EUROPEAN OBLIQUE IMAGE LIBRARY ACQUISITION HITS MAJOR MILESTONE 

The Blom Group, Europe’s largest provider of aerial imagery and geospatial data is pleased to announce that the acquisition program to provide Pictometry® oblique image libraries for Europe has hit a major milestone. The Company now has libraries available in the following countries: Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

The pan-European urban imagery commenced early 2006 and is progressing according to plan. The acquisition has been undertaken by the Blom subsidiaries Simmons Aerofilms Limited (UK) and Compagnia Generale Ripreseaeree (Italy). 10 aircraft located around Europe are fully dedicated to the Pictometry® project.

The initial baseline dataset of approximately 900 European cities is well on track to be completed before the end of 2007. Pictometry® images offer a new, unique view of the world utilising patented digital camera technology and image formats which are set to revolutionise the geo-information community. The oblique imagery is high resolution and geo-referenced such that features may be measured, quantified and assessed in a geographic context enabling a variety of datasets to be overlaid, compared and assessed to support decision making. Pictometry imagery and its ability to be integrated with additional information offers the opportunity not only for unique solutions, but the creation of new geodata products, such as 3D urban modelling.