Leigh Miller for GlobalAtlanta
Bitam Inc., a Mexican business management software provider with U.S. headquarters in Atlanta, presented official voter data from the hotly contested July 2 Mexican presidential election to news agencies via its electronic charts, graphs and maps.

Mexico’s Federal Election Institute selected Bitam’s Artus software application to display the official voter results for the election in which Felipe Calderon, a conservative of the ruling National Action Party (PAN), beat Lopez Obrador, the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) candidate, by just 244,000 votes, or 0.58 percentage points.

Mr. Obrador, who was formerly mayor of Mexico City, is contesting the election results on claims that the ballots were tampered with at polling stations and is demanding a recount.

Bitam did not play a role in counting the votes, but on election day, the company generated electronic maps every two minutes displaying voter results and provided those to news agencies for dissemination by television, print and broadcast outlets.

In addition to election poll projects, the company’s data display software is also used by firms wanting to display data in an aesthetically accessible and easy-to-understand manner, Bitam U.S. General Manager Randy Long told GlobalAtlanta.

The software is suited to smaller companies because it is more affordable than competitors’, he said, noting that its relatively lower cost stems from having the development work done in Mexico.

Bitam was founded in Chicago but moved to Mexico in 2000 to take advantage of lower wages, Mr. Long said.

“Latin America is growing in outsourced technology capability. It’s like India 15 years ago. Nearshore development in places like Mexico and Central America has the advantage of being in the same time zones as most of the U.S.,” he said.

The company has some 1,000 customers in Latin America and Europe and has recently entered the U.S. market, opening the Atlanta office in 2005, he added.

Bitam’s clients are primarily manufacturing or distribution companies with less than $500 million in annual revenue. They are operations that typically already have financial analysis or enterprise resource planning systems in place and need to pull out data to display graphically, Mr. Long said.

Displaying Mexico’s election results is just one example of Bitam’s capabilities, he said, adding that it is not yet certain whether Bitam would be involved with displaying election data again if there is a recount.

Mexico’s electoral court has until Aug. 31 to decide whether to reopen some or all of the ballot boxes for a recount. Mr. Obrador has been staging public protests in Mexico City over the results, blocking traffic and bringing parts of the city to a standstill, including parts of its main business and diplomatic district.

Bitam has offices in North, Central and South America and Europe and serves customers in 18 countries.
For more information, visit www.bitam.com or contact Bill Getch at (678) 832-2706 or bgetch@bitam.com.