Redlands,CA--ESRI provided a leadership role as principal editor of the OpenGIS Location Services (OpenLS) specification, which was key to the approval of the public release of OpenLS Version 1.0 by members of the OpenGIS Consortium (OGC) Friday, January 16, 2004.The OGC OpenLS specification defines interface protocols for a set of core services (mapping, geocoding, and routing) that are the building blocks for location-based services (LBS) applications. "The primary objective of the OpenLS specification is to provide a standardized solution for end users that is platform independent," says Marwa Mabrouk of ESRI and editor of the OpenLS specification."Application developers now have the flexibility to select and implement standard interfaces, components, and services in their LBS systems."

ESRI currently supports the OpenLS specification in its ArcLocation Solutions and ArcWeb Services product offerings.ArcLocation Solutions provide mobile operators and application developers with the services and tools they need to introduce new location-based service applications and enhance existing ones.ArcWeb Services are composed of spatial data and GIS functionality delivered over the Internet.These applications can be delivered to custom Web applications or to ArcGIS products.

ESRI continues to make major investments in the support of new standards that serve users and promote the sharing of geographic data across all platforms.ESRI's leadership in the OpenLS specification and ongoing support for other OGC specifications, such as Web Map Services, Web Feature Services, and Geography Markup Language, contributes to the implementation of open GIS standards that ensure interoperability among GIS users as well as the larger IT community. To learn more about ESRI and our involvement in standards organizations, visit http://www.esri.com/standards.

About ESRI
For more than 30 years, ESRI has been the leading developer of GIS software and services with more than 300,000 clients worldwide.ESRI software is used in all 200 of the largest cities in the United States and in more than 60 percent of counties and municipalities nationwide.Headquartered in California, ESRI has regional offices throughout the United States, international distributors in more than 90 countries, and more than 1,500 business partners.ESRI's goal is to develop comprehensive tools and services that enable users to efficiently manage, use, and serve geographic information to make a difference in the world around them.ESRI also provides consulting, implementation, and technical support services.ESRI can be found on the Web at http://www.esri.com.

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