You Can't Manage What You Can't Measure

John M. PalatielloNGAC

February 5, 2009

Geospatial Metrics

• There is a need for baseline information about geospatial activities, in and related to the Federal government and other stakeholders, and updated classifications systems, in order to plan for the future and measure results.

What is the size of the Geospatial Market?

• There is no current, accurate market study that measures the size of the geospatial market, tracks changes, or analyzes market segments in a useful manner.

What is the size of the Federal Government’s activity in the

Geospatial Market?

• Geospatial Lines of Business (G-LOB) has not succeeded in accurately measuring the annual Federal expenditure on geospatial activities.

What is the delta between the current investment in NSDI and the nation’s

need for current and accurate geospatial data?

• Information does not exist on how we are progressing on meeting the nation’s need for geospatial data.

What is the size of the Federal procurement market for

geospatial data products and services?

• The Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) does not have an adequate product and services code (PSC) system for tracking procurement dollars in the geospatial field.

What is the profile of firms in the geospatial market?

• The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) does not have a specific NAICS code for the geospatial community, making analysis or characterizations of the market very difficult.

What is a “small business” in the geospatial field?

• Due to the lack of an accurate FPDS and NAICS system, it is impossible to accurately analyze the market and determine an appropriate Small Business Administration “size standard” for small firms in the geospatial field.

How much grant money is the Federal Government awarding for geospatial

activities?• No accurate data base or coding system exists

for tracking geospatial grants or identifying Federal programs that are funding geospatial activities at the state, regional, or local government or academic institution or non-profit organization levels.

How many Federal employees are engaged in geospatial activities?

• The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) position classification system for Federal employees has not been changed in more than 20 years and fails to recognize the revolution in geospatial activities in the market and in the government during that time.

What is the size of the geospatial workforce in the United States?

• Notwithstanding the fact that the U.S. Department of Labor has identified the geospatial field as one of the leaders in creating new jobs, there is no accurate data on current employment in the field in the U.S. due to a lack of a current definition of geospatial positions in the Bureau of Labor Statistics , which uses the outdated “surveyors, cartographers, photogrammetrists, and surveying technicians”.

What is the Federal government spending on education and workforce development in the geospatial field in

the United States?• Notwithstanding the fact that the U.S. Department of

Labor has identified the geospatial field as one of the leaders in creating new jobs, and has invested in geospatial workforce development programs, funds are being expended by the Departments of Education, labaor, NGA, NASA and perhaps others. There is no accurate data on Federal investment in geospatial training and education, and no coordination.

What is the Federal government spending on geospatial research and how is that research contributing to a

strategic research agenda that is meeting the market’s needs?

• While agencies such as the NRC/NAS/NAE, the NSF, TRB, and others (including agencies’ SBIR awards) spend tens of millions of dollars a year on geospatial research, there is no data on the dollar value of this research, no coordination among agencies, and no funding of this research toward a strategic agenda that has been vetted among agencies or the private sector, resulting in potential duplication and research that may not be addressing the highest priorities.

What Can NGAC Do?

• Flying Blind• You Can't Manage What You Can't Measure• You Can’t See the Forest for the Trees

What Can NGAC Do?

• In order for NGAC to evaluate the effectiveness of its recommendations and Federal agency reforms and initiatives, we should recommend that the Federal Government develop and implement an activity to collect data to answer the questions herein (and others?) so we can Benchmark, Manage, Measure and Monitor.