GIF 2010 Volume: 8 Issue: 5 (July/August)
USGIF Addresses Interagency Center for Applied Homeland Security
At the quarterly meeting of the Interagency Center for Applied Homeland Security, USGIF President Keith J. Masback had the opportunity to discuss the mission of USGIF and its ability to help ICHAST further its goals. Often thought of as mainly supporting the defense and intelligence communities, USGIF also considers the homeland security community a large part of its GEOINT community.
Although it is not an official body, ICAHST provides its membership with a government wide forum to discuss critical homeland security and counterterrorism issues related to information technology, convey the technology research and development needs of their respective communities, and describe current research and development initiatives, pilot experiments and proposed courses of action for future research investments.
Also at this meeting, ICAHST Chairman Dr. John S. Morgan, the assistant director for science and technology at the National Institute of Justice, stepped down and Bart R. Johnson, principal deputy under secretary for intelligence and analysis for DHS, accepted the position of chairman.
USGIF Welcomes its Newest Members
The following organizations have joined USGIF, bringing to 153 the total number of sustaining member partners: OpenGeo, ICES Inc., Flight Landata, exactEarth Ltd., Orbital Sciences Corp.
Paris Meeting Eyes Changing Earth Observation Market
USGIF is proud to support the 2nd Symposium on Earth Observation Business, to be held September 9-10, at the Westin Hotel in Paris. It is the executive meeting place for the Earth Observation community to meet and discuss the changing face of the market.
As the Earth Observation industry continues to expand, civil and defense governments are investing heavily and enterprise and consumer applications are continuing to gain ground. New business models are emerging, along with new mechanisms for satellite financing and data distribution from both private enterprise and governments’ commercializing their own data.
Meanwhile, the commercial data market continues its growth trajectory, with 14 percent compound annual growth in data sales projected from 2009 to 2018. This increasing demand for data and these important structural changes in the market are generating growth at all levels of the value chain, and raising questions for government and business of how to adapt their strategies and programs.
During the Symposium on Earth Observation Business, top-level executives from government, commercial operators, manufacturers and service providers will discuss opportunities and challenges in the market, examine new business models, assess customer requirements, and analyze how this impacts their development strategies.
The symposium is part of the annual World Satellite Business Week. For the complete program or to register, visit www.satellite-business.com.
Community Celebrates Together at 6th Annual GEOGala
The GEOINT community came together on the evening of Saturday, June 5, to celebrate its collective efforts and contributions to the nation’s security. More than 600 guests dined and danced with colleagues from industry, academia, government, and other nonprofit and industry associations.
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Director Vice Admiral Robert B. Murrett provided welcoming remarks, as did USGIF President Keith J. Masback. Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. was also in attendance and provided the night’s guests with a recap of the exciting morning he experienced being officially announced as the president’s nominee for the director of national intelligence.
As was done last year, Replogle Globes donated 65 Explorer model globes to be used in lieu of traditional centerpieces. USGIF again this year will distribute these globes to elementary and middle schools in the surrounding areas in need of these crucial geography and earth-science learning materials.
USGIF Awards Program Accepting Nominations
Friday, September 17, is the deadline to submit a nomination or nominate your own work in the annual USGIF Awards Program. But it’s never too early to apply!
Each year, the USGIF Awards Program recognizes the accomplishments of industry, academia, government and military with multiple awards. All are encouraged to nominate colleagues as well as their own work for recognition of outstanding efforts in advancing the geospatial intelligence tradecraft and supporting the mission. Winners receive free registration to the GEOINT 2010 Symposium and are presented their awards and recognized during the general session. This year’s symposium is November 1-4 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, La.
Last year’s award winners were Charles E. Allen, Lifetime Achievement Award; Andrew Schaeffer, Academic Achievement Award; Imagery Exploitation Course Team, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Academic Research Award; Eagle Express Production Team, U.S. Air Force A2U/NATO C3 Agency Geo Team, Military Achievement Award; Integrated Collection Management Program Team and Geospatial Engineers, Government Achievement Award; and the Google Federal Team, Google Inc., Industry Achievement Award.
For more information on the USGIF Awards Program or to apply, visit the USGIF Webpage: http://usgif.org/community/usgifawards.
Registration Open for GEOINT 2010 Symposium in New Orleans
Registration and housing for the preeminent defense, intelligence and homeland security event of the year, the GEOINT 2010 Symposium, is open. Take advantage ofspecial discounted early bird pricing by registering now online at www.geoint2010.com.
USGIF also has secured a limited number of discount hotel rooms at our GEOINT 2010 headquarters hotels. These rooms won’t last long, so book now and be in the heart of the action. The GEOINT Symposium returns November 1-4, 2010, to where it all began: New Orleans, La.
GEOINT Community Week Incredibly Successful
Although the day’s rain storms did not allow good weather, the USGIF Invitational still went on as planned at the Pleasant Valley and South Riding golf courses in Virginia. Some 150 GEOINT golfers from across the industry, government and military participated in this annual event to help raise money for the USGIF Scholarship Program. Numerous prizes donated to USGIF were raffled off to lucky participants who bought into the raffle and helped raise money for the USGIF Scholarship Program.
More than 450 warrant officers, senior enlisted personnel, and government and industry attendees came out to the four-day Army Geospatial and Imagery Conference, May 18-21, at the Heritage Conference Center in Chantilly, Va. Keynote speakers included Robert Burkhardt, Army geospatial information officer and director, Army Geospatial Center; Navy Vice Admiral Robert B. Murrett, director, National Geospatial- Intelligence Agency; and Major General Merdith W.B. “Bo” Temple, deputy commanding general, Army Corps of Engineers.
Panels and group discussions covered such topics as NGA NST-A and Army GEOINT Office roles and responsibilities; geospatial visualization enterprise services; U.K. GEOINT update; MCE operations update; Buckeye and Afghanistan LiDAR deployment; and an overview of the Web-based Access and Retrieval Portal.
The sixth annual Tech Days, produced by USGIF in cooperation with NGA, took place on Wednesday, May 19, and Thursday, May 20. NGA held the classified portion of Tech Days at its Bethesda, Md., headquarters. The day provided work force and mission partners with a firsthand look at how GEOINT is improving integration and collaboration on the frontlines, between allies and analysts, and for disaster relief and recovery missions.
USGIF continued Tech Days with its unclassified USGIF Technology Day on Thursday, attracting more than 700 attendees. The day began with emerging-technology presentations on GEOINT standards; URGENT, GRID and the PED revolution; spatial semantics and ontologies; and defining the interdependencies of critical infrastructure and emergency response. An exhibit hall was filled with the latest innovative technologies from 58 USGIF member organizations, and the day concluded with a GEOINT Community Week networking reception with Friends of ISR and ATIA and AEA.
GEOINT Community Week wrapped up on Friday, May 21, with the Motion Imagery Workshop, part of the USGIF Workshop Series. Attendees came to hear keynote speeches from Air Force Major General James O. Poss, director, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance strategy, integration and doctrine, deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; Army CW5 Thomas R. Dostie, chief, GEOINT and commanding general adviser, Army Intelligence Center of Excellence; and Stephen Long, oversight executive for motion intelligence, ODUSD/TCA, science and technology adviser, ISR Task Force, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence.
Three sessions—on operational view, intelligence perspective and strategic vision—also took place during the workshop, providing additional opportunities for the audience to engage with the panelists on critical topics affecting the aerial motion imagery community. ♦