DigitalGlobe Appoints SOVZOND for Imagery Distribution Throughout Russian Federation and Exclusively Throughout Eight Countries
Longmont, Colo., June 27, 2006 – DigitalGlobe®, provider of the world’s highest resolution commercial satellite imagery and geospatial information products, announced today that it appointed SOVZOND, of Moscow, Russia, as the exclusive distributor for its QuickBird satellite imagery in the eight CIS countries of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
According to SOVZOND’s CEO and Director Dr. Vladimir I. Mikhaylov, “The market share for satellite imagery is increasing quite rapidly in these territories. This is largely a result of the economy showing strong signs of growth and many federal programs with good budgeting getting underway. It is an ideal time to tighten our alliance with companies of DigitalGlobe’s caliber to deliver high-quality imagery to this market.”
“The Russian market is very attractive from many points of view. It’s a substantial landmass with great opportunities for promotion of the most up-to-date products and solutions such as those offered by DigitalGlobe”, said Mike McGill, DigitalGlobe’s senior director, global commercial sales. “Our partnership with SOVZOND allows us to grow into new territories that have historically enjoyed close ties with the Russian Federation. We are pleased SOVZOND is such an important part of our partner network and we look forward to working closely together as we develop growth strategies that benefit both companies.”
About SOVZOND
SOVZOND is an authorized distributor and sales representative for leading Earth information organizations worldwide. The company has a wide network of partners across Russia and covers all the segments of the market working closely with the main Russian ministries and federal agencies as well as with commercial companies. The company’s customers include The Ministry of Natural Resources; The Ministry of Agriculture; The Federal Cadastral Agency; The Russian Space Agency; The Federal Service for Geodesy and Cartography of Russia; The Russian Academy of Sciences; many local municipalities in Russia’s largest cities; RAO United Energy Systems of Russia, and major oil and gas companies including Gazprom and Rosneft
About DigitalGlobe
Longmont, Colo.-based DigitalGlobe (www.digitalglobe.com) is the clear leader in the global commercial Earth imagery and geospatial information market. The company’s technical superiority and innovation, unparalleled commitment to customer service, extensive business partner network and open systems philosophy make DigitalGlobe the preferred supplier of imagery products to government and commercial markets. DigitalGlobe’s QuickBird satellite is the world’s highest resolution commercial imaging system. The company’s next-generation WorldView I is scheduled to launch in mid-2007, and WorldView II is anticipated to launch in 2008, pending finalization of customer contracts. The company’s updated and growing ImageLibrary contains over one hundred million square kilometers of global imagery for countless mapping and planning needs.
