events will occur in a very different world from that of 2005. Agencies will have planned the immediate and coordinated acquisition of data, using arrangements that are already in place and relying on technologies that are fully interoperable. Teams of geospatial professionals will be activated immediately, even prior to events if accurate warning exists, and will be on-site and operational within hours. Emergency response personnel will have practiced the use of geospatial data and tools under a range of scenarios and will be fully familiar with the kinds of problems they will encounter. Response will be better targeted and managed, and additional lives may be saved. The way to achieve this vision of preparedness is clear; society has only itself to blame if it is not realized.