OGC and PCIA Announce Agreement to Co-Promote Open Location Services

Wayland, MA, USA, March 12, 2002. The Open GIS Consortium, Inc. (OGC) and the Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA), Alexandria, VA, today announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to advance the interoperability of geospatial information systems in wireless communications.Under the agreement, OGC and PCIA will formalize programs and processes to advance policy and technology interoperability based on the needs and interest of their members. Both organizations advocate that by improving the ability of various networks and user appliances to interoperate technology developers and service providers will be able to better take advantage of the tremendous market growth potential in location-based services.David Schell, President of OGC, noted, “Reducing technology risk is a major focus of OGC. OGC members specify interfaces, which enable developers to create open spatial solutions, including location service solutions that operate on a variety of personal devices, wireless networks and applications. Much of the work takes place in OGC's Open Location Services Testbed. The partnership with PCIA will help us create an open platform for providers and ultimately better solutions for government, business and consumer users of personal communications devices and services.”OGC and PCIA will collaborate on specific programs and activities that will allow their respective members to collectively advance efficient, safe and desirable services based on geo-location. OGC will participate on PCIA's Education Advisory Council to develop educational track content for PCIA GlobalXChange 2002, September 17-19, in New Orleans. OGC and PCIA will host a joint day-long workshop at GlobalXChange 2002 to educate CEO's and other key decision makers on the critical role that system interoperability plays in rolling out location based services in a wireless environment. PCIA will participate in OGC's Special Interest Groups as appropriate to provide members with timely reports concerning the state of wireless communications.PCIA President and CEO Jay Kitchen comments that working with OGC affirms its commitment to accelerating the mobile convergence market. “PCIA is committed to arming our members with the tools and information they need to take advantage of the next era of wireless. The role of spatial technologies and services in wireless communications is about to explode. With OGC, we plan to explore the possibilities and implications of this issue from a regulatory, marketing and technical standpoint and use the information to advance the cause of our membership.”About OGC OGC is an international industry consortium of more than 230 companies, government agencies and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available geoprocessing specifications. OpenGIS® Specifications support interoperable solutions that “geo-enable” the Web 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.opengeospatial.org .About PCIA PCIA is an association of companies working together to increase the reach, frequency and impact of wireless technology integration into the enterprise, business and consumer markets. With a history of launching and nurturing wireless industries, PCIA addresses wireless issues from a marketplace, regulatory and technical perspective. PCIA members include interdependent companies that provide mobile technology solutions to every sector of the economy. For more information visit www.pcia.com .– end –“