BAE SYSTEMS Continues Strategic Member Role in OGC.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

WAYLAND, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 3, 2003

The Open GIS Consortium, Inc. (OGC) today announced that BAE SYSTEMS has renewed its Strategic Membership in OGC. Strategic Membership is the highest level of membership in OGC.

BAE SYSTEMS joined OGC in 1995 and has been a Strategic Member of the Consortium since 2001. As a premier integrator for the geoprocessing and imagery communities and as a Strategic Member in OGC, BAE SYSTEMS plays a leading role in the development, understanding and implementation of OGC's OpenGIS Specifications for interoperability interfaces.

BAE SYSTEMS' continuing commitment to OGC reflects the company's understanding of their diverse clients' needs for interoperable geoprocessing. BAE SYSTEMS is able to help organizations and communities of organizations address increasingly complex problems that involve sharing spatial data and processing resources. Decision support for critical infrastructure protection, for example, may require some users to remotely access multiple sophisticated image processing servers while other users rely on real-time updates to simple maps on their Web-connected PDAs. These flows of data and instructions typically cross the boundaries of multiple proprietary software platforms, so interoperability interfaces are essential.

Jerry Atkison of BAE SYSTEMS Integrated Systems division said, "We continue to support the mission and objectives of OGC as a Strategic Member because of the impact the organization is having as a catalyst for interoperability within the GIS community. The OGC member companies have a strong history of aligning with commercial, national and international priorities and BAE SYSTEMS, as a large systems integrator, takes pride in our involvement with OGC. The recent focus on the need for GIS data interoperability across federal and local agencies is expected to pay large dividends in support of homeland security and international cooperation."

Under the terms of BAE SYSTEMS' Strategic Membership the company's Information Systems Sector provides, on loan to OGC, a senior technical program manager. Terry Idol serves full-time on OGC Staff as Deputy Director, Interoperability Program. His work focuses on the OGC Web Services (OWS) initiatives that are driving the future architecture of imagery and geospatial systems for government and industry.

Mr. Arliss Whiteside, also a BAE SYSTEMS employee, continues to play an active role as the company's Technical Committee representative to OGC. Arliss was presented OGC's 2001 Gardels Award for his outstanding accomplishments and contributions in developing critical elements of OGC's OpenGIS Specification program.

David Shell, President of OGC, said, "We are very fortunate to have BAE SYSTEMS providing this particular kind of support, dedicating a key contributor to oversee specific Interoperability Initiatives. The whole market is well served by their active approach to developing the open environment for geoprocessing. Besides their initiative support and specification development, they bring a complete set of requirements into OGC's process, and they also help pioneer the 'interface administration' role that replaces some of the functions that integrators served in the pre-interoperability era."

BAE SYSTEMS Information Systems Sector employs more than 3,000 people and has played a leading role in developing, integrating, and supporting high-quality image exploitation and archiving systems for stereo photogrammetry and photointerpretation, and mapping, charting and geodesy applications. Other major business areas include highly automated systems for supporting the full spectrum of battle management, mission planning and force execution objectives.

BAE SYSTEMS North America employs 22,000 people in the design, development, integration, manufacture and support of a wide range of advanced aerospace products and intelligent electronic systems for government and commercial customers.

BAE SYSTEMS is the truly global systems, defense, and aerospace company, designing and manufacturing civil and military aircraft, surface ships, submarines, space systems, radar, avionics, communications, electronics, guided weapon systems, and a range of other defense products. Employing some 100,000 people and with annual sales of around $18 billion, the company offers a global capability in air, sea, land, and space with a world-class prime contracting ability supported by a range of key skills.

OGC is an international industry consortium of more than 250 companies, government agencies 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 www.opengis.org.