NAIP Expands to Cover More States in 2009

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that the Farm Services Agency (FSA) would allocate the full $24 million available to the 2009 National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP).

NAIP will also attract additional partnership funds from federal and state agencies increasing the expenditure to approximately $30 million. This event reflects well on the efforts of the entire geospatial community to realize Imagery For The Nation (IFTN) as a viable national program, and it signals a new level of cooperative effort between NSGIC and its corporate partners.

The expanded coverage of 32 states -- against the original plan of 15 states -- means that roughly two-thirds of the country will obtain much-needed imagery. This of course will have a very positive impact on the public, and the federal, state and local agencies that use NAIP. Many states are already seeking to procure enhanced products. Efforts are underway to increase and secure additional NAIP funds in the coming years to obtain complete coverage. NSGIC leadership will continue to play a supporting role in these efforts.

"NSGIC applauds USDA leadership for moving forward with additional funding for NAIP and the efforts of the geospatial community to make this happen" said NSGIC President Learon Dalby, of Arkansas. "Building on the recent success with NAIP, NSGIC will continue to advocate for the high resolution leaf-off portion of IFTN. The nation is just beginning to see tangible evidence that our years of work are paying off, but IFTN won’t be a reality until the entire program is funded."

Issue Brief: Imagery for the Nation and NAIP

NSGIC has published an issue brief (PDF) on the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) as a component of Imagery for the Nation (IFTN). The brief, one of a series of issue briefs focused on the organization's 2008 - 2009 Advocacy Agenda (PDF), presents an overview of imagery and why it is important, sets a vision for the future, and suggests actions to achieve that vision.

The issue brief notes that orthorectified imagery, from aerial photography and from satellite imagery, provides a basis for most GIS applications and explains that uncoordinated imagery acquisition is increasing the cost to the public for this imagery.

By establishing basic standards and using large area contracts, the quality of imagery for all applications can be significantly improved while its cost is considerably lowered. Establishing an effective national program will resolve these issues and result in a program that works for all levels of government and provides benefits to the public and private sector.

The vision for the future includes "a sustainable and flexible digital imagery program that meets the needs of local, state, regional, tribal and federal agencies and is in the public domain."

The achieve that vision, the NSGIC issue brief suggests that congress:

• Establish the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) as a “line item” in the budget,
• Direct USDA to spend all NAIP funds on the acquisition of imagery and reasonable costs to administer the program, and
• Provide approximately $42 million per year for a fully functional program.
  

The issue brief provides more detail and additional information. it is part of a series that also looks at Transportation for the Nation, Nationwide Parcel Mapping, the NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP) Grants, and improved Technology for the 21st Century.