Tobin International and Kodak Win Aerial Imaging Business To Support Land Mapping Project In Russia.

Business Editors

SAN ANTONIO, TX /ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 2000

Tobin International, Inc. (Delaware) and Eastman Kodak Company announced today that their combined aerial photo lab proposal has been approved by the World Bank's Land Reform Implementation Support Project (LARIS) for implementation later this year in Russia.

The LARIS project contract will expand the aerial photographic lab capabilities of the Cartographic Production Centers in Moscow and Omsk and provide necessary aerial photographic materials. Tobin, with an established presence in Russia, is the prime contractor and is responsible for product installation and customer interface.

The World Bank reports that the main objective of LARIS is to accelerate the implementation of land reforms by introducing a uniform land registration system in Russia. The project will support the development of an automated land registration system, a supplemental land registration program, development of land cadastre mapping and provision of training and technical assistance for land valuation.

"The reputation of Kodak for delivering the highest quality products and services is known around the world and was a key contributor to the team's win," said Bruce Wallace, vice president and director of international business development for Tobin.

Tobin, with over 70 years of aerial mapping experience, offers a broad range of services in mapping, remote sensing, global information systems, photogrammetric engineering, software/hardware integration, and data storage management. Tobin has been providing aerial mapping services in Russia since 1993, primarily for the oil and gas industry.

"In 1998, Kodak teamed with Tobin to market aerial film products in Russia and the LARIS contract represents another important step in growing this emerging market," said Dan Brake, general manager of Aerial Imaging, a business center within Kodak's Commercial & Government Systems (C&GS) unit.

For LARIS, Kodak will be delivering aerial film and related products to Tobin for use at the Cartographic Production Centers in the cities of Omsk and Moscow in Russia.

"This LARIS mapping program opens the door for use of color films which provide improved land use classification, a critical aspect of Russia's land infrastructure development plans," said Uszer Teigman, manager strategic planning C&GS commercial markets and C&GS business manager for the LARIS effort.

Kodak's Aerial Imaging unit is the leading provider of high-resolution aerial imaging products and services worldwide, including camera and duplicating films in black-and-white, infrared and color for topographical and structural surveys, GIS, mapping, agriculture, environmental protection, photogrammetry, land management and urban planning.

Tobin leads the digital mapping industry with an unduplicated base of resources and experience. Tobin has been providing aerial photos for the petroleum industry since the 1930s and has successfully branched out into the public sector by providing imagery for municipalities and state governments throughout the U.S. In the past 10 years, Tobin has merged with two important digital imagery companies and formed alliances with several key players in the industry to become the premier providers of imagery solutions.

Editor's Note: For additional information about Kodak, visit our web site on the Internet at: www.kodak.com/ 2000