Intergraph and FIG Join Forces to Promote Evolution of GIS Practices for Surveyors

Twenty-one software grants available for FIG members pursuing excellence in GIS research, education and interoperability

Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions, Corporate Member of FIG, announced a new partnership with the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) to promote the use of advanced technology in land administration and management infrastructure among surveyors and surveying organizations worldwide. Through the partnership, Intergraph will award 21 GeoMedia® grants, valued at over $8.2 million (U.S.), exclusively to FIG members. FIG is a federation of national associations with members from 100 countries and is the only international body that represents all surveying disciplines.

The grants give FIG members the geospatial technology needed to undertake research and planning for their land management infrastructures at no cost or a very low cost. Grants available to further GIS research and education and the use of open interoperability standards include:

• An annual GeoMedia Research Grant - $5,000 (U.S.) cash funding and a $50,000 software donation in recognition of an innovative applied research proposal within the academic community that promotes the implementation and evolution of GIS.
   
• Ten GeoMedia Education Grants – GeoMedia Technology Campus Site License with an unlimited site license of GeoMedia Professional software and a two map server GeoMedia WebMap Professional in recognition of academic excellence in the classroom. The ten education grants have a total value of $7.6 million (U.S.).
   
• Ten Open Interoperability Grants – GeoMedia software and open, OGC-compliant software components, valued at more than $55,000 (U.S.) each, support organizations desiring to publish geospatial data on the Web using industry-standard Web Map Server (WMS), Geographic Markup Language (GML) and Extensible Markup Language (XML) formats.

This joint partnership underscores Intergraph’s future-oriented commitment to the geospatial industry and continues Intergraph’s support of teaching and research, along with the sustained development of open standards.

“We applaud Intergraph for providing these generous resources exclusively for our members,” said Prof. Dr. Ing. Holger Magel, FIG President. “By offering grants for the academic and commercial markets, Intergraph is strengthening our membership goals of promoting professional development, equipping members to meet the needs of the society and supporting the development of open standard Web services and the production of open format data.”

FIG members representing the academic community are invited to submit proposals for GeoMedia Education and GeoMedia Research grants. Open Interoperability Grants are available for FIG members in commercial markets. A distinguished panel of judges including both FIG and Intergraph executives will judge the submissions. Proposals for the Open Interoperability Grants and GeoMedia Education Grants must be received by December 31, 2003. The deadline for the GeoMedia Research Grant is March 31, 2004. For complete guidelines and submission information on the GeoMedia Education and GeoMedia Research Grants, visit www.intergraph.com/gis/education. Complete guidelines and submission information on the Open Interoperability Grants can be found at www.intergraph.com/gis/interop/grant.asp.

17 September 2003