The Early 2000’s
In 2006 the internet had matured into a broadly usable platform and organisations were beginning to treat data as a first‑class asset. Two Australian software engineers and geospatial experts decided that there was a market for an enterprise ready data integration framework that was built on open standards. This reduced implementation and running costs, allowed agile and flexible delivery, and helped customers avoid vendor lock-in. This software was the Weave Business Integration Framework and the two engineers formed Cohga. Employing a select few other trusted professionals, Cohga began developing and implementing Weave.
Rapid Growth
The appetite for software such as Weave – that was capable of unifying disparate datasets, including geospatial information, for meaningful analysis – proved popular, especially with local government authorities. One of the early partnerships was with the largest city in Victoria, Australia; the City of Melbourne, who saw the value of Weave immediately and implemented it for web portals designed to integrate data and provide services for internal staff and external resident functions. At this stage Weave was sold as a license, with customers often preferring to configure and administer the software themselves, with Cohga’s assistance if required.
Expansion of Solutions
With the flexibility and utility of Weave, Cohga was able to implement industry specific solutions that would add data capture through forms, complex on-demand reporting, advanced workflow implementation, business rule processing, and intuitive representation of more than simply geospatial data through user interface and user experience improvements. Examples of these include the indigenous heritage management system – Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Information System (ACHRIS) currently used in four Australian states, and the land acquisition and property management system – the Property Information Management Systems (PIMS). These solutions combined and replaced process silos and manual tools and soon became mission critical government systems. With exponential growth in users and features, each solution is now into its second generation ensuring they will continue to scale for the next decade.
Change in the Software Landscape
In the 2010’s, the software landscape changed and fully managed Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions were preferred over self administered software licensing and in-house systems. This didn’t just outsource technology hosting, development, and maintenance but more importantly risk. Cohga were already developing Dev Ops processes to deploy and manage Weave and other Cohga solutions in the cloud using Amazon Web Services. Service Level Agreements, often with built-in penalties for non performance, became standard and resilience and business continuity were not add-ons but were needed to be built into solutions from the outset. As procurement processes became more structured and prescriptive, the focus sharpened on how the outsourced risk would be managed and reported.
A Trusted Partner
After twenty years Cohga’s original customers continue the use of the solutions implemented and benefit from the continued research and development that the company carries to ensure new standards and emerging technologies are evaluated. These organisations were joined by many more over the years to centralise data usage and rationalise processes, implementing improvements with the agility and speed with which we can resolve any requirements and implement new features. In a world where technology makes headlines, it is the trusted relationships and business partnerships that have enabled Cohga’s longevity. We are not just a vendor, but advisors and business partners. Our customers are much more than an invoice at the end of the month and this differentiator is a point of pride for the company.
The Future
SaaS is here to stay and is a preferred option to outsource risk, reduce technology management overhead, and allow organisations to focus on core competencies. Obviously AI is the current force de jure in technology and while it can assist in collating information and data, and also for discovering connections, the underlying data is still the driving force. Effective capture and presentation is a key element in unlocking the immense value in that data. Cohga is evaluating AI use cases within the domains we operate in. Any application ,whether directly in solutions, or in the tool chain used to develop them, needs careful thought and consideration in regards to data accuracy, privacy, and security.
We have seen a seismic shift in the data landscape in the last twenty years, and have enjoyed the challenge of navigating these changes while continuing to provide world-class solutions with reactive, tailored support. As we face the new and emerging technology developments we look forward to what the next twenty years will bring.
