Doha, 30th August 2008: Finding your way around Qatar could soon be easier, thanks to an innovative technology being developed by Qatar Navigator and Qatar Science and Technology Park.

QSTP has awarded QR 1.6 million to Qatar Navigator, a local start-up company, to develop and commercialise an automated map of the country. The company will survey and digitise Qatar's roads and points of interests, with the eventual aim of licensing the map to companies and local drivers.

Hamad Al Kuwari, General Manager of Qatar Navigator, said "As Doha residents know it can be difficult to specify where a site is located and then find your way there. Another issue is the roads and buildings in Qatar change very quickly. By using the latest automated mapping technology, we think we can produce maps more accurately and more quickly."

Qatar Navigator will drive around the country with a special video camera that simultaneously captures images and GPS coordinates, automatically generating a detailed map of roads and landmarks. Students from Qatar University will join the project, assisting with the surveying, digitising and uploading of information. The project is expected to take five months.

The maps will be usable by common in-car navigation systems, as well as almost any other mobile device equipped with GPS. Qatar Navigator already makes its own software for such devices, called Gulf Way. The company aims to licence its maps to satellite navigation companies and also directly to Qatar motorists.

The grant was made under QSTP's Proof of Concept Fund. Paul Field, manager of the fund, said "The POCF aims to help innovators to develop and demonstrate their technology. Qatar Navigator's project has the potential to quite literally put Qatar on the map. It marks another tangible step in the growth of Qatar's knowledge economy."

QSTP's Proof of Concept Fund provides grants for universities and small-to-medium companies in Qatar to demonstrate the technical and commercial viability of their innovations. Grants range from $100,000 to $500,000, and can be used to develop prototypes, undertake market research and manage intellectual property.

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About Qatar Science and Technology Park
Qatar Science & Technology Park fosters the development and commercialisation of technology in Qatar, a rising star in the Arabian Gulf with the world's third largest gas reserves and a remarkable vision for human development. As part of the renowned Qatar Foundation, founded by the country's Emir, the science park is co-located with campuses of Carnegie Mellon, Texas A&M, Weill Cornell and other premier universities. It provides research-friendly premises for companies from around the world, plus an incubator and investment for technology start-ups. Already EADS, ExxonMobil, GE, Microsoft, Rolls-Royce, Shell and Total have joined Qatar Science & Technology Park, and its first phase of buildings opens mid 2008. www.qstp.org.qa

For further information or to arrange an interview:
Ben Figgis
Qatar Science & Technology Park
bfiggis@qstp.org.qa
Tel: +974 492 7130

Kerry Morris
Hill & Knowlton
kerry.morris@hillandknowlton.com
Tel: +974 418 1292

Press Release 2008