ORLANDO, Fla., 22 Nov. 2006. The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) has achieved a major milestone in the growth of the Foundation, reaching 110 members.
New USGIF members joining the list of companies and organizations supporting the Foundation are: Microsoft, HP, Camber Corp., SRA International Inc., AT&T Government Solutions, The PMA Group, Appistry, Intec LLC, LPA Systems, Higgins-Hermansen Group, Compass Inc., SAP Public Services, Google, OPNET Technologies, Areté Associates, i-cubed: information, integration & imaging LLC, Planet 9 Studios, Integral Systems Inc., Battelle Memorial Institute, and AirScan Inc.
"Reaching 100 Members is a great achievement not only for the Foundation, but for the entire geospatial intelligence tradecraft," says USGIF president and chairman K. Stuart Shea. "The addition of these companies unites supporters of the tradecraft, strengthens the community of interest, and provides another resource to support the intelligence community and our national security."
"The Foundation, the geospatial tradecraft, and the Intelligence Community as a whole have all witnessed a trend of a rapid growth since the Foundation launched in January 2004," Shea notes. "The Foundation's ability to carry out its objectives—be it educating students or community building—is directly linked to our growing membership. Their significant participation in the Foundation and contribution to our country's national and homeland security objectives can not be emphasized enough."
Many Foundation members were in Orlando, Fla., last week displaying technologies and solutions at the GeoInt 2006 Symposium. The annual Symposium, considered the nation's premier intelligence event, features keynote presentations, panel discussions, and networking opportunities.
This year, more than 2500 attendees heard speakers such as Ambassador John D. Negroponte, the Director of National Intelligence; Navy Vice Admiral Robert Murrett, the director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; and Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, Commander of the First U.S. Army.
USGIF is a Virginia-based, nonstock, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation. The Foundation is dedicated to promoting the geospatial intelligence tradecraft and developing a stronger community of interest between government, industry, academic and professional organizations, and individuals who share a mission focus around the development and application of geospatial intelligence data and geo-processing resources to address national security objectives.
