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Herndon, VA - The National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) announced its investment in the GeoNav Group International, a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) services and products firm. GeoNav specializes in project management, GIS implementation, Quality Assurance, and vehicle navigation and tracking products. With its investment, NRTC has acquired on behalf of its members a 35 percent interest in the company and two seats on its board of directors. The investment enables the GeoNav Group to serve a wider audience and develop geospatial technology needs for rural electric and telephone utility markets.

Since its founding, the GeoNav Group has provided guidance to utilities in GIS software and hardware selection, emphasizing the "best-in-breed" solution for the utility. The company's flexible integration and implementation makes it an ideal choice for electric and telephone utilities.

"GeoNav is focused on helping utilities ensure data reliability and distribute their geospatial information throughout the utility. The investment from NRTC goes directly towards GIS innovation for utilities," said Erik Potter, vice president of GIS services. "GeoNav has always operated in a fiscally responsible way, so this additional capital allows us to expand our ability to support the rural utility market and build new geospatial technology," said Guner Gardenhire, president of GeoNav.

"GIS data is growing in importance for our utility members," said Bob Phillips, NRTC president and chief executive officer. He continued, NRTC has been advocating use of GIS for several years; GeoNav can give turn-by-turn directions to each and every utility asset, effectively eliminating the gas and time that now is so often wasted. But this isn't the only value of GIS to utilities. With this investment, NRTC will be working with GeoNav to promote integration of GIS data with other utility tools to improve operating efficiency."

SOURCE: NRTC