With its team of highly qualified developers, business partners and support personnel, together with its focus on customer support and delivery, EVS is well suited to aiding clients in taking advantage of the exciting opportunities presented by modern vision systems.

Dr Gavin Hough started school in Canada, finished in South Africa, and studied theoretical physics at UCT (University of Cape Town) before spending 14 months in Antarctica as expedition physicist studying aurora australis (southern lights). This was followed by 4 months in Japan’s STELAB [Solar Terrestrial Environment Laboratory] working on simultaneous recordings of southern and northern lights, recorded at magnetic conjugate points [Husafell Iceland and Syowa Antarctica]. He received the Henry Dyer award for the top PhD at University of Natal in Space Physics, before setting up Techtrix International (a small consulting company) and becoming director of R&D at InterVid on the companies listing on the JSE. In 2002 he chaired the board of the EU funded Innovation Support Centre at UKZN (University of KZN) before setting up EnviroVision Solutions in both SA and the US which grew to a staff compliment of 100 providing early wildfire detection solutions on 6 continents. Gavin currently lives with his wife and 3 children in KZN (KwaZulu-Natal), South Africa.

Prof Mike Kosch was born and raised in Durban where he also achieved his BSc Electronic Engineering in 1984 and PhD in Space Physics in 1991 following a life-changing experience over-wintering at the SANAE Antarctic research station 1984-1986. He was based in Europe for over 2 decades, first as a postdoc and scientist at the Max-Planck Institute in Germany during the 1990s and then as a lecturer, professor of Experimental Space Science and faculty research Dean at Lancaster University in the UK during the 2000s. He has held research fellowships in Australia, twice in Japan and twice in the USA as well as many research visits to Norway. Since 2014, he is the chief scientist at the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) in Hermanus, managing the Space Research and Applications group including the Space Weather Unit. He also co-directs EnviroVision Solutions, a spin-out company specialising in rapid wildfire smoke detection. His research has focussed mainly on auroral physics and the electrodynamics of the polar upper-atmosphere, primarily using night-vision optics and radars, as well as experimental plasma physics using high-power radio waves beamed into the ionosphere as a natural laboratory. He has led many experiments at major international facilities (e.g. EISCAT in Scandinavia, HAARP in Alaska and Sura in Russia). To support the research, he operates 2 optical observatories in Norway, 1 in Sutherland and assembles bespoke optical instruments. He has published over 150 papers in international peer-reviewed journals and graduated some 50 postgraduate students.

Recently joined EVS after a career spanning 29 years in forestry. Has been actively involved in forestry operations management in Southern Africa as well as SE Asia. Having managed fires throughout his forestry career and being exposed to both traditional manned lookouts as well as camera detection systems. Philip served as Director and Chairman on various Fire Protection Associations and has an intimate understanding of the needs of land managers in terms of fire detection and fire management.

Qualifications and experience : BSC Forestry, University of Stellenbosch – Nat Diploma Forestry, Nelson Mandela University – Board Member :  Kwa-Zulu Natal Umbrella Fire Association – Board Member :  Western Province Umbrella Fire Association.