “This is a hot area,” he enthuses. ”The market is potentially huge. We feel, based on our experience, we have something to offer in this arena and could help improve detection in the medical industry. We think we can develop new, innovative ways of extracting information that could be used to help patients get a timely diagnosis. It is very exciting.”

Feedback from customers is superb in all areas, and the future is looking very rosy indeed for this Canadian pioneer. Dr. Lampropoulos himself is regularly congratulated for his company’s outstanding work. “We enjoy a good reputation,” he says, “and we are renowned for our excellence and customer satisfaction levels. We are able to give them what they want and build great relationships.”

Click here to view the corporate brochure on AUG Signals