MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (“MDA” or the “Company”) (TSX:MDA), a global communications and information company, today announced that it has been awarded a contract by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) for its Geospatial Terminal Operations (GTO) requirement.
Under the GTO contract, MDA will provide software systems and services to automate the production of NGA’s aeronautical charting products associated with flight operations at airports and the airspace immediately around them.

As one of the largest aeronautical information aggregators and publishers in the world, NGA has an inventory of many thousands of airport maps and instrument flight procedure charts that depict the geospatial and navigational information pilots need to land and depart safely at airports around the world. The drafting and maintenance of these charts has traditionally been done by hand, using computer-aided drafting software. The objective of GTO is to streamline this labour-intensive process by acquiring software that automatically renders the charts directly from navigational and geospatial source data.

Over the next three years, MDA will leverage expertise gained from developing aeronautical information solutions for the U.S. Air Force and the FAA and will incrementally integrate its AutoChart technology with NGA’s source databases. The contract also includes a mechanism for NGA to request customizations to AutoChart to meet NGA-unique requirements. The work will be carried out at NGA’s campus in St. Louis, Missouri and at MDA’s facilities.

Herbert F. Satterlee III, the general manager responsible for this business said, “MDA is very excited to be able to offer our advanced charting capability to assist NGA with its initiative for fully automated global production operations.”

About MDA

MDA is a global communications and information company providing operational solutions to commercial and government organizations worldwide.

MDA’s business is focused on markets and customers with strong repeat business potential, primarily in the Communications sector and the Surveillance and Intelligence sector. In addition, the Company conducts a significant amount of advanced technology development.

MDA’s established global customer base is served by more than 4,800 employees operating from 11 locations in the United States, Canada, and internationally.

The Company’s common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “MDA.”