Directions Magazine and Penn State produce webinar on the Paradigm Shift in Geospatial Intelligence

December 9, 2010

Thursday, Dec. 9
2-3 p.m. EST

Speakers included:
• Dr. Max Baber, Director of Academic Programs, USGIF
• Todd Bacastow, Professor of Practice for Geospatial Intelligence, Penn State University
• Ted Cope, Special Function Executive, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
• Susan Kalweit, Principal, Booz Allen Hamilton

Is the GEOINT paradigm shifting from the technologically centric “find, fix and finish” warfare to a more anticipatory posture focused on human interests? Is today’s GEOINT community prepared for the analytic challenge of including cultural, population, economic and political geographies? What are the implications for the tradecraft and the geospatial intelligence professional? During this webinar titled ‘A Paradigm Shift in Geospatial Intelligence?’ these potential changes will be addressed and what they could mean to those who work in, support or are training in this field.

Disease, famine and water insecurity; continuing insurgencies and terrorism; and humanitarian disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes require a deep contextual understanding of place that incorporates history, economics and human geography. Examined through the spatial-temporal lens that defines GEOINT, trends, patterns, signatures and correlations, new understandings of our environment will be provided.

Most agree future success will include a focus on human geography and require a different weave of technology, skills, analytic methods and teamwork. This is a call to action for a new inclusive professional development enterprise that joins together the analyst, technologist, trainer, educator and mentor.

Who should attend?
Anyone involved in a facet of GEOINT who are interested in a discussion of the changing national security landscape, impacts of this change on geospatial intelligence and the implications of these changes on professional development.