BAE SYSTEMS Increases its Focus on Support to Interoperability.

Business/Technology Editors

WAYLAND, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 7, 2001

The Open GIS Consortium, Inc. (OGC) (Wayland, Mass.) today announced that BAE SYSTEMS has become an OGC Strategic Member.

BAE SYSTEMS joined OGC in 1995 and has been a Principal Member of OGC since 1997. As BAE SYSTEMS has grown to become a premier integrator for the geospatial and imagery communities, they have recognized the need to also lead in the development, understanding and implementation of geospatial specifications and interoperability standards.

Under the terms of BAE SYSTEMS Strategic Membership -- the highest level of membership in OGC -- the company's Information Systems Sector will provide, on loan to OGC, a senior technical program manager, Terry Idol, who will serve full-time on OGC Staff as Deputy Director, Interoperability Program. Mr. Idol will support OGC's Interoperability Program Director, who is responsible for OGC's Interoperability Initiatives, which include testbeds, pilot projects, feasibility studies, technology insertion projects, and the OGC Network. Mr. Idol will assume responsibility for initiative preparation, architectural and non-architectural documentation, operations management, process and internal/external reporting functions. His work will focus on Open Web Services (OWS) initiatives that will drive the future architecture of imagery and geospatial systems for government and industry.

Mr. Idol has 19 years of experience in a variety of roles as a manager and engineer working with geospatial issues in both Government and private defense environments. His most recent position was that of a Deputy Program Manager supporting a multimillion-dollar government contract, and establishing a series of Integrated Product Teams to analyze all performance and obsolescence issues on computer systems approaching the end of their life cycles. He also served as the Software Maintenance Manager for various geospatial production systems used by a U.S. Federal Agency. Other past roles include working with the Terrain Modeling Project Office on the development of standards for three dimensional mapping, and leading a team of international geospatial trainers.

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 evolving their customers' existing non-interoperable systems into open environments. They will help bring an appropriate and complete set of requirements into OGC's process, while at the same time pioneering 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 over 225 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, and 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.