A bbotsford Chamber member and local inventor, Dr. Ernest Thiessen, is developing commercial applications for his eNegotiation software.

Two decades of research, development and testing have produced the Smartsettle suite of eNegotiation software, a product that can assist in virtually any type of negotiation.

"This will change the way the world negotiates," says Dr. Thiessen.

Smartsettle is a member of a new class of software systems called intelligent agents. Using extremely sophisticated programming, intelligent agents are capable of making smarter choices than human beings. They can be used wherever human beings struggle to grasp complex relationships between choices or face bewildering or psychologically daunting conditions.

One of the first applications being rolled out locally is the Smartsettle Family Resolution Centre. Based on the success of a recent pilot project, a team has been trained to use the Smartsettle system to help families struggling with separation agreements, parenting plans, elder care plans, estate planning, or any other complex family problem that requires negotiation or mediation.

"Families are looking for fair solutions at a reasonable cost," says Thiessen. "They want more cooperative ways of resolving disputes and negotiating agreements but this often isn't possible in situations where disputes easily escalate into a difficult and costly adversarial battle."

The service is currently available throughout the Fraser Valley and Thiessen plans to expand throughout B.C. and beyond as soon as financing permits.

Dr. Thiessen is planning to take the Smartsettle suite into other areas of negotiation. Currently in the research stage are applications to insurance settlements, supply agreements, and debt negotiation.

Dr. Thiessen has been invited to present his system to the United Nations and the government of British Columbia, and is presently in talks with an American law firm regarding expanding the service into the United States.

ABBOTSFORD CHAMBER