By Raina O. Several years ago, Jan Mikalsen was living on the west coast of Norway, contemplating his next move after the closing of his Kongsberg Maritime office. While Kongsberg consolidated its business to the opposite side of the country, Mikalsen took stock of his strengths. He knew dynamic positioning systems (DPS), a software application designed mostly for offshore service vessels. He also knew there was room for improvement in the world's DP-systems. Mikalsen, who had worked for Kongsberg Maritime since 1973, was soon to become stiff competition for his former company.