Online Digital Photographic Processing

Paraparaumu. 21 May 2008 - Political Stock Markets are a virtual stock market, where participants express their expectations about future events through the buying and selling of virtual shares. Several prediction markets relating to different issues about economic and political developments are offered together. The new service starts under http://esm.forecast4u.co.nz/ with topics like the National Elections in New Zealand or the Estimation of Property Growth for June 2008.



The "Wisdom of Crowds" is considered to outperform expert knowledge in areas like topicality as well as width, depth and references of knowledge. A principle of prediction markets, as of any electronic exchange, is that those who buy cheap and sell at a higher price benefit.



Practical evidence suggests that prediction markets are at least as accurate in forecasting events as other instruments used by polling institutes on similar demographic groups. This concept, part of a field of study called collective intelligence, is the ideal tool for market and event forecasts. The closer a participant's forecast matches the real event, the more the value of the virtual account rises. This stimulates forward strategies and therefore using quality information and experience in these virtual investments is paramount. The Political Stock Markets also rewards closely matching expectations when dealing with rate fluctuation and diligence.





Electronic Stock Markets (ESM)

The prediction market is based on the "Electronic Stock Market Technology" (ESM) developed by ECCE TERRAM. It is based on theses by Friedrich von Hayek, who in 1974 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics. From Professor von Hayek's findings it derives that more accurate prediction of future events can be made if people trade shares about them with the opportunity to obtain a profit. Frank Simon, Managing Director of ECCE TERRAM: "ESMs in the form of prediction markets provide surprisingly accurate results for opinion research and serve as a prognostics instrument to generate forecasts". The user's interest in trading shares and the chance for personal gain as well as the opportunity to create accurate forecasts bind the user into the online service and increase traffic to the website. The technology starts from a base different to traditional opinion research. Interviews, polls and e-votes use questions like "how would you vote?" The Electronic Stock Markets ask "what do you expect the outcome to be?" Traders therefore buy and sell based on their expectation of the outcome. These reflect in the prices at which shares trade. The system can then, based on the share price, calculate forecasts.



ECCE TERRAM has used prediction markets already in the run up to the German federal elections of 1998 with great success, achieving the second best forecast after Allensbach, one of Germany's leading public opinion poll institutes. In recent years ECCE TERRAM has organised more than two dozen prediction markets on a great variety of events. ECCE TERRAM Ltd, located in Paraparaumu, has started since May 2008 to offer Electronic Stock Markets to the New Zealand and Australian Market based on the 12-year-experience with this tool.





- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Labels: collaborative prognostic instruments, collective intelligence, communities, ECCE TERRAM, Forecasting, polls, prediction markets, software, strategy bourse, surveys, Web 2, Wisdom of Crowds

Specialist developer ECCE TERRAM is showing at this year’s PMA how setting up a digital photo processing service in store or online is becoming easier with open software modules. ECCE TERRAM is also celebrating a new mile stone with 132 million photo prints being ordered through its middleware software components. These solutions help to improve photo services' independence and negotiation power and provide access to a range of components to cover varying requirements.

Oldenburg Germany and Las Vegas, NV. January 22nd, 2008 – Online photo services converting digital images into traditional photographic paper prints are reaching the volumes of traditional photo labs in the 1990’s. Digital photo processing is a growth industry, but only a few developers have the experience and depth to create complete 'end user to photo lab' software solutions. The specialist Internet software developer ECCE TERRAM will be presenting the latest 'off the shelf', modular software solutions for online photo services, web portals, photo labs and purchasing associations at the international PMA exhibition in Las Vegas in January 2008, including client software and middleware releases currently in preparation.

 

Photo Lab Software Solutions

Together the Photo Lab Software processing components build flexible, state-of-the-art solutions. These range from order processing using online stores, point-of-sale terminals and offline software clients for Windows, Macintosh and Linux using an open protocol connecting to any photo lab or printer. The PTS middleware processes the orders using a central user database, which allows splitting orders to cover production requirements (e.g. mixed orders for standard prints, posters and gift items). Lab plug-ins built the third layer in ECCE TERRAM’s ‘Photo2Lab’ solution. The lab plug-ins currently support for example DPL, Allcop, ORWO, CeWeColor, DWM and Frontline. Increasingly specialists from the growing sector of photo book, calendar and gift item printing, like Ifuse, Snapmania are being supported by ECCE TERRAM.

ECCE adds ICC Profiles to its Middleware

At PMA ECCE Terram is adding ICC Profiles to its Middleware as an option for photo labs catering for professional photographers. These solutions allow to indicate image optimization for individual image files and make re-ordering prints easier. In addition, the ECCE Photo Suite offline client will  integrate the HDX4 Photo Manager. It serves to optimise the pictures per mouse click before uploading them to the Internet, in order to bring out the best of the photographs. This is important because large photo labs find it increasingly costly to correct or optimise images in photo albums and calendars. The Managing Director of the developer ECCE TERRAM, Frank Simon states: "Among our customers are ORWO, Farbglanz Imaging, Pixelnet, Focus, TV Spielfilm, Kodak and many more. We are proud that in the past year 132 million image prints have been processed through the installed base of ECCE middleware solutions."

 

ECCE Photo Suite adds Photo Book and Calendar Editor Modules at PMA

ECCE TERRAM created the new generation of offline photo ordering clients (Windows, MacOS and Linux) with a modular structure. New modules for photo book and calendar design are being released during the PMA Trade Fair. A new postcard module which handles franking and mailing directly to the cards recipient will also be revealed during the PMA. The applications are brandable through graphics, logos and colors and are used by labs and services of different sizes, from large central labs like ORWO and DPL, book and gift printers to mini labs. Catering for European and international businesses ECCE TERRAM’s applications are easy to localize and are available in several European languages.

 

Multi Lingual Solutions with Source Code License

With Photo2Lab's ready made solutions, any store or website can become an independent online photo service. ECCE TERRAM founder Frank Simon points out: “ECCE TERRAM endeavors with Photo2Lab software to allow photo services to allocate production orders, moving the control over the process from the large central labs back to the photo service. When you start your photo service make sure that you own your customer data and route to lab. ECCE Terram licensing model is unique in offering a source code license option.”

 

ECCE TERRAM practices these values with its solutions shown at PMA Booth No.:   K 191-1 from January 31st to February 2nd, 208.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Publishing permission granted; 706  words. Copy or link appreciated.

Website: http://www.ecce-terram.com/

Press Release Text: http://fotoinsight.blogspot.com

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

About ECCE TERRAM

ECCE TERRAM was founded in Oldenburg by Frank Simon in 1996. Its web applications are used in the photo processing industry and beyond by blue chips like chip maker Infineon or German publishers like “Die Zeit” or “Gelbe Seiten” (German Yellow Pages). Since 2001 ECCE TERRAM is owned by the ECCE TERRAM Holding GmbH and the Pilet International S.A..

Contact

ECCE TERRAM Internet Services GmbH

An der grossen Wisch 36

D-26133 Oldenburg, Germany

Tel:   +49 441 500 120

Fax:   +49 441 500 1229

http://www.ecce-terram.com/ 

Email: pr (at) ecce-terram.de

Ex Astris Scientia

Press Contact:

IITM is a specialist agency and will be delighted to arrange interviews. IITM will be pleased to provide an image, NFR versions for review and background information.

International IT Marketing Limited

Catalina Martínez, Head of Communication.

Email: pr (at) IITM.info

Tel. +1 202 4703242



Photo Industry Blog

International IT Marketing is the multi lingual international communications agency for (examples):

FotoInsight UK –Digital photo printing, canvas and poster printing, photo book, photo gifts

Italia -Stampa foto digitali online,album fotografici,foto regali, calendario, libri fotografici

FotoInsight France - Tirage de cadeaux photo, calendrier, poster, livre photos

Europe & Ireland - digital photo processing, photobooks, photographic gifts

The National Geographic Guide to Digital Photography by greenstreet software

printing-1 design photo books, photo album print, Mac photobook software


printing-1 Fotobücher designen, Fotoalbum druck, Mac Fotobuch software

Professor Teaches Vista™ Ultimate with greenstreet software

VSO Image Resizer - the handy free compression tool

Labels: ECCE TERRAM, Middleware, photo lab software, photo processing solutions, photo2lab, TRON, Web 2