As the world leader in the analysis, storage,
maintenance, dissemination and training related to geospatial
intelligence, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency invests
significant resources in research and development to accomplish the
agency's mission of providing timely, relevant and accurate GEOINT to
national, military, and civilian customers in support of national
security objectives.
The proliferation of commercial imagery analysis, geographic
information system technologies, and standardized data formats, creates
opportunities for collaborative research and development (R&D)
between the private sector and NGA laboratories. Particular emphasis is
placed on R&D initiatives that are consistent with the National
System for Geospatial Intelligence (NSG) technical reference model and
associated standards in the NSGI technical architecture, which may be
found on the NGA homepage.
To encourage the transfer of technology between the government and
private sector, and enhance U.S. competitiveness, Congress passed
legislation under the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986 (P.L.
99-502), that promotes technology transfer by introducing the
Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) as a mechanism to
increase federal laboratories' interaction with industry.
It is DOD policy to use technology transfer activities to strengthen
the industrial base and make the best use of national scientific and
technical capabilities to enhance the effectiveness of DOD forces and
systems. NGA uses CRADAs for its technology partnerships, and actively
seeks commercial and academic research collaborators. Please note that a
CRADA is a means to pursue joint research goals while protecting and
creating intellectual property, and granting certain rights for
licensing to the commercial partner.
For more information regarding the NGA CRADA Program, please contact crada@nga.mil.