Reston, VA, February 2, 2009 – As the United States Senate begins debate on a bill to stimulate the economy, the Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO) has requested funds for the development of a complete national geospatial infrastructure, the databases and technologies that create infrastructure base maps, in the stimulus package.
In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), COGO Chairman Cy Smith said, "The use of geospatial technology to create a base map for infrastructure initiatives supports a variety of uses and formats including transportation infrastructure, water resource management, alternative energy research, and project siting. A national geospatial infrastructure would also provide a foundation for monitoring the US economic recovery across all communities, allowing for projects to get underway immediately and leaving a valuable legacy for the future."
"Funding for a national geospatial infrastructure would immediately stimulate job creation, innovation, and education in the field," the COGO organizations told the Senate.
In its letter, COGO noted that the U.S. Department of Labor has identified the geospatial profession as one of three most important emerging and evolving new science and technology fields.
The Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO) (www.urisa.org/cogo) is a recently formed coalition of 15 national professional societies, trade associations, and membership organizations in the geospatial field, representing more than 30,000 individual producers and users of geospatial data and technology. The coalition’s founding Member Organizations are:
• American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM)
• American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS)
• Association of American Geographers (AAG)
• Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CAGIS)
• Geospatial Information Technology Association (GITA)
• GIS Certification Institute (GISCI)
• International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO)
• Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS)
• National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC)
• University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS)
• Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA)
The founding Advisory Organizations are:
• National Association of Counties (NACo)
• National Emergency Number Association (NENA)
• Western Governors Association (WGA)
• American Planning Association (APA)
To view the COGO letter, go to:
http://www.urisa.org/files/COGO%20ltr%20on%20natl%20geodata.pdf
