The ability to take a bird’s eye view of the Earth and analyse the planet from above are critical aspects of supra-local planning as well as numerous other disciplines. GAF has now been carrying out pioneering work in this field for 25 years. In the process the company, together with its subsidiary Euromap, has become the largest provider of a range of commercial satellite imagery and geodata sets in Germany. In addition to the provision of data, GAF offers a combination of GIS technology and software development carried out in-house that is unique well beyond the borders of Germany. The company’s portfolio is also strengthened by the provision of customer-oriented consultancy services.
Dr. Rupert Haydn was behind the initiative that led to the creation of GAF. He founded the company in Munich in 1985 together with partners Agrar- und Hydrotechnik (AHT) and the Wittelsbacher Compensation Fund (WAF). Following exemplary development of the company during its first 15 years of experience, the limited liability company (GmbH) was converted into a public limited company (AG). From 2003, the shares in the company were gradually acquired by the Italian company Telespazio SpA, which had identified at an early stage the excellent positioning and potential of GAF in the field of domestic and international geoinformation services and products. Three years ago, responsibility for the GAF AG Management Board passed to Dr. Peter Volk, an employee with many years of experience at the senior management level in the company. Very satisfied public and commercial clients from almost 100 countries form the basis of the GAF success story: the company is now known as a skilled and reliable partner for the entire project cycle. As one of the first companies to be active in the field of geoinformation, GAF set new standards in terms of quality, sustainability and reliability. Consequently, a high quality and multi-disciplinary portfolio of products and services has been developed. With its experience and outstanding expertise, GAF has for many years been at the cutting edge of spatial software development, GIS and database applications and institutional consulting.
GAF was established in 1985 with a staff of five. It now employees 150 highly qualified experts from the fields of IT and remote sensing technology providing skills and expertise in a broad range of disciplines. This diverse expert knowledge combined with considerable project experience enables GAF to develop specific products and services tailored to the needs of clients and the market. These activities are complemented by Euromap, a subsidiary that works together with the German Space Agency (DLR) in the field of data reception and distribution,supported by a global network of partners.
A key contribution to the success of GAF is made by the experienced departmental heads. With their highly motivated teams of technical and thematic experts, they realise innovative solutions that utilise cutting edge technology and the latest methods.
There are excellent opportunities for the company to achieve solid and sustainable growth particularly in the European and also international arenas. This is helped by GAF’s extensive network, its close cooperation with DLR, which is a key partner for software and Earth observation data, as well as the integration into the eGeos and Telespazio group of space service companies, which are embedded in the Space Alliance formed by Thales and Finmeccanica.
Dr. Peter Volk sees a positive outlook for the business, “when one has experienced how strong development has been in recent years in the geoinformation and neighbouring markets. We are particularily considering the opportunities that will arise in the upcoming years as a result of the flood of high and ultra-high Earth observation data being made available. GAF with its assets can indeed view the future with great confidence.”
For more information, please contact
GAF AG
Tel. ++49 (0) 89 121528-0
info@gaf.de
www.gaf.de