Creswick, Australia, February 16, 2010 – Sparx Systems (www.sparxsystems.com), a leading vendor of modeling tools based on open standards, today announced it will sponsor the forthcoming CEN/TC 287 Geographic Information Interoperability Workshop. The event will be held in conjunction with the 26th plenary meeting of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee 287 in Paris, March 3-4. This sponsorship comes at a time that sees Sparx Systems’ flagship UML modeling platform, Enterprise Architect, increasingly deployed by the global geospatial community for the development of industry reference models.

CEN/TC 287 is concerned with standardization in the field of digital geographic information for Europe, a task that is undertaken through close co-operation with the International Standards Organization (ISO) Technical Committee 211 and the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). The TC 287 Secretariat is held by the British Standards Institution (BSI).

To demonstrate ongoing support for standards development and the work of the Technical Committee of CEN, Sparx Systems will co-sponsor the Interoperability Workshop with Eurographics, ESRI and Compass Informatics.

Martin Ford, CEN/TC 287 Secretariat noted, “The CEN/TC 287 has a clear focus and a determination to achieve full interoperability and with the support of companies such as Sparx Systems, it will be possible to model Europe in a way never achieved before. To make sharing data a reality by using the enterprise model, Dr John Herring from Oracle, who is also responsible for modeling the global geographic domain, hopes to extend interoperability to a wider, European cross-domain platform.”

Dr. Herring will present at the workshop with an impressive list of speakers from the international geospatial community, which will include Mr. Olaf Østensen the Chair of ISO/TC 211, Dr. Simon Cox from the SDI unit at the Joint Research Council and Mr. Mark Reichardt, President and Chief Executive Officer of the OGC.

Sparx Systems Business Development Manager, Ken Harkin, said “It is a pleasure for Sparx Systems to be able to support the work of CEN/TC 287 in the creation of standards, as we know that these standards will ultimately benefit the everyday lives of individuals and communities around the world. We look forward to supporting the mission of the CEN/TC 287 and to a long and productive working relationship.”

Further information about the TC 287 Interoperability Workshop is available from: http://www.gistandards.eu/MWS/index.php

About Sparx Systems
Sparx Systems (www.sparxsystems.com) specializes in high performance and scalable visual modeling tools for the planning, design and construction of software intensive systems.

With customers in industries ranging from aerospace and automotive engineering to finance, defense, government, entertainment and telecommunications, Sparx Systems is a leading vendor of innovative solutions based on the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and its related specifications. A Contributing Member of the Object Management Group (OMG), Sparx Systems is committed to realizing the potential of model-driven development based on open standards.

The company’s flagship product, Enterprise Architect, has received numerous accolades since its commercial release in August, 2000. Now at version 7.5, Enterprise Architect is the design tool of choice for close to 200,000 registered users world-wide.


About CEN
The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) is a business facilitator in Europe, removing trade barriers for European industry and consumers. Its mission is to foster the European economy in global trading, the welfare of European citizens and the environment. Through its services it provides a platform for the development of European Standards and other technical specifications. CEN is a major provider of European Standards and technical specifications. It is the only recognized European organization according to Directive 98/34/EC for the planning, drafting and adoption of European Standards in all areas of economic activity with the exception of electrotechnology (CENELEC) and telecommunication (ETSI). CEN's 31 National Members work together to develop voluntary European Standards (ENs).


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