Geography Department Chair Keith Clarke has been appointed as the new Chair of the National Academy of Sciences’ Mapping Sciences Committee, one of the standing committees of the Board on Earth Science and Resources. He takes over from Dr. David Cowen, of the University of South Carolina, and will serve a three year term. Keith has been a regular member of the committee since 2003.
The Mapping Science Committee (MSC) provides independent advice to society and to government at all levels on scientific, technical, and policy matters relating to spatial data. The committee provides advice on domestic and international spatial data infrastructures. It also addresses aspects of geographic information science that deal with the acquisition, integration, storage, and distribution of spatial data. Further, the committee promotes the informed and responsible development and use of spatial data for the benefit of society.
The committee recommends and oversees National Research Council studies responsive to the interests of sponsors. These activities cover spatial data issues related to: Science and technology for advancing geographic data collection, including global positioning systems, remote sensing, and photogrammetric and surveying procedures; compilation, integration, and exchange of spatial databases; the use of spatial data throughout society; technological and institutional developments needed for improving spatial data use; coordination opportunities and efforts from local to global scales for the presentation, archiving, and dissemination of spatial data; human resources and education in support of the advancement of mapping science; hardware and software systems in support of the advancement of spatial data infrastructures; and the science, technology, and art of visualization and presentation of spatial data.
Most recently, Keith Chaired an Ad Hoc Committee for the Mapping Sciences Committee on Basic and Applied Research Priorities in Geospatial Science for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The report from this 18 month long study will be released within the next month.
