MADE IN
SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS
An innovative territory
AN INSIGHT INTO SOPHIA’S TECHNOLOGIES
Technology development has made the Sophia Antipolis territory into a forerunner in terms of digital technology. Discover a few examples of innovations which have changed everyone’s daily lives.
THE GSM STANDARD
ETSI (European Telecom Standard Institute), which opened its doors in 1988 in Sophia Antipolis, developed the GSM standard amongst other innovations. This breakthrough helped position Europe as a leader in terms of mobile telephones, motivating major operators to work closely with Sophia Antipolis.
ITSAR
SATELLITE IMAGE ANALYSIS
Set up in Sophia Antipolis in 1988, the start-up Istar was the first company in the world to develop software that could automatically generate Digital Terrain Models using stereoscopic satellite images. This technique is widely used today and digital mapping has become a global business.
THE EUROPEAN BRANCH OF THE WORLD WIDE WEB
In 1995 in Sophia Antipolis the European W3C branch opened its doors, a consortium led by the MIT, Inria and Keio University, which standardised the web. The application changed the world to such an extent that most people use the word Internet when they are talking about the Web.
CONTACTLESS CHIP CARDS
Created in 1997 under the name ASK, Paragon ID is a French specialist in secure and contactless solutions. To begin with, the company set its sights on the travel document market and contributed in particular to the industrialisation of the “Navigo” Pass. It has since expanded, thanks to many innovations including biometric passports and contactless licences in the United States.
Realviz
3D MODELLING
In 1998, the start-up Realviz developed technology which revolutionised the processing of special effect images at lower costs. Blockbuster films such as Harry Potter, Troy and Superman were created using its 3D technology.
ALGORITHMS FOR CANCER SCREENING
Set up in 2013 by two Inria researchers, the start-up Therapixel analyses mammograms using a network of artificial neurones. Used by prestigious establishments such as the Curie Institute, Cochin Hospital and the Villejuif Institute, the Therapixel algorithm improves the rate of false positives from 25 to 4%.
THR FIRST FRANCE-USA IP LINK
Sophia Antipoliswas the first French site to be connected to the internet via the Inria institution on 28 July 1988, exactly 32 years ago.
The connection linked Sophia Antipolis to Wisconsin University in the United States.
It was a satellite link loaned to France Telecom and to the US operator MCI, with the incredible speed of 56 kbits/s.
