Agenda Posted for NGAC Meeting

A draft agenda is now posted for the next meeting of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC). The meeting is set for June 3 and 4, at the American Institute of Architects Building in Washington, DC.

The agenda includes work on organization issues related to the creation of the NGAC and discussions of the Geospatial Line of Business, Imagery for the Nation, and a National Geospatial Strategy. The meeting is open to the public and there are opportunities for public comment.

Draft Agenda Posted for National Geospatial Advisory Committee Meeting

The FGDC web site has a draft agenda up for the initial meeting of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC). The meeting is set for April 15 and 16, at the American Institute of Architects Building, on New York Avenue in Washington, DC.

The NGAC is a Federal Advisory Committee set up to "review and comment upon geospatial policy and management issues and will provide a forum to convey views representative of non-federal stakeholders in the geospatial community." It includes members from the private sector, nonprofits, and Academia.

The agenda includes a variety of introductory remarks, briefings on federal geospatial data activities, planning for future study and discussions, and public comment.

The meeting is also announced (PDF) in the March 31 issue of the Federal Register.

The Roster for the NGAC Has Been Officially Released

A number of NSGIC members, and many NSGIC Friends, are among 28 individuals named today to serve on the new National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC). The NGAC membership was announced (PDF) by Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today.

Fourteen members represent the private sector, nonprofits, or Academia:

• Sean Ahearn, Hunter College, City University of New York;
• Allen Carroll, National Geographic Society;
• David Cowen, University of South Carolina;
• Jack Dangermond, Environmental Systems Research Institute;
• Kass Green, The Alta Vista Company;
• David Maune, Dewberry;
• Anne Hale Miglarese, Fugro EarthData, Inc.;
• Charles Mondello, Pictometry International;
• Kim Nelson, Microsoft Corporation;
• Matthew O’Connell, GeoEye;
• John Palatiello; Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors;
• G. Michael Ritchie, Photo Science;
• David Schell, Open Geospatial Consortium; and
• Christopher Tucker, IONIC Enterprise

Another 14 members represent government agencies:

• Rizwan Ahmed, State of Louisiana;
• Timothy M. Bennett, NativeView;
• Michael Byrne, State of California;
• Donald Dittmar, Waukesha County, WI;
• Dennis Goreham, State of Utah;
• Randall L. Johnson, Metropolitan Council, St. Paul, MN;
• Randy Johnson, Hennepin County, MN;
• Jerry Johnston, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;
• Barney Krucoff, District of Columbia;
• Timothy Loewenstein, Buffalo County, NE;
• Zsolt Nagy, State of North Carolina;
• Jay Parrish; State of Pennsylvania;
• Gene Schiller, Southwest Florida Water Management District; and
• Steven Wallach, U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

According to Secretary Kempthorne, the committee "will help provide advice and perspectives from a broad range of our partner organizations as we continue to develop new ways to utilize geospatial information for the benefit of the public."

The NGAC is an advisory committee, formed under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, and is charged with "providing recommendations on effective management of Federal geospatial programs." In particular, development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).

NSGIC took a closer look at the NGAC in the Summer/Fall 2007 issue of NSGIC News (PDF).