—Learon Dalby, State of Arkansas
Nonprofit organizations like the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) play a vital role in national policy discussions by distilling the full spectrum of issues into discrete topics of the greatest importance. NSGIC works through its membership each year to establish its advocacy agenda that guides and focuses outreach and education activities for the following year. The 2009/2010 agenda includes the following four topical areas: data for the nation programs, removing the U.S. Census Bureau's address points from Title 13 restrictions, governance of the NSDI and technology to improve government effectiveness. This session will provide a better understanding of NSGIC and how it pursues its agenda. Particular emphasis will be placed on the data for the nation initiatives to contrast the needs of Federal, state and local agencies and how they can work more effectively under the appropriate life cycle model.