2d3 signs contract with UK Ministry of Defence

AUGUST 29, 2007--The 2d3 division of OMG plc, Oxford Metrics Group (Oxford, UK; www.omg3d.com), has signed a contract with the UK Ministry of Defence. The division develops advanced image-processing software for defense and visual effects. Its technology will be assessed for its utility in the monitoring of video processed on-board or relayed from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)--in particular, for automatically recognizing and locating specified targets such as vehicles moving on the ground. The software also has the potential to be used to monitor given locations and to issue alerts whenever there is activity, such as people entering or leaving a building.

To date, 2d3's automatic camera-tracking software has been used primarily by the movie industry. In 2005 OMG decided to apply its technology to UAVs, and in December 2005 the group announced an initial project with QinetiQ to recover 3-D information from airborne video imagery, which was completed in September 2006.