Back in the XVI century, Portugal played an important role in the navigation technologies field giving the world the astrolabe. Five centuries later, the country delivers another extraordinary and usefull navigating tool. A Portuguese company created the world’s first GPS navigation system with aerial photographs. Ndrive is just an example of a growing number of Portuguese companies that are delivering cards in the High Tech world and giving a strong contribution to the business growth in the sector. Portuguese ICT market has an estimated turnover of 18.5 billion euros and generates an added value of about 5.7 billion euros. The sector has over 14 thousand companies employing a total labor force of 79 thousand people.
From financial services, to software, hardware and telecommunications, Portuguese companies have achieved a high level of excellence and international recognition with state-of-the-art products and services. Portugal's multifuncional 24/7 ATM machines make life easier for those accessing financial or public services. It is also the homeland of Via Verde, an innovative electronic system that allows to pay highway tolls and car parks or even pay gas at petrol stations without having to leave your car. Via Verde processes 500 thousand transactions per day.
Critical Software, Altitude Software, Edigma, Vision-Box, Ydreams, Siscog or Fiber Sensing - just to name a few – are some examples of this new Portuguese technological wave that is impacting major brands like Airbus or the European Space Agency. The optic fiber sensors that equip the brand new Airbus A380 are made in Portugal as well as the biometric system that equips the Helsinki airport border control. By air or by ground, Portuguese technology is making your life easier day after day. If you are one of the 3 million passengers that use the London Underground, or the train in the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark or Finland, you are using Portuguese technology on your way to work or back home.
Also, in the transportation field, if you are planning to buy an electric car in a near future, and your vehicle sends you a text message remembering that you just have enough energy for 40 Km’s it’s Portuguese technology at work and it will be available by the end of this year.
You may also find Portuguese technology in other day life situations. Major brands like Microsoft, Toshiba, Intel, Lockheed, Motorola, Siemens, NASA or major banks around the world have tested already the Portuguese expertise and innovative products in the ICT field transforming our country into a technological "shop" and a field to keep on innovating.