The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) announces formation of a new product group – the AEM Geospatial Industry Group – to serve manufacturers of various types of surveying/positioning systems such as GPS and GIS/LIS. Product groups in AEM provide a forum for manufacturers of similar equipment to discuss and take action on industry issues of mutual interest.

The new AEM Geospatial Industry Group is the result of a request from members of the Geomatics Industry Association of America (GIAA) to affiliate with AEM rather than operate as a separate organization. GIAA members looked at various industry associations and chose AEM because of its broad range of services and high levels of customer service.

GIAA had operated a statistical-reporting program for product sales in the Western Hemisphere, and this will continue under AEM, with plans to expand coverage and number of participants for added value. The new AEM Geospatial Industry Group’s initial focus will also include regulatory standards and specifications issues as well as growing the membership.

“AEM product groups help manufacturers focus on business planning and development needs. This is an opportunity to use AEM’s extensive services to assist the geospatial industry reach more markets,” stated Paul Malek, AEM’s director of membership.