Oxford Metrics Regulatory News (OMG)

13 Jun 2008 07:00

13 June 2008

OMG plc

("OMG" or "the Group")

Contract Win

2d3 AIG secures contract with Northrop Grumman Corporation

OMG plc, Oxford Metrics Group (LSE: OMG), the technology group providing image understanding products for the entertainment, defence, life science and engineering industries, is pleased to announce that the US arm of 2d3 AIG ("2d3"), the Group's defence business, has secured its first contract win in the United States.

Northrop Grumman Corporation ("NGC"), a key US prime contractor for the US Department of Defense, has engaged 2d3 on an evaluation contract which, upon completion, will prove 2d3's algorithms a critical component in allowing an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ("UAV") to sense and avoid other aircraft using 2d3 proprietary technology.

Completion of the contract will see 2d3's algorithms evaluated for use in detecting and tracking other flying vehicles from an airborne camera, effectively allowing a UAV to see other aircraft much in the same way as a human pilot. The pilot project is valued at $100,000 and will span a period of 6 months.

Successful results will put 2d3 at the forefront of "Sense and Avoid" technology. This technology paves the way for UAVs to safely operate in US and UK national airspace alongside regular air traffic, opening up possible new markets for unmanned commercial aviation.

Today's announcement builds on the early success already enjoyed by 2d3 in the UK defence market where, in July and August 2007, the division succeeded in winning its first engagements with the UK Ministry of Defence.

Nick Bolton, Chief Executive Officer of OMG plc, added:

"This is a landmark contract for our 2d3 colleagues in the US. Not only does this represent a significant endorsement of our technology and capability in the defence space, but it also vindicates our decision to establish our 2d3 US office back in June last year. I am particularly proud to be working with as prestigious an organisation as Northrop Grumman Corporation, which is at the forefront of US defence technology. I hope that the delivery of a successful proof of concept here paves the way for further engagements for OMG in this key marketplace."

Contacts

  Notes to Editors

About Northrop Grumman Corporation

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $32 billion global defence and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.

For further information on NGC, visit www.northropgrumman.com.

About OMG

OMG plc (Oxford Metrics Group. LSE: OMG) is a group of technology companies producing image understanding products and services for the entertainment, defence, life science and engineering industries. Be it for capturing the movements of actors (for the movie industry), sportsmen (for video games or improving team performance), children with Cerebral Palsy, rehab patients and animals (for medical, life science and research industries) or virtual reality displays (for engineering and development), the Group has the world leading market position and a strong international reputation for precision instruments.

 Founded in 1984, the Group's headquarters are in Oxford, UK, and it has offices in California and Colorado, USA. It has customers in over 50 countries and is a quoted company listed on AIM, a market operated by the London Stock Exchange. The Group trades through three operating subsidiaries - Vicon, the world's biggest motion capture and movement analysis company, 2d3, a manufacturer of specialised image understanding software for entertainment and defence applications and Yotta, our 3D mapping business, which collects and analyses highway data and street level imaging and which, following the acquisition of Mobile Video Services, Inc. in April 2008 is a leading US provider of data collection services for the assessment of property taxation. 

Oxford Metrics' global clients in science, medicine, sport, engineering, gaming, film, broadcast and 3D mapping include major hospitals and research facilities such as Guy's Hospital, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and Loughborough University, engineering industry leaders including Ford Motor Company, BMW, Airbus and Toyota, and in the entertainment sector, Sony, Industrial Light and Magic, The Moving Picture Company (MPC), Sega, Nintendo, UbiSoft, EA, Square Enix and in 3D mapping and highway surveys: Mouchel Parkman, Atkins, and Oxfordshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire and Pembrokeshire County Councils as well as many others. 

For more information about OMG and its subsidiaries, visit www.omg3d.com, www.vicon.com, www.2d3.com or www.yotta.tv

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