Global Science & Technology Part of Team Awarded $200 Million Contract to Maintain Environmental Data Archive & Distribution Project

Market Wire, August, 2008

Global Science & Technology, Inc. proudly announced that its Joint Venture partnership known as Diversified Global Partners JV LLC has been awarded a contract to develop and maintain the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Comprehensive Large Array-data Stewardship System (CLASS). The contract has a maximum ordering value of $200 million over the potential nine-year period of performance.

The contract has a value of $2,768,433 for the 2008 fiscal year, with the potential for future task order awards. The 2008 fiscal year ends September 30.

"During the last several years it has been extremely rewarding to collaborate with NOAA to develop and maintain the current CLASS system," said Global Science & Technology, Inc. President Chieh-san Cheng. "We're tremendously pleased that our partnership will continue where we can work with NOAA to deliver the next level capability of the system."

The CLASS program supports the mission of the NOAA's Satellite and Information Service to archive and disseminate environmental data. The development of CLASS is a long-term evolutionary process that incorporates current and new environmental data into the CLASS architecture. The primary services provided to CLASS are resource planning, system engineering, development, test, integration, and O&M. Global Science & Technology has been supporting CLASS with high-quality technical, engineering, and management solutions for many years.

"CLASS is an outstanding example of a shared government resource that serves many stakeholders and reduces the overall cost of archiving petabytes of valuable environmental data," said DGP Chairman and DB Consulting Group, Inc. President Gerald Boyd, Jr. "DGP and its Joint Venture partner companies Global Science & Technology and DB Consulting appreciate this opportunity to continue to provide high quality services to NOAA."

CLASS is NOAA's premiere online facility for the archive and distribution of NOAA and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) weather satellite data and products. These include Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). CLASS has a large stakeholder base that consists of diverse users that range from research scientists to weather forecasters to the private sector industry.

The vast CLASS data-storehouse now holds 8.3 million archived files totaling 98 terabytes. The archive contains weather observations that reach as far back as the 1890s. By 2010, CLASS will be collecting an estimated 5,137 terabytes or 5.1 petabytes per year from existing and next-generation satellites and other sources. Currently, Global Science & Technology performs software design, development and testing activities for NOAA/CLASS in Fairmont, WV; Boulder, CO; and Greenbelt and Suitland, MD.

For more information, contact: John Dahlia direct line: (304) 368-1862 ext. 14 cell: (304) 657-7095 email: Email Contact