Intergraph In The New Millenium - Mission Statement - To deliver technical solutions, systems integration, and services to the industries we serve.

Huntsville, Alabama -- The Von Braun Center in Huntsville Alabama was the stage for Intergraph CEO, Jim Taylor to announce Intergraph’s new business model. The model they have set out is truly indicative of the company’s plan to move forward with change, transition, and focus. Perhaps the best way to summarize the company’s new plan is best said with one word… verticalization.

On Monday the company formally announced the Intergraph is now a parent company with a verticalized structure of business units, each of which will be becoming increasingly more independent and autonomous as they move forward. In response to changing needs of users, Intergraph’s business units are now more focused, providing customers with complete end-to-end solutions, with each unit being accountable for creating and implementing a clear vision for meeting the needs of their specific industries.

Intergraph’s core vertical business units of the future are:

• Process and Building Solutions
• Mapping and GIS
• Public Safety
• Z/I Imaging

In addition to the new business units, Intergraph now owns 60% of Z/I Imaging and 33% of Bentley. Intergraph’s hardware business unit – Intergraph Computer Systems (ICS) – is transitioning and will likely be spun off, sold, merged, or bought out in the not too distant future. These four business units are to focus on the industries which Intergraph leads, including:

Public Safety, Utilities/Communications, Mapping/GIS, Photogrammetry, Process, Power, and Marine; and systems integration and solutions implementation.

Mapping/GIS Division

We had the pleasure of meeting with Preetha Pulusani, Executive VP of Mapping/GIS Intergraph Corp., and enjoyed the hospitality of the Intergraph Exectutive Management and staff at a formal reception Monday evening at the US Space and Rocket Center. Preetha, in this her 20th IGUG conference, confidently reiterated the division’s mission to develop and deliver core GIS products that have no boundaries through advanced workflow solutions. Included in the outline of the GIS division’s strategy are key product announcements being showcased throughout the week. These include the release of MGE 8.0, coming this September, GeoMedia 4.0, an exciting and truly “open” GIS product that will commence shipping next month, and GeoMedia Pro which will be released in July. Look for robust, simple to use, open products that are more tightly integrated with the GeoMedia WebMap and Web Enterprise products. All of these products will be looked at in more detail once we return.

The Last IGUG AsWe Know It?

In light of the verticalization of Intergraph, this year’s IGUG conference will likely be the last one bringing together the entire Intergraph user community at the same time and place. Next year users can expect more focused vertical user groups and communities focusing on more specific, vertical areas of interest. These events will be held in Huntsville and locations around the globe. Regarding the verticalization of the user communities CEO Jim Taylor has said “By aligning our user communities with our businesses, we are enabling users to have increased interaction with the Intergraph staffs, directly influencing the product and solutions, and advising what programs are needed to make our users successful in their workplace.” Look for the new user communities to have a governing structure made up of advisory boards and councils, each of them sponsoring regional and local users groups, programs, seminars, and international conferences.

The Intergraph Geospatial Users Community

I’m pleased to be one of the newest members of the Intergraph Geospatial Users Community which will be holding its first annual conference on June 18-21, 2001 in Atlanta, Georgia. Ideas for papers are already being submitted – the deadline for submissions being September 29, 2000. All interested submissions should be directed to GeoSpatialUsersCommunity@intergraph.com and include a bio, title, and abstract. In support of the GeoSpatial Users Community, the following resources are already available to interested parties:

GeoTalk Discussion

Team GeoMedia Discussion Forum

Tip of The Week

Email: geospatialuserscommunity@intergraph.com

Join GIS Email List

The Geospatial Users Community is guaranteed to grow rapidly over the next few months, particularly when users discover the latest GIS products coming out of Intergraph’s GIS/Mapping division. Everything I’ve seen so far reveals a number of easy to use and open products. They’ve responded to users requests for functionality, like simple data capture and editing tools, simply layout and plotting capabilities, and tighter integration with web mapping servers. We look forward to showcasing some of the products and users of Intergraph products and we’re sure your going to like what you see.