Swampscott, MA, September 9, 2004 – J.D. Irving has selected GeoVantage to provide Fall 2004 imagery of their New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Maine territories. GeoVantage will deliver georegistered, orthorectified one-meter pixel resolution digital imagery in both full color and near infrared. This latest contract represents the sixth season J.D. Irving will use GeoVantage’s product to manage their forest operations.

J.D. Irving manages millions of acres in Canada and Maine and uses GIS in conjunction with computer simulation models to “grow” the forest 80 years into the future. Joe Pelham, J.D. Irving’s GIS manager said, “Our challenge is to map and keep an up-to-date current state of the forest so that we know where every stand is and how much volume is growing on every acre that J.D. Irving Woodlands manages. GeoVantage has provided us with the imagery to help us do that. Since 2000, GeoVantage has consistently delivered quality imagery on time and on budget.”

Prior to working with GeoVantage, J.D. Irving used conventional film-based aerial photography for mapping its land. Extracting information from this source using traditional methods requires a number of labor-intensive and costly steps. GeoVantage’s technology revolutionizes aerial imagery capture and processing by implementing start-to-finish automation. GeoVantage’s proprietary camera (GeoScanner) and processing software systems are tightly integrated for maximum efficiency and precision. The GeoScanner system’s compact, portable design uses an onboard GPS and Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) in combination with a 4-band digital camera configuration to provide GIS-ready, precision navigated imagery in both full color and near infrared.

“Processing imagery is totally different using GeoVantage’s technique,” said Pelham, “GeoVantage produces terrain-corrected, ortho-rectified digital mosaics in a GIS-ready format in just a few hours after collection. We bring the image up on a computer screen and it fits directly over our GIS database. It has allowed us to eliminate two steps of the process from our old system, saving us a third to half the time that we’ve previously spent. The result is a huge increase in productivity.”

“We couldn’t be happier about our partnership with J.D. Irving,” said Staffan Ericsson, President and CEO of GeoVantage, “Our imagery helps the company improve its operations and meet its business objectives while preserving the forests’ eco-system for generations to come.”

GeoVantage works with seven of the top ten forestry companies in North America. To learn more about GeoVantage and their forestry solutions, contact info@geovantage.com or 781.599.4664.

About GeoVantage®, Inc.
GeoVantage leverages cutting-edge technology to deliver georegistered, orthorectified aerial imagery in full color and near infrared. To meet the unique remote sensing requirements of forestry, agriculture, urban planning and environmental management, GeoVantage custom flies each project. Twenty-two state-of-the-art sensors, composed of integrated GPS, inertial measurement units and 4-band digital cameras, enable rapid response and extensive geographic coverage throughout the U.S., Canada and South Africa.

About J.D. Irving
J.D. Irving, Limited is a family-owned enterprise with over 100 years of involvement in the business community. The company has its roots in the forest products business, dating back over a century to a sawmill in Bouctouche, New Brunswick, Canada. The company produces a full and wide range of forest products including kraft pulp, newsprint, tissue and corrugating medium. The company owns and operates sawmills in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Maine and Quebec. Kent, a retail chain of home improvement stores located across Atlantic Canada, is also part of the family business.

Contact:

Michael Dainton
mdainton@geovantage.com
781-599-4664, x115