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| Geospatial Information and Technology Association | |
|---|---|
| Name | Geospatial Information and Technology Association |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Type | Professional association |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Region served | International |
Geospatial Information and Technology Association is a professional organization focused on spatial data, cartography, remote sensing, surveying, and geographic information systems. It engages practitioners, academics, and industry through chapters, conferences, publications, and certification programs, collaborating with public and private institutions in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The association interfaces with standards bodies, academic societies, technology vendors, and government agencies to advance the use of spatial technologies in planning, environmental management, infrastructure, and public safety.
The association emerged from a 1980s convergence of interests represented by United States Geological Survey, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Environmental Systems Research Institute, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and academic units such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of California, Berkeley. Early support and collaboration included U.S. Census Bureau, National Science Foundation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, British Geological Survey, and Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation. Key developments were influenced by standards and interoperability efforts led by Open Geospatial Consortium and policy discourse involving United Nations bodies like United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management and programs such as Global Spatial Data Infrastructure. The growth of commercial mapping led to partnerships with Google, Microsoft, Apple Inc., and vendors such as Hexagon AB and Trimble Inc.. The association's timeline intersects with milestones from Landsat program, SPOT (satellite), Copernicus Programme, Sentinel-2, and academic initiatives at Stanford University, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and Harvard University.
The association's mission aligns with capacity building exemplified by collaborations with World Bank, United States Agency for International Development, Inter-American Development Bank, and Asian Development Bank. Activities include technical working groups that mirror committees from International Cartographic Association, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, and International Federation of Surveyors. Advocacy efforts have addressed data sharing norms similar to debates in European Commission and U.S. Department of the Interior policy forums, while partnerships with Red Cross, UNICEF, World Health Organization, and United Nations Development Programme support humanitarian mapping. The association sponsors interoperability testing similar to initiatives by Internet Engineering Task Force and data standards adoption drawn from ISO and OGC specifications.
Members include professionals from Esri, IBM, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Airbus, Siemens, and consultancies like AECOM. Academic members represent institutions such as Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Toronto, McGill University, University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, and Tsinghua University. Chapters mirror regional groupings found in American Geophysical Union and include local nodes linked to metropolitan areas like New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, London, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Seoul, and São Paulo. The association works with professional registries such as Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and certification bodies related to Project Management Institute.
Training programs reference curricula from Coursera, edX, and university extension programs at Columbia University and University of Chicago. Certification pathways are comparable to credentials from GIS Professional (GISP), Certified Geographic Information Systems Professional concepts, and competency frameworks used by European Geospatial Competence Centre. Continuing education includes partnerships with providers like Esri Training and vendor-neutral modules reflecting standards from ISO/TC 211 and Open Geospatial Consortium. Workforce development projects have been funded alongside initiatives from National Institutes of Health for public health mapping and infrastructure projects with Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Annual conferences draw speakers from United Nations, World Bank, European Space Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as well as corporate presenters from Google Maps, Apple Maps, HERE Technologies, Esri, and Mapbox. Events include technical symposia, vendor exhibitions, and student competitions akin to those held by Association of American Geographers, Royal Geographical Society, and International Cartographic Association. Regional workshops have been hosted in collaboration with Asian Development Bank, African Union, Inter-American Development Bank, and city governments such as City of New York and City of London.
The association publishes proceedings and newsletters similar to journals like International Journal of Geographical Information Science, Cartography and Geographic Information Science, Remote Sensing of Environment, and Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing. Technical reports reference standards from ISO, Open Geospatial Consortium, and case studies involving Landsat program, Copernicus Programme, Sentinel-2, MODIS, and projects led by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Online resources include webinars and learning modules in partnership with IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society, American Meteorological Society, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and educational platforms like Khan Academy for outreach.
Governance follows a board model with elected officers and advisory councils, resembling structures used by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, American Geophysical Union, Association for Computing Machinery, and Royal Geographical Society. Leadership has included professionals who previously worked at United States Geological Survey, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Environmental Systems Research Institute, European Space Agency, Airbus Defence and Space, and major universities such as University of Cambridge and Stanford University. Committees liaise with standards organizations including ISO/TC 211 and Open Geospatial Consortium to coordinate strategy, ethics, and data governance policies in multilateral settings such as United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management.
Category:Geographic information systems