The confluence of web-based geospatial technologies, user-generated content, and post-9/11 sentiment has driven massive upheaval in the geodata community, broadly impacting access, rights, and distribution of geospatial data. Unanswered and intersecting questions abound: in a homeland security-obsessed environment, what geodata should be available and to whom and under what conditions? As a taxpayer-financed endeavor, U.S. laws clearly allow unfettered access, yet many municipalities claim Draconian rights or flex their bureaucratic muscle to render data-seekers impotent. From mass transit systems to open (or proprietary) formats, lawsuits to metadata, the intersection of GIS and public policy looks messy.

With real-world experience standardizing and sourcing unique sets of geodata, Urban Mapping CEO Ian White will discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly from his company’s work in the trenches. The presentation will also highlight emerging trends, recent advances, and hopes in public access and bureaucratic morasses.