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<p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'>PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'>For information about this announcement, contact:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'>Anita Havele<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'>Executive Director <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'>Web3D Consortium<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'>Phone: +1.248.342.7662</span><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'><a href="mailto:anita.havele@web3d.org">anita.havele@web3d.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'>Web3D and OGC to build cohesive standards for location-based 3D
Web visualization services</span><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'>Menlo Park, Feb 2, 2010 - The Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc.
(OGC) and the Web3D Consortium have updated their Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) to cooperatively advance their standards to support Web-based 3D
visualization, modeling and simulation. The updated MOU includes membership
sharing between the two organizations with a strong determination to build
cohesive, durable standards that complement each other well. This agreement
will enable OGC and Web3D Consortium members to each collaborate in common
Working Group development activities. The goal is to align the Web3D
Consortium’s X3D standard with OGC standards to improve location-based 3D
visualization.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'>As 3D becomes more and more accessible to end users, Web3D and
OGC envision the synthesis of 2D maps with 3D immersive worlds. X3D is seen as
an excellent, stable open standard for 3D geospatial data portrayal. The
inclusion of interactive Internet-based 3D graphics will provide geospatial
users with a richer and more compelling experience. Among the many benefits of
this collaboration will be improved location-enabled 3D web portrayal services
to support architecture planning, engineering, climate prediction, security,
defense and intelligence. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'>Mark Reichardt, President of OGC, stated, "OGC is pleased
to renew its alliance partnership arrangement with the Web3D standards
organization. The work of the OGC and Web3D Consortium complement each
other, each addressing different problems to meet shared community needs for 3D
information management, fusion, visualization, analysis and modeling." <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'>The two groups met at the 71st OGC TC/PC meeting in Mountain
View California in December 2009 to discuss the strengths of X3D as a 3D
presentation/portrayal systems for OGC standards. Discussions were also held on
how to integrate X3D with other OGC standards such as City GML. As a
direct result of these meetings, Web3D member company Planet 9 Studios (<a
href="http://www.planet9.com"><span style='color:#0F243E'>www.planet9.com</span></a>)
was invited to develop X3D-based flight interfaces as part of OGCs’ 2010
OWS-7 test bed project. Key sponsors of this test bed include key agencies such
as the FAA, Eurocontrol, NOAA and NGA. Planet 9 CEO, David Colleen, said
“We look forward to adapting X3D to the demanding needs of flight
planning and control including cutting-edge weather simulation, in-flight
information, and high-resolution geographic depiction.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'>"According to our customers, X3D brings new 3D
visualization and interactivity capabilities into GIS applications in
combination with OGC's CityGML format," according to Peter Schickel, Vice
President of Web3D Consortium and CEO of Bitmanagement Software GmbH (<a
href="http://www.bitmanagement.com"><span style='color:#0F243E'>www.bitmanagement.com</span></a>).
His company's new whitepaper regarding <a
href="http://www.bitmanagement.com/files/company/whitepaper/20091211_Bitmanagement_GEO_Whitepaper_final_en.pdf"><span
style='color:#0F243E'>Online Geo Visualization</span></a> describes multiple
working applications for consumer and GIS use-cases.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'>“This alliance is important to both organizations,"
noted Alan Hudson, President of both Web3D Consortium and Yumetech Inc. (<a
href="http://www.yumetech.com"><span style='color:#0F243E'>www.yumetech.com</span></a>)
"Industry definitely needs collaborative open standards for location-based
interactive 3D visualization, benefitting users with a richer and more
meaningful geospatial experience.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'>About the Open Geospatial Consortium:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'>The OGC is an international industry consortium of more than 385
companies, government agencies, research organizations, and universities
participating in a consensus process to develop open interface specifications.
OpenGIS® Specifications support interoperable solutions that
“geo-enable” the Web, 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 <a href="http://www.opengeospatial.org"><span
style='color:#0F243E'>http://www.opengeospatial.org</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'>About the Web3D Consortium:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif";
color:#0F243E'>The Web3D Consortium is a non-profit, international standards
organization that uses its broad-based industry support to continue developing
the X3D specification. X3D is the ISO standard for web based 3D and is widely
used in animation, simulation, navigation, medical and design applications.
Through well-coordinated efforts with ISO, W3C, DICOM, Khronos and OGC, the
Web3D Consortium is expanding its support for these important communities of
users. Visit the Web3D Consortium at <a href="http://www.web3d.org"><span
style='color:#0F243E'>http://www.web3d.org</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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