[Igcm] IGC-EC Letter of Support and Petition for Keeping NAIP Imagery Free & Open

[Idaho Geospatial Council Membership]

MESSAGE SENT ON BEHALF OF PAM BOND, IGC-EC CHAIR:

The USDA - Farm Service Agency National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) may be moving to a licensed data model as early as 2019. The Idaho Geospatial Council - Executive Committee (IGC-EC) believes it is in the State of Idaho's best interest that NAIP remains free and open to the public in order to continue to share information and carry out our public interest work. IGC-EC, with much assistance by the Imagery TWG chair Margie Wilkins, has drafted a letter of support (final, signed copy attached) that will be sent to the USDA FSA, Idaho's U.S. Senators and Congressmen, and several Federal Geographic Data Committee contacts.

The contents of the letter of support to keep NAIP free and open are mirrored in a petition (https://www.change.org/p/idaho-geospatial-council-keep-naip-imagery-free-open) that members of the Idaho GIS community can sign to bolster support.  We urge you to not only sign the petition but leave a brief personal message explaining how NAIP is important to your day-to-day business.  We want to really show how NAIP is important for so many other reasons than it was originally intended for - USDA FSA cropland analyses.  I would like to keep the petition open until March 12th (approximately one month).  At that time the signatures will be sent to USDA and again to the other contacts previously mentioned.

SIGN THE PETITION<https://www.change.org/p/idaho-geospatial-council-keep-naip-imagery-free-open>

Thanks,

Erin Seaman
Assistant to Greg Zickau, Chief Information Officer
Administrative support for:

  *   Idaho Technology Authority (ITA)
  *   IT Leadership Council (ITLC)
  *   Idaho Geospatial Council-Executive Committee (IGC-EC)
  *   Access Idaho Steering Committee
Department of Administration | Office of the Chief Information Officer | State of Idaho
Erin.Seaman at cio.idaho.gov<mailto:Erin.Seaman at cio.idaho.gov> | (208) 332-1876

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