3,231 GISPs (and Counting)

The GIS Certification Institute (GISCI) has announced (PDF) that, as of the end of 2008, it had certified 3,231 GIS Professionals (GISPs). In fact, the December cohort of newly certified GISPs (345 of them) was the largest group to become certified in one month since certification began in 2003.

The Institute was not surprised to see an increase in certification applications as 2008 drew to a close. A five-year "grandfathering provision" expired at the end of the year, and many long-time GIS professionals were expected to take advantage of that provision. But the size of that increase was a surprise. More than 700 applications arrived in just the final week of the year, ending a strong year for the program; and promising large groups of new GISPs to start 2009.

GISCI President Al Butler suggest that the recent milestone reflects the maturity of GIS as a profession.

“What has been most remarkable to me over these first five years is the enthusiasm with which members of our profession have chosen to recognize themselves. People become GISPs as a way of declaring their membership in the GIS profession. They are also declaring their obligations to each other, their employers, and society to behave in an ethical manner. Every GISP must be an advocate for the profession.”

A searchable registry of GIS Professionals is available on the GISCI web site, along with more information about the program, application materials, and other information of interest to the GIS community.

Directions Magazine Digs Into COGO's Letter to Congress

The latest Directions Magazine Podcast finds Joe Francica and Adena Schutzberg in a detailed discussion of the recent letter from COGO to the leaders of the House and Senate calling for more congressional oversight of federal geospatial activities.

Mr. Francica starts the podcast by describing the letter as a "demand," though in the conversation Ms. Schutzberg tones that down to "a request, but a big one." They discuss the timing of the request -- tied to the start of a new Congress -- and links to industry meetings coming up in the first part of the year.

There is also a brief discussion of what the prospects for the request might be. Mr. Francica wonders if there is an effective lobbying organization in place. Ms. Schutzberg notes that this is only a first step; letting Congress know that there is an issue and a constituency for that issue.

There is also a discussion of whether the idea might get "pushed aside" by the budget crises. Both agreed that a stimulus package will require some geospatial guidance, though and that makes the timing fortuitous.

Image (Tivo Play) courtesy of flickr user rgusic.

Issue Brief: Technology for the 21st Century

At a New Years Eve dinner with family and friends, we all were struck by the advances in technology since New Years day in 2000. Wasn’t it just nine short years ago, at the same dinner party, that we wondered if financial systems, street lights, elevators and all else computer-controlled would fail at the stroke of midnight?

We live in a different world now. A world where my sons know what Google Earth is before they learn to ride a bicycle without training wheels. A world where a smartphone lets us know if any friends are close by. A world where we publish maps for anyone to consume via the Internet. A world in which we pretty much must be connected to the rest of the world and in which business requires electrons.

Except, some of the world isn’t as connected as the rest. Many communities, urban and rural, are still dial-up environments. Many communities do not have the telecommunications infrastructure to substantially access the financial, education, health, safety and environmental applications that government and others provide.

This is why NSGIC, as part of its advocacy agenda series, has published a paper outlining why we need to advocate for alignment of 21st Century Technologies. The paper identifies two key issues for this year:

• First, a core commitment to mapping broadband availability as outlined in new Federal Communications Commissions guidelines.
• Second, the implementation of the eGovernment Act principles.

Ensuring the success of these initiatives is key to a successful implementation of the Spatial Data Infrastructure as the state GIS Coordinators of NSGIC see it. Without a strong backbone and commitment to advances in next generation technology we cannot move beyond simple advocacy for spatial data and toward the real policy problem solving that we know spatial technologies can open.

Issue Brief: Nationwide Parcel Mapping

NSGIC has published an issue brief (PDF) that details "a nationally coordinated system where parcel data are produced and maintained by local and tribal governments, as well as state and federal land management agencies."

This vision is meant to meet the needs of local, state and federal agencies, as well as the private and academic sectors, across the nation. That need is articulated in a detailed problem statement included as part of the issue brief. It concludes:

Nationwide data on land parcels does not exist. Federal and state land records are held by individual agencies and not easily accessible, even to those agencies themselves. Privately-held land data are maintained by county governments across the country, but only one-third of US counties have digital parcel mapping systems. This leaves nearly 2000 rural and less affluent counties without the capacity to meet their own needs, let alone the ability to share information with others.

To achieve that vision, NSGIC endorses the recommendations found in the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report National Land Parcel Data: A Vision for the Future. The issue brief focuses attention on four of the nine recommendations of the NAS report:

• Federal and National Parcel Coordinators should be established and a panel should decide whether the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) should be the lead federal agency. (Recommendation #1)
• The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) should consider the parcel as a basic building block for several mandated data themes. (Recommendation #2)
• A Federal Land Parcel Coordinator should be created and empowered to deal with land parcels owned or managed by the federal government. (Recommendation #3)
• Congress and the Census Bureau should explore modifying Title 13 so that building addresses and coordinates can be made public. (Recommendation #6)
  

The issue brief is part of the 2008 - 2009 NSGIC Advocacy Agenda (PDF), which also looks at Transportation for the Nation, Imagery for the Nation, the NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP) Grants, and improved Technology for the 21st Century.

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.

Call for Papers: URISA/NENA Addressing Conference

The 2009 URISA/NENA Addressing Conference is scheduled for August 4-6 in Providence, Rhode Island. This is "the only conference where GIS professionals, addressing coordinators, 9-1-1 and emergency response specialists come together for education and networking." The conference has been held in one form or another since 1999. The deadline for abstracts is January 23.

The official Call for Presentations identifies three areas of interest:

1. Addressing Basics, Coordination, and Standards
2. Emergency Response and 9-1-1
3. Case Studies of GIS Integration with Public Safety

NSGIC members probably have the most to contribute to items 1 and 3, but the most to learn from item 2. It's amazing how we two disciplines can work the same geographic territory and have such different ways of describing that world.

COGO Advocates Congressional Oversight of Geospatial Efforts

The leadership of the Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO) has sent a letter to Congressional leaders suggesting that House and Senate subcommittees be given some level of jurisdiction over geospatial activities at the federal level.

The letter (PDF) is from COGO Chair (and past NSGIC President) Cy Smith to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). It outlines some of the history of geospatial coordination, stresses the value of geospatial data and coordination in the public and private sectors, and points to the problem with the current state of congressional oversight:

Despite this extraordinary growth and the near-ubiquitous presence of geospatial data in government and the private sector, Congress does not have a committee or subcommittee with primary jurisdiction over geospatial activities. Rather, responsibility for oversight and authorization of federal geospatial activities is spread among more than 30 House and Senate committee and subcommittees.

It is important to note that the letter does not ask for a new committee or subcommittee. Rather, it suggests "including geospatial in the name and mission of an existing House and Senate subcommittee."

Issue Brief: Imagery for the Nation and NAIP

NSGIC has published an issue brief (PDF) on the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) as a component of Imagery for the Nation (IFTN). The brief, one of a series of issue briefs focused on the organization's 2008 - 2009 Advocacy Agenda (PDF), presents an overview of imagery and why it is important, sets a vision for the future, and suggests actions to achieve that vision.

The issue brief notes that orthorectified imagery, from aerial photography and from satellite imagery, provides a basis for most GIS applications and explains that uncoordinated imagery acquisition is increasing the cost to the public for this imagery.

By establishing basic standards and using large area contracts, the quality of imagery for all applications can be significantly improved while its cost is considerably lowered. Establishing an effective national program will resolve these issues and result in a program that works for all levels of government and provides benefits to the public and private sector.

The vision for the future includes "a sustainable and flexible digital imagery program that meets the needs of local, state, regional, tribal and federal agencies and is in the public domain."

The achieve that vision, the NSGIC issue brief suggests that congress:

• Establish the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) as a “line item” in the budget,
• Direct USDA to spend all NAIP funds on the acquisition of imagery and reasonable costs to administer the program, and
• Provide approximately $42 million per year for a fully functional program.
  

The issue brief provides more detail and additional information. it is part of a series that also looks at Transportation for the Nation, Nationwide Parcel Mapping, the NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP) Grants, and improved Technology for the 21st Century.

FGDC Winter Newsletter Released

The Winter 2008 edition of the Federal Geographic Data Committee Newsletter (PDF) has been released. The Newsletter includes updates on a number of fronts:

• A meeting of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC).
• 2008 NSDI CAP Grant highlights and a reminder about the 2009 grants,
• New FGDC employees,
  
• Announcement of the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management 2009 Geospatial Conference,
  
• Metadata activities, and more.

The newsletter is one of many resources available on the FGDC web site library page.

Metadata: It's Not Just for Geospatial Folks

There's an interesting interview on CreativeCow.net about metadata in the film industry. It centers on the need of modern filmmakers to know a great deal about how the film they are editing was exposed and the challenges of maintaining all that metadata:

For example, script supervisors for the most part take a paper copy of the script, and note vast quantities of metadata in real time just by watching the movie being filmed: script changes, which actors are in each shot, and so on. And they notate that using lines and squiggles and arrows and notes all over the typed script, with hand written notes to elaborate. They accumulate vast quantities of paper that people have to keep in notebooks.

The interview is a discussion between film-maker Dave Stump and writer Gary Adcock about the many different processes and technologies of the film industry and the interrelated metadata they require.

There's a parallel here, I think, with some of the more complex geospatial applications. The more parts that you bring together, the more creative and informative you can be. But such complexity also demands more information about those parts.

You can get the job done without good metadata and metadata management, but it is much harder, and much more risky.

"...It's Time to Go Hiking?"

The Utah GIS portal blog includes an announcement today of the planned retirement of Utah Automated Geographic Reference Center (AGRC) Manager Dennis Goreham, who will step down at the end of the year after 24 years (19 as manager) with AGRC and another 6 with the US Forest Service. Jeanne Watanabe, AGRC's Business Manager, will take over as Manager starting January 1.

Along with the impressive list of accomplishments noted on the Utah portal, Dennis will be fondly remembered by NSGIC members as a strong voice for the western states in national GIS discussions, as a calm and logical thinker, and as an amused and amusing companion.

Dennis is quoted as saying "I had the best job in state government but it's time to go hiking." He probably will do some hiking, but he won't stop being a part of the national GIS discussion. He remains as a member of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee and will continue working with NSGIC.

I think I speak for many among the NSGIC crowd when I say, "good." We're happy Dennis gets to retire, but we're not ready to let go of him just yet.

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.

Rhode Island is Looking for a State GIS Coordinator

The Rhode Island Statewide Planning Program has posted a job announcement for a "Supervising Geographic Information Specialist" (PDF) to serve as Coordinator for the Rhode Island Geographic Information System (RIGIS).

The RIGIS Coordinator serves in the role of State GIS Coordinator for Rhode Island. The Coordinator's core responsibilities include:

• Coordinating updates of existing geospatial data and metadata, as well as the acquisition of new geospatial data on a statewide and regional basis.
  
• Working with local, state, regional and federal agencies, as well as with academia, non-profits, and private industry on common data needs.
• Supporting the ongoing work of the University of Rhode Island to provide access to RIGIS data by the general public through direct data access as well as web mapping services.
• Leading the implementation of the Rhode Island State government Enterprise GIS, and coordinate future hardware, software, and geospatial data maintenance.
• Responding to the needs identified by the RIGIS Executive Committee as described by the RIGIS Strategic Plan.
• Representing the interests of RIGIS and the Statewide Planning Program at a State, Regional (NEARC and URISA), and National levels (NSGIC).
• Overseeing geospatial data development and supporting GIS use within the Statewide Planning Program.
• Promoting the development of a team of professionals that support the use of geospatial technology in the State similar to the Massachusetts Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS) or the Vermont Center for Geographic Information Inc (VCGI).
• Actively seeking out funding sources that support these core responsibilities.
  

GIS Coordination requires a wide range of skills, including excellent verbal and written communication, technical competence, team-building, contracting, and grant-writing. GISP certification is a plus.

More information and application instructions are available at on the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training web site. The posting is open through December 15. Even more information is available from Jared Rhodes, Chief of the Statewide Planning Program, at (401) 222-5772. I presume he'd be the Coordinator's new boss.

Note: The information above was largely cribbed from an e-mail announcing the posting to several regional GIS listservs from Greg Bonynge (GISP) of the University of Rhode Island Geospatial Extension Program.

FGDC Publishes 2008 Annual Report

The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) has published its 2008 Annual Report. The document is available as both a web page and a PDF document.

The Annual Report includes highlights of 2008 and goals for 2009.

The highlights for the last year include:

• The Geospatial Line of Business,
• Formation of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee,
• The third year of the 50 States Initiative,
  
• Growth in the Geospatial OneStop,
  
• Progress on Imagery for the Nation, and
  
• Several success stories.

Goals for 2009 include continuing to work in these areas and:

• Developing a national strategy for geospatial information,
• Improving national land parcel data, and
  
• Support for homeland security and emergency management.

Among several appendices are an update on the status of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure Framework Themes.