Proud Supporting Partner at GeoGov Summit 2025! NGC is honored to return as a supporting partner for the second year in a row at the 3rd Annual Geospatial World GeoGov Summit, hosted September 8–10, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency Dulles (Herndon, VA).
Tim Johnson, NGC Board Chair along with Jonathan Duran (NGC Director/AR), Ken Nelson, (NSGIC President), and other featured presenters will be participating in panels revolving around topics such as:
As this year’s GeoGov theme, “Shaping the Future of Our National Geospatial Ecosystem: Together Through Partnership, Efficiency, Innovation, and Impact,” takes center stage, NGC is proud to have Board Directors Jenna Leveille, Eric Kolb, Jonathan Duran, and Tim Johnson actively engaged in the conversation. Their leadership and expertise will help strengthen our collective capabilities, inspire action, and advance greater geospatial understanding, and deliver real value to public and private stakeholders across the United States.
Explore the Full Agenda, Esteemed Speakers, and Event Highlights at GeoGov Summit 2025 events page: https://geospatialworld.net/geo-gov/2025/
September 2025
Over the past few months, the National Geospatial Collaborative (NGC) has made substantial progress in advancing its strategic initiatives, strengthening its organizational foundation, and expanding its national presence as a geospatial convener.
A primary focus has been creating the action plans for NGC’s three major initiatives:
The NAD 2.0 Initiative, co-led by directors Bill Johnson and Eric Kolb, focuses on enhancing the National Address Database through coordination, standardization, and improved participation. NAD 2.0 reflects NGC’s growing leadership in national data modernization efforts, bridging the gaps between federal, state, and local partners. Last month, at the 2025 National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA) meeting in Anaheim, CA, National Geospatial Collaborative’s (NGC) Board Directors Bill Johnson and Eric Kolb delivered a joint presentation on the NGC’s NAD 2.0 Initiative, highlighting its importance in enhancing the National Address Database to better support emergency response systems. Bill introduced the NGC and provided context on the current limitations of NAD, while Eric detailed the specific goals and objectives in the NAD 2.0 Action Plan. The presentation sparked robust discussion among attendees, revealing strong overall support from the 911 community alongside concerns about data-sharing limitations and questions regarding the specific contents of NAD. The presentation underscored the need for improved communication and collaboration with the 911 community, and reinforced the growing momentum, especially from the National 911 Office at USDOT, to prioritize authoritative geospatial data for public safety. NGC will continue to lead in outreach and education as the NAD 2.0 Initiative moves forward.
The Facilitating NSDI Governance Pilots, co-led by directors Tim Johnson and Jonathan Duran, aim to demonstrate practical models for nationwide spatial data infrastructure coordination. These pilots, one pilot focused on protecting public lands and trails, in cooperation with OpenStreetMap and others, and the second pilot with an emphasis on underground infrastructure data are intended to test scalable frameworks for future NSDI governance.
The State-Level NSDI Building Block Assessment, co-led by directors Jenna Leveille and Richard Wade, will provide a third-party review of state-reported Geospatial Maturity Assessment (GMA) scores. This project is designed to improve objectivity, identify systemic gaps, and guide future coordination strategies while exploring funding partnerships to support the effort.
Together, these initiatives underscore NGC’s growing influence in shaping national geospatial strategy through clarity, coordination, and collaboration.
The NGC Board is also working to finalize and package all initiative action plans for broad distribution to the geospatial community. These summaries will offer a clear snapshot of NGC’s priorities, progress, and opportunities for collaboration, helping stakeholders, partners, and funding sources understand where they can engage. By publishing these materials on the NGC website and promoting them through NSGIC channels, the Board aims to increase transparency, elevate shared goals, and invite greater participation in national coordination efforts.
July 2025
June is a special month for NGC as June 4, 2023 is the official formation date of NGC. This month, we’re taking a moment to reflect on how it all began.
Born from the visionary leadership of the 2023 National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) Board, NGC was founded to serve as a collaborative force in the geospatial community.
The Founding Board of Directors, appointed through a thoughtful and inclusive process, included:
💙 Tim Johnson – Retired NC Geographic Information Officer
💛 Sheila Steffenson – CEO of 1Spatial
🩷 Jenna Leveille – NSGIC Past-President
Their dedication set the tone for the collaborative, cross-sector spirit that defines NGC today.
In 2024, we proudly seated our first full seven-director board, collectively bringing a combined 233 years of geospatial expertise and a rich breadth of insight to guide NGC’s development.
This past year was pivotal in shaping NGC’s identity and strategic direction. The Board adopted a vision statement rooted in the spirit that inspired our founding: “To boldly pursue a more effective geospatial ecosystem.” Or, as we like to say, "Go Boldly"
Now with our governance structure, strategic focus, and collaborative energy firmly in place, NGC is primed to take on some of the most pressing and transformative work in the geospatial community today.
🎉Join us in celebrating this milestone and watch as we continue to Go Boldly in 2025!🎉
June 2025
Last month, at the 2025 National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA) meeting in Anaheim, CA, National Geospatial Collaborative’s (NGC) Board Directors William Johnson and Eric Kolb delivered a joint presentation on the NGC’s NAD 2.0 Initiative, highlighting its importance in enhancing the National Address Database to better support emergency response systems.
Bill introduced the NGC and provided context on the current limitations of NAD, while Eric detailed the specific goals and objectives in the NAD 2.0 Action Plan. The presentation sparked robust discussion among attendees, revealing strong overall support from the 911 community alongside concerns about data-sharing limitations and questions regarding the specific contents of NAD.
The presentation underscored the need for improved communication and collaboration with the 911 community, and reinforced the growing momentum, especially from the National 911 Office at USDOT, to prioritize authoritative geospatial data for public safety. NGC will continue to lead in outreach and education as the NAD 2.0 Initiative moves forward.
May 2025
We are excited to share the release of NGC’s 2024 Annual Report, highlighting a year of progress and laying the foundation for NGC’s growth and achievement. Dive into the milestones, partnerships, and projects that have shaped our mission this past year. Download the full report on the NGC website, under the Annual Report tab.
May 2025
Exciting news from the National Geospatial Collaborative (NGC) — we've unveiled a fresh new logo! This updated look reflects our continued dedication to advancing geospatial initiatives and supporting impactful collaboration across the industry.
The Story Behind the NGC Logo: A Symbol of Collaboration and Connection
The NGC logo is more than just a design; it is a reflection of the organization’s mission, values, and deep connection to the larger network of related organizations. Every element—colors, font, and graphical choices—was deliberately chosen to tell a story of unity, collaboration, and momentum.
💙A Visual Connection to NSGIC💛
One of the foundational goals in designing the NGC logo was to visually link it to the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC). This connection was achieved primarily through color and the typography of the NGC logo. The bold font mirrors that of NSGIC’s logo, strengthening the sense of familial ties between the organizations and the rich gold and deep blue that anchor the NGC logo are directly borrowed from NSGIC’s established color scheme. By integrating these colors and typography, we created a subtle yet powerful visual relationship between the two organizations, reinforcing their shared mission and interconnected efforts but also making it clear that NGC is part of a greater ecosystem of collaboration and innovation.
🩷The Power of Purple🩷
The addition of purple to the color palette was a strategic and emotional choice. Purple is a bold, strong, high-intensity color that naturally commands attention. Historically, it is the color of royalty and it conveys strength and richness like no other color. It embodies the spirit of NGC’s "Go Boldly", reinforcing the organization’s commitment to fearless collaboration and action.
🤝A Symbol of Collaborative Energy💥
NGC is a coalition builder, bringing together partners to address known challenges and find solutions collectively. The circular elements of the design represent the ongoing, dynamic nature of collaboration—ideas and solutions weaving together in continuous motion. A key aspect of the logo’s design is its sense of motion. The three interwoven colors symbolize distinct entities coming together to form a unified whole; one that is better because of its parts.
👉 A Story Worth Sharing 👈
The story behind the logo is what truly brings it to life. The thoughtfulness behind the design choices—how the colors, shapes, and typography align with NGC’s mission—ensures that this logo is not just a symbol, but a statement. It embodies the essence of what NGC is and aspires to be: a catalyst of collaborative energy, working boldly and deliberately to build a better future.
This is not just a logo. It’s the visual representation of a movement, a community, and a shared purpose. And that is what makes it powerful.
March 2025
Congratulations to Sheila Steffenson, NGC Founding Board Director, for receiving the Going Boldly Award from the NGC Board! 🎉
The NGC Board of Directors was pleased to present Sheila Steffenson with the Going Boldly Award at the 2025 NSGIC Midyear Meeting in Colorado Springs, CO on February 24, 2025.
The Going Boldly Award recognizes Sheila’s Visionary Leadership and Collaborative Spirit.
As a founding NGC board director, over the last two years, Sheila's commitment, dedication, innovative thinking, and leadership have helped build a solid foundation for NGC bringing the organization from vision to reality as we navigated our founding process, determined our mission-focused initiatives, and planned our strategic path forward. We are deeply grateful for Sheila's invaluable contributions and look forward to her ongoing partnership and support as NGC continues to boldly pursue a more effective geospatial ecosystem.
Please join us in celebrating Sheila's achievement and her incredible contributions!
February 2025
On February 27-28, 2025, in Colorado Springs, CO, the NGC Board of Directors held an in-person meeting focusing on defining the strategic initiatives for the organization. Kate Hickey, Chief Operating Officer of The Sanborn Map Company, Inc., generously offered her time and expertise to facilitate the session. After much thought and consideration, the board determined its top three initiatives for 2025 including:
Currently the board is working to prepare a strategic action plan for each initiative and we look forward to sharing these with the NSGIC community as they develop.
The National Geospatial Collaborative (NGC) is thrilled to announce the newly appointed Directors for 2025:
These new Directors began their terms on January 1, 2025, joining current directors - Mr. Bill Johnson, State of New York (Retired), Mr. Eric Kolb, Google Maps, and Ms. Jenna Leveille, Sanborn - to form a complete and diverse board.
“We are excited to further our mission and build upon the exceptional work of our board over the past year,” said Jonathan Duran, NGC Chair (2024). “In 2024, the NGC Board devoted significant effort to establishing a strong strategic foundation for our organization. We anticipate that foundation will yield great benefits for the geospatial community in 2025 and beyond. While much remains to be done, I believe the talented individuals joining the board are uniquely equipped to advance the NGC’s mission.”
As the governing body of the NGC, the Board of Directors brings a wealth of professional expertise, diverse perspectives, and invaluable connections to local, state, national, and global resources. Their leadership will guide the strategic direction of the NGC, ensuring the organization delivers impactful services and fosters collaborative partnerships that meet the evolving needs of the geospatial community.
At the first NGC board meeting of the year held on January 6th, Tim Johnson was appointed NGC Board Chair, Richard Wade was appointed as Vice Chair, Dan Ross was appointed as Treasurer, and Susan Miller was appointed as Secretary.
Please join us in welcoming and congratulating the 2025 NGC Board of Directors and Officers!
January 2025
Thank you to Sponsors and Players!
We are thrilled to share that our 2nd Annual Geospatial Golf Classic at the Brackenridge Park Golf Course in conjunction with the 2024 NSGIC Annual Conference in San Antonio was an incredible success, thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and players. The event not only provided a day of fun and camaraderie but proceeds support NGC’s efforts “to boldly pursue a more effective geospatial ecosystem.” Support for the event was provided by SAM, Google Maps Content Partner’s (GMCP), Sanborn, GeoComm, Nearmap, Surdex, Dewberry, Overture Maps Foundation, Peace, Love, Freedom, Frank Winters -10 Little Rules For Sharing Your Story, DACBU LLC & VIPs Prints & More, and HERE.
Check out the highlights reel and catch all the action!
November 2024
NGC will be opening up its Board Nomination Process on September 23, 2024. Currently, Tim Johnson, Sheila Steffenson and Frank Winters have completed their initial term with the NGC board. While each of these three directors are eligible for re-appointment, it is NGC’s formal process to open up nominations to be received from the entire community.
Eligibility: To be considered eligible for appointment to the NGC Board, a candidate must be deemed in good standing with NSGIC through a formal partnership (e.g., state representation, business partner, retired members, partner organization liaison, and/or industry professional) and agree to serve if appointed. Additionally, the candidate must not be currently serving as a Director on the NSGIC Board.
Term: Each Director shall serve a two-year term with three (3) Directors elected in odd-numbered years, and three (3) Directors elected in even-numbered years. Directors shall be eligible for re-appointment up to three (3) consecutive terms.
Process and Timeline: Once nominations are received, the NGC Board will confirm with the nominees their willingness to serve and collect applicable support documents as requested by the NGC Board (e.g., resumes, CVs, etc.). The board will review the confirmed nominations and conduct interviews with selected nominated candidates that match the needs of NGC. The NGC Board will make their selected appointments and notify all candidates of the Board’s decisions and then notify the NSGIC Board and NSGIC Community of the final appointments by December 15th of each calendar year. New Board Director terms will begin on January 1st of each year.
To nominate a candidate, please submit via the NGC on or after September 23 until October 31.
September 2024
NGC and NSGIC are both Supporting Partners for the 2024 GeoGov Summit taking place in Herndon, VA from September 10-12, 2024. GeoGov Summit 2024 serves as an annual event to convene a high-level and forward-looking G2G and G2B forum to advance our national geospatial ecosystem for National Development. Leaders and experts from across government, industry, NGOs, academia, and research come together to identify and explore opportunities to enhance the national geospatial strategy, to collaboratively map out solutions to improve data and decision-support capability and capacity, and to improve governance/coordination of our nation’s geospatial infrastructure.
September 2024
On May 1st, NGC posted its first LinkedIn blog, "Go Boldly", authored by NGC Board Director, Bill Johnson. NGC is excited to broaden its communication channels, share updates, and keep the community informed about our journey and latest developments. Stay tuned for more!
#GoBoldly #NationalGeospatialCollaborative #ConnectAndShare
May 2024
On March 28-29, 2024, in Arlington, VA, the National Geospatial Collaborative’s (NGC) Board of Directors held an in-person meeting focusing on creating the strategic direction for the organization. Kate Hickey, Chief Operating Officer of The Sanborn Map Company, Inc., generously offered her time and expertise to facilitate the session and guide the NGC Board through the strategic planning process. During the meeting, the NGC Board looked to gain insight into the current state of NGC, pinpoint areas of common ground and divergence, and subsequently develop the organization's vision, establish goals for the upcoming year, outline tactical steps to achieve those goals, and formulate a rubric for evaluating potential initiatives.
The resulting vision statement, "To boldly pursue a more effective geospatial ecosystem," reflects NGC's commitment to:
May 2024
The National Geospatial Collaborative (NGC) and the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) supported the inaugural NSDI Strategic Visioning Session that took place on March 28-29, 2024, in Arlington, VA. This session brought together representatives from the stakeholder groups identified in the Geospatial Data Act of 2018 (GDA) for the purpose of setting a modern vision for the National Spatial Data Infrastructure. Individuals representing federal, state, local, tribal, academic, non-profit and private entities gathered to engage in dialogue, generate momentum, and drive essential governance changes forward collectively. NGC played an integral role financially in making sure all stakeholder groups were able to attend the discussions to accelerate NSDI implementations. Currently, OGC is generating a summary report from the session and will be presenting the initial findings to the NGC Board at its May 13th Board meeting.
April 2024
The National Geospatial Collaborative’s (NGC) Board of Directors, is excited to announce a $20,000 show of support from Overture Maps Foundation for collaborative efforts to advance and operationalize the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). NGC and its Board are committed to utilizing these funds effectively and efficiently and investing these funds, prioritizing both immediacy and strategic prudence, to make tangible progress toward our shared goals. We value Overture Maps Foundation’s generous support and look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with them and other stakeholders to drive momentum in NSDI advancement as well as working towards making beneficial changes for the broader geospatial community. Anticipating the transformative potential of this contribution, NGC looks forward to keeping NSGIC members and other stakeholders updated on the investment of these funds as plans and tangible progress materialize.
March 2024
The National Geospatial Collaborative (NGC) is pleased to announce its newly appointed Directors.
Beginning their terms on January 1, 2024, these new Directors will join Tim Johnson, NC GIO, Sheila Steffenson, 1Spatial CEO, and NGC President, Jonathan Duran, to complete the full board structure of NGC.
“We are extremely excited about continuing into this next phase of the life cycle of the NGC. We have a lot of work to do over the next year, and we’re bringing together a group of capable individuals who I believe will advance the foundational work of the NGC by providing their own diverse perspectives and individual talents to the organization and leave a lasting impact on the geospatial community.” Jonathan Duran, NGC President
As the governing body of the NGC, the Board directors will contribute their professional expertise, diverse perspectives, and valuable connections to local, state, national, and global resources to enhance the strategic direction and governance of the NGC and ensure that it is providing services and collaborative partnership opportunities that effectively address the evolving needs of the geospatial community.
Please join us in welcoming and congratulating our newest NGC Board appointments!
January 2024
We are thrilled to share that our Inaugural Geospatial Golf Classic at the Lakewood Golf Club in conjunction with the 2023 NSGIC Annual Conference in New Orleans was an incredible success, thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and players. The event not only provided a day of fun and camaraderie but also benefited the newly forming 501(c)(3) National Geospatial Collaborative. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the title sponsor, NUVIEW, and each sponsor for their contributions and enthusiasm. Fun golfer goodie bags, raffle, and Golfer contest prizes were provided by Ecopia, Surdex, Woolpert, Hexagon, WGI, and NUVIEW.
September 2023
After approaching the NSGIC membership in June for an additional member to fill the Treasure role, the National Geospatial Collaborative (NGC) Board of Directors is pleased to announce Mr. Dan Ross’ appointment to the NGC Board in the role of Treasurer. Mr. Ross brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge to the newly forming 501(c)3 as he served as NSGIC’s Treasurer for 4 years prior to becoming NSGIC President. He also has significant experience with budgeting and expenses in multiple leadership roles as NSGIC Interim Director, Minnesota GIO, CBTO-CIO for Pollution Control, Health Licensing Boards, Board of Water and Soil Resources, and Business Solutions Manager for MnDOT. Mr. Ross joins Tim Johnson, NC GIO, Sheila Steffenson, 1Spatial CEO, and NSGIC past-president, Jenna Leveille, as the Founding Board of NGC.
Please join us in welcoming and congratulating Mr. Dan Ross on his new appointment!
July 2023
As of May 2023, the NSGIC Board of Directors initiated the formation of the National Geospatial Collaborative (NGC), a 501(c)3 organization with the mission to advance the understanding, use, and integration of geographic information systems (GIS) and associated emerging technologies by supporting geospatial professionals, organizations, and initiatives through collaborative research, education, knowledge-sharing, and strategic partnerships. The founding NGC Board of Directors identified by the NSGIC Board will include:
The inception of NGC was marked by the appointment of the Founding NGC Board meticulously curated to ensure representation from diverse sectors and expertise, comprising of Tim Johnson, the North Carolina GIO; Sheila Steffenson, CEO of 1Spatial; Jenna Leveille, Past-President of NSGIC. In its inaugural year, the Founding Board of NGC will play a pivotal role in shaping NGC’s mission, establishing governance structures, and laying the groundwork for future growth and success.
May 2023
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