Founded in 2002 by independent GIS consultants Harley Prowse and Tony Elson, GBS is an established and privately-owned location intelligence company.
GBS is powered by high calibre geospatial solution architects, expert geospatial technical consultants and developers, and experienced project managers and business analysts.
GBS is the only Esri Certified Gold Partner in the Asia Pacific Region, having gained gold status in 2013. This means we are recognised experts when it comes to delivering tailored Esri geospatial solutions. Gold status also signifies that we deliver the highest quality GIS solutions to our Esri-based clients, ensuring best practice every time.
We’re great believers in the power of partnership. The more you involve us, the more we can do to build tailored GIS solutions that truly
contribute to your competitive advantage and operational efficiency. Our insistence on a close relationship comes from experience. We know
that a deep understanding of your business leads to the best-possible geospatial solutions.
Jade completed her Postgraduate diploma in GIS at the University of Auckland and has extensive experience in mapping, spatial data manipulation and GIS programming. She has coded extensively using Python and Java Scripts, and is skilled in C# and Angular.
Outside of work, Jade loves the NZ climate and nature, exploring new places and playing squash in her free time. Since arriving in New Zealand, she has now converted to being a rugby lover and a fan of the All Blacks of course!
Rob has over 14 years’ experience as a commercial Software Developer and has acted as Software Developer, Lead Developer and Technical Team Lead. He has great communication skills and his experience lies in managing internal stakeholders, requirement gathering and providing solutions. He enjoys client-facing interactions and consulting enables him to make use of his extensive technical background.
Rob enjoys spending time with his three young sons, and is also a fan of music – playing the guitar and singing, as well as fishing and mountain biking.
A graduate from the faculty of Engineering, Computer and Systems Control department in Cairo, Egypt and after completing a MCPD (Microsoft Certified Professional Developer) Certificate, Sam has now worked as a Software Developer for over 11 years. Sam immigrated from Egypt in April 2017 to work for OSPRI in Wellington before moving to Auckland to join GBS.
Always looking to expand his knowledge, Sam’s skills include WAB, Esri JavaScript API, Xamarin (Android and Forms) and ArcGIS .online (setup layers and maps).
A family man, Sam and his wife have two girls to keep them busy and he enjoys reading and table tennis in his spare time.
Arun returns to GBS with over 10 years experience as a full-stack GIS developer in Esri and open source technologies. Having worked in local governance, transport, agricultural and farming industries he is back at GBS with an added skill: QT/QML for building cross platform native mobile apps. Vastly experienced in Esri’s JavasScript SDK (3&4) including React, Angular.j, Query and mobile app development, Arun is a valued member of our team.
Arun enjoys spending his free time with his wife and young daughter plus playing chess, following cricket and watching Netflix.
Heathcliff (Heath) is yet another Cantabrian who developed a strong interest for GIS during his 4 years working as a GIS Analyst Programmer for Intergraph New Zealand. Heath studied at the University of Waikato where he received a B.Sc majoring in Computer Science.
Heath’s primary background is in software development and he has worked in a number of sectors over the years, including HR, agriculture and retail. Heath enjoys weightlifting, boxing, travelling and watching movies. He also performs in a Taiko drumming group and sings in a male barbershop chorus.
As a senior developer David has been responsible for the design and implementation of projects to a variety of clients, ranging from large corporates to government agencies. He has gained solid experience in a wide range of both client and server-side technologies, building on top of the ArcGIS stack.
When not in front of the screen David enjoys travelling and exploring the NZ wilderness.
Ardeshir joined GBS in early 2010 and was thrown in the deep end with Silverlight. He’s performing magnificently, aided by an MS in Physics from Tehran University and a previous life as an Oracle developer, data analyst and .NET web developer.
His background makes him a valuable resource for the creation of crisp code for web applications. Ardeshir loves soccer (though he calls it football), reading books and swimming for fitness.
Prathik brings a disciplined yet agile approach to the team. A Full Stack developer with skills including .Net, C#, MVC, AngularJS, SQL Sever, Git, Web API, Azure and WCF., Prathik is a keen developer who is as disciplined at work as he is with his dedicated passion for sports.
In his spare time, Prathik enjoys time with family and friends, going to the movies, travelling to new places and lots of sport – including watching and playing his main passion – Cricket!
Jade’s enthusiasm and bright personality, combined with her BSc Honours in Geoinformatics from Pretoria University make her the ideal candidate as an Esri Technical Consultant. Jade is very passionate about her role, is a quick learner, and is keen to gain as much experience as she can. Jade has always had an eye for spatial related innovative thinking and new ideas. In her spare time she is truly creative and likes to dabble in art, writing, crochet and gardening.
Callan’s extensive experience building and maintaining ArcGIS JS webapps, Geoprocessing tools and databases (following the earthquake responses in both Christchurch and Kaikoura), plus his earlier work as a Freelance Android developer, make him a valuable member of our team.
Outside of work, Callan is not short on adventures, from his daily motorbike rides to snowboarding, scuba diving, hiking or travelling.
Wellington born and raised in Rotorua, Shane completed his Bachelor of Surveying and M.Sc Information Science at Otago University. With over 18 years of experience in Location Intelligence and data architecture, Shane is up to speed with all things ArcGIS and ArcMap. He has a particular focus on the use of spatial data and services to make informed decisions via the use of spatial technology.
When he not expanding his Esri knowledge, Shane is an avid trail runner, road cyclist and DIY enthusiast.
Mark has recently returned to New Zealand after 8 years overseas, honing his skills in various disciplines involving property, agriculture and local government. His strengths lie in tweaking systems and pressing Esri’s buttons to solve GIS and business problems – something that will come in very handy at GBS.
Now back living in South Auckland, Mark is enjoying the country air in Karaka, time at the beach, hiking and camping.
Mike has over 20 years of experience in GIS and more recently Project Management and Agile methods. He has worked across many sectors from government, research and engineering/environmental consulting. These include organisations such as NIWA, WSP and the University of Auckland. This varied background allows him to quickly understand client needs. Mike is qualified with a MSc in Geography and recently was certified as an Agile Practitioner (ICP).
A fan of the outdoors, Mike can regularly be seen out on the water sailing, surfing or spending time with his family hiking and cycling.
Jo is (another) Cantabrian with a background in sales and accounting. Her role at GBS, is taking the administrative load off Harley and Tony, so that they can concentrate on client needs.
Jo is an effective multi-tasker who knows how to get things sorted and keep them that way. Joining GBS in 2010, she’s a mother-of-two who enjoys music and keeping fit.
With a wealth of local government experience in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom and over 15 years in the Geospatial industry, Michael brings his valued and varied skills to his role as Solutions Manager.
A keen fisherman and hockey player, Michael is also a family man with two small children .
Born and bred in Wellington, Manu has over 30 years of experience in Strategic Consulting, Business Development and people management. His collaborative style is key to ensuring GBS has continuous presence in the Capital, enabling clients to connect their spatial investments to delivering business outcomes.
In his spare time Manu is learning to nurture Citrus trees and spends quality time with his family on their four acre property.
Mark is the CEO of GBS USA and a Senior Esri Technical Consultant.
Mark’s passion is focused on leveraging Esri and GIS technologies to strategically add value and operational benefits to businesses and organizations. His vast range of experience across multiple industries and business acumen makes him an excellent platform to look beyond the obvious and draw on his past knowledge and strategic thinking. More recently, Mark has been leading projects and upskilling efforts within the Utilities Practice at GBS.
Mark opened the affiliate GBS USA office in February 2020, now located in Kalispell, Montana. Mark serves as the CEO/Managing Member and has remained as an integrated resource for projects and support with the GSB NZ and GBS Korea offices.
An avid skier and nicknamed ‘Snowman’, Mark moved to northwest Montana to be closer to the slopes and a more kiwi way of life after his stint in Auckland, NZ. However, he and his family will be travelling back and forth to New Zealand as often as possible for business and leisure.
Minjung is the CEO of GBS Korea and has grown the business over the past 3 years to include six additional staff.
Min (as she prefers to be called), has over 10 years experience in the software platform business, having completed her Master of Information Technology from Queensland University in Australia. Min was involved in GIS and LBS (Location Based Services) in API development and Machine Learning adaptation to GIS.
Min has strong focus on understanding customers and delivering what is best for the customer. In the era of technological convergence, her various past experiences are utilised for creative solutions in GIS. Internally she is interested in growing a strong team by sharing knowledge and encouraging continuous learning.
Outside of work, Min enjoys gym sessions and mentoring people on leadership.
Shane’s role as GIS Architect and CTO revolves around being technical lead and resident applications expert; he’s also highly proficient with .NET, ArcGIS Enterprise and Mobile GIS. Shane is responsible for much of the solutions architecture work for our clients.
His outside interests take him outdoors, where he runs trails, snowboards, swims and hikes (with kids these days!).
Tony’s expertise in GIS and human geography allows him to provide our clients with sharp analysis and strategic advice. Like Harley, he has a technical background, which has enabled him to develop into a consultant with a broader depth of geospatial knowledge.
Tony is now focused on driving the business forward and business development. He is very keen to ensure that the vision for GBS is achieved and that we continue to grow and provide quality solutions and services. Off duty, Tony is a keen surfer who also loves rugby and soccer.
From a study foundation of physical geography, Harley has mastered all aspects of GIS software design and development. Before establishing GBS with Tony Elson, he worked in GIS-related roles at Environment Waikato, Genasys and Geographic Technologies Ltd.
Harley enjoys the process of understanding client challenges, then developing innovative GIS solutions that save time, money and frustration. Harley’s role within GBS is ‘off the tools’ these days, with a focus on business development through sales and account management. Beyond work, Harley gets to grips with geography through mountain biking and skiing and attempting to instill a sense of geography in his two kids!
