INTERGEO topics: Navigation Conference and INTERGEO Round Table

Karlsruhe, 31 May 2011. Satellite navigation is one of the most significant areas of potential economic growth. This topic has been represented at INTERGEO for many years and, in line with future trends, is set to play an even more prominent role at this year's conference in Nuremberg from 27 to 29 September 2011. For the first time, the Navigation Conference of the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (BMVBS) and BITKOM e.V. will be staged at the world's largest conference trade fair for geodesy, geoinformation and land management. "The market for satellite navigation applications offers major opportunities, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. The right partnerships are needed to give German companies what they need to face competition on the international market. Linking our User Conference with the INTERGEO trade fair is a logical step in tapping new partnerships and synergies", says Rainer Bomba, State Secretary at the BMVBS. In the run-up to the conference, experts from the INTERGEO Round Table will meet in Karlsruhe on 7 June to agree on the particular aspects of satellite navigation.

Satellite navigation is an increasingly important technology in many areas. Be it in cars, transport, logistics or smart phones - location data has become an indispensable part of our daily lives. However, this data is not always as reliable and precise as we would like. This is set to change with the development of new satellite navigation systems such as GALILEO and EGNOS. Shared use of GALILEO, GPS, GLONASS and terrestrial and satellite-based augmentation systems will open up new application possibilities in the future.

The BMVBS's and BITKOM's Conference will be devoted to this topic on the Wednesday of INTERGEO at the Congress Centrum Ost. Entering into cooperation with the BMVBS is a step towards achieving INTERGEO's objective of continuous further development as the number one international industry event. The Navigation Conference will also be supported at the trade fair itself. The Forum for Satellite Navigation will have a stand at INTERGEO for the first time. Founded as a Germany-wide network of 14 regional initiatives for the promotion of satellite navigation applications, the network - with the BMVBS as facilitator and patron - has now established itself as a shared platform for developers of innovative satellite navigation platforms. The areas of application range from intelligent transport systems, logistics, freight management, emergency services, disaster prevention and civil defence to applications for healthcare, the elderly and leisure activities. With the User Conference and Forum for Satellite Navigation, the BMBVS is helping create a Germany-wide network of companies, scientists, associations, administrations and end customers.

Staging all of these events simultaneously under the same roof will offer both the BMBVS and INTERGEO a wider platform for national and international networking. The aim is to promote and facilitate ideas for innovations and business development in the burgeoning GNSS industry in Germany.
 The Navigation Conference will take place on Wednesday, 28 September, in the Shanghai room at the trade fair's Congress Centrum Ost in Nuremberg. Participation is free and open to all interested parties as well as those attending the INTERGEO conference and trade fair. The detailed conference programme can be downloaded from www.bmvbs.de/galileo as of July 2011.

Satellite navigation seems to offer vast potential. Participants at the INTERGEO Round Table at HINTE GmbH's office in Karlsruhe from 11 a.m. on 7 June therefore have ample reason to discuss: "Unlimited Navigation - The Way Ahead?" The round table of experts will include Prof. Reiner Jäger from the geomatics faculty of Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Frank Zimmermann, managing director of cesah GmbH Centrum für Satellitennavigation Hessen, Ulrich Reinfried, from the BMVBS, and Ulrich Hermanski, Senior Sales and Marketing Manager for Topcon Europe. With Hagen Graeff facilitating the event, a lively discussion will no doubt ensue as participants get in the mood for INTERGEO 2011 in Nuremberg.

DVW e.V. - the German Society for Geodesy, Geoinformation and Land Management - is the organiser of INTERGEO, which will be held in Nuremberg from 27 to 29 September.

Press contact:
HINTE GmbH
Ursula Rubenbauer
Tel.: +49 (0)721/931 33-730
E-mail: urubenbauer@hinte-messe.de
www.intergeo.de