OSLO, NORWAY, 30 MAY 2002 - Ontopia AS, provider of advanced Topic Map technology and co-creators of the Topic Map standard, today announced a strategic partnership with Synergy Incubate, Inc. that will bring Ontopia's advanced Topic Map technology to the Japanese market.
Synergy Incubate is one of the leading providers of information management tools and services in Japan, and plays an active role in the standardization process, through participation in the Japanese Standards Committee and the International Organization for Standardization.
As a result of this agreement, Ontopia gains a partner of the highest calibre to serve the needs of its Japanese customers, and Synergy Incubate gains access to Ontopia's flagship product, the Ontopia Knowledge Suite(TM), for use in building Topic Map-driven knowledge applications for its customers.
Topic Maps are a standard technology that bridges the gulf between information and knowledge. Topic Maps provide a single, extensible platform for indexing information, integrating systems, and managing knowledge. Solutions built around Topic Maps extend easily from one application to another: Indexes evolve into portals; portals into knowledge bases; knowledge bases into the foundation for integrated applications. The same Topic Map data underlies and enables all of these, permitting repeated leveraging of investment. And Topic Maps are based on open, international standards, so knowledge is guaranteed longevity and vendor independence.
The Ontopia Knowledge Suite (OKS) is the world's most complete and robust suite of Topic Map tools. Written in 100% Java, it can be used to underpin a wide range of applications, from web portals to web services, from corporate intranets to enterprise knowledge bases, and from information integration to application integration.
"Just as human society cannot be formed by one individual alone, it is true to say that an information society cannot be built upon one computer alone. We believe strongly that Topic Maps are the best way to connect users, information, and knowledge," stated Motomu Naito, Director of Synergy Incubate and translator of the Topic Map standard. "Ontopia has shown its commitment to the same vision and also produced technology of unrivalled quality. We are proud to work with them."
"The fact that Synergy Incubate, the most knowledgeable Topic Map company in Japan, chose Ontopia is yet another validation of our Topic Map technology," stated Steve Pepper, Chief Executive Officer at Ontopia and co-editor of the XML Topic Map (XTM) specification. "Synergy Incubate and Ontopia share a common passion to deliver solutions based on open standards that truly meet users' needs and that protect their investment over time and across applications. We also share a common faith in the ability of Topic Maps to enable exactly that."
Ontopia, The Topic Map Company(TM), is the world's leading provider of generic topic map software. Its principals have been actively involved in developing and promoting the topic map paradigm for many years.
Ontopia's flagship product, the Ontopia Knowledge Suite(TM), currently comprises a full-featured topic map engine that supports both the ISO 13250 and XML Topic Map (XTM) specifications, and the Ontopia Topic Map Navigator, a framework for building web-based topic map delivery applications. Ontopia technology provides added value to web portals, content management systems, knowledge-based intranet applications, and enterprise application integration.
Ontopia is privately held and has headquarters at Waldemar Thranes gt. 98, N-0175 Oslo, Norway. Tel: +47-23 23 30 80. Fax: +47-23 23 30 81. Web: http://www.ontopia.net.
Steve Pepper, CEO
+47-23 23 30 80
pepper@ontopia.net
Synergy Incubate Inc. was founded in 1995 to provide information management solutions based on XML, SGML, HTML, Fulltext DB, RDB, Topic Maps and Web technology. Its customers include the Japanese Governmental Agencies, Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST), NTT, CANON, Daiwa Securities, Asia Securities Printing, the Universities of Tokyo and Keio, the National Institutes of Informatics (NII) and Japanese Literature (NIJL).
Synergy Incubate partners with recognized experts in the realm of information management, including Textuality, Antarcti.ca, and Ontopia. The company is a member of IDEAlliance and the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS), and participates in standardization activities related to XML in Japan and internationally.
Its offerings include platforms for sharing information and knowledge; network security features, such as document authentication and notarization; and multilingual support for software. It has provided products and services based on Topic Maps since 2000.
Synergy Incubate is privately held and has headquarters at ORITA BLDG.2F, 1-30-22, Tomigaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0063 Japan. Tel: +81-3-5478-9901. Fax: +81-3-5478-9801. Web: http://web.synergy.co.jp
Motomu Naito, Director
+81-3-5478-9901
motom@synergy.co.jp