Convergence of Geospatial, Engineering Data, 3D Gaming and Infrastructure

Management Technologies to Bring Benefits for Defense, Emergency Responders

                            and Civilian Agencies

WASHINGTON, May 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Convergence will be the key theme at the Autodesk 2006 Government Users Conference (AGUC) on Wednesday as users from defense, civilian agencies and other areas of the federal government meet to share new strategies for maximizing the capabilities of geospatial information systems (GIS) and digital design technologies. Software from Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK) has been used by the federal government for 24 years, and is an increasingly vital tool for government building design, construction and management, federal manufacturing design, and training and simulation.

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"Government agencies are applying digital design solutions in innovative ways to accelerate their missions - whether it is supporting national defense using visualization and simulation tools, or improving facilities management or post-incident response using municipal structures mapping tools," said Dave Rhodes, vide president of Autodesk Government. "Autodesk is uniquely positioned to provide solutions to support the strategic needs of federal agencies."

Among the topics of discussion at AGUC 2006, are how GIS is being integrated with other types of data applications, such as computer aided design (CAD) and building information modeling (BIM), and how this convergence will bring added benefits for users. This trend is in part a reflection of GIS being elevated as a tool for all areas of defense, emergency response and resource management.

In morning keynote remarks at the conference, U.S. Air Force Colonel Brian Cullis, who leads the Defense Installation Spatial Data Infrastructure (DISDI) program, will discuss his team's distinct approach to creating and administering GIS, BIM, CAD and imagery information resources across the DoD's global network. The DISDI program is in the Office of the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Installations and Environment, and focuses on the business processes, people and policies necessary to provide installation visualization and mapping capabilities.

The conference, being held at the Reagan Building and International Trade Center, will provide government users informative technical sessions and demonstrations in a variety of areas: training simulation, enhanced situational awareness, visualization for security analysis, modeling for manufacturing and maintenance, and disaster preparedness and recovery, among others.

Other featured speakers include Jon Hansen, the retired assistant fire chief from Oklahoma City Fire-Rescue, who was the "voice" of Oklahoma City during the 1995 bombing at the Murrah federal building and the rescue work that followed, and now is Autodesk's manager of emergency response solutions; and Lynn Allen, Cadalyst columnist and worldwide Autodesk technical evangelist.

In addition to learning more about how the Department of Defense is building new strategies to accelerate its global mission, attendees will be able to participate in breakout sessions along three distinctive tracks:

     *    Landing planning, real property management and construction
     *    Manufacturing design and maintenance
     *    Disaster and mission pre-planning and recovery

    About Autodesk Government

Autodesk Government is a dedicated organization within Autodesk that has served the needs of federal and state/local government agencies for more than 20 years. Autodesk Government delivers software solutions that integrate geospatial, manufacturing, design and engineering data with other critical information to reduce the time it takes to make informed decisions. In roles that include emergency response management, physical infrastructure design and protection, mission rehearsal, simulation and training, and asset tracking, Autodesk Government is a trusted partner to help agencies ensure mission success.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a Fortune 1000 company, wholly focused on ensuring that great ideas are turned into reality. With seven million users, Autodesk is the world's leading software and services company for the manufacturing, building, infrastructure, media and entertainment and wireless data services fields. Autodesk's solutions help customers create, manage and share their data and digital assets more effectively. As a result, customers turn ideas into competitive advantage by becoming more productive, streamlining project efficiency and maximizing profits.

Founded in 1982, Autodesk is headquartered in San Rafael, California. For additional information about Autodesk, please visit www.autodesk.com.

NOTE: Autodesk is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

Contact: George Thompson, 202-828-9708

Email: george.thompson@fleishman.com

SOURCE Autodesk, Inc.
Web site: http://www.autodesk.com
(ADSK)