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GEOINT 2015 attracted the largest and most diverse audience to date

GEOINT-2015-Family-Day

USGIF CEO Keith Masback speaks at the GEOINT 2015 Symposium in Washington, D.C.

It’s been an interesting summer here at USGIF. Hosting the GEOINT 2015 Symposium in D.C. this June was yet another departure from our normal “battle rhythm,” though admittedly not as challenging as last year’s GEOINT 2013* gymnastics.

Anecdotal feedback regarding GEOINT 2015 has been almost universally positive. We are tabulating the results of our attendee and exhibitor surveys now, and we appreciate the fantastic return rate we always receive. That so many people make the time to provide this very important insight is a testament to the dedicated engagement of our community and our collective commitment to being part of an agile, learning enterprise.

I took a quick peek at early returns and clearly placed among the all-stars of the event were the three Vapor Wake K9 teams we had on site. They were an important part of our overall security plan, with sloppy dog kisses and photo ops as an added bonus. We will report out the collective survey results when they are complete, and we’ll take action to be responsive to the concerns and suggestions expressed where appropriate, feasible, and affordable.

Based on raw numbers, the GEOINT 2015 stats are exciting. We had a record number of confirmed attendees at 5,498, eclipsing the previous record by just about 1,000. There were about 1,500 government attendees from more than 250 federal, state, and local agencies, organizations, and offices, as well as 28 countries represented. Attendees were able to avail themselves of more than 80 hours of professional development training, a record 294 exhibitors, and about 100 government speakers between the general session, Government Pavilion Stage, and other venues such as GEOINT Foreword, which has grown from a small, precursor event to a sizable and remarkably dynamic program in its own right.

Being in D.C. allowed us to offer Family Day in the exhibit hall, which was very well received. At the end of the week, we hosted a vibrant classified session at NGA Campus East on the cyber-location nexus, with a first-ever dual Q&A session with NGA Director Robert Cardillo and NSA Director/Commander USCYBERCOM Adm. Mike Rogers. We’re eagerly looking forward to returning to Orlando in May for GEOINT 2016, and we’re also exploring options to bring the Symposium back to D.C. some time in the future.

In the event you missed some or all of the Symposium, be sure to check out PDF versions of the GEOINT Symposium Show Daily, brought to you by the trajectory staff, as well as HD video of keynotes, panels, breakouts, lightning talks, interviews, booth tours, and more via our trajectory On Location (formerly GEOINTv) Vimeo page.

I hope you’ll enjoy this edition of trajectory, which includes a great piece exploring the current state of commercial remote sensing from space, touching on space resiliency, SmallSats, and diverse phenomenology. Additionally, there’s a look at the evolving understanding of climate change as a national security issue and how GEOINT uniquely contributes to that important discussion.

As we plan trajectory’s 2016 editorial calendar, there’s another opportunity for your feedback. This is the perfect time to let us know which topics you’d like to see in the magazine, which government, industry, and/or academic leaders you’d like to see interviewed, and other content you’d find valuable. Just like everything we do at USGIF, this magazine is for you, the GEOINT Community, produced by our professional association. Reach out to us at trajectory@usgif.org  or info@usgif.org with comments and suggestions about the Symposium, magazine, or otherwise. I look forward to seeing you at our working group and committee meetings as well as our myriad fall events, including a jam-packed GEOINT Community Week in November.

Posted in: Vantage Point   Tagged in: 2015 Issue 3

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Reflecting on the past six months' journey and previewing what's to come