Wayland, MA, USA, February 27, 2001: The Open GIS Consortium (OGC) and Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMC) jointly announced recently that James Stephens of LMC has been named as Deputy Program Manager for OGC's Interoperability Program. Lockheed Martin Management & Data Systems (M&DS) will fund Stephens' assignment as part of LMC's strategic membership in OGC.During his one-year assignment, Stephens will work as a member of OGC staff focusing on the Interoperability Program. He will also provide support to the OGC Specification Program and continue in his capacity as LMC's representative to the OGC Technical Committee.David Schell, President of OGC, noted, “Jim brings with him a remarkable mix of skills and experience to OGC's Interoperability Program — in this position, he will be able to provide tremendous value to OGC members and programs. By making this commitment to building OGC's Interoperability Program, Lockheed Martin is making a valuable contribution to the development of interoperable geoprocessing and at the same time making a significant leadership statement to the community. We are very pleased to be renewing our Strategic Membership with Lockheed Martin and look forward to a continuation of our unique and productive relationship”.Roger Mann, Program Director for Exploitation Solutions within M&DS' Imagery and Geospatial Solutions business unit, and M&DS's representative to the OGC Planning Committee noted, “This arrangement is an example of the value that Lockheed Martin Corporation places on interoperable customer solutions.” He further described this resource sharing arrangement as “one example of the innovation and creativity that makes OGC and its members so successful”.Stephens holds a BS in Geology and an MA in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has been with LMC for five years supporting various geospatial programs.OGC is an international industry consortium of over 200 companies, government agencies and universities working together to develop publicly available geoprocessing standards. OpenGIS Specifications establish common interfaces and protocols that “geo-enable” the Web and mainstream IT, so technology developers can make complex spatial information accessible and useful with all kinds of applications. Visit OGC at www.opengeospatial.orgManagement & Data Systems ( https://mds.external.lmco.com/ ) has been a leader in systems integration, systems engineering, software development and program management in support of vital national systems for more than 30 years. M&DS is a unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation with approximately 7,500 employees at facilities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area.Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics, and technology services. For more information please visit http://www.lockheedmartin.com .– end –“