Milton Keynes, UK – December 2008 - Leica Geosystems, manufacturer of world leading measuring and positioning equipment, announces the supply of new GNSS receivers for enhancing Ordnance Survey’s OSNet reference station network has begun. Following the prestigious award of contract for 110 Leica GRX1200+ GNSS Pro receivers and the latest generation Leica AR25 choke-ring antennae, all stations in the network will be upgraded. The process is already under way with all receivers scheduled for operational capability by Spring 2009. As the upgraded stations are installed, the enhanced service of both GPS and GLONASS corrections will be made available immediately.

The Leica System 500 receivers which are being replaced were part of the highly successful contract in 2001 to supply Ordnance Survey with all of its GPS capability for a five year period. A consequence of this move to GPS saw production increase by over 40%. The enhancement process will yield continuing efficiencies.

The new base stations‘ capability of receiving both the current GPS and GLONASS satellite signals as well as future GNSS signals will provide greater versatility, speed and accuracy, thus enhancing Ordnance Survey‘s OS Net infrastructure. Developed in 2004/5, OS Net underpins all commercial network RTK solutions in Great Britain, including Leica Geosystems‘ own SmartNet correction service. As well as the upgrade to GNSS for the RTK solution, the additional GLONASS raw data will be available for downloading in RINEX form, from both OSNet and SmartNet.

Neil Ackroyd, Director of Data Collection and Management at Ordnance Survey, comments: “All our work is focused on providing the definitive geographic context for the places that we live and work. Business, government and individuals depend on our authoritative location data every day and this investment reflects our on-going commitment to maintaining those standards.

‘This appointment is the end result of a comprehensive procurement process and I am delighted that Leica Geosystems will be supporting the future of OS Net. This is an exciting development for the future use of precision Global Navigation Satellite Systems in this country.‘

‘Once again we are delighted to have been selected by Ordnance Survey to work with them on the next phase of such an exciting project. Award of this contract vindicates Leica Geosystems' strategy of continuous technical development. System 1200 GNSS receivers will future proof the updated network and will continue to provide reliable and accurate solutions for many years, across many and diverse applications and industries‘ stated David Price, Managing Director, Leica Geosystems UK and Ireland.

Leica Geosystems has forged a longstanding relationship with Ordnance Survey and for many years has been trusted as a key technology supplier. In 2005 this relationship developed further as the company became a commercial partner having launched Leica SmartNet, Great Britain‘s first commercial RTK Network, and has recently been awarded the accreditation of Advanced Certified Partner.