A year ago I experienced my baptism of fire at Intergeo as the newly appointed editor-in-chief of GIM International. This year I know what to expect, and look forward to meeting exhibitors and visitors at the biggest and one of the most significant annual geomatics events in the calendar, this year happening at Karlsruhe, Germany, see picture feature page 12. What first seemed to me a melting pot of different companies with all kinds of specialties has now become a well-organised grouping of obvious specialties within the world of geomatics industry and commerce. Knowing the latest on takeovers and joint ventures, however, is not the end of the matter. There is also the concept of partnering.

Many companies develop successful long-term strategic relationships between customers and suppliers, based on best practice and sustainable competitive advantage: the definition of ‘business partnering' offered by Wikipedia. Building a successful partnership is often an intuitive and evolving exercise, based on organisational and individual learning, finding equals, sharing goals, planning and aiming high, support, trust and experimentation. Intuitive it may be, but a World Economic Forum 2005 survey suggested success factors underpinning many effective partnerships. These included openness, transparency, and clear communication; clarity of roles, responsibilities, goals and ‘ground rules'; commitment to core competencies; respect for differences in approach, timeframes and objectives; understanding needs of local partners and beneficiaries, focus on building own capacity and capability rather than creating dependence; and focus on achieving mutual benefit such that partners were enabled in meeting both their own objectives and common goals.

Partnering will be in evidence on many Intergeo stands. The extended preview on page 14 shows Intermap Technologies partnering GAF, ESRI and GeoContent; Snowflake Software with its partner Grit, and the RIB Group exhibiting with Topcon Europe Positioning. Altus Positioning Systems and AeroGRID both mention partnerships. And then there are companies like Sokkia, stressing its reliability as a prospective partner, and those like Cadcorp looking for a partner.

Further information on companies and new products and technologies are found in the preview. Our interview with Dr Karl-Friedrich Thöne, president of Intergeo organiser DVW, appears on page 8, and the feature on page 37 describes the successful liaison between 3D Laser Mapping, IGI and Geomaat, and their StreetMapper 360 system.

I'm ready for the giant leap into a vibrant Intergeo 2009, to learn about geomatics genealogy. GIM International also has a stand of course, (Number 4.141 in Hall 4), and our team looks forward to meeting you and learning from your feedback.