Bowling Green, Ohio, October 1, 1999 - Senecio Software, Inc. announced today that it has received a Small Business Innovation (SBIR) Grant for $99,992 from the National Institutes of Health to design, test, and market a software system for remotely deriving population and housing estimates from satellite imagery.

The system, called Remote Estimates™, combines high-resolution satellite imagery, multi-spectral analysis, advanced pattern recognition, and demographic estimation techniques to produce current population estimates. If research underlying the Remote Estimate™ system is successful it may be possible to provide monthly population estimates for any user-defined area in the United States or Canada. Unlike traditional population estimate methods, a satellite-based system will allow estimates to be updated with high frequency - approximately every 36 to 120 hours.

Dr. Wicks, President of Senecio Software said, "The notion of using remotely sensed data in population work has existed for well over a half-century, but so far demographers have not been able incorporate remotely sensed data into their work. With the recent convergence of technological developments involving high-resolution satellite imagery, and aerial processing and pattern recognition software we have an opportunity for the first time to carefully research the automatic detection of objects from remotely sensed data. We are breaking new ground with this effort. The work will be difficult, but it is exciting and holds great potential for use worldwide."

"We face serious technical challenges in our attempt to automate the identification of housing units using aerial photography," stated Dr. David Swanson, Senior Social Scientist at Science Applications International Corporation. "We are proposing a two-stage approach in the development of the HUM-based population estimates for local areas. In the first stage, we will determine if the aerial imagery is sufficiently accurate to identify and classify housing units according to the general structure types used by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. If the first stage results prove positive, then the effort will be extended in Phase Two where additional elements required to generate household population estimates using the HUM will be examined."

Dr. Robert Vincent, Professor of Geology and creator of the ATOM software used to process the satellite imagery pointed out that, "the remote estimates project involves the use of cutting edge technologies from such fields as remote sensing, geographic mapping and pattern recognition, but the greatest challenge involves the effort to produce finely detailed digital elevation models. Our software was originally designed to produce three-dimensional models of large geological structures not small objects in an urban landscape. Thus, we must first focus our efforts on adapting the software to building models of smaller objects. If we can produce accurate digital elevation models in urban areas then we are well on our way to creating an automated population estimates system."

About Senecio Software

Founded in 1992, Senecio Software, Inc. is an Ohio-based corporation specializing in the design and production of software for the collection and analysis of social and market research data. Given the rapid rise in the use of the Internet for commerce and its growing use among all segments of society, Senecio's corporate strategy has been expanded to supply professional survey research tools and services to scientists and market researchers demanding more advanced software tools for their Internet survey work as well as the development of advanced data gathering tools involving remote sensing and wireless communication. Senecio Software, Inc. can be reached by telephone (419-352-4371), fax (419-354-7512), e-mail (info@senecio.com) or the world wide web (www.senecio.com).