USGIF Report on Geospatial Intelligence & Community Resilience

Herndon, Virginia (September 24, 2018)—The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) recently released a new report titled “Building Resilient Communities Through Geospatial Intelligence.”

Resilient communities withstand and resist unfavorable change imposed by emergencies in a manner that minimizes loss and hastens an expedient and full recovery. This may be construed as encompassing the full life cycle of emergency management. Resilient communities must assess risk and plan for adverse events, take affirmative steps to mitigate threats, respond appropriately when the crisis is at hand, and efficiently deploy resources for recovery.

“This report articulates a powerful case for the opportunity afforded by the expansion of geospatial intelligence technologies outside of traditional military and intelligence applications,” said USGIF CEO Keith J. Masback. “The team that assembled this document understands the potential for immediate positive impact for emergency planners and first responders, and clearly articulates their thinking in this compilation of compelling articles.”

Geospatial intelligence has emerged as a uniquely valuable tool for disaster management, demonstrating tangible benefits toward enhancing capabilities and infrastructure in the advent of more frequent, increasingly catastrophic disasters. Geospatial intelligence technologies and applications are rapidly proliferating, becoming more readily available, strengthening overall resilience, and enabling the next generation of public safety professionals.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) selected USGIF to explore the rapidly evolving domain of geospatial intelligence as it relates to community resilience. The resulting report is based on work supported by the Science and Technology Directorate of DHS for the Flood Apex Program under Contract HSHQDC-17-C-B0016. The views and conclusions contained in the report are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of DHS.

The report—which includes articles on critical infrastructure protection, emergency communications, climate change, case studies, lessons from the military and the developing world, and much more—may be downloaded for free.