April 9, 2015 (Reston, VA) – MAPPS today announced its annual Federal Programs Conference will be held on Tuesday, April 14 in Crystal City (Arlington), Virginia with presentations by leading Federal agencies.
MAPPS member firm principals will hear presentations by Federal agency officials on programs, budgets, and requirements for the acquisition of geospatial services, data and products by contract from the private sector that are on the horizon. The association will also host a series of liaison meetings with key agencies. These small group discussions between agencies and the private sector focus on issues affecting the relationship between the government and private geospatial firms. Joining MAPPS will be members of the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS). The day’s events are part of the national surveying, mapping, and geospatial conference, "Collaboration: The Map to the Future", April 13-16, 2015.
Among the agencies participating in the conference are the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Departments of Agriculture and Homeland Security, as well as USGS, US Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA, Army Geospatial Center, BLM, World Bank, National Science Foundation and the Census Bureau.
The keynote address will be presented by Jim Williams, Manager of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Office of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Mr. Williams will discuss the current plan for the safe integration of UAS into the national airspace and how private geospatial businesses can become authorized to engage in commercial UAS operation.
"For nearly 25 years, MAPPS has been the only organization in the geospatial community to host a conference of this kind," said MAPPS Executive Director John Palatiello. "Our members gain valuable insights into business opportunities with Federal agencies."
For information on the conference, go to www.surveyingandmapping.net.
About MAPPS
Formed in 1982, MAPPS is the only national association exclusively comprised of private firms in the remote sensing, spatial data and geographic information systems field in the United States. The MAPPS membership spans the entire spectrum of the geospatial community, including Member Firms engaged in satellite and airborne remote sensing, surveying, photogrammetry, aerial photography, LIDAR, hydrography, bathymetry, charting, aerial and satellite image processing, GPS, and GIS data collection and conversion services. MAPPS also includes Associate Member Firms, which are companies that provide hardware, software, products and services to the geospatial profession in the United States and other firms from around the world. Independent Consultant Members are sole proprietors engaged in consulting in or to the geospatial profession, or provides a consulting service of interest to the geospatial profession. MAPPS provides its member firms opportunities for networking and developing business-to-business relationships, information sharing, education, public policy advocacy, market growth, and professional development and image enhancement. For more information on MAPPS, please visit www.mapps.org.