The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation has two new members. The Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation and the Center for Geospatial Information Technology  have joined USGIF, extending Virginia Tech’s impact on geospatial research through their membership with the foundation.

Here is the press release from Virginia Tech.

BLACKSBURG, Va., Oct. 15, 2012 – The Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation and the Center for Geospatial Information Technology have teamed up to become members of the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF).

With locations in both Blacksburg and Arlington, Va., the two units will be able to extend the university’s impact on geospatial research through their membership with the foundation.

The corporation’s intelligence mission area is dedicated to the evaluation, development, and delivery of tools and processes that enhance the creation and sharing of actionable intelligence and knowledge for military, security, and law enforcement organizations.

The intelligence mission area is an important bridge between the research, intelligence, and operational communities to define functional requirements and identify and assess candidate solutions through stakeholder collaborations.

The Center for Geospatial Information Technology is a university-level interdisciplinary research center that collaborates across academic, government, and private sectors in the use and development of innovative geospatial solutions, and in elevating awareness for geospatially-enabled actionable intelligence and knowledge. The center provides revolutionary and applied geospatial research in areas such as: geoinformatics, 3-D geodata, safety and security, health, smart cities, and community resilience.

This joint membership extends Virginia Tech’s relationship with the foundation, which was initiated in 2007 when the center began participating in the fall GeoInt Symposium and spring GeoInt Community Week. In addition, Kathleen Hancock, co-director of the center, currently serves on the USGIF academic advisory council, which provides guidance for academic programs, education, and workforce development in support of the geospatial intelligence community.

The Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation and the Center for Geospatial Information Technology participated in the 2012 USGIF GeoInt Symposium from Oct. 8-11, in Orlando, Fla., with a shared presence in the “New Member Showcase” area at the GeoInt Expo. The 2012 GeoInt Symposium theme is “Creating the Innovation Advantage.”

“We look forward to collaborating with the Center for Geospatial Information Technology to extend the brand and impact of Virginia Tech and to develop solutions to complex problems facing the geospatial intelligence community and beyond,” remarked Thomas M. McNamara, president and CEO of the Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation.
The partnership will leverage the extensive intelligence community experience and integrated solution architecture approach provided by the Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation with the focused geospatial information science research capabilities of the Center for Geospatial Information Technology, creating an innovation advantage that will carry Virginia Tech forward.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 215 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 30,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $450 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.