A Timeline of Infometrix Developments
1978 — Infometrix was founded by University of Washington Professor Bruce Kowalski and Dr. Gerald Erickson to provide consulting service in the new field of chemometrics. The company's primary software was ARTHUR, a system designed for DEC VAX minicomputers and mainframes.
1981 — A new commercial version of Arthur is released with formalized documentation.
1983 — Infometrix released its first microcomputer-based product, MCR-2, later named QuickRes, designed specifically for a single instrument system (Hewlett Packard's 1040 diode array detector). By 1987, Infometrix had created six additional packages for HP; these software products spanned the HPLC, GC, GC/MS and UV/VIS lines.
1985 — Infometrix introduced Ein*Sight, its first general pattern recognition software for microcomputers. This software has the largest installed base of any similar product in the field through the 1980s. Customer comments and suggestions triggered the market study and algorithm development, which culminated in the release of the first version of Pirouette.
1986 — Journal of Chemometrics is launched and Infometrix is its first advertiser.
1989 — Beckman Instruments and Infometrix begin a joint working relationship to develop multivariate tools for the photodiode array detector. The first product of that relationship is a development of QuickRes curve resolution software for the Beckman System Gold diode array detector
1990 — Pirouette 1.0 is released, bringing chemometrics into a friendly graphical user interface.
1990 — MasterLink is launched to facilitate moving files out of the HP 9000 Series 300 computers and rapidly becomes the best selling Infometrix product.
1990 — Beckman Instruments introduced the 168 diode array detector which includes Infometrix' Real Time Purity. This is the first implementation of chemometrics on a chip (in this case FIEFA, fixed interval evolving factor analysis).
1990 — Otsuka Electronics and Infometrix announce a strategic working relationship to develop multivariate tools for UV/VIS/NIR instruments.
1992 — Infometrix achieved FDA validation, the only chemometrics software company to date to do so. The release of Pirouette version 1.1 incorporates support for analytical instrument systems through direct file reads.
1993 — Array View, an interactive visualization package, is launched for the Beckman Diode Array detector.
1993 — The release of InStep allowed true multivariate process control by coupling an expert system with Pirouette models. The combination of Pirouette and InStep is employed in dozens of applications ranging from tracking tuberculosis and 35 related bacterial infections, to assessing oil-oil correlations, to batch quality control in the pharmaceutical industry.
1994 — Release of Pirouette versions 1.2, then 1.21, both maintenance upgrades.
1995 — Infometrix returns somewhat to its origins in consulting by providing software customization services to end users so that they can take advantage of the technology without implementation risk or unnecessary delays.
1995 — Release of Pirouette 1.22, a maintenance upgrade.
1996 — Infometrix released a Windows NT/95 version of Pirouette (version 2.0) that has been the basis for all product development since that time. The sum total of development time applied to Pirouette now exceeds 50 man-years. Key in this version is a suite of commonly used chemometric algorithms which can be run in batch mode.
1996 — Release of Pirouette versions 2.01, then 2.02, both maintenance upgrades.
1997 — Work is completed on Flite-Trac software for DelNorte, a visualization package for evaluation of aircraft trajectories during aerial surveillance maneuvers.
1997 — Automation of chemometric predictions via the internet was completed. Ein*Sight 4.0 was released. All Pirouette documentation (~500 pages) is translated into Japanese; Pirouette attains the largest installed base in Japan by the end of 1998.
1997 — Release of Pirouette 2.03, a maintenance upgrade. A review of Pirouette in Analytical Chemistry calls it the best software package around.
1998 — Agilent (formerly Hewlett Packard) and Infometrix introduced the first integrated chemometrics instrument for routine laboratory quality control use: the HP 4440 ChemSensor headspace analysis system. This system is in its 2nd release, with sales and marketing now managed by Gerstel (the largest Agilent reseller).
1998 — The release of Pirouette 2.5 includes usability enhancements, including saving graphics as EMFs, new data transforms requested by spectroscopists, and dynamic interaction with prediction results. This is the first version with the entire user guide in a single PDF file.
1999 — Release of Pirouette 2.6, a maintenance upgrade.
1999 — Pirouette 2.7 is released as a family of products so that chemometrics solutions now exist spanning the $300 to $5,000 price range. It also includes several graphics and algorithm enhancements.
2000 — Pirouette 3.0 is released supporting network versions of all software. PerkinElmer standardizes on Pirouette for image analysis in their IR microscopy line. Transfer of calibration has been added for most algorithms, and the user interface is now internationalized. Language support has since been extended to include Japanese, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Italian.
2001 — Release of Pirouette 3.01, a maintenance upgrade.
2001 — With the release of Pirouette 3.02, support for ActiveX clients is enabled so that standardized chemometric technology can be integrated seamlessly into any instrument or process software.
2002 — InStep, now version 2.0, is totally rewritten as a Visual Basic client of Pirouette, exploiting its COM capabilities. With a watched folder approach, multivariate predictions can now be performed automatically and unattended.
2002 — Pirouette 3.1 adds the ability to apportion the sources for mixed sources in data. The system was proven using environmental and GC data, and the software can assess concentrations without knowing any end member.
2003 — Infometrix launches the LineUp product, which automatically corrects for retention time shift in chromatographic instrumentation. This increases the reliability of unattended interpretation for routine QC analysis, and can be used on-line.
2003 — Pirouette 3.11 expands the options in mixture analysis with the inclusion of the alternating least squares algorithm which allows unlimited sources. Title 21 CFR Section 11 compliance is now in place for electronic record keeping.
2005 — Press Release - Infometrix and Applied Biosystems/MDS SCIEX announce a reseller's agreement.
2005 — LineUp 2.03 is enhanced to accommodate very early or late eluting peaks as well as very large peak shifts.
2005 — Infometrix releases its IPAK server, opening up all of the imbedded Pirouette technology into an ActiveX server. Using this server, Infometrix integrates pattern recognition and alignment technology into an on-line GC system for monitoring volatile organic compounds and starts the NeSSI GC initiative with the Center for Process Analytical Chemistry.
2006 — Press Release - Infometrix and Bio-Rad announce integration of Pirouette chemometrics technology for multivariate analysis into the KnowItAll Informatics System. Also announced are plans to release the KnowItAll Metabolomics Edition, integrating Infometrix’ Pirouette chemometrics application server with Bio-Rad’s KnowItAll platform, databases, and NMR tools.
2006 — Press Release - A Washington Technology Center grant was awarded to support collaboration between the Center for Process Analytical Chemistry at the University of Washington and Infometrix for evaluation of software approaches in process gas chromatography.
2007 — Pirouette 4.0 is enhanced with new algorithms--PLS-DA, orthogonal signal correction for PCR, PLS and PLS-DA, plus sample and variable selection methods. Demo version enhanced to allow opening any supported data type, including Pirouette files with results.
2008 — Press Release - A Washington Technology Center Phase II grant was awarded to support collaboration between the Center for Process Analytical Chemistry at the University of Washington and Infometrix for evaluation of software approaches in process gas chromatography.
2008 — Pirouette 4.0 rev 1, a maintenance update, was released
2008 — InStep 3.0 is released. This new version runs as a client to IPAK, using Pirouette models. Pirouette itself is not necessary to perform unattended real-time multivariate predictions.