MAPPS Announces Speakers for Fall Policy Conference

MAPPS is pleased to report that an official from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is  confirmed as a speaker at the MAPPS Fall Policy Conference.

Peder Magee, a senior attorney in the FTC’s Division of Privacy and Identity Protection, will speak to MAPPS members on Thursday, November 17.

Mr. Magee works on a variety of policy and litigation matters, including online behavioral marketing, and was involved in the December 2010 "Preliminary FTC Staff Report on Protecting Consumer Privacy in an Era of Rapid Change: A Proposed Framework for Businesses and Policymakers."

The report proposed that firms be required to obtain a citizen's approval prior to collecting, storing or using "precise geolocation" data. MAPPS led a geospatial community effort to persuade the FTC to remove or revise the proposal.

Other presentations will feature:

Jerry Johnston of EPA, who will provide a demonstration of the "Geospatial Platform" being developed by the US Government. Johnston will discuss important issues affecting whether and how your firm's data can be on the platform.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is launching a new program to utilize remote sensing technologies, including LIDAR and others, in its airports program. An Advisory Circular has been issued. FAA will brief MAPPS members on the circular and the potential program.

Other presentations will be announced shortly.

The conference will also feature meetings of the MAPPS Federal Agency Liaison Committees (NGA, USDA, USGS, NOAA, DoD & DHS, and FAA & TSA), which includes valuable information from our Federal agency partners. This year, the MAPPS Fall Policy Conference will be held on Thursday, November 17 at the Hilton Washington Dulles Hotel in Herndon, VA, concurrent with the ASPRS/Pecora Symposium.

Early registration for the MAPPS Fall Policy Conference ends October 30. The MAPPS Fall Policy Conference features sessions on topics of interest to the geospatial community. Presentations will focus on policy issues that affect your firm and your markets.

The MAPPS Fall Policy Conference is only open to MAPPS members. If your firm has not joined MAPPS, we invite private sector firms to join today.

MAPPS Host 20th Annual Federal Programs Conference

Numerous policy and market opportunity pronouncements were unveiled at the 20th annual MAPPS Federal Programs Conference, held March 15-16 in Washington, DC. More than 90 MAPPS member firm principals, owners, partners and senior pro- fessionals converged in the nation's capital for briefings and meetings with more than 20 Federal agency officials, as well as more than 150 vis- its to the offices of Represen- tatives and Senators in the U.S. Congress.

At the Federal agency briefings on March 15, MAPPS members were treated to first-look information that could lead to upcoming business opportunities for private geo- spatial firms. The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency’s (NGA’s) Dennis Morgan announced that its request for proposals for Geospatial Intelligence (GeoINT) Data Readiness (GDR) contacts, the successor to the current Global Geospatial Intelligence (GGI) contracts, will be issued later this year. Additionally, FEMA‟s Paul Rooney noted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released its request for qualifications from firms for contracts for Remote Sensing to Support Incident Management and Homeland Security days be- fore the MAPPS session.

While MAPPS was in Washington, the Small Business Administration (SBA) released its proposal to revise “size standards” or definitions of small businesses in a variety of Professional, Technical, and Scientific Services categories. The classification for surveying and mapping, as well as architecture and engineering, is proposed to rise from $4.5 to $19 million in gross annual receipts, measured on a three year average.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) provided an update on its role in producing a national broadband map, compiled from individual state mapping efforts, and plans for a next-gen 911 system. Michael Byrne, the Geo- spatial Information Officer (GIO) of the FCC, assured MAPPS members that the FCC is well aware of the GPS interference posed by the LightSquared application, that the FCC understands the concerns expressed by MAPPS and others in our community, and that the LightSquared application will either be rejected or amended to assure no interference with GPS. While noting he could not comment on an ongoing investigation, Byrne said FCC’s inquiry of certain Google activities will not result in regulation of the broader geospatial community. He reported the caution provided by MAPPS was helpful in educating the FCC on the activities of the private geospatial profession. The privacy issue was also addressed by Karen Siderelis, GIO of the Department of the Interior and chairman of the Federal Geographic Data Committee’s (FGDC)’s executive committee. She reported on a meeting between FGDC and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) staff in which the FTC said it was “flooded” with comments on proposed regulations prohibiting the collection, storage or use of “precise geolocation data" without a citizens' prior approval. Siderelis said the FTC admitted it inappropriately used the term, resulting in an “unintended consequence” that would be corrected in the final rule. FTC is also considering a work- shop with the geospatial community to identify ways to implement privacy protections against phishing and cyber stalking, without disturbing the legitimate activities of geospatial firms.

Both Siderelis and BLM Chief Cadastral Surveyor Don Buhler predicted a demand in boundary data on Indian lands resulting from settlement of the Cobell case. Buhler reported the Interior Department’s Inspector General found “the Bureau of Land Management's Cadastral Survey program was missing the opportunity to identify and perform surveys on high risk lands where significant potential revenues could be collected by the Department or Indian tribes. Proper survey and management of high risk lands with antiquated surveys has the potential to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from lands with valuable resources.”

Bureau shared information on research and development opportunities for the 2020 Census to exploit technology on a secure (web) exchange process for ad- dress and spatial data, ways to ingest spatial and address data from partners, products and services that may facilitate the exchange of spatial and address data from Census to partners, and the use of imagery and change detection methods. She also said that the current Census policy that Title 13 restrictions prohibited sharing of master address file (MAF) and building structure point data is being reviewed.

David Kennedy, Assistant Administrator of NOAA for the National Ocean Service, provided details on a more than $80 million program for base mapping and charting activities, hydrographic surveys, integrated ocean and coastal mapping, and shoreline mapping. He also said an investigation was being launched in response to a MAPPS com- plaint about a recent bid for professional LiDAR data collection services in California that violated the Brooks Act and was awarded to a university.

On Wednesday, March 16, MAPPS members traveled to Capitol Hill to visit their Congressional delegations. As a result of the MAPPS efforts, ten cosponsors were secured for FEMA flood risk map reform legislation, seven lawmakers committed to cosponsoring the Federal Land Asset Inventory Reform (FLAIR) Act, providing a current, accurate, GIS-based inventory of Federal land ownership, nineteen Representatives and Senators pledged to cosponsor the Freedom from Government Competition Act and five members of the House agreed to introduce a bill to reform governance and coordination of Federal geospatial activities, known as the Map It Once, Use It Many Times (MIO-UIMT) Act.

MAPPS provides copies of the presentations from speakers to Members Only. For more information on how to join MAPPS, click here.

Should the Geospatial Community be Worried About the Federal Agency Reports on Privacy? YES, AND HERE IS WHY!

In response to a recent podcast by Directions Magazine in which MAPPS was not contacted for comment or clarification there was speculation by the hosts. MAPPS would like to clarify the issues and answer the questions raised in the podcast.

The current proposals from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Commerce are both regulations, which “referrers to a specific requirement that can take on various forms, such as industry specific regulation or regulations that are much broader in scope” and not legislation going through Congress. It is because of this “broad scope” that MAPPS has mobilized the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC), Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO) and law experts in the geospatial profession urge the geospatial community and those affected by the term “precise geolocation data” to take action and comment on the proposals.

Throughout the podcast the words ‘regulation’ and ‘legislation’ were interchangeably misused. As noted in the discussion, MAPPS commented on two separate pieces of legislation one draft and one formally introduced in Congress (HR 5777 ) that ultimately did not move in the House of Representatives or Senate. Regulations, such as those proposed  by the FTC and Commerce are not the same as legislation.

It is because of its experience and expert knowledge of the legislative and regulatory system that MAPPS has urged a response from the entire geospatial community.

Is this a web-based or browser based regulation targeting the Internet?

No, though this is drafted as a ‘consumer protection’ regulation, the fact that the term “precise geolocation data” is included in the regulation without any parameters indicates that no one industry or profession is defined and can affect with any industry/profession that falls within the definition.

Does the draft regulation include satellite, aerial photography and location based services (LBS)?

Yes, due to the broad use of the term precise geolocation data/information through the draft all would be regulated. It is because of this broad definition and the timeframe in which to comment that MAPPS is mobilizing the geospatial community – both producers and users.

Potential for competition with private firms.

The commentators allude to “potentially put US firms in competition with foreign firms who may or may not be under this same rubric and basically have a considerable impact on the business of members of MAPPS”.  This is a real threat.

To understand the extent of the FTC and Commerce proposals, take for example a town such as Reston, Virginia. They hire a geospatial firm to do a master plan, which requires address and parcel data. With the current language, a mapping, planning or A/E firm would have to get ‘prior consent’ from every landowner whose property would be included in the planning. That is impractical to the point of being impossible to comply with.

Comment to the FTC and Commerce.

MAPPS is alerting the greater geospatial community, including data producers and users, and location based service firms, of the immediate threat this has on their businesses and organizations. Social media companies such as Foursquare and MAPPS member firms such as CompassData, Inc., i-cubed and NAVTEQ that utilize and develop location based services (LBS) would be affected by this regulation.

It is because of the MAPPS is not made up of just aerial or collection firms, but firms in the broad spectrum of geospatial activities, including LBS, applications, and value-added services that MAPPS strongly urges for all firms to individually comment to the FTC and Commerce Department.  

Again, MAPPS is working with the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC) and the Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO) to each send comments on these regulations.