June 20, 2011 01:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time 

LOWELL, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dassault
Systèmes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), a world leader in 3D and
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announced today that the Giza
Archives Project at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), was
selected by the IDG
Computerworld Honors Program as a 2011 Laureate. The annual award
program taking place tonight in Washington, D.C. honors visionary
applications of information technology promoting positive social,
economic and educational change.

“Technology can have a
significant impact on enhancing understanding, and this project is
living proof of that.”

The Giza Archives Project is a digital initiative, housed at the MFA,
for research on the Egyptian Pyramids and surrounding tombs at the Giza
Plateau. The Giza Pyramids arguably represent the world’s most famous
archaeological site, with thousands of tombs, temples, ancient artifacts
and artistic masterpieces. Dassault Systèmes provides the Giza Archives
Project with its real-time 3D expertise and a complete suite of
solutions for simulation and visualization of archeological data,
creating fully immersive interactive experiences for both specialists
and the general public.

“While there are other archaeological projects that are processing old
archives, and still others engaged in reconstructing ancient landscapes
and structures via 3D computer technology, only the Giza Archives
Project is combining both approaches, linking archival archaeological
data in a real-time 3D interactive environment to allow for an entirely
new way to experience the Giza Necropolis. And unlike a video game, the
3D reconstructions are based on actual archaeological data,” said Peter
Der Manuelian, Giza Archives project director and Philip J. King
professor of Egyptology at Harvard University. “Bringing together real
archaeological data and real-time 3D graphics creates a new paradigm for
how to manage archival information and disseminate it across multiple
media platforms for research, education, and public outreach,” said Rus
Gant, technology consultant, Giza Archives project.

In addition to the clear benefits that 3D technology and simulation
tools bring to the field of archaeological research, Dassault Systèmes
and the MFA are working together to invent innovative education
approaches and new ways to communicate with the general public.

“Along with the online application, we are building multi-platform
experiences, whether individual or collective, through virtual and
augmented reality systems, 3D screens or movie theaters, allowing us to
display this experience in museums or even classrooms,” said Karine
Guilbert, Giza 3D project director, Dassault Systèmes.

“It is a great honor to be recognized alongside the Museum of Fine Arts
for the Giza Archives Project, largely because everyone involved in the
project feels so strongly about the benefit of this work to researchers,
educators and students around the world,” said Al Bunshaft, managing
director of Dassault Systèmes North America. “Technology can have a
significant impact on enhancing understanding, and this project is
living proof of that.”

“The number and quality of nominations this year were very inspiring and
demonstrate how valuable IT is to community change,” said John Amato,
publisher, Computerworld. “Computerworld is very proud to name the 2011
class of Laureates and showcase their initiatives benefiting society
through innovative uses of IT.”

The 2011 Computerworld Honors awards will be presented at the Annual
Laureates Medal Ceremony & Gala Awards on June 20, 2011, at the Andrew
W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit http://events.computerworld.com/Honors2011.

For more information on the Giza 3D Project: www.3ds.com/giza3D.

About The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), is recognized for the quality and
scope of its encyclopedic collection, which includes an estimated
450,000 objects. The Museum’s collection is made up of: Art of the
Americas; Art of Europe; Contemporary Art; Art of Asia, Oceania, and
Africa; Art of the Ancient World; Prints, Drawings, and Photographs;
Textile and Fashion Arts; and Musical Instruments. Open seven days a
week, the MFA’s hours are Saturday through Tuesday, 10 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.;
Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 9:45 p.m. Admission (which includes
two visits in a 10-day period) is $ 20 for adults and $ 18 for seniors and
students age 18 and older, and includes entry to all galleries and
special exhibitions. Admission for students who are University Members
is free, as is admission for youths 17 years of age and younger (during
non-school hours). On school days until 3 p.m., admission for youths
7–17 is $ 7.50. Children 6 and younger are always free. For visitor
information, visit the MFA website at www.mfa.org
or call 617.267.9300.

About Computerworld Honors Program

Founded by International Data Group (IDG) in 1988, The Computerworld
Honors Program is governed by the not-for-profit Computerworld
Information Technology Awards Foundation. Computerworld Honors is the
longest running global program to honor individuals and organizations
that use information technology to promote positive social, economic and
educational change. Additional information about the program and a
Global Archive of past Laureate case studies and oral histories of
Leadership Award recipients can be found at the Computerworld Honors
website (http://events.computerworld.com/Honors2011).

About Computerworld

Computerworld is the leading source of technology news and information
for IT influencers worldwide, providing peer perspective, IT leadership
and business results. Computerworld’s award-winning Web site (http://www.computerworld.com),
bi-weekly publication, focused conference series and custom research
forms the hub of the world’s largest (40+ edition) global IT media
network. In the past five years alone, Computerworld has won more than
100 awards, including Magazine of the Year by American Society of
Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) awards in 2010, the 2009 Best Blog
from the Neal awards, and 2006 Best Overall Web Publication from ASBPE.
Computerworld leads the industry with an online audience of over 3.5
million unique, monthly visitors (comScore Media Metrix, August 2010).
Computerworld is published by IDG Enterprise, a subsidiary of
International Data Group (IDG), the world’s leading media, events, and
research company. Company information is available at www.idgenterprise.com.

About Dassault Systèmes

As a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)
solutions, Dassault Systèmes brings value to more than 130,000 customers
in 80 countries. A pioneer in the 3D software market since 1981,
Dassault Systèmes applications provide a 3D vision of the entire
lifecycle of products from conception to maintenance to recycling. The
Dassault Systèmes portfolio consists of CATIA for designing the virtual
product – DELMIA for virtual production – SIMULIA for virtual testing –
ENOVIA for global collaborative lifecycle management, EXALEAD for
search-based applications- SolidWorks for 3D mechanical design and 3DVIA
for online 3D lifelike experiences. For more information, visit http://www.3ds.com.

CATIA, DELMIA, ENOVIA, EXALEAD, SIMULIA, SolidWorks and 3DVIA are
registered trademarks of Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries in the US
and/or other countries.

Business Wire Environment News