We’re pleased to welcome Adam Morgan to UltramapGlobal as our new Software Developer.
Adam brings nine years of software engineering experience, including developing high-availability backend systems, building user-facing applications and managing engineering teams across the UK and Spain.
We spoke to Adam about his background, what attracted him to UltramapGlobal and what he is looking forward to working on.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your background in software development?
Hi, I’m Adam, a software engineer with nine years of experience, primarily within the transport sector.
I’ve mainly worked on high-availability backend systems, although my roles have often required me to be flexible. This has included building user-facing applications, such as a transport app used by thousands of people every day.
Throughout my career, I’ve progressed through several levels of seniority. I also spent several years as a Software Development Manager, leading engineering teams across the UK and Spain.
What first interested you in technology and software development?
When I was 15, I had the opportunity to complete work experience at a local software development company. The developers did a fantastic job of introducing me to the industry, and I came away eager to pursue a career in software development.
Until then, I had naively assumed I was destined for a career in rugby. However, my focus quickly shifted towards building small applications and absorbing any O’Reilly books I could get my hands on.
Which technologies and areas of development have you worked with most?
My speciality is building backend systems, predominantly using REST-based Java microservices within event-driven architectures.
As team priorities evolved, I also frequently contributed to frontend development. This included building web applications with React and Angular, as well as cross-platform mobile applications for iOS and Android using Angular and the Ionic framework.
Is there a project or technical challenge that you are particularly proud of?
I spent several years working on an Account-Based Ticketing platform alongside a team of exceptionally talented developers.
Although Account-Based Ticketing solutions have become more common in recent years, we were operating at the forefront of transport technology at the time.
My main focus was the payment engine, which I architected and largely developed. The system went on to process millions of pounds in transactions without any incidents.
Payment systems naturally face considerable scrutiny and auditing, so this experience helped solidify my approach to building highly available, reliable and secure software.
What attracted you to UltramapGlobal and the Software Developer role?
Perhaps it’s a slightly left-field answer, but I was attracted to the Software Developer role because of my interest in the defence sector.
The safety of subsea infrastructure has become a matter of national security, as demonstrated by several major events in recent years. We must take the growing threats to this infrastructure seriously, particularly because so many people rely on it without necessarily realising it.
I’ve always believed that developers produce their best work when they’re solving problems that genuinely interest them. The opportunity to work in this area with a global leader such as UltramapGlobal was one I couldn’t pass up.
What are you most looking forward to about joining the team?
I’m looking forward to getting stuck in and delivering work that makes a meaningful difference for our users.
I’ve never worked in a development team that didn’t have a mountain of backlog items, and I’m sure this one will be no different!
For me, the greatest satisfaction as a developer comes from seeing people benefit from your work. You’re only as happy as your least happy user.
How will your work contribute to UltramapGlobal’s technology and services?
My role is about maintaining the high standards of UltramapGlobal’s current platforms while helping to shape what comes next.
I’ll focus on keeping our core products performant, resilient and dependable for existing users. At the same time, I’ll be exploring how we can use modern technologies to enhance UltramapGlobal’s future product suite.
Which areas of the platform are you most looking forward to working on?
I’m incredibly excited to work with AssetMonitor.
Throughout my career, I’ve been drawn to geographic information system projects. The first project I worked on as a professional developer was a GIS-based search engine, and I’ve experimented with several personal GIS projects ever since.
What do you enjoy most about solving complex technical problems?
I’ve always found this difficult to explain to friends who aren’t developers. The most common comparison is the thrill of solving a complicated puzzle.
However, I prefer a slightly questionable analogy involving a form of extreme plumbing, where the goal is to get water flowing from point A to point B.
Software development generally boils down to an input and an output. The fun lies in everything between the two and working out how to make that output flow as intended.
Are there any developments in software, data or monitoring technology that you find particularly interesting?
There is obviously a significant focus on AI at the moment, particularly on how businesses can harness its capabilities to meet their own and their users’ needs.
It certainly isn’t a silver bullet, but I find the practical applications of AI most exciting when they genuinely save people time.
That could mean using generative tools internally to automate boilerplate tasks and accelerate developer workflows. It could also involve embedding intelligent data processing into applications so users receive immediate, context-aware insights.
What makes software reliable and useful for customers working with critical infrastructure?
When you’re building software for critical infrastructure, reliability means that the system stays out of the user’s way and simply works.
For me, that begins with assuming that things will break and designing the system accordingly. This includes building in deep redundancy and high availability to eliminate single points of failure.
It also requires self-correcting systems that can recover automatically from network disruptions or sudden increases in demand without requiring manual intervention.
However, staying online isn’t enough. You also need high-performance monitoring and alerting to identify service degradation before the customer notices a problem.
What would you like to have achieved by the end of your first year at UltramapGlobal?
By the end of my first year, I want to have developed a thorough understanding of our existing products and delivered features that make a noticeable difference to our daily users.
Success would also mean helping to establish solid foundations for UltramapGlobal’s next phase of product development.
How would you describe the way you like to work as part of a development team?
High-performing teams generally share the same qualities: collaborative working, proactive knowledge sharing and avoiding silos wherever possible.
I strongly believe in this approach because it closely reflects principles from sports psychology around lifting up the people around you.
The purpose of a development team is to enable everyone to play to their strengths while learning from others in the areas where they have weaknesses.
What do you enjoy doing outside work?
My main passion is history. I spend far more time than I’d like to admit reading, watching videos and listening to history podcasts.
I’m also a keen sports fan, particularly when it comes to rugby, cricket and football. As a result, I spend a fair amount of my weekends watching my teams lose more often than not.
When annual leave permits, my partner, Jorja, and I enjoy travelling. Over the past year, we’ve visited several places across Japan, Italy and Normandy. Next year, we’ll be travelling to South Africa for a safari and a trip along the Garden Route to Cape Town.
Is there anything your new colleagues might be surprised to learn about you?
I’m currently spending most of my evenings writing my first novel, and I have the exceptionally unlikely ambition of becoming a published author.
Watch this space!
Welcome to UltramapGlobal, Adam. We’re delighted to have you on the team.
