TOWARD A NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL STRATEGY

Recommendations from the National Geospatial Advisory Committee

December 2012

INTRODUCTION

This paper addresses the role of geospatial information technology in supporting cost-effective government 

and stimulating economic growth through job creation. The benefits of a coordinated approach – a 

National Geospatial Strategy coupled with a robust set of geospatial information services – are highlighted 

through examples that have been identified and described by the National Geospatial Advisory Committee 

(NGAC).

WHAT IS GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

The United States is the world leader in geospatial technology and research, an industry that represents a 

multi-billion dollar component of the U.S. economy. This high-growth, high technology industry acquires, 

manages, analyzes, integrates, maps, distributes, and uses geospatial information and knowledge to fuel 

major sectors of the U.S. economy. The Congressional Research Service estimated in 2012 that as much as 

80% of government information has a geospatial component. Geospatial technologies and services play a 

critical role in utilizing this information to work smarter, manage logistics, and support informed decisions 

throughout the economy. Over the past four decades, the creation of state-of-the-art solutions by private 

companies, enlightened investments by the Federal Government, and innovative applications in all sectors 

have enabled U.S. leadership in this vibrant and growing business. The current explosion in web and 

mobile-based location services will provide continuing opportunities to utilize geographic information and 

knowledge to support effective policies and decisions. NGAC believes that it is critical that the Federal 

Government exert strong leadership in this arena. The following examples highlight how geospatial services 

affect the well-being of American citizens and businesses every day:

Stimulating Economic Growth through Geospatial Technology 

Geospatial technology can be used to stimulate economic growth. In a highly competitive global 

economy, the United States currently occupies the leading position in the geospatial sector. U.S.-based 

geospatial companies, which generate technical, high-paying jobs in the United States, help drive the 

American economy by providing goods and services that are sold worldwide. A recent study by the 

Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that geospatial-related companies generate 

$30 billion annually. The geospatial sector has grown steadily, with the commercial side growing at an 

accelerated rate. The U.S. Department of Labor has predicted that the geospatial industry will be one 

of the technology areas that will create the most jobs in the coming decade. Yet, this industry faces a 

serious shortage of qualified and skilled workers to meet the demands of this fast growing field, 

potentially providing an opportunity for trained American workers.

Using Geospatial Information to Control Costs and Save Taxpayer Dollars

Geospatial information technology can be used to control the costs incurred by government agencies. 

Map visualization and analysis can play an important role in responding to natural disasters, enabling 

more effective decision making, and providing better services to the public. These capabilities can also 

assist managers in identifying redundancies and opportunities for consolidation. Utilizing an enterprise, 

multi-agency approach for the creation and collection of data can result in cost and resource savings 

while greatly increasing the value of returns. These savings can be realized through shared purchasing, 

economies of scale, and economies of scope. The development and implementation of shared 

geospatial technology infrastructure for use by all government partners offers great promise as a model 

for cost-effective, efficient government. 
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NGAC Geospatial Strategy Paper – December 2012

Applying Geospatial Tools to Ensure Public Safety and Decision-Support 

Geospatial information technology is a key decision-support tool that supports public safety, including 

critical infrastructure protection, first responder situational awareness, and homeland security 

activities. Advances in geospatial technologies are being applied to develop effective solutions to 

critical problems such as natural disaster preparedness and recovery, floodplain management, and 

wildfire management. Additionally, these technologies are being used to analyze and improve the 

delivery of health care services and to support analysis of environmental correlations to diseases, 

location, and population demographics. One striking example of the utility of this technology is its use 

as a tool to analyze the spatial footprint of the mortgage crisis and to develop policies and monitor the 

effects on our economy.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONSIDERATION

The NGAC offers the following recommendations for development of a National Geospatial Strategy and 

the effective utilization of geospatial technology. These recommendations are based upon the work and 

the recommendations of the NGAC since its inception in 2008. To raise awareness, commitment, and 

action, these recommendations should be coupled with a nationwide education and promotion program. 

1. Develop and Implement a National Geospatial Policy

Americans embrace a wide range of location-based technologies that make our lives easier and 

keep the world in a context that can be better understood. Services like Google Maps and Bing 

Maps are universally known. This includes everything from the Defense Advanced Research 

Projects Agency (DARPA) work on computer networking that led to the Internet, to access to the 

GPS network and development of Census' digital road network data (see "NGAC Changing 

Geospatial Landscape Paper"). While government has played an important role, the geospatial 

industry is rapidly evolving. We need updated national policies to coordinate and promote efficient 

development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).

To further advance the NSDI, we recommend that the administration develop and promote a 

National Geospatial Policy. Our nation faces important opportunities and challenges with 

expectations that geospatial resources will support evidence-based decision making at all levels. 

This will require coordination of Federal geospatial activities to ensure effective intergovernmental 

and inter-sector partnerships. A National Geospatial Policy will describe common goals, define 

roles and responsibilities, and outline a national geospatial strategy to achieve the economic and 

policy objectives of the nation. 

A National Geospatial Policy will provide an organized approach to build upon technological 

advancements to further the development of the NSDI by:

 helping coordinate spending and information sharing among federal agencies as well as in 

partnership with state and local government to minimize costs and avoid creating duplicate 

or inconsistent geospatial data; 

 enabling the tracking of geospatial investments to better understand and manage our 

economic health and help prevent another mortgage-based crisis;

 ensuring current, accurate and detailed information is available to government agencies, 

academia, and the public to anticipate and adapt to environmental change. The Landsat 

satellite program is an example of the cost-effectiveness of data sharing, generating more 

than $1.7 billion in benefits annually through shared data collection;

 ensuring that the U.S. geospatial business is competitive and leads the way in the global 

geospatial marketplace;
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NGAC Geospatial Strategy Paper – December 2012

 leveraging opportunities in the high-growth geospatial sector by including a strategy for 

geospatial workforce development, consistent with the President’s STEM Initiative, to 

ensure a pipeline of qualified American workers.

2. Fully Implement the Geospatial Platform and Geospatial Portfolio Management

The Geospatial Platform is a technology and policy infrastructure that is currently under 

development at the direction of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The NGAC reviewed 

and provided extensive input on the development of the Geospatial Platform initiative and the 

portfolio management approach embodied in the Supplemental Guidance to OMB Circular A-16. 

These interrelated initiatives will provide a common framework for sharing data, providing shared 

services and infrastructure, promoting wise investment decisions, and reducing duplication of 

effort. The Geospatial Platform, in particular, will provide a means for more effective collaboration 

between the Federal government and partners in State, local, and Tribal governments. The Federal 

government should expedite the implementation of these initiatives.

3. Implement Coordinated Multi-Agency, Intergovernmental Geospatial Data Initiatives

The Federal government should work with other levels of government and the private sector to 

develop comprehensive national-scale geospatial data initiatives that will provide economies of 

scale and result in high quality, consistent data that will enable more effective decision making. 

The NGAC provided feedback and comment on a number of these opportunities, and the 

framework for many of these data initiatives have been developed. Examples include the 

following:

 3-D Elevation Program

 Transportation for the Nation

 Landsat Program

 National Land Parcel Data

 National Address Data

 Imagery for the Nation

 National Height Modernization System

CONCLUSION

We believe geospatial technology, information, and services can help address some of the major priorities 

of our nation. The recommendations presented in this paper, including developing a Nation Geospatial 

Policy, fully implementing the Geospatial Platform and portfolio management, and encouraging 

coordinated intergovernmental data initiatives, will lead toward a robust and forward-looking strategy to 

accelerate the development of the geospatial infrastructure for the Nation. The NGAC looks forward to 

working with the Federal geospatial community to further advance our shared goals.

ABOUT THE NGAC

The National Geospatial Advisory Committee is a 28 member Federal Advisory Committee established to 

provide advice and recommendations related to management of Federal and national geospatial programs, 

the development of the NSDI, and the implementation of OMB Circular A-16 and Executive Order 12906. 

The NGAC reviews and comments upon geospatial policy and management issues and provides a forum to 

convey views representative of non-federal stakeholders in the geospatial community. The NGAC is 

sponsored by the Department of the Interior and reports to the Chair of the Federal Geographic Data 

Committee. Additional information about the committee, including membership, research reports, and 

best practice documents, is available at: www.fgdc.gov/ngac.