Microsoft’s Vexcel Imaging GmbH Reports 32 Sales of UltraCam Systems for its 2009 Fiscal YearGraz, Austria—June 25, 2009—Microsoft’s Photogrammetry division—Vexcel Imaging, GmbH—today reported an impressive 32 sales for its UltraCam digital aerial camera systems during the company’s 2009 fiscal year (July 2008 – June 2009). This number includes three recent camera sales—an UltraCamX sold into Japan and two UltraCamXp sold into China—and breaks down as follows:
UltraCamX units sold: 12 Seven of the UltraCamX sales were made to customers of the UltraCamD, the first model in the series of Vexcel Imaging’s UltraCam systems, by customers seeking to take advantage of the newer model’s larger footprint and increased storage capacity but who still retain and keep in service the UltraCamD for specific projects. Meanwhile, Vexcel Imaging saw an additional 10 UltraCamX-to-UltraCamXp system upgrades in 2009, which are not included in the reported sales figures. With these 2009 transactions, but not factoring the additional system upgrades, UltraCam worldwide adoption is now at 125 units sold and breaks down as follows:
UltraCamD: 47 units sold “Needless to say, we are pleased to be able to report such a successful year,” said Alexander Wiechert, Business Director of Microsoft and Managing Director for Vexcel Imaging GmbH. “Given the exceptional value of the UltraCam system, we remained cautiously optimistic even as the economy worsened. Having said that, 32 system sales during a historically tough economic period exceeded even our expectations and is testament to the market recognition of our products as sound investments.” The first model of the UltraCam family of digital aerial mapping cameras, the UltraCamD, was introduced in 2004 delivering the largest image footprint of the digital aerial sensors on the market. Since that time, Vexcel Imaging has released the UltraCamX followed by the UltraCamXp featuring even larger image formats (the UCXp boasts a 196 megapixel image footprint), reducing the amount of flight lines necessary for mapping projects, and an enhanced storage system with removable storage units for longer flight missions and minimal ground time. Meanwhile, the UtraCamL digital medium format photogrammetric camera, introduced in July 2008, delivers many of the same technical capabilities of the UltraCam large format systems but in a smaller and lighter package designed for use in smaller aircraft. It offers a 64 megapixel image format, a 1:2.2 pan sharpen ratio and collects RGB and NIR in parallel, all with forward motion compensation by TDI, allowing it to deliver brilliant true-color and color-infrared (CIR) image quality with superior radiometric range, and making it ideal for smaller large-scale and photogrammetric projects, high-resolution (true) orthophoto production, multi-ray photogrammetry, corridor mapping, and lidar integration. Building on early success of the UltraCamL, Vexcel Imaging upgraded the system to release the UltraCamLp in March 2009. The UltraCamLp improves upon its predecessor by providing data collection at 92 megapixels (11,704 x 7,920 pixels pan) making it the largest-footprint medium format camera system on the market. Both models take advantage of the computing and storage subsystems introduced with the UltraCamXp. The UltraCamLp will be available for flying season 2010 with deliveries beginning in November 2009. Existing UltraCamL customers will have the option to be upgraded to the UltraCamLp at no additional costs beyond shipping. About Vexcel Imaging, GmbHAcquired by Microsoft Corporation in May 2006, Vexcel Imaging GmbH brings 20 years of photogrammetry expertise to Microsoft’s Bing Maps business unit and is at the heart of the burgeoning Microsoft Photogrammetry business. The company’s offerings include its series of UltraCam digital aerial mapping cameras and related software tools, such as the UltraMap workflow software and Office Processing Center software (OPC). |