ikeGPS adds AI capability with software acquisition

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• ikeGPS (IKE) has added a complementary offering to its platform and customer experience by acquiring the power and communication AI software assets and team of Visual Globe.
• Leveraging these assets, IKE adds automated AI-based capabilities to reach across disparate data sources to obtain unified insights about pole information collected both today and in the future.
• This acquisition adds the ability for IKE’s technology to better serve the needs of the industry and expands the types of pole projects for customers such as joint use audits and pole inspection programs.
• IKE views the addition of AI as an important capability to add additional speed and scale to projects, with an eye towards future requirements and new revenue paths for customers.

IKE has acquired certain assets from Visual Globe LLC; an AI software company specializing in the automated analysis of utility poles and related database records. This added capability complements IKE’s existing offerings while bringing value to specific projects such as joint use audits and pole inspection programs for electric utilities, communications companies, and their engineering service providers. Over time, customers using IKE’s technology will further benefit from the dramatic increase in volume, accuracy, and automated insights gathered for pole analyses.

Joining the IKE team from Visual Globe as IKE’s new GM of Artificial Intelligence Development, Trevor Chandler. Trevor brings a wealth of experience in AI and low-code/no-code technology expertise gained in former engineering leadership positions at EMC, Digital Globe, and Microsoft. Also joining as IKE’s GM of Artificial Intelligence Delivery is Matthew Hand, who brings deep industry telecom and utility expertise from positions including Director of Outside Plant Operations for Alden Systems.

Commenting on the acquisition, Chandler said, “The combination of IKE and Visual Globe will be formidable. We are delighted to join a business with the position that IKE has established across the North American market and are aligned with IKE’s focus to solve the biggest problems for pole owners, network funders, and engineering service providers. I am excited to be alongside the IKE team and to be driving towards the IKE vision.”

Glenn Milnes, CEO of ikeGPS expressed that “IKE’s customers have been driving us to find a way to combine existing data from disparate systems and to continue to build an analysis engine to support more pole project types with additional data sets. We realized that bringing all these elements together, while improving verifiable accuracy and efficiency, was a challenge that required innovation.

Over the past year, we’ve been impressed by how Visual Globe has delivered to important lead customers for joint use audits. The result of this acquisition brings new technology capability for our customers and our core IKE technology platform, as well as adding talented new people to the IKE team. Together we’ll enable our customers to complete their work with more efficiency, reliability, and profitability.”