Performance Systems Development, an Ithaca, NY and Pennsylvania-based building performance software and services provider, today announced the release of a comprehensive software suite designed to smoothly manage energy efficiency programs. Green Energy Compass Suite for Programs is an innovative software suite that packages four tightly integrated modules to serve the needs of all program stakeholders, including homeowners, program managers, auditors, contractors, and program quality assurance providers.

“When launching an energy efficiency program, time to market is critical,” says Greg Thomas, CEO of Performance Systems Development. “Our Suite is designed for efficient program start up and operation, allowing efficiency programs to get up and running and achieve goals more rapidly.”

A consumer portal module, including templates, educational content, and energy saving tips, allows the program management team to create and maintain an effective public program website. Homeowners interested in an energy audit can select from an on-screen list of service providers registered with the program.

Performance System Development’s field audit tool, Surveyor, is the second module in the suite. Surveyor is built on the US Department of Energy approved TREAT modeling software and offers rapid on-site energy simulation and savings predictions with an easy to use menu-based interface.

The third module, Green Energy Compass, forms the central information hub of the suite, and serves as a workflow management, tracking and reporting tool. Compass also provides the tools for tracking real energy savings and provides fast feedback on actual performance.
Finally, a customer relationship management (CRM) module built on the popular Saleforce™ platform provides Program Managers powerful tracking and reporting capabilities along with effective campaign management tools to maximize participation rates.

Programs have been using these market-tested components with great success. Green Energy Compass was implemented as part of PA Home Energy’s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program, and contributed to a dramatic increase in reported jobs. Surveyor, another module in the Compass Suite, was chosen by a Midwest utility to support the fast deployment of a pilot residential energy audit program. What’s more, Compass Suite has already been selected as the core IT software to power the programs of over fifteen of the DOE’s innovative Better Buildings program cities.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) included a $20 billion investment in energy efficiency, including the Weatherization Assistance Program, Better Buildings, and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, which aim to retrofit 600,000 residential homes. ARRA funds have spawned the creation of energy efficiency programs across the country. Green Energy Compass Suite for Programs was developed to provide the tools needed to create and sustain these and other energy programs.

“The Green Energy Compass Suite for Programs integrates the software, data, workflow management, and communications needed to support all program participants,” says Thomas. “We’re excited about this product and look forward to working with many energy efficiency programs to ensure their success.”

Source:http://www.prlog.org/11394073-psd-launches-new-software-suite-for-energy-efficiency-programs.html

Daniel Sheiner is a designer and software programmer. He has been suffering from constant fatigue and exhaustion throughout the daytime and suspects that he has sleep apnea, a disorder which runs down his family. Despite being of normal weight, Sheiner was diagnosed with apnea through a sleep study conducted by his doctors.

University of Pennsylvania Hospital ENT surgeon Erica Thaler says that Sheiner’s case is one of the most extreme. So severe in fact that Thaler has recommended robotic surgery. Sheiner wakes up almost 112 times each hour, translating to almost ten seconds of losing breath for each minute of sleep. Surgical robots will be removing cancerous tumors at the rear of his throat in order to prevent blockage of his air passage during sleep.

Thaler shares that Sheiner had extremely large tonsils which are getting in the way of his soft palate and tongue. Robot hands, being small and extremely nimble, were easily able to access the tiny spaces in Sheinier’s throat in order to remove his tonsils. Sheiner is now one of only six patients having undergone robotic surgery to treat apnea.

Source:http://www.shiftworkdisorder.com/software-designer-becomes-one-of-six-to-undergo-robotic-surgery-101934.html

Chinese online search provider Baidu Inc. (BIDU) aims to develop software that lets users of smartphones and other devices navigate and perform other activities online via a search box on the screen, the company said Wednesday, in an indication that Baidu could be preparing to develop an operating system that would put it closer in competition with Google Inc. (GOOG).

Baidu aims “to obviate operating systems so that the user interface on any device, be it a personal computer, laptop, tablet or smart phone, is a simple, yet powerful box that does anything the user wants using conversational language,” Chief Executive Robin Li told Dow Jones Newswires Wednesday.

Li began promoting its “box computing” strategy in 2009, saying the company should develop technology around the concept that all computing tasks–from Web search to starting other programs or even finding someone to date–should be available from a search box like the one on Baidu’s home page.

When asked if Baidu will develop an operating system, Li said the company’s plan will need the support of operating systems, but “someone else can do it or we can do it ourselves, (it) does not matter.”

Baidu’s long-term goal is for devices to be able to have the software open and ready to use within seconds of being powered on, spokesman Kaiser Kuo said.

Developing an operating system would put Baidu in closer competition with its main rival in the Chinese search market, Google, whose Android operating system is popular on mobile phones in China even though the U.S. company last year moved its China search service to Hong Kong amid concerns about hacking and Chinese government censorship.

Li last year said Baidu was in talks with mobile handset makers that use the Android operating system about embedding a Baidu search box on their phones.

The remarks come after the Financial Times reported that Baidu plans to develop a mobile device operating system, citing Li. Kuo declined to say if Baidu might design an operating system, though he said it wouldn’t rule out that possibility.

Android has a large “first-mover advantage,” but handset makers wouldn’t shy away from partnering with Baidu on any operating system from the company given Baidu’s large user base, said Jin Yoon, regional head of Internet research at Nomura in Hong Kong.

Having an operating system for mobile devices would unlikely have a large impact on Baidu’s search revenue, but could allow the company to direct more users to other Baidu services in areas like video, music or gaming, Yoon said.

“Mobile search opportunity is very minimal,” he said.

Source:http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110323-703768.html

A financial software company plans to bring about 500 new jobs to southwestern Indiana over the next few years.

SS&C Technologies Inc. announced Tuesday that it will invest about $4 million to expand its Evansville operations and add about 500 jobs there by 2014. The company serves about 5,000 financial service providers like Chase Morgan and Met Life.

Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel (WINE’-zap-fuhl) says the company’s expansion will help diversify Evansville’s economy by expanding it beyond manufacturing and logistics.

CEO Bill stone tells the Evansville Courier & Press the company decided to expand its Evansville operations in part due to tax incentives and nearby universities. He says SS&C will add more workers through partnerships with area universities that bring in candidates specializing in accounting, finance and information technology.

Source:http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-in-ssampctechnolog,0,467011.story