Astrium expands Geo-information services in Greece

22 July 2010, 1:05pm

Paris, 22nd July 2010 - Astrium has strengthened its presence in Greece by creating the company Spot Infoterra Hellas, a provider of geo-information products and services. The Greek company Geomet, a long-standing partner of Spot image and Infoterra in Greece, will be merged into the new entity. Through this move, the two recently merged subsidiaries of Astrium Services continue their expansion in Europe.
Spot Infoterra Hellas will be distributing the full range of Spot Infoterra products and services, including data provided by the Spot, Pleiades and TerraSAR-X Earth observation satellites. It will be developing additional services as well as part of the GMES initiative (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security), with a special focus on natural disasters such as the fires that devastated Greece in 2009. It will also be offering all the knowhow of Astrium Services in sectors such as maritime surveillance, border patrols and national and regional planning.
"Spot Infoterra Hellas will benefit from Geomet's experience in the local market and will be capable of offering its customers a full range of products, including data acquisition, processing and advanced geo-information services. We are delighted with this latest step and are convinced that it will further develop the satellite services market in Greece and neighbouring countries," declared Eric Béranger, CEO of Astrium Services.

Astrium holds an 81% share in Spot Infoterra Hellas, with the remaining 19% owned by the founders of Geomet. The company expects to employ a staff of around 30 people within the next two years.

Taking full advantage of the resources and skills offered by Spot Image and Infoterra, the Geo-information division of Astrium Services has become a recognised world leader in the geo-information market by offering decision-makers sustainable solutions to increase security, protect the environment and better manage natural resources. It has exclusive access to Spot and TerraSAR-X satellite data, while also calling on a full gamut of space data sources and airborne acquisition capabilities, enabling it to offer an unrivalled combination of Earth observation products and services. Its portfolio spans the entire geo-information value chain.
By building on the synergy of Astrium Services, the Geo-information division can also develop innovative solutions combining Earth observation, navigation and communication applications at competitive prices.

Geo: International