Gravitate Partners With Informix Software to Develop Database Management Software for Advanced Wireless Internet Services

Business Wire, March 12, 2001

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 12, 2001

Combined Product Will Enable Mobile-to-Mobile

And Static-to-Mobile Applications

Gravitate Inc., a fast-growing supplier of enabling technologies and applications for Location Precise(TM) wireless services, and Informix(R) Software (Nasdaq:INFX), the database company(TM), a leading provider of database management software solutions, today announced a development, licensing and marketing agreement.

As a result of the partnership, Gravitate will offer a new, integrated database management product coupled with the spatially enabled Informix Dynamic Server(TM). The combined solution will solve the complex problem of managing moving point data and give customers the ability to manage geospatial information on wireless mobile users referenced by latitude-longitude coordinates.

Informix Dynamic Server allows organizations to intelligently manage complex geospatial information alongside traditional data without sacrificing the efficiency of the relational database model. The highly extensible and scalable features of Informix Dynamic Server will enable the Gravitate Platform to handle the rigorous management and processing demands associated with moving point data.

"Gravitate, using Informix Dynamic Server and its spatially enabled technology, has demonstrated the ability to manage the updating of large numbers of moving data points and process impressive concurrent queries over a very large set of mobile users," said Michael Stevens, spatial business development manager for Informix Software.

"We are looking forward to helping Gravitate integrate their offering with our geospatial technology. The partnership confirms our commitment to the mobile and geospatial marketplace."

The Gravitate Platform is designed around a core patent-pending technology, CLoUDS(TM) (Client Locating and User Discovery System), which solves the complex problem associated with managing moving point data in spatial databases.

With CLoUDS, Gravitate enables applications to utilize the location information of single mobile users and/or mobile user groups. This unique capability opens the door to new breeds of mobile-to-mobile applications such as professional networking, matchmaking or mobile-to-mobile gaming.

"Working with Informix Software, a leading provider of spatial database products for the telecommunications industry, is a natural fit for Gravitate, as we are dedicated to serving the wireless industry by addressing the technology problems associated with indexing the location information of moving point data," said John Trobough, chief executive officer of Gravitate.

"We have received exemplary support and enthusiasm for this venture from our new partner."

The Gravitate Platform supports the rapid development and delivery of advanced location-based wireless Internet services to users of mobile devices, including new classes of services such as "mobile-user-to-mobile-user" and "static-location-to-mobile-user" applications.

The company is offering the Gravitate Platform to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and infrastructure providers, carriers and network operators, and Application Service Providers (ASP) or content providers. Gravitate has released its Alpha product, and expects to deliver a commercial version by the third quarter of 2001.

"While traditional static-to-mobile services are unlikely to drive significant revenues from wireless location-based applications, it is clear that the emerging mobile-to-mobile services will create new and exciting opportunities for providers of these applications," said Eugene Signorini, analyst, wireless mobile services for The Yankee Group, a Boston-based market research firm.

"The work being performed by Gravitate and Informix Software is well targeted to addressing the technology gap that is currently delaying the deployment of advanced location-based services."

Informix Software Spatial Data Management

Informix Software provides spatially enabled database management in its core line of databases: Informix Dynamic Server and Informix Internet Foundation(TM). With Informix, complex spatial data can be accessed via standard SQL statements or through industry-leading client-side GIS software. Informix Software's exclusive R-tree indexing gives extremely fast access to data and robust analytical capability.

For more information about Informix Software's Spatial Data Management products, visit the Informix spatial Web site at www.informix.com/spatial.> Informix Software, The Database Company

Informix Software, the database company, is a leading provider of database management systems for data warehousing, transaction processing and e-business applications. With more than 100,000 customers worldwide, Informix Software delivers high-performance database systems in markets including retail, financial services, government, health care, manufacturing, media and publishing, and telecommunications.

For more information, visit the Informix Web site at www.informix.com.