BW0243 OCT 13,2000 11:31 PACIFIC 14:31 EASTERN
( BW)(CA-ESRI/IBM) IBM, ESRI Alliance Targets Fast-Growing Government
Marketplace for Geographical Information Systems
Business Editors & High-Tech Writers
REDLANDS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 13, 2000--IBM and
Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc. (ESRI) Friday announced
a global strategic alliance designed to serve the emerging marketplace
for Geographical Information Systems (GIS).
The demand for these systems is expected to increase as the
marketplace grows to more than $60 billion, by 2005, quadrupling the
current opportunity, according to multiple sources.
IBM and ESRI will take advantage of this growth as both companies
jointly market the industry's first enterprise-wide GIS solution.
Initial target industries include government and telecommunications.
GIS offers policy makers, industry planners, academic researchers
and others sophisticated spatial analysis to visualize enterprise
information. It is a computer-based tool that combines data
visualization, spatial analysis and mapping with database management
system integration to help users understand relationships, enhance
decision making and solve problems faster.
This technology proved invaluable with the Geospatial Multi-Agency
Coordination Group (GeoMAC). During the past summer, federal wildland
fire managers were faced with the worst fire situation in decades.
With more than 25,000 firefighters and every available resource
allocated to fight more than 80 large fires in Idaho and Montana
alone, it was difficult to visualize the big picture. There were
numerous critical situations reported and additional resources
requested.
The Great Basin Multi-Agency Coordination Group, one group
responsible for prioritizing the allocation of critical firefighting
resources in the Western United States, saw the need for a better tool
to aid in making these decisions.
"With the use of the IBM-ESRI GIS solution, GeoMAC was able to
provide much needed spatial information within a week's time," said
John Guthrie, technical coordinator for GeoMAC. The Web site
demonstrating this effort can be reached at http://wildfire.usgs.gov.
"This strategic alliance takes our 10-year relationship with ESRI
to the next level," said Todd Ramsey, general manager for IBM Global
Government Industry. "ESRI will supply the GIS technology and IBM will
provide the wide array of hardware, software and professional services
critical to making these applications enterprise-ready. It's a
go-to-market strategy that works."
Under the terms of the agreement, both companies will jointly
market, sell and provide integration services for ESRI Enterprise
Solutions for local government and telecommunications customers. The
GIS Enterprise Solutions will include ESRI's GIS software technology
combined with IBM software, hardware and services.
Specifically, GIS enterprise technology from IBM will include
DB2(a) Universal Database with Spatial Extender, WebSphere(a),
operating on IBM eServer(b)s -- pSeries(b), xSeries(b) -- or
Intellistations(b), integrated by IBM professional services. ESRI will
promote IBM as a leading solution provider for Enterprise GIS.
In return IBM Global Services will establish a Global GIS
Consulting Practice. Current plans call for the further integration of
data mining and statistical technologies to make the joint solution
applicable for both CRM and supply chain scenarios.
"GIS is a powerful tool for designing and implementing enterprise
data strategies," said ESRI President Jack Dangermond. "By teaming up
with IBM, we can move GIS into the mainstream computing, making it
more accessible and available to a broader range of customers. From
mainframes to pervasive devices, we are well positioned to take
advantage of this emerging marketplace."
The IBM-ESRI deal builds on IBM's strategic alliance strategy.
Under this initiative, leading software vendors, such as ESRI, Siebel
and i2 gain access to new customers and revenue opportunities through
IBM's extensive marketing and sales resources. At the same time,
Business Partners lead with IBM's key middleware products, server
platforms, storage and Global Services resources.
About IBM
Software application developers receive support from IBM's
PartnerWorld for Developers (www.developer.ibm.com) -- a worldwide
program designed to help software developers reach broader markets,
lower their costs of doing business and take their products to market
faster.
IBM Global Government Industry is dedicated to providing solutions
for the demands faced by governments around the world and has a broad
portfolio of capabilities and products, including: consulting, systems
integration, availability services managed operations, as well as
software and computing products.
IBM is the world's largest information technology company, with 80
years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. The fastest way to
get more information about IBM is through the IBM home page at
http://www.ibm.com.
(a) Denotes a trademark of the IBM Corp.
(b) The IBM eServer brand consists of the established IBM
e-business logo with the following descriptive term "server" following
it.
Note to Editors: The IBM e-business logo, pSeries, xSeries and
Intellistations are all trademarks of the IBM Corp. All others are
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
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CONTACT: ESRI, Redlands
Kevin Daugherty, 909/793-2853
kdaugherty@esri.com
or
IBM
Mike Azzi, 212/745-6508
azzi@us.ibm.com
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS HARDWARE SOFTWARE
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