MsET Alive and Well

(Subtitle)  Partner Companies in Operation and Assisting in Katrina’s Aftermath

The Mississippi Enterprise for Technology (MsET) expresses sympathy to the victims of Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.  The effects of this storm are far reaching, but are especially close to home at Stennis Space Center (SSC) on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Some 1,500 employees, a staggering 1/3 of the total population of SSC, are now displaced due to homes being completely destroyed or deemed uninhabitable.  Roughly a third of the employees of MsET and its 25 member companies are included.

            However, the entrepreneurial spirit has propelled MsET and its member companies back into operation within three weeks after the storm.  The Stennis Space Center site received minor damage.  MsET’s home, Building 1103, was in good shape and fully operational with Internet and telephone service within two weeks of the storm. 

            Many of the MsET companies have found a unique opportunity to demonstrate their technical abilities by helping with the relief and emergency operations efforts.

·                    NVision Solutions, Inc. has been operating at the Hancock County Emergency Operations Center since the first days after the storm, providing a wide range of mapping and GIS services.

·                    Digital Quest, Inc. provided database and mapping services to authorities in those crucial first hours and days after Katrina passed.

·                    WorldWinds, Inc. is creating models of Katrina storm surge and flooding dynamics for the Army Corps of Engineers.

·                    3001, Inc. has flown and provided imagery of areas in Mississippi and Louisiana affected by the storm.

·                    Digital Globe, Inc. has provided tailored satellite imagery of Gulf Coast areas affected by the storm.

·                    GBTech is providing UAV’s for aerial and video imagery of affected areas.

It has been the charter of MsET since its inception in 1994 to attract and create high-tech business in Mississippi.  This tragedy will not change that focus.  In the tasks of rebuilding and reshaping our area, MsET and its member companies have the opportunity to demonstrate talent, capability and fortitude that will be a strong and attractive agent for economic development.

For more information, contact MsET at (800) 746-4699 or www.mset.org.