A Guide to the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency

What is the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency?

The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency is a Federal agency that operates within the United States of America that possesses the primary mission of collection, analysis and distribution concerning all matters of geospatial intelligence in support of national security.

Geospatial intelligence or GSI does not possess a universally accepted definition; however, the Federal Government of the United States defines the subject as the “exploitation and analysis of imagery and geospatial information to describe, assess, and visually depict physical features and geographically referenced activities on the earth. Geospatial intelligence consists of imager, imagery intelligence and geospatial information.

National Geospatial Intelligence Agency Quick Facts:

The following details outline the administration of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency:

The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency was formed on October 1st of 1996

The headquarters of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency are located in Bethesda, Maryland

The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency is responsible for the jurisdiction over the Federal Government of the United States of America

Both the number of employees and the operating budget for the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency are deemed classified

The head of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency is Director Letitia Long; Lloyd Rowland maintains a Deputy Director position of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.

The Parent Agency of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency is the Department of Defense.

The preceding agency of the National Geospatial intelligence Agency was the National imagery and Mapping Agency

Activities of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency:

Following the Attacks of September 11th: Following the heinous attacks of September 11th, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency partnered with the United States Geological Survey to assess the World Trade Center site to determine the extent of the destruction.

Olympic Support: In 1002, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency partnered with several Federal organizations to provide geospatial assistance to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah—the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency also provided support with the subsequent Olympic Games.

Hurricane Katrina: The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency supported the Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts by “providing geospatial information concerning the affected areas based on imagery from commercial and U.S. government satellites, and from airborne platforms, to the Federal Emergency Management Agency as well as other government agencies.”

Partnership with Microsoft: The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and the Microsoft Corporation signed a Letter of understanding to advance the design and delivery of geospatial information applications to customers.

Government Agency of the Executive Branch:

Government agencies are defined as organizations, councils, and offices operating under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government of the United States of America; each federal agency retains specific administrative jurisdiction over specific facets latent within the operations of the United States Government.

The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency functions as a government agency under the Executive Branch of the United States government, which is comprised of 3 total branches; in addition to the Executive branch – which is responsible for the regulation and enforcement of operational legislation existing within the United States of America – there also exists the Legislative and Judicial Branches.

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