New Web portal provides citizens, businesses and local authorities with easy access to key geospatial data for state and regional planning

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., — September 21, 2009 — Hesse, Germany’s seventh largest federal state, has deployed the Intergraph® spatial data infrastructure (SDI) application based on GeoMedia® in its state planning Web portal ( www.landesplanung-hessen.de). The application provides all stakeholders, including non-experts, easy access to and visualization of spatial data through an intuitive interface.

Intergraph GeoMedia provides direct, real-time access to enterprise geospatial data, along with spatial analysis and map generation functionality, through a simple Web browser. GeoMedia’s support of Web Map Services (WMS) is of particular importance to administration, business and planning experts. This service can be used to integrate content from Hesse’s state development and regional plans into external spatial applications, while the planning portal also offers the opportunity to incorporate Web Mapping Services from external parties.

The portal has been commissioned by the Hessian Ministry of Economics, Transport, Urban and Regional Development. It is based on a pilot project with InGeoForum and its partner, Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research. InGeoForum is an association for the promotion of the usage of geospatial technologies and development of spatial data infrastructures on a national and regional level in Germany.

“The new portal allows the Hesse State and Regional Planning Department to make a significant contribution to developing spatial data infrastructures for planning purposes,” said Dieter Posch, Hesse Minister of Economics, Transport, Urban and Regional Development. Hesse is now able to manage and share standardized data for various functions including state and town planning, transportation, natural resource protection, agriculture and forestry, energy, water, wastewater and waste management.

“More and more governments in Europe and around the world are turning to Intergraph to support their SDI initiatives,” said Gregory Wisniewski, regional vice president for Intergraph Government & Transportation. “Intergraph’s years of experience working with governments around the world, combined with our powerful technology and active role in developing industry standards and best practices, make us an ideal partner for SDI efforts.”

Examples of additional projects utilizing Intergraph SDI technology include a land planning and management solution for the region of Galicia, Spain, a geospatial metadata portal for the federal state of Thuringia in Germany, the building of a national SDI for the Slovak Republic, a centralized SDI for the region of Veneto in Italy and an SDI implementation on a national, regional and local level for Poland. Intergraph has also participated in many government-funded SDI initiatives, including GIS4EU, HUMBOLDT and eSDInet+, further demonstrating a deep understanding of and commitment to SDI.

For more information on Intergraph SDI solutions, please visit: http://www.intergraph.com/sdi

About Hesse and the Hessian Ministry of Economics, Transport, Urban and Regional Development

Hesse is a federal state of Germany with an area of 21,114 km2 (8,152 sq mi) and just over six million inhabitants. The state capital is Wiesbaden. Located in the centre of the European market with 500 million consumers, Hesse is a successful competitor among the most prosperous economic regions in the world. Frankfurt Airport is known as Europe’s most important intermodal hub for aviation, road and rail transport. The Frankfurt region is also known as an international centre of the finance and service sector as well as of innovative industries. Research and development, high-technology based industries and the strong service sector are building a powerful alliance in Hesse. The Hessian Ministry of Economics, Transport, Urban and Regional Development is responsible for all aspects of policy concerning regional planning, economic development, foreign trade, institutional supervision and consultancy as well as transport and urban development. For more information, visit www.hessen.de.

About InGeoForum

The InGeoForum is acting as a business forum for information and cooperation serving the providers, vendors and users of geospatial data, services and geographical information systems (GIS). The fundamental objective of this association is the promotion of the usage of geospatial technologies and development of spatial data infrastructures on a national and regional level in Germany. In 1997, the InGeoForum was founded as the first non-profit incorporation in the geospatial industry throughout Germany. For more information, visit www.ingeoforum.de.

About Intergraph

Intergraph is the leading global provider of engineering and geospatial software that enables customers to visualize complex data. Businesses and governments in more than 60 countries rely on Intergraph’s industry-specific software to organize vast amounts of data into understandable visual representations and actionable intelligence. Intergraph’s software and services empower customers to build and operate more efficient plants and ships, create intelligent maps, and protect critical infrastructure and millions of people around the world.

Intergraph operates through two divisions: Process, Power & Marine (PP&M) and Security, Government & Infrastructure (SG&I). Intergraph PP&M provides enterprise engineering software for the design, construction and operation of plants, ships and offshore facilities. Intergraph SG&I provides geospatially-powered solutions to the defense and intelligence, public safety and security, government, transportation, photogrammetry, utilities and communications industries. For more information, visit www.intergraph.com.



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