Aretha Samuel developed a love of GIS while in middle school. With the encouragement and mentorship of her father, she is now Nobel Systems Chief Technology Officer.
Aretha Samuel’s career in GIS technology began when she was in grade school.
In middle school, her father, Michael Samuel, president of Nobel Systems, helped Aretha with her first GIS project, comparing auto theft rates to income levels.
At the age of thirteen, she interned for her father at Nobel Systems, and later again while she attended university.
“I have always had an interest in GIS and have maintained this interest throughout college,” Aretha says.
Her interest grew as her she worked on new technologies. During her internship, she developed a valve isolation trace technology for the company’s initial GeoViewer product.
“It proved to be slow, and it was a challenge,” Aretha says, “but it was so fun to design.”
Aretha and her teammates continued to work on the technology and later improved the performance.
The opportunity to develop something new and to be able to work on it with like-minded colleagues galvanized Aretha’s interest in GIS and IoT technology beyond college.
“[It] provided a taste of what it was like to work at Nobel Systems,” she says. “Here, you get to work on challenging technical problems, while simultaneously improving people’s lives. Our products help customers increase their productivity and provide better service to their client base.”
The Drive Behind the Genius
Aretha, who holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley, considers her father and her mother Audrey, who is the company’s Chief Financial Officer, her heroes.
“They both started this successful business from scratch, and they overcame many hurdles,” Aretha explains.
Aretha faced her own challenges during her budding career. At the same she was developing a hydraulic modeling component at Nobel, she was undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer.
However, she didn’t let the disease slow her down. Her work kept her going and she met the projects’ deadline.
“At the time, work was my medicine, and it helped me focus on situations outside of my health,” Aretha says. “Even though I was sick, the work provided enough motivation for me that I never felt tired or sick. I was able to complete that module in time, and I felt happy that I was able to have the opportunity to work.”
On the challenges of working in a field that requires complex analyses and in-depth programming experience, Aretha says, “Everyday is a big challenge. We are constantly pushing the boundaries of big data analytics and IoT (Internet of Things) technologies.”
We are constantly pushing the boundaries of big data analytics and IoT (Internet of Things) technologies.”
Improving Technologies
As Nobel Systems Chief Technology Officer, Aretha oversees all software projects and implementation.
Part of what drives her is the ability to help others while working on the latest technologies.
“My father created a great environment where he solely emphasized fulfilling customer needs and using only the latest and greatest technology to build products.”
She is particularly proud of the company’s GeoViewer mobile and Web products.
“We decided to take a gamble and only use the latest open-source technologies,” she says. “Because of these technologies, we increased the performance of our software and provided a better user experience for our customers.”
She credits the “genius abilities” of her coworkers— Dinakaran, Raju, Sundeep, Papegowda, Brad, Jabina, Tanmay and Ian—with helping to completely revamp Nobel Systems product and make it “faster, better, and user-friendly.”
Aretha makes a point in crediting Nobel Systems international and local teams with the development of the company’s technology.
“Our product would not be where it is today if it were not for the efforts of our Bangalore team, who created the foundation of our GeoViewer/ GIS products,” she says. “Our Philippine team is brilliant, new and growing, and will drive forward the success of Nobel Systems. I’m so thankful and blessed to be working with all of my superior co-workers, both international and domestic.”
[bctt tweet=”“We are in an exciting era of technology growth, particularly in the enterprise SaaS space.” #GIS #technology #IoT” username=”nobelsystems”]
Making a Difference
Aretha is excited about what the future holds for Nobel Systems. She and her team plan to continue working on creating revolutionary products in the IoT space, utility billing space, and in optimizing Nobel Systems’ technologies.
“We are in an exciting era of technology growth, particularly in the enterprise SaaS space. I come to work always enthusiastic about what we can accomplish for the future, and leave fulfilled that I have made a difference.”