Mumbai-based Rolta today announced the signing of an agreement to acquire Orion Technology, a Canadian software and integration company specialising in enterprise web-GIS (geographical information systems) solutions.While the deal size was not disclosed, Rolta expects to generate around $100 million (around Rs 410 crore) over the next three to five years by integrating the acquired technologies.K K Singh, chairman and CEO of the Rolta group, said: "With this acquisition, we have significantly expanded our capabilities to provide state-of-the-art products and services. We will now be able to provide unique solutions that offer high returns on customers' investments in GIS. This intellectual property also gives us an exceptional platform to develop new solutions for a clientele well beyond the segments traditionally served by Rolta and Orion, such as for mobile applications".This is a strategically important acquisition that enables Rolta to own technologies for taking its GIS offerings to the next level. Orion employs innovative technologies that allow users to connect to and integrate complex geospatial and non-spatial data from disparate sources. These solutions have been used by many organisations including economic development agencies to attract investments, government agencies to facilitate elections, utility companies to integrate their spatial data for management of assets and operations, municipalities around the world to manage land records, and many other organizations such as railways and transportation, environment, telecommunications, etc. to enhance their service delivery.As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rolta, Orion will continue its operations under the same name from its headquarters in Canada, and will be managed and operated by the Management team that is currently in place.Zul Jiwani, Founder and Chairman of Orion, said: "We are excited about becoming a part of the Rolta group. This fulfills our aspiration to have a global reach for promoting widespread use of our products and services. The combined strength of our two organizations will also enable us to accelerate enhancement of our products and services."
