Editor's Perspective
The House and Senate should have specific subcommittees with jurisdiction over federal geospatial activities, a new coalition of geospatial organizations has urged congressional leaders. But geospatial issues should be designated to existing subcommittees in each chamber, rather than creating new stand-alone panels, the Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO) said recently. “We want to make certain that Congress has an effective structure for oversight and legislation over the increasing federal government activity in geospatial technologies, and its relationship with state, regional, local and tribal government, universities and the private sector,” wrote Cy Smith, COGO chairman and the Oregon state GIS coordinator. A focal point is needed, the groups contend, because responsibility for oversight and authorization of federal geospatial activities is currently spread among more than 30 House and Senate committees and subcommittees. More than 40 federal agencies include geospatial activities as part of their mission. COGO noted that the congressional committee structure also contributes to the inefficiencies in the executive branch, and provided recommendations for two committees in both the House and Senate with a direct oversight of geospatial activities that could be logical homes for a geospatial subcommittee. They are the House Committee on Natural Resources or the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources or the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The groups’ concerns are valid, although I tend to be skeptical of organizational solutions to issues of priorities and resources. And military and intelligence geospatial topics by their nature will largely remain under the sway of the national security structure on Capitol Hill. Even so, this sounds like a useful way to raise the profile of geospatial technology as a cross-cutting discipline meeting a wide range of military and civilian missions.
Military Geospatial Technology
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