Tele Atlas Connects European and North African Maps
Tele Atlas signs a strategic agreement with Cadtech to cover North Africa
‘s Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, February 15, 2008 - Tele Atlas (FSE: TA6, EUNV: TA), a leading global provider of digital maps and dynamic content for navigation and location based solutions, today announced the signing of a strategic agreement with Cadtech, a Moroccan company specialising in geographical information systems and geolocalization applications, to enable the development of digital maps for Morocco and the North African region. Through the agreement, Morocco will be the first country in the region to be connected directly with Tele Atlas’ European digital map databases, allowing navigation from any point in Europe to this country.
Demonstrating its commitment to consistently enhance and expand its digital map offerings for its partners, including manufacturers of navigation systems and mobile phones, Tele Atlas will work with Cadtech to connect digital maps of Europe and Morocco, a North African country which is currently experiencing very strong economic development.
Through this collaboration between two major industry players, the first version of the database, which will be designed to deliver first-rate GPS navigation services such as personal navigation devices (PND), onboard GPS systems and geolocalization services.for the Moroccan market, is scheduled to be available in Q2 2008.
All large towns and significant points of interest (POIs) will be integrated in the navigation databases. The first version will represent coverage of approximately 70,000 kilometres, with five Moroccan towns included: Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech Rabat, and Tangiers, and will include 1,600 POIs. Additional towns and POIs will be included in subsequent versions.
According to Jack Reinelt, COO & Managing Director of Tele Atlas Europe, Middle East and Africa, this new partnership marks an important new stage for the development of Tele Atlas in North Africa, “It is clear to Tele Atlas that Morocco and the North African region have excellent growth potential and represent a strong business opportunity in the coming years. Also, given the proximity to the European continent we wanted to extend our high quality map coverage into this region quickly so that our partners can build this capability into their products. With this agreement, Morocco will enter the digital navigation era and we envision this will be a facilitating factor in its economic development”.
Chemsedine ould SIDI-BABA, co-CEO of Cadtech adds, “I am delighted to have succeeded in such an agreement that will benefit the two enterprises. Cadtech will now be able to leverage Tele Atlas’ expertise; and at the same time, will allow Tele Atlas to connect the European continent with an African country for the first time. This first stage seems natural to us, since geographically, Morocco is the country closest to Europe; considering its continued growth, this country will represent strong potential in terms of economic development, with 10 million tourists by 2010, more than 100,000 cars sold each year. We are very proud to partner with Tele Atlas”.
About Cadtech
CADTECH is a Moroccan company that was founded in 1995 by three engineers in the domain of geographic information systems and geomatic technologies. A long time partner of state institutions such as the Moroccan Post, the Civil Protection Department, the Department of Statistics and the agency of Land Conservation to name but a few, Cadtech is today in the middle of expanding and has been able, thanks to the increased added value of its knowledge, to establish partnerships with international companies such as Thales Alénia Space in the fleet tracking systems domain, whilst developing a system for the transportation of dangerous goods and a tourism geolocalisation system. CADTECH is also partner with Khan & Hill in the USA for access to the US market and is in the process of negotiation with groups such as TeleSpazio. CADTECH is in the process of CMMI certification and is working towards entering the Casablanca stock exchange in 2009.
Today CADTECH employs approximately 20 people and will widen its current team at the beginning of 2008 to cover the needs in human resources for the partnership with Tele Atlas.
www.cadtech.net.ma
About Tele Atlas
Tele Atlas delivers the digital maps and dynamic content that power some of the world’s most essential navigation and location-based services (LBS).The information is the foundation for a wide range of personal and in-car navigation systems and mobile and Internet map applications that help users find the people, places, products, and services they need, wherever they are. The company also works with business partners who trust its digital map data to delivercritical applications for emergency, business, fleet, and infrastructure services. Through a combination of its own products and partnerships, Tele Atlas offers digital map coverage of more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. The company was founded in 1984 and today has approximately 2,500 full-time staff and contract cartographers at offices in 24 countries and uses a sophisticated network of professional drivers, mobile mapping vans, and more than 50,000 data resources to deliver highly accurate and up-to-date digital maps. Tele Atlas is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (TA6) and on Euronext Amsterdam (TA). For more information, visit www.teleatlas.com.
For further information, please contact:
Dirk Snauwaert
Public Relations Director Tele Atlas EMEA
Phone: +32 475 69 30 97
e-mail: dirk.snauwaert@teleatlas.com
Miss Stépahie Mathys
Cadtech Press Contact
Phone: +21 23 77 15 721
e-mail: smathys@cadtech.ma
