TORONTO, Dec. 15 - Hummingbird Ltd., the world-leading developer of enterprise information management systems (EIMS), today announced a technology alliance with Ricoh Corporation, the leading provider of digital office equipment. Hummingbird's relationship with Ricoh further extends Hummingbird Enterprise solutions to provide customers with the ability to easily and securely capture, manage and share scanned documents and photographic images across the enterprise, from multiple sources to a single repository, streamlining business processes and improving productivity. The Hummingbird and Ricoh technology alliance introduces two distinct applications: Ricoh GlobalScan document scanning software linked to the Hummingbird DM system; and a new geo-imaging solution integrating Hummingbird Enterprise for ESRI with the Ricoh GPS-enabled digital camera. RICOH GLOBALSCAN INTEGRATES WITH HUMMINGBIRD DM Ricoh GlobalScan software, combined with Ricoh Aficio multi-function products (MFPs), can link seamlessly to the Hummingbird DM system allowing users to scan and index documents into Hummingbird document management repositories directly from the touch-screen panel of the Ricoh Aficio MFPs. The combined technologies offer a scalable and secure Internet information management platform allowing users to collaborate on critical business content and store the information with a touch of a button. Ricoh's network log-in authentication feature provides Hummingbird customers with secure network access at the scanning device. With Ricoh's GlobalScan software architecture all information such as indexes, database information and file types are displayed and accessed easily through the Aficio MFPs front panel which delivers unparalleled security, scalability and performance at a remarkably low total cost of ownership. The Hummingbird DM integration can be easily tailored to meet specialized requirements, dynamically linking the applications and reflecting customized user information on the Ricoh Aficio MFP front panel. Vastly different from most scanning software products, GlobalScan acts as a network service so one server will support multiple Aficio devices. By integrating the Ricoh GlobalScan document scanning solution with Hummingbird DM, paper-based documents will be made more readily available across the enterprise, simplifying how employees publish and share information. "Our alliance with Hummingbird enhances both our offerings for the benefit of our respective customers," said Hede Nonaka, vice president of marketing for Ricoh Corporation. "With GlobalScan and Hummingbird DM linked together we are able to offer our customers a strong solution for their workflow needs." GEO-IMAGING SOLUTION FOR HUMMINGBIRD ENTERPRISE FOR ESRI Hummingbird and Ricoh offer a geo-imaging solution integrating Hummingbird Enterprise for ESRI with the Ricoh GPS-enabled digital camera. The integrated solution provides customers with a fully automated and error-free way to integrate photographic images with geographic information system (GIS) documents and maps. The Ricoh digital camera captures the global positioning system (GPS) latitude and longitude coordinates at the time a picture is taken. This spatial meta-data is permanently encoded into the image and is used to geographically position the image when it is uploaded to the Hummingbird Enterprise for ESRI solution. The result is a fully automated solution for positioning pictures in geo-space. The Hummingbird Enterprise for ESRI integration with the Ricoh digital GPS camera will benefit any user that needs to capture critical images and have them automatically associated to a property or a geo-coordinate. For example, real estate developers can integrate images of properties with corresponding documents; police and emergency response crews can geolink crime scene images and graffiti tags. When the image has been loaded into the Hummingbird Enterprise for ESRI solution they can be retrieved by clicking on a web-based geographic feature, so employees can locate corresponding records, documents, or images concerning a specific facility, property or location. Photographic documentation can be wirelessly transmitted or synchronized into GIS databases when the user returns to the office. Users can retrieve the image by clicking on the map or by searching in the Hummingbird document management repository. Ricoh and Hummingbird's new "Geo-Image" solution greatly enhances the traditional methods, which require that the picture be matched with the logs created by the GPS receivers at the time the image was taken. This traditional process not only requires multiple devices and excessive time, but it is also prone to errors or lost data. "The unique combination of Ricoh's GPS-enabled camera and Hummingbird's DM system allows enterprise customers to enjoy the benefits of relating images to geo-space without the detriments inherent in alternate methods," said Jeff Lengyel, marketing manger for Ricoh's Digital Camera Division. "We are very pleased to join forces with Ricoh. The Ricoh GlobalScan software combined with Aficio MFPs and linked with the Hummingbird DM system offers Hummingbird customers significant value-added capabilities and enhanced operational efficiencies," said Andrew Pery, chief marketing officer and senior vice president, Hummingbird Ltd. "With Hummingbird Enterprise for ESRI and the Ricoh GPS digital camera integration, photographic documentation and the associated GIS information is instantly available for viewing via a Web browser, allowing for business processes and collaboration to begin immediately, from anywhere in the world."