Wacom Announces First HD Interactive Pen Display for GIS Professionals

VANCOUVER, Wash., Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Wacom®, the leading manufacturer of digital pen input devices, today announced the introduction of its first full HD interactive pen display, the DTU-2231. With direct pen-on-screen input, the DTU-2231 is designed to optimize efficiency and productivity by allowing geophysicists, oil & gas experts, planners, engineers, cartographers and emergency responders to quickly and easily create original content, edit maps as well as manage, analyze and share geographic information.

"Our goal is to positively impact and elevate the way GIS professionals interact with their digital data, especially those working with ESRI applications," said Wacom Senior Product Manager, Stan Ueno. "With excellent HD resolution and widescreen formatting, the DTU-2231 raises the bar for GIS professionals seeking enhanced navigation and control as well as higher levels of detail, accuracy and efficiency. This, combined with the vast array of other high-performance interactive pen display models offered by Wacom, provides GIS professionals unlimited options to improve mapping, design and red-lining processes."

Featuring a 21.5" widescreen LCD with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, the DTU-2231 broadens GIS data across organizations and substantially reduces work cycle times. Institutions such as AMEC and Marin Municipal Water District have all combined Wacom interactive pen display technology with ESRI software to experience enhanced digital workflows which garner up to a 50 percent increase in production efficiencies. These immediate time-savings translate into a significant return on investment.

"ESRI has worked with Wacom to integrate their innovative interactive pen display technology with new software capabilities in ArcGIS 10," said Eric Wittner, manager of the GeoDesign efforts at ESRI. "This integration will enable designers to quickly sketch directly on screen and evaluate the consequences of alternative design solutions. The availability of a user-friendly pen-based workflow facilitates decision making not only by technical experts, but puts the power back in the hands of the planner and decision maker, and even provides a platform to support public participation. The ability to then rapidly and easily share plans over the Web, with the general public, facilitates the democratization of decision making."

Further features of the DTU-2231 include:

• Cordless, Battery-free Pen: With 512 levels of pressure sensitivity, the pen provides a tip switch, two customizable side switches, an eraser switch and tether hole  
• Built-in USB Hub: With two user-accessible USB ports
• Video Pass-thru: DVI-I (digital or analog) input, DVI-I output and video scaler
• Completely Flat Work Surface: 16:9 aspect ratio and adjustable stand; the DTU-2231 additionally offers anti-reflective treatment

Competitively priced, the Wacom DTU-2231 (USD $1,899 MSRP) will be available for purchase in spring 2010. For additional details please visit www.wacom.com.

About Wacom

Founded in 1983, Wacom®'s vision to bring people and technology closer together through natural interface technologies has made it the world's leading manufacturer of digital human interface solutions. Wacom revolutionized the nature of digital input when it introduced its family of interactive pen displays, allowing users to work with a pressure-sensitive pen directly on screen. Today, thousands of medical, GIS, design and other professionals count on Wacom interactive pen displays to deliver superior control and productivity to their workflow.  Visit www.wacom.com for more information.

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SOURCE Wacom