March 11, 2022
The Department of the Interior has appointed 9 individuals to serve as members of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC). The NGAC provides advice and recommendations on national geospatial policy and management issues, the development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), and the implementation of the Geospatial Data Act of 2018. The NSDI promotes geospatial data sharing across all levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors, and the academic community.
Interior has also appointed a new NGAC Chair, Gary W. Thompson, who is the Deputy Risk Management Chief and Chief of the North Carolina Geodetic Survey in the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management. Interior also appointed a new NGAC Vice-Chair, Roberta Lenczowski, who is an independent private consultant and a former Federal executive. Ms. Lenczowski is a current member of the NGAC.
The NGAC includes up to 30 members, selected to achieve a balanced representation of the varied interests associated with geospatial programs and technology. NGAC members serve staggered three-year terms on the committee. The new appointees to the NGAC are:
- Nadine Alameh, Open Geospatial Consortium
- Clio Andris, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Frank Avila, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (reappointed to a second term)
- Byron Bluehorse, University of Alaska Fairbanks (reappointed to a second term)
- Maggie Cawley, OpenStreetMap U.S.
- Lynn Dupont, New Orleans Regional Planning Commission
- Tony LaVoi, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (reappointed to a second term)
- Kathleen Stewart, University of Maryland
- Gary Thompson, State of North Carolina (reappointed to a second term)
The NGAC meets three to four times per year. The public is invited to comment and make suggestions at all committee meetings, which will be announced by publication in the Federal Register at least 15 days before the meeting date. The U.S. Geological Survey, a bureau of the Department of the Interior, provides support services for the NGAC.
The NGAC was authorized under the Geospatial Data Act of 2018. The NGAC operates under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, enacted by Congress in 1972 to ensure that advice
rendered to the executive branch by advisory committees, task forces, boards, and commissions formed by Congress and the President, be objective and accessible to the public. The Act formalizes a process for establishing, operating, overseeing, and terminating these advisory bodies.
Additional information about the NGAC, including a complete list of the committee members, is available at www.fgdc.gov/ngac.