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Westar, Etak Sign New Agreement to Support Vehicle Location Services

5 December 1997

Westar, Etak Sign New Agreement to Support Vehicle Location Services

    DALLAS, Dec. 5 -- Westar, which pioneered the security
monitoring of vehicles for roadside emergency response and assistance in 1995,
signed a new, three-year agreement with Etak, Inc., for digital mapping
services.
    By integrating satellite technology and cellular communications, Westar
links drivers to its National Response Center where trained professionals can
pinpoint a vehicle's location in real-time nearly anywhere in the United
States and Canada on highly accurate Etak maps.
    Etak maps will be used by Westar to pinpoint the location of any motorist
who summons help or assistance from anywhere in the United States, including
Alaska and Hawaii.
    "By combining Etak's digital mapping technology with the technological
leadership we enjoy in security monitoring and database systems, we can now
offer a greater range of services for motorists who depend on Westar for added
convenience and peace of mind when they are on the road," said Steve
Millstein, Westar president.
    Westar, headquartered in Dallas, is a division of Protection One Alarm
Services of Culver City, Calif., and provides vehicle security
monitoring for Ford Motor Company's Lincoln RESCU program.  Protection One
provides home and business security monitoring to nearly one million customers
nationwide.  Western Resources , of Topeka, Kan., is the principal
owner of Protection One and is a diversified security and energy services
company with total assets of almost $7 billion.
    Etak is the premier publisher of digital maps, digital business and travel
information products, and navigation technology.  Etak map databases cover the
United States as well as mainland Great Britain.  Applications of Etak maps
and technology range from fleet management and utility facility management
systems to a variety of consumer products used in vehicles, homes, offices and
hand-held products.
    Headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., Etak is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Sony Corporation of America, which is owned by Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan.

SOURCE  Westar Security Services