Geosoft co-founder Ian MacLeod is the proud recipient of the Cecil Green Enterprise Award from the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG). MacLeod and other award recipients were honoured on Tuesday, September 2h, 2017, at the SEG International Exposition and 87th Annual Meeting in Houston.
The Cecil Green Enterprise Award recognizes the importance of enterprise to our industry’s economic vitality, and is awarded to an individual who has demonstrated courage, ingenuity, and achievement while risking his or her own resources in developing a product, service, organization, or activity that has contributed to the industry.
In its award announcement, the SEG cited MacLeod’s achievements, including his creation of Geosoft, the developer of geoscience software with widespread adoption in the oil and gas, minerals, and near-surface geophysics sectors; development of the Grid eXchange Format (GXF) adopted by the SEG Gravity and Magnetics Committee as an SEG standard; implementation of many published algorithms and release of invaluable data sets and technical publications.
MacLeod co-founded the original Geosoft together with Colin Reeves in 1982. Geosoft was sold to Paterson Grant and Watson Ltd and born again in 1986 as Geosoft Inc. under MacLeod’s leadership. He continues his commitment today as Geosoft’s Chief Technologist and Chairman of the board.
Through the 1980s and 1990s, MacLeod led Geosoft’s pioneering work to apply micro-computers to the practice of exploration, always with a view to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of explorers. He has authored and co-authored many commercial exploration applications that have helped transform large-volume spatial data processing to the desktop.
“Ian recognised at an early stage the emergence of personal computer (PC) technology and its potential application to data-processing and interpretation in non-seismic geophysics,” says Colin Reeves. “Despite significant difficulties, he made a successful business out of delivering the solutions that have become Geosoft, the software of choice for geophysicists worldwide. His hard work, integrity and personal modesty combined with a strong intellect delivered a computational workbench that is now, after more than 30 years, second nature for thousands of users, supported by a company infrastructure that has won awards for employee-friendliness.”
“I feel honoured to be acknowledged by my peers from around the world, and am incredibly proud to represent the Geosoft team and our accomplishments over the past 35 years” says MacLeod. “Since the start, we’ve strived to make technology work for geoscientists. After all these years, I continue to approach every day motivated and challenged to make a difference.”
