ViGYAN, Inc. of Hampton, Virginia announced today that it has sold its real-time in-flight Pilot Weather Advisor^TM (PWA^TM) technology to WSI Corporation. With this purchase, WSI will introduce real-time in-flight weather information services later this year, building on WSI's already strong market position in aviation. This acquisition also positions WSI for market expansion in marine and ground transportation applications. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"This maximizes the opportunity for Pilot Weather Advisor^TM and given the financial strength of WSI, this technology will be used in other markets as well," said Sudhir C. Mehrotra, President of ViGYAN.

The Pilot Weather Advisor^TM system provides a continuous satellite-based broadcast of weather information to aircraft cockpits. Both radar and airport condition data is graphically displayed on portable or panel mounted displays. The system was developed by ViGYAN under the NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. NASA Langley Research Center initially supported development of the Pilot Weather Advisor^TM system. ViGYAN's in-house funding, along with private investment and an SBIR Phase III contract through the Weather Information Communications program at NASA Glenn Research Center, completed development of the system.

"This is the ultimate realization of the NASA SBIR program -- a technology the Agency invested in is being turned into a commercial product that will potentially benefit everyone who flies," said Robert Yang, NASA Langley SBIR Program Manager. "Beyond the air traveler, products based on this concept will potentially benefit those who travel using marine and ground transportation."

ViGYAN also received PWA^TM development assistance from Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) through its Old Dominion University Entrepreneurial Center. This program provided business plan development and marketing research support.

"We are thrilled for PWA^TM to be part of WSI, given their financial strength and reputation for quality service and support in the general aviation market," said Keith Hoffler of ViGYAN, who joins WSI as part of the transaction. "We thought about going it alone, but realized that combining our leading edge technology with the market leader in aviation weather was the smartest way to ensure success. WSI was the clear choice."

Lynne Wilson, Executive Vice President for WSI's Transportation Group stated, "As part of our decision to enter the market, we evaluated a number of technologies and companies. We believe ViGYAN's Pilot Weather Advisor^TM is the best technology out there. When combined with WSI's aviation weather information, it's the winning combination for pilots."

About ViGYAN

ViGYAN, founded in 1979 and located in Hampton, Virginia, provides aerospace research and development services to various Federal civilian agencies (including various NASA Centers), Department of Defense (DoD) and corporate clients. ViGYAN's expertise includes aeronautics R&D, scientific, engineering, and business software development, and computer technology support.

About WSI

WSI is the world's leading provider of mission critical commercial weather advisory information solutions to professionals in aviation, media and energy markets. WSI Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Landmark Communications. For additional details about WSI's Pilot Weather Advisor^TM service, contact David Laubner at (978) 262-0735, dlaubner@wsi.com.