BLUE BELL, Pa. (AP) - Unisys will compete for a slice of a $1 billion federal intelligence contract, the information technology company said Thursday.

Unisys and a dozen other companies will compete on task orders for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

The competing companies have been asked to provide technical support, upgrades and maintenance of the agency's geospatial intelligence systems under a five-year contract. Geospatial intelligence uses satellite imagery of terrain for everything from military operations to tracking natural disasters.

Unisys' partners for the potential contract include Praxis Engineering, Applied Signal Technology, Vekner Consulting, Tek Systems, Mach 1 Development and Pangia Technologies.

Shares of Unisys Corp., based in Blue Bell, Pa., rose $1.12, or 5 percent, to $21.95 in midday trading.