CARIS

What CARIS does

CARIS (Teledyne CARIS) is a Fredericton, New Brunswick-based software company founded in 1979 and now operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Teledyne Technologies Inc. (NYSE: TDY), with a headcount of 51-100 employees. It develops specialized marine GIS and hydrographic software for processing sonar data, managing bathymetric datasets, and producing nautical charts compliant with IHO S-57 and S-100 standards, serving national hydrographic offices, private survey companies, port authorities, and defense organizations globally. Over its 45+ year operating history, the company has built a domain-specific platform plus-module architecture covering the full survey-to-chart workflow.

The product architecture is anchored by three core platforms: HIPS and SIPS for sonar data processing and quality control, HPD (Hydrographic Production Database) for enterprise chart production, and CARIS Cloud for hosted bathymetric and chart data services. These are extended by a broad module catalog spanning entry-level (Essential) and professional processing tiers, real-time onboard vessel processing (CARIS Onboard), automated sonar noise classification, engineering analysis, S-57 and S-100 composers, automated paper chart production (AutoChart 2.0), FME interoperability tools, and a free data viewer (CARIS Easy View). The technology stack emphasizes regulatory compliance with IHO standards, large-dataset management, and precision chart production rather than general-purpose GIS functionality.

Revenue is generated through three streams: one-time software licenses, recurring annual subscriptions and maintenance contracts, and professional services including training and academic partnering. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the company sells through direct enterprise field sales to government hydrographic offices and defense agencies, supplemented by industry events (IHO Assembly, Canadian Hydrography Conference, Hydrospatial, Oceanology International, Ocean Business) and a sales request workflow on its website. Geographic reach is claimed as global, though primary operational disclosure is concentrated in Canada under Teledyne ownership.

Name

CARIS

Legal name

Teledyne CARIS

Website

https://caris.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Teledyne CARIS is a Fredericton-based marine GIS software subsidiary of Teledyne Technologies, building sonar processing, bathymetric data management, and IHO-compliant nautical chart production tools for hydrographic offices, survey companies, ports, and defense organizations worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hydrographic and Marine GIS Software

NAICS

Navigational Services to Shipping (48833), Navigational Services to Shipping (488330), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360)

SIC

Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

GIS & Spatial Data Management Platforms (BPAMANAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nautical Safety, Navigation Aids & Hydrographic Services (TLAHAFAE), Geospatial Data Management & Enterprise GIS (Geodatabases, Web GIS, Spatial Analytics) (EUAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Hydrographic software
• Marine GIS solutions
• Sonar data processing
• Chart production software
• Bathymetric data management

Headquarters

HQ city

Fredericton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses: Sale of software licenses for hydrographic processing, chart production, and data management products. Includes various product tiers from Essential to Professional editions.
2. Software Subscriptions and Maintenance: Annual maintenance contracts and subscription services providing access to updates, technical support, and cloud-based services.
3. Professional Services and Training: Training programs, academic partnering, and professional support services for software implementation and usage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Teledyne CARIS develops and sells hydrographic and marine GIS software for sonar data processing, bathymetric data management, and nautical chart production. The software platform supports real-time survey data processing, S-100/IHO-compliant chart production, and cloud-based data services. Customers include national hydrographic offices, survey companies, port authorities, and defence agencies worldwide.

Product overview

Teledyne CARIS offers a comprehensive platform-plus-modules software architecture for the marine GIS community. The core products include HIPS & SIPS for sonar data processing, HPD (Hydrographic Production Database) for chart production, and CARIS Cloud for hosted services. These are supplemented by specialized modules including SIPS Essential and HIPS Essential (entry-level processing), HIPS Professional and HIPS & SIPS Professional (advanced processing), CARIS Onboard (real-time vessel processing), Bathy DataBASE (data management), Sonar Noise Classifier (data quality), Engineering Analysis Module (advanced analysis), S-57 Composer and S-100 Composer (chart production), CARIS AutoChart 2.0 (automated charting), BASE Editor (surface editing), Paper Chart Composer (paper charts), LOTS Limits & Boundaries (maritime boundaries), S-100 Data Management System, 7Cs Analyzer, and FME integration tools. The CARIS Cloud sub-brand provides hosted services including Bathy Data Service, S-57 ENC Service, and Chart Data Service. A free viewer option is available through CARIS Easy View.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HIPS & SIPS Comprehensive sonar data processing software for hydrographic survey workflows, enabling bathymetric data processing, sonar imagery analysis, and quality control. Used by hydrographic offices and survey companies.
• CARIS Onboard Real-time hydrographic processing system enabling survey data processing directly on vessels during acquisition for immediate quality assessment.
• Sonar Noise Classifier
• Engineering Analysis Module
• Bathy DataBASE
• HPD (Hydrographic Production Database)
• S-57 Composer
• S-100 Composer
• CARIS AutoChart 2.0 Automated chart production solution for streamlined creation of electronic and paper nautical charts with minimal manual intervention.
• LOTS Limits & Boundaries
• BASE Editor
• Paper Chart Composer
• S-100 Data Management System
• 7Cs Analyzer
• S-57 Writer for FME
• S-101 Reader for FME
• S-101 Writer for FME
• CARIS Cloud
• CARIS Bathy Data Service
• CARIS S-57 ENC Service
• CARIS Chart Data Service
• CARIS Easy View

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Esri: Esri's ArcGIS platform is the dominant enterprise GIS, including an ArcGIS Maritime extension for nautical charting and bathymetric data management. It competes with CARIS at the platform level where large hydrographic offices already standardize on Esri, while CARIS specializes more deeply in sonar processing and S-100 chart production.
• Hexagon Geospatial: Hexagon Geospatial (formerly Intergraph ERDAS) provides geospatial and photogrammetry software that overlaps with marine mapping and bathymetric data management. Its broad enterprise footprint positions it as a broad incumbent that can bundle hydrographic functionality into wider geospatial platforms.
• Kongsberg Maritime: Kongsberg Maritime supplies hydrographic echo sounders, multibeam systems, and integrated maritime navigation software. Its surveying systems and navigation offerings sit adjacent to CARIS's processing and chart-production software, creating a complementary and partially overlapping vendor relationship.

Direct peers

• QPS (Quality Positioning Services): QPS develops hydrographic and dredging software (QINSy, Qimera, Fledermaus) for survey acquisition, processing, and 3D visualization. It is a direct competitor in sonar data processing and bathymetric chart production workflows serving hydrographic offices and survey companies.
• EIVA: EIVA produces hydrographic software for survey planning, acquisition, and processing (e.g., NaviPac, NaviModel, NaviEdit). It directly competes with CARIS in marine survey and chart production software for commercial survey companies and hydrographic offices.
• HYPACK: HYPACK (also part of Teledyne) offers hydrographic survey software for data acquisition, processing, and chart production. As a sister Teledyne unit, it competes for the same survey-company and hydrographic-office customers, making it a direct internal peer.

Emerging players

• Exail (formerly iXblue): Exail delivers inertial navigation, sonar, and unmanned maritime systems, including hydrographic survey tooling. While more hardware-oriented, it increasingly offers integrated software components that intersect with the survey-processing workflows dominated by CARIS.
• Triton Imaging Inc: Triton Imaging provides sonar data processing and visualization software for hydrographic and geophysical surveys, overlapping with CARIS HIPS & SIPS for side-scan and multibeam analysis in specialized sub-segments of the market.

Others

• Teledyne Geospatial (parent-level): Teledyne Geospatial is the broader imaging/geospatial division of Teledyne Technologies (CARIS's parent). It encompasses complementary geospatial, photogrammetry, and remote-sensing assets and channels, providing ecosystem context for CARIS within a larger geospatial portfolio.

Regional players

• Beam Sea Research: Beam (BEAM Sea Research/World) provides hydrographic and oceanographic software tools used by regional survey markets. It competes for entry-level and mid-tier hydrographic processing customers in markets where CARIS Professional may be cost-prohibitive.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/caris_gis
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CARISGIS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caris

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CARIS