Oxford Metrics Regulatory News (OMG)

28 Aug 2007 07:02

OMG PLC28 August 2007 28 August 2007 OMG plc Contract Win Another Contract win for 2d3 with UK Ministry of Defence OMG plc, Oxford Metrics Group (LSE: OMG), ("OMG" or "the Group") the technologygroup providing image understanding products for the entertainment, defence,life science and engineering industries, is pleased to announce it has signedanother contract with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), worth £475,000 over twoyears, as part of the "Competition of Ideas" (COI) initiative. The contract is within OMG's 2d3 division, which develops advanced imageprocessing software for defence and visual effects. 2d3's proposal, which haswon funding by the MoD, recommends using its image processing software forvehicle tracking and target geolocation by integrating its Vision-Based Tracking(VBT) technology with complementary Global Positioning (GPS) and InertialNavigation (INS) systems, in order to offer improved reconnaissance vehicle andtarget geo-location accuracy. Historically the subsystems used to estimate vehicle location and target bearingand range have operated independently of each other, but OMG's new proposedsystem will combine these tasks in a single autonomous process which willimprove the accuracy of precision targeting. The combined technology isinitially proposed for use on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), although can beapplied to any aerial or ground reconnaissance vehicle in order to lead to moreaccurate target geolocation. The 'Competition of Ideas' (COI) is a new initiative from the MOD's ResearchAcquisition Organisation (RAO) as part of the MOD's commitment to developing thedefence supplier network and providing leadership in investment for science,technology and engineering in particular to the SME and academic sectors. Thisinitiative encourages the best innovators from across Britain to bid for acontract to develop their ideas further to help meet key defence challenges.With an initial budget of £10 million per annum, COI seeks the best newscientific and technology-based ideas that can rapidly be turned into equipmentfor the Armed Forces. Nick Bolton, chief executive of OMG plc, commented, "I am delighted that our COI proposal, out of so many, has been endorsed in thisway. I am hugely excited by this project which I have no doubt will be anenormous success. The integration of our Vision-Based Tracking technology withother navigation subsystems will offer greatly improved targeting accuracy.This latest win highlights not only how our diverse technology can meetdifferent needs, but also the innovative nature of our company which we willcontinue to encourage." -ends- OMG plc 01865 261800 Julian Morris, Deputy Chairman / Peter Wharton, Finance Director Financial Dynamics 020 7831 3113 Juliet Clarke / Hannah Sloane Evolution Securities (NOMAD to OMG) 020 7071 4308Jeremy Ellis About 2d3 To date 2d3's automatic camera tracking software has been used primarily by themovie industry. In 2005 OMG decided to apply its technology to Unmanned AerialVehicles and in December 2005 the Group announced an initial project withQinetiQ to recover 3D information from airborne video imagery which wascompleted in September 2006. OMG exhibited its capabilities for the first timeat the Farnborough Air Show 2006 and again at the Association for UnmannedVehicle System International (AUVSI) show in Florida in August 2006 andWashington D.C. in August 2007. It has further invested in this area during thefirst half of this current financial year. About OMG OMG plc (Oxford Metrics Group. LSE: OMG) is a group of technology companiesproducing image understanding solutions for the entertainment, defence, lifescience and engineering industries. Be it for capturing the movements of actors(for the movie industry), sportsmen (for video games or improving teamperformance), children with Cerebral Palsy, rehab patients and animals (formedical, life science and research industries) or virtual reality displays (forengineering and development), the Group has the world leading market positionand a strong international reputation for precision instruments. Founded in 1984, the Group's headquarters are in Oxford, UK, and it has officesin California and Colorado, USA. It has customers in over 50 countries and is aquoted company listed on AIM, a market operated by the London Stock Exchange.The Group trades through three operating subsidiaries - Vicon, the world'sbiggest motion capture and movement analysis company, 2d3, a manufacturer ofspecialised image understanding software for entertainment and defenceapplications and Yotta, our 3D mapping business. Oxford Metrics' global clients in science, medicine, sport, engineering, gaming,film and broadcast include major hospitals and research facilities such as Guy'sHospital, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and Loughborough University, engineeringindustry leaders including Ford Motor Company, BMW, Airbus, Caterpillar, andToyota, and in the entertainment sector, Sony, Industrial Light and Magic, TheMoving Picture Company (MPC), Sega, Nintendo, UbiSoft, EA, Square Enix and manyothers. For more information about OMG and its subsidiaries, visit www.omg3d.com,www.vicon.com, www.2d3.com or www.yotta.tv This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange