A Few Words from the NSGIC President: On the FGDC Annual Report

From the desktop computer of 2009-2010 NSGIC President Will Craig, of Minnesota.

A few things stood out for me as I read the Federal Geographic Data Committee's 2009 Annual report.

First was the naming of Bill Wilan as National Spatial Data Infrastructure Champion. Our previous post on the FGDC annual report accurately reflects my thoughts on Bill and his being honored.

I do recall one other thing, though. I remember talking to Bill at the 1996 award event. He was pretty proud of his work.

"I think it is the first layer of the NSDI, isn't it?"

Indeed it was. The NWI is not one of those "core Framework" themes, but it was the first out and it met the needs of all levels of government across the nation.

I was also pleased to see the Fifty States Initiative as both an accomplishment and a part of the FGDC's goals for the next year. This partnership between the FGDC and NSGIC has been very valuable for the states, helping almost all of us increase our strategic planning efforts. I'm happy to see that the FGDC plans to start working with us on a transition from planning to implementation.

Among the success stories in the report is one about using geospatial data for program compliance. This is a story about USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) using NAIP images from four consecutive years, along with Common Land Unit data, to analyze areas suspected of improper claims. NAIP imagery allowed the RMA to identify large areas that were ineligible for payment, thus preventing more than $700,000 in improper payments in one state.

This illustrates the value to the federal government and to states of a sustained orthophotography effort and highlights, I think, the importance of the Imagery for the Nation (IFTN) initiative. Among the goals in the FGDC report for IFTN are "establishing a virtual project management office to implement the governance structure and to advance the funding strategy for full implementation in fiscal year 2011."

And I was impressed by the substance in the white paper on parcel data included in the report: Cadastral Data and the U.S. Mortgage Crisis: A Case for a National Land Parcel Database. A number of studies identify the need for an indicator based on parcels. The conclusion here is basically the same as that of the 2007 National Academies report -- that immediate action be taken to put in place a national land parcel coordinator. Because establishing this position will require resources and because the job is likely be a difficult one, the report also recommends that a review be done of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) authorities to understand who could take on this work.

It's a start, and I hope it is a start that we make in the coming year. This is important work and I was very happy to see it highlighted by the FGDC in this report.

Learon Dalby Looks Back on a Year in NSGIC

The following is the tenth in a series of monthly guest-posts from 2008-2009 NSGIC President Learon Dalby, of Arkansas.

NSGIC is a great organization because of its people. NSGIC has been busy this year and you might be surprised to hear I had very little to do with it. I believe good people do good things -- as long as you get out of the way. A lot of good folks have done some extraordinary things for this organization this year.

Stu Davis institutionalized the use of a committee/workgroup structure during his presidency. Each committee has a chair and a charter which is revised each year. The committee chairs report to the Board each month. The Board, in turn, sets direction as needed. This process ensures the workload of the volunteer organization is spread across a number of participants.

The great thing about this structure is it encourages people to engage in specific areas that match their interests. I encourage you to get involved; there is plenty of opportunity.

A group of NSGIC Leaders participate in a "president's call" on Fridays. This call is an informal telephone gathering of past-presidents, committee chairs, and board members, schedules permitting. The purpose of the call is to provide advice to the president on a variety of hot topics. This call also serves as a mechanism to ensure the leadership is fully engaged and aware of critical activities.

This year has provided a number of opportunities for NSGIC to provide input into national efforts. The use of social media tools (ie this blog, the NSGIC twitter account, etc.) has allowed us to expand our reach and, just as importantly, receive input from the GIS community. I am convinced now more than ever we, as a community, must come together with a common goal.

I hope you are making plans to attend the 2009 NSGIC Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, in October (if you are tweeting, that's #nsgic2009). This will give us a chance to fill you in on all of the activities NSGIC has been involved in and a chance to get you involved in a committee.

Because NSGIC is a great organization because of its people. And you are, or can be, one of those NSGIC people.

A Few Words from the NSGIC President: Let Us Set Priorities

The following is the fourth in a series of monthly guest-posts from 2008-2009 NSGIC President Learon Dalby, of Arkansas.

The NSGIC Midyear Conference will take place in just a little more than a week. I am really looking forward to this event. The agenda includes time for discussion of each of NSGIC’s advocacy agenda items. These are important initiatives that need to move forward.

Adena Schutzberg, of Directions magazine, posed this question in a recent podcast in a discussion of the national stimulus package and all the competing priorities that have been suggested:

How would you respond if President Obama came to you and said, "[insert your name here], what should we do first?"

I would answer that we should make Imagery for the Nation (IFTN) a reality.

Through all of the work that has been done on IFTN, we (the collective we) have put together a well thought-out process that will allow local, state and federal agencies to work together on the development of framework data where each level of government will get some benefit.

We think it is critical that IFTN go forward to show that this model works. By doing this, we should be able to develop support from local government and state government to advocate on behalf of the next initiatives. Success breeds success.

There are numerous local geospatial success stories across the nation. It is past time we had a success story as a geospatial community at the national level.

A Few Words from the NSGIC President: Happy New Year!

The following is the third in a series of monthly guest-posts from 2008-2009 NSGIC President Learon Dalby, of Arkansas.

With my hearty "Happy New Year" comes an optimistic outlook. A number of things have happened while you were breaking bread with family & friends, opening gifts, and celebrating.

You have likely heard of the stimulus package currently being worked on in Washington, DC. There are many efforts underway to stress the importance of geospatial technologies and the need for data to support the projects that may be funded through this mechanism. Imagery for the Nation has been mentioned along with other issues from NSGIC’s advocacy agenda. Nothing can be assumed at this point, but it sure is nice to hear these initiatives being considered for funding.

No doubt you have numerous questions as to the how, who, what and when. We won’t have any answers until Congress deliberates and takes action. What I do know is that many of you have put forth concepts that will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government and provide benefits to the private sector. Those concepts are meant to reduce duplicative efforts and save the taxpayer a few bucks in the process. NSGIC will soon be calling on its membership to advocate for these issues and to put the next round of good ideas on the table for future action.

I look forward to seeing each of you at the Midyear conference, where I am hopeful we will be able to begin answering the how, who, what and when.

A Few Words from the NSGIC President: Join us in Annapolis!

The following is the second in a series of monthly guest-posts from 2008-2009 NSGIC President Learon Dalby, of Arkansas.

The 2009 NSGIC Midyear Conference will be held February 22 through 25 in Annapolis, Maryland. We hope you will join us as we focus on our Advocacy Agenda items for 2008 and 2009:

• Imagery for the Nation,
  
• Parcel Mapping,
• Transportation for the Nation,
  
• Partnership Funding, and
  
• Technology for the 21st Century

We'll discuss progress on these initiatives, plans to continue that progress, and the many positive impacts these initiatives will have on GIS coordination in the states and at the national level.

NSGIC meetings provide an opportunity for state GIS Coordinators to meet and learn from one another. They share their state coordination success stories and the challenges they have overcome. They meet with federal representatives to learn about programs relevant to state efforts and to identify potential funding and partnership opportunities.

The midyear conference in Annapolis provides an opportunity to meet with legislators and push initiatives specific to each state and to support the NSGIC Advocacy Agenda. Our 2008-2009 Advocacy Agenda is the strongest yet. We are seeing real movement at the national level on initiatives like IFTN – movement that translates into coordinated federal investment in GIS data and process.

The 2009 Midyear will conclude on Capitol Hill with a NSGIC Tech Expo "Fifty States for the Nation: Navigating Change and Mapping Opportunities."

Representation by individual states is vital to advocacy and coordination efforts, and is critical this year due to the changes that will occur in Washington as a result of the changing Administration. It is crucial that we keep these efforts moving forward.

The nation is in a transition phase this month and will start moving forward in a new direction in January. President-Elect Obama has done more than just talk about technology, he has embraced it. That makes our participation even more important.

NSGIC’s core values – relationship-building, coordination, stakeholder involvement, and shared solutions – have never been more relevant. NSGIC’s voice is strongest when it is the combined voice of all of the states. The NSGIC Midyear Conference is an opportunity to come together and make a difference.

A Few Words from the NSGIC President: GO...GO...GO...

The following is the first of a series of monthly guest-posts from 2008-2009 NSGIC President Learon Dalby, of Arkansas.

I have quickly learned that NSGIC is on the go.

The NSGIC Board met last week in Fort Worth, Texas, to begin a process that will result in an updated NSGIC strategic plan. The last strategic plan was completed in 2005. It is always interesting to see how an organization has progressed over time.

NSGIC continues to mature its advocacy strategy, which I view as extremely important. Stop and think about all of the ways that geospatial technologies impact (or are impacted by) business processes. It becomes easy to lose focus without a clear purpose and an advocacy agenda. I believe NSGIC has developed each of these critical components which enable this organization to remain focused.

It is imperative that NSGIC stay the course. A strong strategic plan and advocacy agenda will ensure we are prepared to respond to opportunities that present themselves in the coming months and years while keeping our focus on our purpose, as stated in the NSGIC Bylaws (PDF):

...to encourage effective and efficient government through the coordinated development of geographic information and technologies to ensure that information may be integrated at all levels of government.

NSGIC's 2009-2010 Advocacy Agenda (PDF) includes:

• Imagery for the Nation
• Parcel Mapping
• Partnership Funding
• Transportation for the Nation, and
• Technology for the 21st Century

I look forward to working on your behalf to support each of these efforts. I encourage you to identify a role in NSGIC you are passionate about and get involved.