SLU’s Vasit Sagan named to National Geospatial Advisory Committee

04/23/2020

The U.S. Department of the Interior has named Saint Louis University’s Vasit Sagan, Ph.D., to a three-year appointment on the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC).

Vasit Sagan, Ph.D., leads SLU's remote sensing lab. He also is the faculty director of the Saint Louis University Geospatial Institute and is an associate professor of geospatial science in the department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.

“Vasit’s appointment is well-deserved and reflects the significance of his contributions to the geospatial field,” said Ken Olliff, SLU’s vice president for research and partnerships.

NGAC members provide advice and recommendations on national geospatial policy and management issues, the development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) and the implementation of the Geospatial Data Act of 2018. The committee promotes geospatial data sharing across government, private and non-profit sectors and the academic community.

Sagan’s research and teaching in the geospatial arena have positioned him as a leader and established his expertise as well-suited to advise this expanding field.

Sagan serves as the faculty director of the Saint Louis University Geospatial Institute, which was established to support and accelerate research, training and innovation in the rapidly growing fields of geospatial science and technology. He also is an associate professor of geospatial science in the department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and he leads SLU’s remote sensing lab.

The NGAC includes up to 30 members. In addition to Sagan, the following individuals also were named to a three-year term on the committee:

Douglas Adams, Baltimore County, Maryland
Chad Baker, California Department of Transportation
Gar Clarke, State of New Mexico
Garet Couch, National Tribal Geographic Information Support Center
Jack Dangermond, ESRI
William Haneberg, Kentucky Geological Survey
Roberta Lenczowski, Roberta E. Lenczowski Consulting
Mark Meade, Quantum Spatial
Siva Ravada, Oracle Corporation
Felicia Retiz, Texas Water Development Board
Cy Smith, State of Oregon
Tim Trainor, Trainor Consultants

The NGAC was authorized under the Geospatial Data Act of 2018. The NGAC operates under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, enacted by Congress in 1972 to ensure that advice rendered to the executive branch by advisory committees, task forces, boards, and commissions formed by Congress and the President, be objective and accessible to the public. The Act formalizes a process for establishing, operating, overseeing, and terminating these advisory bodies.