Strategic Partnership for a Safe Future: Cooperation of TZS and DFKI - Official Launch in the Context of 'Future Talk' at CeBIT 2010

BERLIN, March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Technology provider TZS and the German Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) in future will embark on research and development projects within the framework of a joint venture. Their collaboration will focus on research in the areas of urban management, civil safety and security (CSS), crisis management and emergency response. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wahlster of DFKI will hold the position of scientific director at the joint venture. The partnership was formally kicked off at CeBIT 2010, the world's largest computer trade expo. It was announced during the opening panel discussion "Urban Management – The Internet of Things and Services in the Context of Civil Safety and Security" – part of the CeBIT "future talk" series.

TZS (Technologies for Civil Safety and Security), which was founded last year, is a member of AGT International, and specializes in integrated solutions for civil safety and security. Already in December 2009, TZS was able to tap Prof. Dr. Wahlster – a renowned expert in the field of Artificial Intelligence and chairman of the executive board of DFKI – as director of the scientific advisory board of TZS. Within the framework of the cooperation with DFKI, the company is planning to expand its commitment and actively participate in shaping developments in growing segments of the information and communication technologies.

Joint research will focus on the growth sectors of civil safety and security, crisis management, visualization and security robotics, as well as urban management. Technologies that are relevant to these issues – including semantic analytics, video and image data processing, and interface management – will be jointly researched and developed. They will then result in market-ready products that TZS will commercialize.

Mati Kochavi, CEO of AGT International notes the significance of the announcement: "The collaboration that will take place between DFKI and TZS heralds an important new development in the field of civil safety and security by bringing together some of the best scientists in the world to work together on challenges that lie at the heart of global security."

Peter Liebhart, CEO of TZS, comments on the cooperation with the renowned research hub: "We are delighted about the new possibilities of knowledge transfer between our experts and the scientists of DFKI. We are convinced that this partnership will be the cornerstone of an innovation boost in the various disciplines involved. And we are confident that this partnership will help us reach our goal of becoming the European market leader in the segment of integrated safety and emergency systems."

Since its formation in 1988, the aim of the German Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) has been to translate cutting-edge research fast into practice-oriented application solutions. The institute is one of the leading centers of excellence worldwide. And through its proactive and demand-oriented project work both nationally and internationally, it has acquired the reputation of being a competent and reliable partner that boosts the industry with innovation. At TZS, the institute has now acquired another project partner. "TZS and AGT International behind TZS are renowned specialists in their field," states Professor Dr. Wolfgang Wahlster, chairman of the executive board, DFKI, and director of the scientific advisory board, TZS. "While the strong points of DFKI lie in its research and close ties with the industry, TZS above all will be able to contribute domain knowledge and operations management expertise, as well as its extensive knowledge of the markets in the area of civil safety and security and urban management."

The partnership was formalized with a contract signing at CeBIT 2010 in connection with the panel discussion "Urban Management – The Internet of Things and Services in the Context of Civil Safety and Security" – part of the CeBIT "future talk" series. Immediately after the contract was signed, DFKI started working on a multisensory urban management platform as part of a first R&D project.

SOURCE TZS