USGIF Partners with the Centre for Spatial Law and Policy

Groups sign memorandum of agreement to advance education and dialogue surrounding geospatial and remote sensing law and policy

Herndon, Virginia (October 13, 2015)— The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation and the Centre for Spatial Law and Policy have entered into a memorandum of agreement under which USGIF and the Centre will educate the geospatial community on the unique legal and policy issues that impact the collection, use, storage, and distribution of geospatial information.

“The Centre is pleased to be working with USGIF to educate the geospatial community on these important issues,” said Kevin Pomfret, executive director of the Centre for Spatial Law and Policy. “This is also an opportunity for the geospatial community to educate lawyers on where GEOINT is taking the law.”

Under the agreement, USGIF and the Centre have created a Geospatial and Remote Sensing Law Working Group. The group will develop training and education materials for GEOINT practitioners, host workshops, and further the GEOINT Community’s understanding of geospatial and remote sensing law.

“As we embark upon the GEOINT revolution, the myriad technological advances related to location and remote sensing are significantly outpacing the development of associated law and policy,” said USGIF CEO Keith Masback. “Decisions are being made daily at all levels of government—in the U.S. and abroad—as courts set precedents gavel drop by gavel drop. This partnership will play a crucial role in organizing a more coherent way forward.”

Next month, the Geospatial and Remote Sensing Law Working Group will host a half-day workshop on legal matters critical to the GEOINT Community as part of USGIF’s 2015 GEOINT Community Week.

The program will include three panels: Government Contracts and Organizational Conflicts of Interest: Conflicts in an Increasingly Conflicted World; Government Contracts and Intellectual Property: Playing a Critical Role in Geospatial Contracting; and Developments in Licensing Of Commercial Remote Sensing Satellites. The event will take place Nov. 18 at General Dynamics Information Technology in Springfield, Va. Click here for more information or to register.

About USGIF

USGIF is a nonprofit educational foundation dedicated to promoting the geospatial intelligence tradecraft and developing a stronger GEOINT Community with government, industry, academia, professional organizations, and individuals who develop and apply geospatial intelligence to address national security challenges. USGIF executes its mission by building the community, advancing the tradecraft, and accelerating innovation. The GEOINT Symposium is hosted annually by USGIF.

For more information, please visit www.USGIF.org and follow USGIF on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

About the Centre for Spatial Law and Policy

The mission of the Centre for Spatial Law and Policy is to educate lawyers, businesses, government agencies, policymakers, and regulators on legal and policy issues associated with geospatial technology and data. The Centre aims to help businesses and governments understand how laws and policies may impact their current and future operations, to support the development of consistent and transparent legal and policy frameworks at the national level, and to facilitate the collection, analysis, and distribution of geospatial data to address critical transnational issues such as climate change, food shortages, and pandemics.