[OGC Press Release] Leica Geosystems Geospatial Imaging Takes Principal Membership in the OGC

[OGC Press Release]

PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For information about this announcement, contact:

Sam Bacharach
Executive Director, Outreach and Community Adoption
Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc
tel: +1-703-352-3938
sbacharach at opengeospatial.org

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Wayland, MA, October 11, 2007. The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) (
http://www.opengeospatial.org announced that Leica Geosystems Geospatial 
Imaging has increased its level of membership in the OGC to become a 
Principal Member.

Principal Members have authority over the development, release and
adoption of OpenGIS® Specifications through their voting rights in
the OGC Planning Committee (PC). Principal Members also evaluate and
provide guidance on market direction and Consortium focus, have
approval authority for OGC policies and procedures, and vote to elect
members of the OGC Board of Directors.

In line with its commitment to provide and support standards-based
geospatial data management solutions, Leica Geosystems recently
acquired Acquis, ER Mapper and IONIC. IONIC has been active for many
years in the OGC Technical Committee, Planning Committee, Architecture
Board, and Board of Directors.

Mark Reichardt, President, OGC, said "Leica Geosystems' move
to Principal Membership in the OGC makes sense in terms of maximizing
the potential for synergy in their acquisition of IONIC, ER Mapper and
Acquis. The IONIC team based their platform on OGC standards, and the
combined company's expanded commitment to the Consortium indicates
a continuation of this forward-looking strategy."

Bob Morris, President & CEO, Leica Geosystems Geospatial Imaging,
said, "Leica Geosystems' recent acquisitions enable us to
provide a comprehensive portfolio of integrated geospatial solutions
to meet a broad spectrum of customer needs in today's enterprise
environment. We are firmly committed to the OGC interoperability
vision and look forward to increased involvement in the
Consortium."

About Leica Geosystems Geospatial Imaging

Leica Geosystems Geospatial Imaging provides a broad array of
photogrammetry and remote sensing software solutions to help
geospatial professionals capture data efficiently, reference imagery
accurately, measure and analyze data easily and present spatial
information, even in 3D. Those who use Leica Geosystems Geospatial
Imaging products every day trust them for their precision, their
seamless integration, and their superior customer support. Leica
Geosystems is part of the Hexagon Group, Sweden. For more information
about Leica or its products and services, call +1 770 776 3400, toll
free +1 866 534 2286, or visit www.gi.leica-geosystems.com


About The Open Geospatial Consortium

The OGC® is an international industry consortium of more than 350
companies, government agencies, research organizations, and
universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly
available interface specifications. OpenGIS® Specifications
support interoperable solutions that "geo-enable" the Web,
wireless and location-based services, and mainstream IT. The
specifications empower technology developers to make complex spatial
information and services accessible and useful with all kinds of
applications. Visit the OGC website at   http://www.opengeospatial.org.