A Research Agenda for Geographic Information Science at the United States Geological Survey (2007) / Chapter Skim
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4 Realizing USGS's Vision for CEGIS
4 Realizing USGS's Vision for CEGIS
Pages 99-112
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From page 99... ...
From a small and lean beginning, and through such a network and relationships, CEGIS is envisioned to "conduct, lead, and influence the research and innovative solutions required by the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) " by conducting, supporting, and collaborating in "research to address critical Geographic Information Science questions of importance to the USGS and to the broader geospatial community" (CEGIS, 2006)
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From page 100... ...
USGS researchers drove the national research agenda, and several of the major research conferences, including the early Auto-Carto events, were cosponsored by the USGS. The geospatial community looked to the USGS as a source of high-quality spatial data and maps, for coordination of access to spatial data, and as a place where some of the world's best ideas emerged on spatial processing, projections, uncertainty, and visualization.
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From page 101... ...
spatial analysis. Increasingly, COGIT researchers are presenting their work at international conferences such as the International Cartographic Association, and they are evaluated, in part, on the quality of their publications.
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From page 102... ...
CONSIDERATIONS FOR BUILDING AND OPERATING CEGIS Karen Siderelis (Associate Director for Geospatial Information, USGS) encouraged the committee to think in terms of what is needed for CEGIS to succeed and, while being practical, not to be constrained by the current dimensions and budget of the center.
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From page 103... ...
A tight focus of CEGIS's initial research activities on supporting The National Map would provide a purpose that reinforces, and does not distract from, other program activities. It also provides access to problems of partners and customers that generate new CEGIS research activities and demonstrates the need for the activity.
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From page 104... ...
104 A Research Agenda for GIScience at the USGS the wealth of GIScience research in science, technology, and operations, CEGIS will need to follow investments made by others and look for opportunities that could be adapted with CEGIS involvement to support USGS operations. This approach has an added advantage of allowing CEGIS managers to learn best practices for managing a larger portfolio of technology and scientific research as resources permit and needs require.
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From page 105... ...
Realizing USGS's Vision for CEGIS 105 resources at university centers; geospatial centers of excellence at other federal,1 state, and local agencies (perhaps with unique foci relevant to their specific missions) ; and professional societies with their extensive constituencies of the best and brightest in the field (Figure 4.1)
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From page 106... ...
106 A Research Agenda for GIScience at the USGS The Core Research of CEGIS The scientific core of CEGIS will initially consist of a group of approximately six to eight Ph.D.-level scientists. These scientists would be a mix of full-time USGS employees, visiting professors and other visitors (as with COGIT -- Box 4.1)
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From page 107... ...
RECOMMENDATION 7: CEGIS should establish and/or support one to two centers of excellence in GIScience at universities with relevant GIScience focus and capabilities that address its longer-term research challenges. Placing USGS researchers at university centers of excellence in GIScience would potentially be of great benefit to cultivating CEGIS's GIScience leadership (Mike Goodchild, University of California, Santa Barbara, personal communication, 2006)
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From page 108... ...
In addition, funding industry research on aspects of The National Map, such as infrastructure development, humancomputer interface, or applications built on top of The National Map application programming interfaces for specific users, would help establish The National Map as the preeminent source of quality national geospatial data and services. Because industry research is typically focused on product development or projects in response to customer requirements, connecting into these research capabilities is best accomplished by contractual instruments such as Broad Area Announcements or Cooperative Research and Development Act agreements.
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From page 109... ...
. Even within the USGS, CEGIS could establish a strong liaison with the disciplines of water, geology, geography, and biology with co-located professionals to work on research to address common application challenges that involve core geospatial data.
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From page 110... ...
RECOMMENDATION 11: CEGIS should use specialist meetings, perhaps in conjunction with the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science winter meeting or summer assembly, to advance its state of knowledge and plans for addressing emerging research challenges. On a broader scale, a liaison from CEGIS to the many professional societies involved with GIScience would enhance awareness of CEGIS activities,
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From page 111... ...
, as is the flow of research needs from The National Map design team and NGTOC. To be most efficient, CEGIS's advisory board would have to be limited in size (e.g., less than ten members)
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From page 112... ...
In this report, the committee endeavored to prioritize the many possible avenues of research into a solid core of interrelated research topics that provide early and visible results that are of importance to the nation's need for accurate and accessible geospatial information. This was a compact study, in both time and resources.
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