Getting to the Games.MEGADYNE INFORMATION SYSTEMS MAKES SOFTWARE THAT HELPS PEOPLE PLAN PUBLIC-TRANSIT ROUTES, BUT IT'S SHIFTING TO OTHER INTERNET SERVICES AFTER WINNING A CONTRACT FOR THE OLYMPICS So it's April and you're mulling over your itinerary for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Olympic games, premier athletic meeting of ancient Greece, and, in modern times, series of international sports contests. The Olympics of Ancient Greece Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C. in September. You know you will want to hit the trendy shops at Paddinghurst, possibly view a Puccini opera at the Sydney Opera House Sydney Opera House Performing-arts centre on the harbour in Sydney, Australia. Its dynamic, imaginative design by Danish architect Jørn Utzon (b. 1918) won a competition in 1957 and brought Utzon international fame. and attend the can't-miss beach volleyball For the ball used in this sport, see . Beach volleyball is an Olympic team sport played on sand. Two teams, positioned on either side of a net which divides a rectangular court, hit a volleyball, usually using the hands or arms. match-up on the sands of famed Bondi Beach. Normally, figuring out these transportation logistics could be a nightmare, but Santa Monica-based Megadyne Information Systems is looking to take the headache out of such planning. Managed under the holding company Megadyne Cos. LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control , the firm creates and operates software to run government transit information systems, including that used by the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. It is now developing an Internet-based information system for the upcoming Olympics in Australia. The objective of the site is to give visitors a one-stop resource for information about public transit in Sydney, including fares, station locations and appropriate routes to get people where they want to go. It will also provide information about the games themselves, with a schedule of events, ticket information and other services. The site may even have an e-commerce component allowing people to buy tickets online, though that issue is still being worked out. One-stop site The project is a new step for a company that has primarily focused on software development in the transit it and medical markets. Now, Megadyne officials want to shift the use of their technology into other government-related applications on the Internet. For instance, someday consumers may be able to forego those dreaded waits at the Department of Motor Vehicles In the United States of America, Department of Motor Vehicles (or DMV) is a commonly used name of the government agency of a U.S. state which administers the registration of automobiles (e.g., by issuing license plates), and/or the licensing of drivers (e.g. and renew their drivers' licenses online. "There are already Olympic sites out there, but there is no single site providing easy access to all this information," said Megadyne President Robert Chapman Robert Chapman may refer to:
Once completed, the Olympics contract is expected to generate up to $7 million and provide a springboard to other athletic events. Chapman said he already is in talks with planners for the Salt Lake City Games in 2002, and Athens in 2004. "The Olympics are increasingly becoming more high tech, so providing cutting-edge technology is necessary for cities to ensure hosting future games," said David Simon David Simon can refer to:
The message is not lost on Chapman, whose site is expected to generate 1 billion hits over a four-month period. In the past year alone, he has made six business trips to Australia for two-week intervals overseeing the bidding process and development of the site. But travel is nothing new for Chapman, as witnessed by a world map in his office marked by push-pins in more than 70 countries. Much of his interest in overseas affairs stems from his service in the U.S. Army Reserve as a military intelligence specialist in 1968. Looking to further his skills in future international business, he studied Thai at the Department of Defense Language Institute The Defense Language Institute (DLI) is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) educational and research institution, which provides linguistic and cultural instruction to the Department of Defense, other Federal Agencies and numerous and varied other customers. . First raised $500,000 Following his military stint, Chapman completed his MBA MBA abbr. Master of Business Administration Noun 1. MBA - a master's degree in business Master in Business, Master in Business Administration in 1970 and then worked for a series of technology companies, including Computer Sciences Corp. In 1981, he and three colleagues raised $500,000 from five private investors and started Megadyne. Originally, the company focused on software development for electronic banking and medical groups. Megadyne later obtained the rights to software being tested for public transportation systems. PARIS Paris, in Greek mythology Paris or Alexander, in Greek mythology, son of Priam and Hecuba and brother of Hector. Because it was prophesied that he would cause the destruction of Troy, Paris was abandoned on Mt. , a registered trademark, provides passenger routing information. If a customer wants to know the quickest route between two points, it can generate the answer. The Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, Rapid Transit District, now known as the Los Angles County MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. , was Megadyne's first customer. Other transportation agencies followed in Denver, Boston, Miami and Columbus, Ohio. Following its domestic success, Megadyne expanded into international markets in London This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details. This article has been tagged since October 2007. and Sydney. "There are other products out there, but when we compare solutions, there is no comparison in terms of what Megadyne provides," said Doug Andersson, senior systems analyst for the MTA. Anderson said the MTA has tested other products and found that they often show more costly itineraries for the customer. For example, other products show a route offering three bus transfers compared the two that pop up with Megadyne. "We compute 25,000 transactions a day from phone calls to Web site queries, and 90 percent of the time, customers accept the first option given to them," Anderson said. "That saves time on the phones for them and our representatives." Spotlight Megadyne Cos. LLC Founded: 1981 Revenue in 1999: $2 million Revenue in 2000: $6 million (projected) Employees in 1990: 10 Employees in 2000: 25 Goal: To move the company into government-related services on the Internet Driving Force: Increasing consumer demand to access government-services information via the Internet |
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