May 27, 2015 — Defence and security company Saab and DigitalGlobe, Inc. (NYSE: DGI), a leading global provider of high-resolution earth imagery solutions, today announced the creation of a joint venture – Vricon, Inc. to produce photo-realistic 3D products and digital elevation models globally for enterprise and government geospatial markets with unmatched coverage and delivery timelines.
Vricon combines Saab’s unique 3D technology and know-how with DigitalGlobe’s unrivaled archive which contains billions of square kilometres of the world’s highest quality commercial satellite imagery. The Vricon joint venture will establish high scale production capabilities that will make highly accurate photorealistic 3D products and elevation data of the earth, accessible via its unique visualization platform and standard based data formats.
Vricon serves the entire professional geospatial market, with an initial focus on defense, security, and infrastructure. Vricon’s technology enables imagery content to accurately represent all visible objects on the earth in 3D, and its products provide customers with unmatched value and utility, superior coverage relative to aerial-derived elevation models, and superior fidelity and availability relative to other satellite-derived models.
DigitalGlobe and Saab will combine their strengths to both support and own Vricon. Under the agreement, Vricon will be headquartered in Reston, Virginia (US), with ownership set up as 50 per cent DigitalGlobe and 50 per cent Saab. Visit www.vricon.com for more information.
“Our customers will benefit from global access to geospatial data of unprecedented quality. It is a win-win situation with long-term value creation for both parent companies, which will give us a market position ahead of competition,” says Magnus Brege, CEO at Vricon.
“The establishment of Vricon is another great example of Saab’s ability to leverage innovation and transform it into business value. Together with DigitalGlobe, we are taking our revolutionary new 3D technology and applying it to benefit our global customer base. At the same time, we also take another step forward on our long-term path for growth in the United States”, says Dan Jangblad, head of Saab business area Industrial Products and Services.
“By combining DigitalGlobe’s unrivaled imagery archive with Saab’s leading edge technology, we will deliver the globe in 3D at a scale never before possible. By delivering this breakthrough product to our customers, this collaboration will drive growth and shareowner value creation”, says Jeffrey R. Tarr, DigitalGlobe President and Chief Executive Officer.
