Tele Atlas North America Names Richard F. Pearlman Vice President of Sales for Navigation and Telematics; Internationally Recognized ITS Leader to Head Business Development

    DETROIT--Oct. 21, 2002--Tele Atlas North America, the U.S. arm of the world leader in digital mapping, Tele Atlas NV, and premier provider of digital map databases and real-time traffic information for North America, today announced that Richard F. Pearlman has been named vice president of sales for navigation and telematics. Pearlman, an internationally recognized leader in the fields of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and digital map databases and applications, will lead business development efforts to help Tele Atlas achieve a significant position in the North American in-vehicle navigation marketplace.
    "Pearlman has made significant strides in the ITS and digital mapping industries," said George Fink, president and COO of Tele Atlas. "We are pleased to have him on board to help us make Tele Atlas the North American leader in ITS."
    Pearlman joins Tele Atlas from DENSO International America where he was vice president of Telematics, directing business development for telematics systems and solutions and was responsible for data and real-time content for the navigation, telematics and wireless information services in the North American market. He first joined DENSO as general manager of ITS Research and was a major factor in the company's introduction and growth of navigation systems products. His accomplishments include developing navigation systems software and databases for the navigation systems in Lexus, Jaguar and Cadillac vehicles.
    "I'm thrilled to be joining Tele Atlas as they break into the North American ITS market," said Pearlman. "I look forward to using my years of experience in mapping and navigation systems to help grow Tele Atlas," he added.
    Previously, Pearlman was with the American Automobile Associate in Heathrow, Fla., as an applications consultant for automated cartography and director of R&D, Cartography and Geographic Information Systems. He began his career in 1985 as a GIS programmer/analyst with CACI Inc. in Falls Church, Va.
    Pearlman has served as a member of several standards setting organizations including ISO, SAE, and ITS-America. He has served on the Federal Highway Administration's Expert Advisory Panel for the National Map Database Project and is currently a member of the Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE), the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping, and the Association of American Geographers (AAG). Pearlman earned a bachelor's of arts degree in Geography in 1984 from George Washington University in Washington D.C. where he also pursued graduate studies.

    About Tele Atlas North America, Inc.

    Tele Atlas North America, Inc., headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tele Atlas NV, the world leader in digital mapping. Tele Atlas North America, Inc. had its beginnings in 1983 with a vision to provide geographic information in digital form. Today, the company enables its customers' success through unsurpassed leadership in delivering both high-quality digital maps and real-time traffic information for business and consumer applications. The company focuses on providing content to key market sectors including Telematics/Automotive Navigation, Location Based Services (LBS), and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). For more information on Tele Atlas products and services, please visit www.na.teleatlas.com.