Conference: The Geographical and Geospatial Sciences Committee: Using Science to Support Decision-Making

This award provides support for two public meetings of the Geographical and Geospatial Sciences Committee (GGSC). The GGSC is a standing committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, a non-governmental institution that provides independent, objective advice to inform policy with evidence, spark progress and innovation, and confront challenging issues for the benefit of society.

The GGSC provides an important convening function for discussion and sharing of knowledge among academia, government, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. The committee’s activities bring together geographers, spatial data scientists, and practitioners in relevant fields to exchange ideas and knowledge. The GGSC increases the impact of geography, mapping science, and geographic information science through its meetings and activities.

The GGSC meetings provide an opportunity to delve into important topics and disseminate that knowledge to communities of interest. Two meetings — “Improving Resilience to Wildfires Through Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analysis” and “Accessibility of Geospatial Tools for Community Resilience”—have been identified by the committee as areas where near-term input and engagement from the geographical and geospatial sciences community are urgent.

The first meeting addresses recent advancements in wildfire prediction, identification, and prevention using remote sensing and geospatial analysis. Case studies are used to provide examples and lessons learned. The second meeting focuses on the need to make geospatial tools and methods more accessible to a wider audience, with a particular focus on historically underserved communities.

This latter meeting includes a session on the rise of open access geospatial tools and their reliability. Both GGSC meetings are open for public attendance and participation, and recordings are archived on the GGSC website for future viewing.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.