EDITORIAL

Surveying the Earth and the skies

by Ilse Genovese

Summer 2009 was a period of intense national debates on issues ranging from health care reform, to the future NASA program, to the proposed cap-and-trade legislation. For the geospatial community, the Congressional hearing on federal geospatial data management in late July, the NGAG town hall meeting at the ESRI User Conference in early July, and the COGO meeting late in August were the highlights of summer. more >>

GEOSPATIAL DATA

Geospatial data management

by Ilse Genovese

Fifteen years after NSDI was signed into law by President Clinton in 1994, a truly national infrastructure of spatial data, people, information technology, and policies and standards governing geospatial activities in the U.S. is yet to be achieved, concluded a July 23rd hearing on “Federal Geospatial Data Management” before the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources of the House Committee on Natural Resources. more>>

GIS&IMAGERY

Meet ENVI EX

by Ilse Genovese

Satellite and airborne images are more than just a visual of the “story” behind a map. They can be the story itself—with the right data processing and analysis tools. more >>

Interview: ITT Visual Information Solutions

by Ilse Genovese

For a long time, raster-based imagery and vector-based GIS have been treated as two totally different worlds. But that has changed. Satellite imagery has become much more important to GIS users—and to remote sensing professionals as well. Richard W. Cooke, president of ITT Visual Information Solutions talks to ACSM Bulletin's editor about this new shift in the world of GIS and how his company has responded to it. more>>

STANDARDS

Federal Wetlands Mapping Standard Approved

by Vanessa Kaufmann

Digital mapping projects in the wetlands have received a boost with the new Wetlands Mapping Standard announced by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on August 18th. The standard is designed to guide current and future wetlands digital mapping projects and enhance the overall quality and consistency of wetlands data. more>>

COMENTARY

Three professions

by Melinda Peacock

We live in a “Get it Now” society. We want information now, and we want it fast. But to keep up with this fast-paced world, we need to know our history. Otherwise, the young generation will never appreciate that high-speed access used to be the on-ramp to the freeway, a flat screen was on windows to keep the bugs out, spam was only found in a can, and call waiting was the line outside a phone booth. . more>>