EXPERT OPINION: GEO-INTELLIGENCE
Working for and with the GEOINT Community The biggest challenge and the greatest opportunity for the geo-intelligence community is to create value in an open world. By Robert Cardillo
I
am very excited about the future of the geo-intelligence (GEOINT) community. As a former government official, I am trying to help governments, academia and industry become better partners with each other. I am confident the GEOINT community can make an immense contribution in dealing with challenges concerning global security. As our world becomes more interconnected and interdependent, our community can create new value propositions. Our growth in terms of our capabilities will create a better understanding about what we do as a community, which will lead to more transparency and trust. This trust will then lead to better relationships with other stakeholders. The US Government is still adjusting its mindset with respect to the broad commercialization of our business, and many of its policies and regulations are outdated. But, the Department of Commerce liberalized the rules for the licensing of Remote Sensing satellites last year. Now that’s the kind of improvement we need. The biggest challenge and greatest opportunity for the GEOINT community is to create value in an open world. Most of the Government’s experience has been around creating value in a closed and classified world. Connecting with the outside world is more of a process for the Government, and that’s where organizations like the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) can help bridge the gap.
26 | www.gwprime.geospatialworld.net | March-April 2021
