Press Information:
Andrew Hawkins, Microsoft Europe
Tel.: +44-118909-3767
E-mail: ahawkins@microsoft.com

Jim Baumann, Esri
Tel.: 909-793-2853, extension 1-1807
E-mail: jbaumann@Esri.com
General Information: fholsmuller@Esri.com

Microsoft and Esri Join Forces To Provide GIS Solutions Throughout Europe

Redlands, California--Today, industry giant Microsoft and Esri, the world's leading provider of GIS software, announced that they will jointly market GIS to Windows NT customers in Europe. Initially targeted are those in the local government, criminal justice, health care, retail, and banking industries.

Microsoft and Esri are focusing their marketing efforts on powerful products from both companies. Esri's Spatial Database Engine (SDE) for Microsoft's SQL Server is a high-powered system for managing GIS data stored in a relational database. SDE uses SQL Server as its underlying database management system (DBMS) and Microsoft's OLE DB technology to integrate GIS information and relational data. The combined technologies work together to give users high-speed spatial data management capabilities.

Esri's MapObjects is COM-compliant and can be used as a client to SDE. New GIS or mapping applications can be developed in MapObjects software using Visual Basic. With MapObjects, it is also possible to embed mapping and GIS functionality inside Microsoft clients such as Excel and Microsoft Access.

Andrew Hawkins, government marketing manager, Microsoft Europe, says, "Over 80 percent of public administration data refer to a geographic location, making GIS a vital application for the majority of European municipalities and regional local government services. By taking advantage of the remarkable price/performance of SQL Server, local government solutions based on Esri's MapObjects software provides users across the local government enterprise, via its integration with office applications, with cost-effective access to spatial data."

Adds Aart van Wingerden, regional manager of Esri-Europe, "GIS is a well-established technology with applications in many different industries. We are excited about the prospect of teaming with Microsoft in promoting our SDE and MapObjects software throughout Europe."

Rainer Haselberger, Magistratsdirektion der Stadt Wien in Austria, comments, "MapObjects is a low-priced tool for developers and is easy to integrate into existing or future applications. It gives our users the capability to access spatial data, which represent the majority of the data used in municipal administration, with special emphasis on environmental issues."

Esri and Microsoft are planning an extensive rollout to market GIS solutions to European Windows NT customers. An ad campaign, seminar series, and a numberof joint presentations at trade shows are planned. For more information, please contact Frank Holsmuller, marketing manager, Esri-Europe, tel.: +31-10-2170690, fax: +31-10-2170691, E-mail: fholsmuller@Esri.com.