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Press  >  APRIL 22, 2008 Release

Xora and WeatherBug Partner to Deliver GPS TimeTrack^™ With Severe Weather Alerts

Mountain View, California — Xora, a leading provider of location-based mobile resource management solutions, today announced it has partnered with WeatherBug^®, operator of the world’s largest weather network, to provide mobile workers with location-specific severe weather alerts on their handheld phones. The Xora GPS TimeTrack^™ application will be the first phone-based mobile resource management application in the United States to provide WeatherBug Severe Weather Alerts to notify mobile workers, managers and dispatchers in advance of dangerous weather conditions by providing precise alerts before severe weather becomes a threat.

Leveraging the WeatherBug Network of Tracking Stations located across the country, GPS TimeTrack will now deliver custom alerts such as intense rainfall, heat index lightning detection warnings, and high wind gusts as well as all the standard severe weather alerts issued from the National Weather Service (NWS).

GPS TimeTrack is an award-winning mobile resource management solution that enables businesses to track and manage field staff via LBS-enabled cell phones. GPS TimeTrack with WeatherBug Severe Weather Alerts is designed for users in the private sector, including construction, field services, transportation and distribution industries, as well as for public sector users such as emergency services, public works and utilities. Potential uses include:

• Emergency services personnel receive a severe weather alert from WeatherBug in GPS TimeTrack of a strong storm with wind gusts exceeding 40 mph and possible tornadic activity. Emergency personnel are then able to more precisely activate emergency units and are continuously updated on threatening conditions during response and recovery efforts.
• Construction workers pouring concrete are unaware that a fast-moving thunder storm is approaching. A supervisor receives a WeatherBug severe weather alert in GPS TimeTrack and informs his crew in advance of a concrete mix-and-pour, saving the company thousands of dollars. Wind gust alerts are also critical for protection of workers performing installation or repair on scaffolding or rooftops. Finally, rainfall and wind gust alerts are used for construction projects involving earthwork, where erosion and blowing dust are concerns.
• Cross-country delivery trucks receive a winter storm warning based on their current location and decide re-route or stop driving for the day, avoiding blizzard-like conditions and a highway shutdown. "It is imperative that relevant notifications reach the right people at the right time giving them enough early warning to take appropriate action and make missioncritical decisions that can affect the bottom-line and enhance worker safety," said Christian Solomine, Channel Development Manager, WeatherBug Professional. "The joint solution from Xora and WeatherBug leverages the largest weather network in the world with location-based technology to deliver relevant, timely and precise alerts."

"GPS TimeTrack with WeatherBug Severe Weather Alerts puts critical weather data into the hands of workers when and where they need it," said Michael Berger, director of marketing for Xora. "The safety benefits are easy to grasp, but what may not be as obvious is that many businesses can greatly increase efficiency and reduce liability when forewarned of significant weather events." Xora is the market and technology leader in location-based mobile resource management applications. Its GPS TimeTrack solutions are used by mobile workers in small and midsized businesses to record time sheet and job status information, including when they begin and end shifts and jobs or deliveries. Office staff can access the information in real-time through web-based maps and reports. Companies use the data to ensure that workers are paid accurately and customers billed appropriately. The enhanced business intelligence leads to increased productivity, lower costs and superior customer service. Xora was recognized for excellence in mobile workforce management by research firm Frost & Sullivan in 2007.

WeatherBug Severe Weather Alerting is available free for 60 days to users of GPS TimeTrack who act by May 31, 2008, after which time the cost is $3.99 per user per month. For more information, call Xora at 888-MAP-XORA.

About WeatherBug
WeatherBug (http://www.weatherbug.com and http://www.weatherbugprofessional.com) ensures that individuals, schools, businesses and government agencies receive the most precise live weather information, the most relevant weather reports, and the earliest weather warnings to safeguard property, lives and to plan with confidence. ith a worldwide network of weather sensors, WeatherBug Tracking Stations and cameras primarily based at neighborhood schools and public safety facilities across the U.S., WeatherBug maintains the largest exclusive weather network in the world. WeatherBug is a brand of AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc. (http://www.aws.com)

About Xora
Xora is a global provider of mobile resource management solutions that enable businesses to easily locate and manage mobile workers, vehicles and assets. Founded in 1999, Xora has raised more than $11 million in venture capital and is privately funded; the lead investor is Dawntreader Ventures. Xora partners include Sprint, Telstra, Motorola, RIM, Garmin, Oracle and Sun. For more information on Xora, visit http://www.xora.com.

For more information, please contact:

Mara Radis
Director of Public Relations
WeatherBug
(301) 250-4017
mradis@weatherbug.com

Kevin Wolf
Xora PR
(650) 327-1641
kevin@toolguypr.com