Atlanta, Georgia, USA - 24 February 2005 - Leica Geosystems GIS & Mapping, LLC today announced the availability of significant updates to ERDAS IMAGINE and Leica Photogrammetry Suite (LPS) V8.7. The releases were designed in response to customer feedback, and empower both ERDAS IMAGINE and LPS to meet the most stringent user requirements for geospatial imaging.

ERDAS IMAGINE 8.7 Service Pack 2 (SP2) contains performance enhancements and maintenance fixes. Leica Photogrammetry Suite 8.7 Feature Update contains performance enhancements for frame and satellite photogrammetry users. PRO600 and ORIMA for LPS 8.7 SP2 updates are also available.

Major ERDAS IMAGINE SP2 Enhancements:

• Improved JPEG2000 encoding
• Mosaic Wizard and Mosaic Direct tools
• Geospatial Light Table improvements
• Rigorous orthocorrection of SPOT 5, EROS A1, ASTER and QuickBird data
• Additional Resolution Merge / Pan Sharpening techniques
• Direct Linear Transform and Projective Geometric Models

LPS 8.7 Feature Update:

• Stereo Point Measurement in LPS Core
• Exterior Initialization Tool (for relative orientation)
• Automatic Brightness and Contrast (DRA) in LPS Stereo
• Mosaic Wizard and Mosaic Direct tools
• New TIN editing tools in the Terrain Editor
• OrbView-3 Sensor Model support
• Support for most nadir cutline generation method
• Automatic brightness and contrast

ORIMA 8.7 SP2 for LPS:

• Multiple images can be loaded in individual windows
• Automatic loading of images based on cursor movement in ground system
• Automatic detection of new images in an LPS blockfile

PRO600 8.7 SP2 for LPS/DPW:

• Manual measurement of grid format terrain datasets
• Four new merge tools for editing TIN and grid terrain datasets
• Terrain file management operations such as Save As and Delete
• Ability to access SOCET SET grid terrain files natively
• PRO600 for LPS 8.7 Feature Update also addresses a number of issues in the PROLPS and PROCART modules, and adds support for SOCET SET 5.2

Each of these updates is available worldwide, and may be obtained via the Leica Geosystems GIS & Mapping Technical Support Web site ( http://www.gis.leica-geosystems.com/support/). Service Pack 2 for LPS and Service Pack 3 will be released later this year.

For more information about Leica Geosystems GIS & Mapping or its products and services, call: +1 404 248 9000, toll free: +1 877 463 7327, or visit: http://www.gis.leica-geosystems.com.

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Leica Geosystems GIS & Mapping is the expert in geospatial imaging. Its hardware and software products power the Geospatial Imaging Chain - the definitive industry workflow of capturing, referencing, mapping, analyzing and presenting geospatial information.

About Leica Geosystems:
With close to 200 years of pioneering solutions to measure the world, Leica Geosystems products and services are trusted by professionals worldwide to help them capture, analyze, and present spatial information. Leica Geosystems is best known for its broad array of products that capture accurately, model quickly, analyze easily, and visualize and present spatial information in 3D. Those who use Leica products every day trust them for their dependability, the value they deliver, and the superior customer support. Based in Switzerland, Leica Geosystems is a global company with tens of thousands of customers supported by more than 2,400 employees in 23 countries and hundreds of partners located in more than 120 countries around the world. Leica Geosystems is a publicly listed company, registered with the Swiss Stock Exchange (SWX).

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