Editorial

by Ilse Genovese

This is the last issue of the ACSM Bulletin in 2006, and, as is customary, it is devoted to the good, the exceptional, and the memorable that we have witnessed.
In a year conspicuous by an absence of major natural catastrophes, we collectively and individually did much good by helping people displaced by misfortune or a natural disaster get back on their feet and recapture their lives.
In a year marked by an intense debate about our role in the war on terror, our soldiers in Iraq and Afganistan are truly the most exceptional among the post baby boomer generations they belong to.
History will most likely paint 2006 with a different brush, but for the community of geospatial data professionals, NASA’s two successful missions to the Space Station will surely go down as achievements worthy of the epithet of “memorable.”
Achievement, of course, is a different thing to different people. Some achievements are perfectly quantifiable, and there is no mistaking as to who was responsible for the achievement and who will benefit from the work that has led to it. In other instances, defining achievement can involve a measure of subjectivity.
But, all achievement, whether relevant to one person, a small group of people, or entire industries or nations, deserves to be acknowledged. With this in mind, the ACSM Bulletin asked our members to describe the achievements, which, in their opinion, best illustrate the progress of the geospatial data research and industry in 2006, and how their companies have contributed to this progress.
The result is a series of articles appearing in this issue beginning with page 13 which do not necessarily encompass all the achievements of the geospatial data community in 2006, but they do offer a starting point for a more rigorous, scientific evaluation.