Tauranga based information technology business Pingar is launching two Chinese language portals for its data discovery software.

The launch of these language portals is today at the Hong Kong International ICT Expo.

Pingar CEO Peter Wren-Hilton says the data discovery software is ‘game changing'.

One portal is in traditional Chinese and the other in simplified Chinese, enabling government, major corporates and SMEs in both Hong Kong and China to access Pingar's recently launched data management tools.

These tools are designed to improve an organisation's electronic data management.

Pingar co-founder and CEO Peter Wren-Hilton says the move supports Pingar's international business growth strategy, as well as the company's focus on allowing software architects and developers to use Pingar's advanced tool set for the particular needs of enterprise clients.

'This market was an early focus for delivering Pingar's new technology,” says Peter.

'Many of our key global partners are in China and they have referred to these components as ‘game-changing'.

'We wanted to make these tools available to them as quickly as possible given the massive commercial potential this region offers.

'This is the culmination of four years of repeat market visits and engagement with both commercial and government agency partners in this region.”

Pingar's tools solve the headache of managing large amounts of information and can help organisations use stored content to their advantage.

Pingar recently moved to a new software model, launching an application programming interface (API) to allow more flexible access to Pingar's technology.

An API allows one software program to ‘speak to' another program so that the two can interact to perform various functions.

In Pingar's case, its API allows a company's existing software to work with Pingar's advanced data analysis and search technology to manage the company's unstructured electronic data.

Unstructured data can include documents, web-pages, emails, news or any kind of text. Companies can review massive amounts of data at the touch of a button.

The Chinese release of Pingar's API includes unique new tools that allow for query segmentation.

This means the tools effectively understand the meanings of different groupings and combinations of Chinese characters – something that was not essential in the English API.

The announcement comes as PINGAR opens its new office at the Cyberport Innovation Park in Hong Kong.

Mark Lunt, a former chairman of gen-i, has been appointed as Pingar regional director for Hong Kong and China and will build Pingar's team in the region.

'Working with partners including Microsoft and Compose System in this region we understand the scale of opportunity for Pingar's technology platform,” says Mark.

'Establishing an office in Hong Kong, launching these Chinese language portals and making the Chinese language API freely available for developers are critical steps in helping us capitalise on that opportunity.”

Pingar first demonstrated its Chinese language search technology in July 2010 at the Shanghai World Expo.

In October last year, Pingar signed a research memorandum of understanding with East China Normal University in Shanghai during New Zealand's first ICT Ministerial Mission to China.