Kate Schlatter

Chief Executive Officer

 
Kate Schlatter is a highly experienced leader in the geospatial industry, with over 25 years of experience in leadership roles. She has been the Chief Operating Officer for CompassCom Software and CompassData for over 18 years, giving her an excellent understanding of the company and its capabilities. As Chief Operating Officer, Kate drove operational objectives and formulated strategies for success and growth. Kate holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Colorado State University, wherein she focused on Organizational Management. Kate is a natural leader, with a strong ability to motivate and inspire employees. She is also a great communicator and able to articulate the company's vision to staff and stakeholders.

As the new CEO of CompassData Inc., Kate will be responsible for spearheading the company's overall strategy and growth, working with the team to develop and implement new products and services, with emphasis on expanding the customer base. Kate is a strong advocate for distributed decision-making and the concept of empowerment throughout the company. Specifically, she views her team as partners, enabling them to make decisions with authority and responsibility.

With her unwavering passion and commitment to CompassData, Kate values balance, responsibility, continuous improvement, respect, and good sportsmanship. She strives to lead her team to work for the greater good!

With her inspiring leadership and business acumen, Kate believes in Accuracy, Trust, and Results. Her commitment to continuously expand CompassData’s worldwide data set of accurate geospatial data will serve the community to improve products for designing, building, and maintaining a sustainable and resilient future.

Hayden Howard

Executive Vice President

Hayden Howard has been a valued member of the CompassData team for several years, and he is now taking on a new role as Executive Vice President. With 22 years in the company, Hayden has been a leader in the geospatial profession and has been for overseeing our mapping projects and developing new strategies for efficient data collection and successful delivery of projects. A priority for Hayden is to represent the values of CompassData and ensure customer satisfaction is met. With his expertise in business strategy, product and service innovation, management and strategic planning, Hayden is well suited to lead the future of CompassData business development and growth. He provides Accuracy, Trust and Results for their customers and advancing the use of geospatial technology for the greater good.

Brant Howard

CEO CompassCom Software Corporation

Mr. Howard is the Chief Executive Officer of CompassCom Software Corporation and the Founder of the Compass Family of Companies including CompassData and CompassDrone. With 40 years’ experience in the Geospatial Profession, Mr. Howard leads CompassCom in its goal to be the world leader in the development and integration of Mobile Resource Management solutions. Mr. Howard has sold, designed, and managed the integration for GNSS tracking and fleet management systems. Mr. Howard has patented technology based on GNSS, GIS, IoT and wireless networks. Under Mr. Howard's leadership CompassCom has grown as the most reliable and flexible provider of Mobile Resource Management solutions in the industry.

As an advocate for GPS and GIS since the inception of the Compass Family of Companies in 1994, Mr. Howard works vigorously in the industry to create business relationships and generate opportunities for the growth of the company. Mr. Howard is a problem solver, working closely with his customers to produce solutions that will streamline their workflow, save time, increase safety, and overall meet their needs. Prior to being an entrepreneur and business development expert, Mr. Howard was a Hydrogeologist with the United State Geological Survey, Water Resources Division. He supervised well drilling and completion, pump tests, and field inventory efforts. He has collected GPS data, designed GIS programs, and managed programs that coordinated multiple geospatial disciplines from hydrology, surveying, GIS mapping, and aerial imagery. Through his industry knowledge, relationships in the industry, and world travel, Mr. Howard assists in providing a vision and direction for the success of CompassCom.

Margaret J. Howard

Co-Founder, and Chairwomen of the Board

Margaret J. Howard co-founded CompassCom in 1994, which later split into three companies in 2003. From the inception of the organizations’ Ms. Howard has maintained an active role in growing business and providing unique solutions in the Geospatial Industry. Over the years, Ms. Howard has traveled the world collecting many of the Ground Control Points for sale in our growing archive today. Her experience in the field and knowledge of the solutions empowers her to work with the employees, vendors, customers, and industry leaders to maintain a healthy business in growing technology.

Philipp Hummel

Vice President

Master of Land Surveying, Geodesy, Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Professional Licenses for AZ, CO, ID, NE, UT

Philipp Hummel has provided surveys for numerous projects in the USA and over 100 countries. His career began at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany. After years in engineering surveying, he pursued traditional land surveying across the Western US, becoming a licensed surveyor.

Since 2011, he has been combining surveying with remote sensing and photogrammetry. At CompassData, he introduced surveying practices and geodetic knowledge. Furthermore, the standardized workflows he implemented ensured the achievement of data accuracy for global datasets. The FAA accepted these workflows and formal documentation for safety-sensitive airport mapping. The increasing accuracy demands of metric cameras and lidar sensors were successfully met under his technical guidance and team leadership.

Over the last decade, his role evolved from technical leadership to becoming a proven leader in the geospatial industries of data acquisition and data management. As Vice President, his responsibilities grew to overseeing strategic planning, business development, and operational management. Philipp continues to drive innovation at CompassData, fostering a culture of excellence and ensuring the delivery of high-precision geospatial solutions to clients worldwide.

Derek Watson

Technical Director

Derek Watson, Technical Director of CompassData, Inc., has been instrumental in positioning the company at the forefront of geospatial innovation. With extensive experience in the geospatial profession, Derek specializes in deploying and optimizing cutting-edge technologies, including terrestrial scanners, reality capture backpacks, drone and mobile LiDAR and imagery, as well as aerial LiDAR and imagery systems. His deep expertise, coupled with an unwavering commitment to customer success, has earned him recognition as a leading professional in the industry. Derek has successfully managed projects in some of the most remote locations across the United States and tackled complex urban environments, such as conducting high-accuracy LiDAR surveys in Manhattan, New York.

Derek holds an M.S. in Geographic Information Science with a focus on Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems from the University of Denver. He also earned a B.A. in Political Science with a focus on Geopolitics and Public Administration from Metropolitan State University of Denver. A certified FAA Remote Pilot (sUAS Rating) and an active member of ASPRS (American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing), Derek is experienced in using a wide array of aerial and terrestrial LiDAR and photogrammetry software suites. Known for consistently testing and implementing new systems, Derek ensures that CompassData delivers the highest accuracy and quality geospatial data on the market. His leadership and passion for advancing geospatial technology have been essential in CompassData’s mission to provide innovative solutions for clients worldwide.