Geospatial Trends In Government
August 2010 • Volume 2 • Number 5



Resources
Websites, White Papers, Videos


Geospatial Saves Lives

 

Soldiers of the 25th Brigade know that having the right Geospatial data can save their lives.

 

At Geospatial Day, Army GIO Robert Burkhardt recounted how in 2004-2005, the 25th Brigade was being deployed to Mosul, Iraq—what they thought was a calm, not chaotic environment. (Watch Video)

 

“What they thought they were going into a week before deployment changed dramatically,” said Burkhardt. “All police disappeared; all the police stations were taken over by Al Qaeda. It didn’t look like a calm environment; it looked like a combat environment. Everything they thought they knew they didn’t know any longer. It was a peaceful area and now it was immensely chaotic.”

 

 To be sure, the 25th had people providing them information from various stovepipes. They had sensors; they had LIDAR. What they didn’t have were the Geospatial tools to find the information they were looking for to quell the insurgency.

 

The 25th turned to the Army’s Geospatial Center for help. “They asked us for help. But before we could help them, they had to put in a clear taxonomy on the way they described things,” explained Burkhardt.

 

“With that we were able to give them a simple web tool to track the trends and the things they needed to know such as whom the Imam is and who is selling gas.”

 

The commander used that simple tool go after his critical pieces of information. “I want to know about X and platoon leaders would find that out. That exposed patterns they could use to protect themselves. Plus it not only prepared the 25th, but the transition to the unit from Alaska that came behind them was the smoothest transition ever and that sharing information actually saved lives.”

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Geospatial Articles 

Our Geospatial Proposition

Trending Geospatial

BuckEye Strong

Providing Geospatial Perspective

Viewpoint: Visualize The Future by Jim Flyzik

Video: Robert Burkhardt, Army GIO

Resources

Resources


Webcast: Introduction to Intelligence on Demand


Webcast: How Aerial Photography Can Enhance AutoCAD Civil 3D


Websites

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

https://www1.nga.mil/Pages/Default.aspx

NGA provides timely, relevant and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of national security objectives. The term “geospatial intelligence” (GEOINT) means the exploitation and analysis of imagery and geospatial information to describe, assess and visually depict physical features and geographically referenced activities on the Earth. Geospatial intelligence consists of imagery, imagery intelligence and geospatial (e.g., mapping, charting and geodesy) information.

 

USGS National Geospatial Program

http://www.usgs.gov/ngpo/

The National Geospatial Program provides leadership for USGS geospatial coordination, production and service activities. The Program engages partners to develop standards and produce consistent and accurate data through its Geospatial Liaison Network. Operational support is provided by the National Geospatial Technical Operations Center. These and other Program activities that are essential to the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) are managed as a unified portfolio that benefits geospatial information users throughout the Nation.

 

Open Spatial Consortium

http://www.opengeospatial.org/

The Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc.® (OGC) is a non-profit, international, voluntary consensus standards organization that is leading the development of standards for geospatial and location based services.

 

The Geospatial Information & Technology Association

http://www.gita.org/

GITA is the professional association and leading advocate for anyone using geospatial technology to help operate, maintain, and protect the infrastructure, which includes organizations such as utilities, telecommunication companies, and the public sector. Through industry-leading conferences—along with research initiatives, chapters, membership, and other programs—GITA provides education and professional best practices. 

 

The Geospatial Data Gateway

http://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov/

GDG is the One Stop Source for environmental and natural resources data, at anytime, from anywhere, to anyone. The Gateway allows you to choose your area of interest, browse and select data from our catalog, customize the format, and have it downloaded or shipped on CD or DVD.

 

Geodata.gov

http://gos2.geodata.gov/wps/portal/gos

Geodata.gov is your one stop for finding and using geographic data and will help you: Find Data or Map Services; Make a Map; Browse Community Information; Cooperate on Data Acquisitions; Publish your Data and Map Services

 

nationalatlas.gov™

http://nationalatlas.gov/    

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a map is worth ten thousand. This is not like any atlas you remember. This is nationalatlas.gov™, and it shows us where we are. It allows you to use your imagination and, by probing and questioning, to choose the facts that fit your needs as you explore the American story.

 

Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS)

http://cegis.usgs.gov/

In January 2006, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS) was established. The CEGIS vision is to conduct, lead, and influence the research and innovative solutions required by the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) and the emerging GeoSpatial Web.

 

 


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