April 25, 2023
The Department of the Interior has appointed 14 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.
The NGAC Chair is Gary W. Thompson, who is the Deputy Hazard Mitigation 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, Maggie Cawley, who is the Executive Director of OpenStreetMap US. Ms. Cawley 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:
- Chad Baker, California Dept. of Transportation (reappointed to a second term)
- Jack Dangermond, Esri (reappointed to a second term)
- Holli Howard, Google Maps
- Bert Granberg, Wasatch Front Regional Council
- Leslie Jones, State of Alaska
- Ryan Mattke, University of Minnesota
- Mark Meade, NV5 Geospatial (reappointed to a second term)
- Curtis Pulford, City of Phoenix, AZ
- Devaki Raj, CrowdAI
- Siva Ravada, Oracle (reappointed to a second term)
- Breece Robertson, One Tree Planted
- Vasit Sagan, St. Louis University (reappointed to a second term)
- Phil Thiel, Dewberry
- Tim Trainor, Trainor Consultants (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 Geographic Data Committee www.FGDC.gov fgdc@fgdc.gov 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.
Additional information about the NGAC, including a complete list of the committee members, is available at www.fgdc.gov/ngac.