May 2, 2007

Company to tackle inefficiencies of technical information exchange

TORONTO

Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc. invested $250,000 of pre-seed funding in Sketch2 Corp., strengthening the company’s ability to bring advanced technologies developed in Ontario research institutions to the marketplace.

Sketch2 Corp. will bring the value of advances in information technologies to the relatively underserved design and construction sector.

The technology will allow designers, vendors, contractors and developers to communicate in a much more efficient, sophisticated and effective way.

At more than $1.2 trillion in annual revenues, the AEC (architecture, engineering, construction) industry is the second largest industrial sector in North America. As much as 30 per cent of a given project’s cost can be consumed by the inefficiencies of facsimile communication, reproduction of drawings, product sourcing and more.

Sketch2 is brokering the relationships between the key players.

The technology was developed by Dr. Karan Singh, a computer science professor at the University of Toronto, whose work in graphics software has been used by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.

Put simply, the technology allows a designer to begin a sketch — the software then suggests a template illustration which, if acceptable, can then be fully finessed by the designer.

The finished illustration is then linked to vendor information, searching catalogues for prices, specifications and ordering options. The sketches form the basis of a fully integrated communications system between designers, suppliers, builders and beyond.

The spin-off company, Sketch2 Corp., is being led by architect and entrepreneur Colin Graham.

DCN NEWS SERVICES

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