Acorn's Original Four closes in on 20 Years of Service

They have spent the past two decades building one of the most advanced Geographic Information Systems (GIS) on the planet, and now the original four members of Acorn Information Solutions (formerly known as the Community Geomatics Centre) are closing in on a significant career milestone. 

Paul Beach, Chuck Shannon, Marie Alexander, and Craig Martin are nearing 20 years of service with the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre in the coming months. 

Acorn Manager Paul Beach, who began his tenure as a GIS Analyst in September of 2000, says his greatest accomplishments looking back on his contributions to the organization are the development and implementation of the Vulnerable Persons Registry, and building data sharing relationships with over 50 partners. 

Some of his favourite memories with Acorn include winning the Worldwide Special Achievement Award for work in GIS in healthcare, meeting Esri co-founder Jack Dangermond, and meeting Dr. Roger Tomlinson, who is widely considered as the “father of GIS.” 

Beach believes what makes Acorn one of the best GIS in the world is the accuracy, intelligence detail produced in Sault Ste. Marie. 

“I believe our GIS system is the closest to a digital twin of any community with accurate, up to date, intelligent, detailed data where any item of data can be connected to any other piece of information through partnerships with over five organizations,” Beach said. 

Chuck Shannon, Acorn’s Senior Database Administrator, started as a GIS Desktop Developer with backup roles of Database\System Administrator. His first big project was the Security Administration and Profile tool, which is still used this today to control who can view and edit data in the GIS.

Shannon believes Acorn’s custom functionality at the core Esri software is what makes it one of the best in the world.

“(Acorn’s GIS offers) Many tools and utilities that make it easier for a GIS client to do their job,” Shannon said. 

“We (also) added a security module that allows us to share public data among the clients and keep private data accessible to only those that have the privileges to view or edit it.”

In reflecting on the past two decades with SSMIC, Shannon has a number of favourite memories. He enjoyed the excitement and nervousness associated with a new job and being part of the team building a brand-new business. A memory that is always a standout is when Acorn Data Architect Dirk Townsend would be in the office and would constantly remind staff that the work they were doing is “Not brain surgery” or “Not rocket science.”

Acorn’s Manager of Software Development Marie Alexander started as a Junior Programmer on a FedNor internship. Since then, she has contributed to a number of projects over the years, including phase-based tracing with the Electric Outage Application, customized ArcIMS - Java based web viewer that mimicked advanced ArcMap desktop software functionality, creating many advanced ArcObjects applications that assisted municipal and utilities clients with their positions, creating a custom web GIS viewer for an Electric transmission client with many levels of integration with other systems, and assisting with implementing ArcGIS Enterprise/Portal internally.

Alexander believes it is the people and the culture of Acorn that make it one of the world’s best GIS. 

“It's the people, the team's hard work and passion for what they do,” she said.   

“We have a unique group with different opinions and ways of looking at, dissecting, and solving problems - that coupled with openness and an environment that encourages communication and personal growth and learning makes our GIS one of the best in the world.”

Craig Martin, Acorn’s Manager of Municipal and Utilities GIS, was initially hired as a Municipal and Utilities GIS Technician. Looking back on his time with SSMIC, Martin has numerous memories but cannot select only one as his favourite.  

“I enjoy regularly working alongside a variety of different engineers and technicians to help solve problems,” Martin said.

“I also enjoyed working with people from EDS Canada and TerraViva during the initial development stage as they set the bar very high, and my coworkers at SSMIC because our success and prosperity are dependant on one another.”  

For Martin, it is the vastness in scope that makes Acorn’s GIS among the best in the world. He says PUC Services Inc. and the City of Sault Ste Marie wanted an advanced GIS that could meet a diverse set of needs, which is what the Acorn GIS has done. 

When describing what has made Acorn so successful, Martin commended all those who contributed to the project over the years. He says it is the people who have built the GIS into what it is today. 

“Our success truly is dependant on many people and is the result of a dedicated group, past and present, that work extremely hard to fulfill our mandate,” Martin said. 

“If we didn’t have the best people, we couldn’t have built what we did and keep it going 20 years later.”

Congratulations to Acorn’s original four on a remarkable milestone!