1.5 MILLION EXPLORE UK COURTESY OF SEATTLE IMAGING FIRM.

Through the magic of new computer technology, everyday citizens of the United Kingdom will enjoy the opportunity to see and explore their entire homeland in a way never before possible, and Seattle-based LizardTech Inc., a leader in imaging technologies, is helping to make it all possible. LizardTech, which recently acquired AT&T's DjVU technologies and products, has provided the British National Space Centre (BNSC) with the key technology to allow the people of the U.K. to view this unique "space atlas" and see in great detail their cities and countryside.

Everyone, from educators, parents and children to bus drivers, retail workers and even the guards outside Buckingham Palace, will now be able to explore every corner of their country and even compete in the nationwide "Treasure Hunt" -- all from the comfort of an easy chair and a computer. And, they don't even need to log on to the Internet!

Through distribution with every one of London's Sunday Times newspaper on April 9, 2000, the BNSC will distribute its interactive CD "Window on the UK 2000" to over 1.5 million newspaper readers and their families totally free of charge. Users of the CD will be able to "fly" over every square foot of Great Britain and zoom in at will to see the topography, buildings and, in some cases, the cars and traffic on the streets. In addition, those who receive the CD will have access to topographic images that can be located by postal code, keyword, data type or by simply clicking on a map. Included with the more than 7GB of imagery on a single CD, will be a screen saver, souvenir calendar and a real treasure hunt game with prizes. Written in HTML, the applications will perform like a Web site, but without the need for an Internet connection.

LizardTech's MrSID Geospatial Edition software was used by the U.K.'s key air and space scientific community to produce the CD. The MrSID Imaging Language reduces storage requirements of high-resolution images by reducing them to less than 5 percent of their original size. MrSID eliminates the need for multiple images for different purposes by encoding a digital map or photo into a single-source image of reduced file size that maintains the quality and integrity of the original. MrSID's unique technology was essential for the BNSC for organizing over 400 satellite and aerial images that it acquired onto one user-friendly CD.

"Information from space is regularly featured in the media, but usually has no connection to the audience's life," stated Dr. Richard Saull, head of Applications Market Development at the BNSC. "By making satellite images available that cover the whole country, in a mass media publication such as The Sunday Times, the whole audience will see that information from space is applicable to them -- a vital step in developing the market. We couldn't have done this without using such state-of-the-art technology as MrSID."

"Clearly the Window on the U.K. project provides a great opportunity for all parties to make clear to the public the incredible strides that have been made in imaging technology," said John R. Grizz Deal, LizardTech's president and CEO. "This collaboration marks another milestone in making high-level technology available to everyday users and we are most proud to be involved in this achievement."

About the British National Space Centre

BNSC is Britain's space agency. BNSC advises and acts on behalf of Government and the Research Councils, to provide a focus for U.K. civil space policies, and help win the best possible scientific, economic and social values from putting space to work. The U.K. is the world's second biggest user of space data and technology. BNSC runs programs for the support and development of: Earth Observation, Space Science, Satellite Navigation/ Communications Systems, Education and Awareness and Market Development. Funding for U.K. space activities comes from BNSC's Partners, and the main contributors are the Department of Trade & Industry, Ministry of Defense, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, Natural Environment Research Council, Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council and the Meteorological Office. BNSC also promotes Earth observation in education. BNSC ( http://www.bnsc.gov.uk ) has funded the production of the "Window on the UK 2000" CDROMs as part of it's mission to promote the use of data from satellites.

About MrSID

LizardTech's MrSID provides users instant access to digital images of any size while providing the highest quality images available anywhere. MrSID was developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory by the same team that developed the Federal Bureau of Investigation standard for fingerprint image compression. MrSID has been designed specifically for customers who have large file sizes, need fast access to their images and cannot tolerate any visible loss in image quality. The MrSID product line includes MrSID Geospatial Edition, MrSID Publishing Edition, MrSID Image Server and MrSID Photo Edition, as well as MrSID viewers. The products are currently available from LizardTech directly and from over 1,500 authorized resellers worldwide. MrSID increases productivity, reduces transmission times and storage requirements of high-resolution images, and delivers reproduction quality from single-source images that can be re-purposed for any output device -- from a Web site thumbnail to billboard size poster.

About LizardTech

Founded in 1992, LizardTech is a privately-held company focused on innovative solutions that provide users of all levels with bandwidth optimization and instant access to high-resolution, multipurpose digital images and multimedia content. The company licensed Generation I of its MrSID technology from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and acquired its DjVu(TM) technology from AT&T Labs for the commercialization of both product lines. LizardTech is now integrating its next-generation image software into a wide variety of platforms and applications under its Chromafire Imaging Solutions brand.

LizardTech's innovative technology has been recognized by its customers and integration partners, including Adobe Systems(R), Graphic Arts Center (GAC), the Library of Congress, ESRI(R), Net Libraries, Getty Images(R) (art.com) and hundreds of others worldwide. LizardTech's technologies are on more than 10 million desktops and integrated into over 200 applications. LizardTech's investors and shareholders include Oak Investment Partners, AT&T, Encompass Ventures, SeaPoint Ventures, Kirlan Ventures, Summit Ventures, Shurtleff Group and Staenberg Private Capital. In 1998, LizardTech was voted the Washington Software Alliance's Most Promising New Company. Additional information about the Seattle-based company can be found on the World Wide Web at www.lizardtech.com. LizardTech Europe is located in the Netherlands and can be contacted at: LizardTech Europe B.V., Hullenbergweg 379- 5th/6th Floor, 1101 CR Amsterdam Z.O., Netherlands. Phone: [phone], Technical Support [phone], e-mail [e-mail].

For more information, visit http://www.lizardtech.com or call 206-652-5211.