Redlands and Santa Clara, Calif., July 26, 2005 – ESRI, the worldwide leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, and Thales today announced that ESRI has begun selling ArcPad,  its software for mobile GIS and mapping applications with Thales’ MobileMapper CE to ESRI customers in the U.S.

Organizations can easily and accurately collect reliable field data with ArcPad and MobileMapper CE.  Together, ArcPad and MobileMapper CE provide field personnel with the ability to capture, analyze and display geographic information, update enterprise data and improve productivity and decision making in the field. The combination creates a flexible solution for GIS and mapping applications.

“We are pleased to see Thales coming out with a rugged Windows CE device with an integrated, professional-grade GPS receiver,” said Shane Clarke, ArcPad product manager at ESRI. “The MobileMapper CE will be a good solution for ArcPad customers looking for a rugged Windows CE GPS receiver which meets their Mobile GIS needs.”
 
Ready for extreme outdoor and industrial environments, the all-in-one design of MobileMapper CE is well-suited for ArcPad.  MobileMapper CE is the next generation handheld GPS mobile mapping device from Thales offering an open-platform design with embedded Microsoft®  Windows® CE, sub-meter, real-time GPS positioning, Bluetooth®  wireless technology, removable Secure Digital (SD) card memory and field replaceable battery.

For more information, visit http://www.esri.com/partners/hardware/thales_arcpad.pdf, call ESRI at 1-800-447-9778 ext. 1-1340, or call your ESRI regional office (to locate your regional office, visit www.esri.com/usa ).

About ESRI
Founded in 1969, ESRI is the leading developer of GIS software with more than 300,000 clients worldwide. ESRI software is used in all 200 of the largest cities in the United States and in more than 60 percent of counties and municipalities nationwide. Headquartered in California, ESRI has regional offices throughout the United States, international distributors in more than 90 countries, and more than 1,400 business partners. ESRI’s goal is to develop comprehensive tools that enable users to efficiently manage, use, and serve geographic information to make a difference in the world around them. ESRI also provides consulting, implementation, and technical support services. ESRI can be found on the Web at www.esri.com.
 
About Thales
Thales is an international electronics and systems group serving the defense, aerospace, services and security markets. The group employs 61,500 people worldwide and generated revenues of 10 billion euros in 2004.

Thales' navigation business unit develops and manufactures world leading positioning, navigation and guidance equipment.  It markets its Magellan brand GPS solutions in the consumer electronics, recreation, and automotive markets, and its GPS and GNSS professional products in the survey, GIS/Mapping, and OEM markets.  Key innovations include the first U.S. commercial hand-held GPS receiver for positioning and navigation, and the first handheld GPS with industry standard Secure Digital Memory Card capabilities.  Thales' navigation business unit is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA and has worldwide operations.  For more information, visit http://www.thalesgroup.com/navigation.