Largest Flower Word in the World Blooms in Switzerland

HEERBRUG 25. 6. 2002 (Switzerland) (ots/APROTEXT) - In theRhine Valley of Switzerland, there momentarily blooms thelargest flower word in the world. Violet-blue Phacelia plantsform the 235 metre-long word RHEINHOF with letters reaching 40metres in size in a grain field. In addition, corn plants havealso been planted and their growth already shows an even largerrecognisable number 25. This represents the 25-year celebrationof the existence of both the Rheinhof Agricultural Education andAdvisory Centre at the Swiss border of Austria and thePrincipality of Liechtenstein.

Writing mapping data from a distance of 20,200 kilometres

The writing was transferred into the landscape from adistance of 20,200 km. The letters were read into a GPS System500 from Leica Geosystems and, with the help of the Navstar GPSsatellites circling the earth at 20,200 km, they weretransferred at centimetre accuracy to the Rheintal landscape. TheSwiss GPS surveying systems hold the position of world leadersin the field of surveying. These instruments permitted acentimetre-exact staking-out of the letter outlines, which thesowing machine of the Rheinhof Agricultural School could theneasily follow.

Seasonal Colour Play

As the crops forming the word Rheinhof and the anniversarynumber of 25, bloom - a colour play will develop. Whilecurrently green, the surrounding cornfield will change toyellow, and as the crops of the anniversary number grow, theplants will first appear green and later in autumn become yellow.

The Astronaut Art Gallery in Year 2003

This is only a small test field in a far more comprehensive"LandArte" Project. The project will see several of over 5-10hectares large plant pictures between Sargans and Lake Constance.These displays, arranged by artists and farmers in the year 2003and dubbed an 'Astronaut Art Gallery', will celebrate the 200year anniversary of the Canton St Gallen within one of thelargest plains of Switzerland. Nature, art and the most moderntechnology will be united. The world's first 'Astronaut ArtGallery' in the alpine Rhine Valley, where Lake Constance and theRhine River meet with Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein andGermany, will be visible from the International Space Station(ISS). Digital flight image sensors from Leica Geosystems willdocument this interaction of nature, art and technology for the3D-view with the internationally leading Erdas remote sensingsoftware Imagine(tm).

Colour image for high 300 dpi printing can be downloadeddirectly fromhttp://www.leicageosystems.com/news/2002/rheinhof2.htm

ots Original Text Service: Leica Geosystems AG Internet:www.newsaktuell.ch

Contact:

Fritz Staudacher Leica Geosystems AG Heinrich-Wild-StrasseCH-9435 Heerbrugg Phone (direct) 0041/71/727'30'43

Mobile0041/79/201'58'91 Phone (Switchboard) 0041/71/727'31'31 Fax0041/71/726'50'43 mailto: Fritz.Staudacher@leica-geosystems.comInternet: http://www.leica-geosystems.com

Sa/Su/holidays/weekends also: Phone 0041/71/722'57'33 Mobile0041/79/201'58'91 Fax

0041/71/722'57'57 mailto:staud@openoffice.ch

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