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Microsoft Enhances Virtual Earth Product in Great Britain

Microsoft Enhances Virtual Earth Product in Great Britain With High-Resolution 3-D Height Data From Intermap Technologies. Update delivers a more seamless and accurate 3-D experience.

June 19, 2007
Microsoft Corp. and Intermap Technologies Corp. today announced
the launch of Microsoft’s enhanced Virtual Earth™ 3-D viewing platform
based on Intermap Technologies’ highly accurate and up-to-date
elevation data for all of Great Britain. Intermap is also creating
similar maps for all of Western Europe and the continental United
States. The resulting product delivers a more seamless and accurate
3-D experience for all Internet users visiting Microsoft’s Live Search
Maps for England, Scotland and Wales.
Intermap’s precise and uniform 3-D digital terrain model serves as
the foundation for the placement and alignment of aerial photography
and other geospatial images. These images are then layered upon this
3-D foundation to better align and place objects without distortion or
undulation, thus creating a superior end product.
“Microsoft is committed to delivering the highest-accuracy and
highest-quality product for our Live Search Maps customers, and this
enhancement is another step toward meeting this commitment,”
said Aric Weiker, director of product management for the Virtual Earth platform at Microsoft. “Having
Intermap’s highly accurate and reliable foundation layer under our
imagery and building models allows us to provide one of the most
accurate viewing experiences on the Internet today.”
Live Search Maps is Microsoft’s online local search and mapping
service that combines unique bird’s-eye imagery with advanced driving
directions, Yellow Pages and other local search tools. Powered by the
company’s Virtual Earth mapping and location platform, these features
give users useful new ways to map and find directions to various
locations, and to better visualize their surroundings from multiple
aerial vantage points.
“This is a fundamental change for the industry as Microsoft raises the bar for accuracy and realistic 3-D experiences,” said Eric DesRoche, senior vice president of automotive and consumer electronics at Intermap. “While
an accurate visualization application is important to deliver to
consumers, our relationship with Microsoft begins to pave the way for
the delivery of additional value-added products for the business and
consumer markets within Great Britain, Europe and the U.S.”
As part of Intermap’s worldwide proactive data collection efforts,
Great Britain is currently in the company’s data library. In addition,
Intermap is now aggressively mapping Europe under its NEXTMap® Europe
program. Data for the entire country of Germany is currently being
placed in the Intermap library, and data collection for the remainder
of Western Europe is scheduled for completion by the end of 2007. The
continental U.S. is being mapped concurrently with the European
initiative and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2008.
About Intermap Technologies
Intermap Technologies (TSX: IMP.TO, AIM: IMAP.L) enables
customers to facilitate better decision-making and create applications
for numerous commercial, governmental, military, and consumer products
through the purchase of high quality and affordable elevation datasets.
The Company is proactively remapping entire countries and building
unprecedented national databases, called NEXTMap, consisting of highly
accurate digital topographic maps that include elevation data. Demand
for NEXTMap data is growing as new commercial applications are
emerging, including geographical information systems (GIS), engineering
planning, transportation, automotive, navigation, flood, irrigation,
environmental management and planning, telecommunications/wireless
network planning, aviation, simulation, and 3D visualization. Internet
applications include virtual tours, topographic maps and computer
games. Datasets are also used to add interactive intelligence to
airborne and satellite imagery.
Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Intermap employs more than 425
people worldwide, with additional offices in Calgary, Detroit, Jakarta,
London, Munich, Ottawa, and Prague. For more information, visit
www.Intermap.com
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader
in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses
realize their full potential.
For more information
In Europe:
Sue Glanville,
Say Communications for Intermap Technologies,
+(44) (0) 208971 6423,
sglanville@saycomms.co.uk
(Source Microsoft)