—FROM THE EDITOR When people think of geography, they don’t often think of crisis management. Yet, the study of location applies to all sorts of issues that affect people and the environment. The two-months-old oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is an unfortunate reminder of how important such knowledge is, and of something else: some problems elude fast technological fixes. The frustrations we have felt mounting with each unsuccessful attempt to “plug the hole” have been amply documented in the national papers and other media. In this issue, we focus on technology which works. Map mashups created by crowd sourcing have quietly revolutionized the way we share geographic and increasingly also socio-economic and political data collected locally about all sorts of occurrences. This is geospatial technology which works precisely because it combines communication and teamwork with data collection, data visualization, and data analysis. With mashups, LiDAR, RTK surveying, and an improved National Spatial Reference System, geospatial science and technology have left the laboratory for the real world of public and private enterprise. For individuals, their fast penetration into different walks of life has created diverse sources of employment. Geospatial job opportunities are growing and projections for the future by the Bureau of Labor Statistics are good—in a generally depressed labor market. Surveying and mapping expertise has been and will continue to be in demand; a myriad of projects large and small could not and will not be achieved without the creative, intelligent, and rigorous input of geodesists, land surveyors, cartographers, and GIS professionals. Our profession is at the heart of local and national economies, exploration, location-based responses to crisis events, and much more. Let’s continue to inform our contributions to society with new emerging science and technology and, in the process, positively affect the economic reality of our Nation and members of our profession. Ilse Genovese
2010 ACSM BULLETIN 9