RESTON, VA, February 23, 2009 - The economic stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed into law last week by President Obama includes more than $73 billion in programs that will require geospatial data, technology, services and applications in at least 24 Federal agencies, according to an analysis by MAPPS ( www.mapps.org), the association of geospatial firms.

H.R. 1, the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009," became Public Law 111-5 with President Barack Obama's signature on Tuesday, February 17.

"Regardless of one's views on the stimulus, we want to make sure MAPPS members optimize the opportunities the legislation provides to do business, keep and hire employees, and contribute to the Nation's spatial data infrastructure," said MAPPS Executive Director John Palatiello. "This analysis will help our members target their business development efforts by identifying the potential geospatial demand."

The MAPPS summary, compiled by John Byrd, the association's government affairs manager, includes bill language, itemized funding amounts and accompanying conference report language specifying Federal agency programs and spending in the stimulus bill. The analysis is available to MAPPS members via the MAPPS website.

"Our analysis provides insight on specific geospatial activities, ranging from funding for the National Map in USGS, to construction programs that will require geospatial data and highways and rail lines in the Department of Transportation. Whether one is looking at the Census, health IT, or broadband deployment, there are a number of programs funded in the stimulus bill that will create a geospatial demand," said Palatiello. "The summary we compiled is designed to give MAPPS members a broad outlook on the business opportunities that may be available from the stimulus bill."

The Federal spending described within the summary will be a subject at the MAPPS Federal Programs Conference, to be held March 17-18 in Washington, DC. This conference is the premier event in the geospatial community bringing together the Federal Government and the private sector for discussions on programs, budgets and procurement opportunities.

"We will continue to update our analysis as more information becomes available. The real meat and potatoes will be presented by the agencies themselves at our Federal Programs Conference next month, but we wanted to give our members an early look at the bill so they can begin positioning themselves to secure the contracts and work opportunities the stimulus will create," Palatiello noted. "The $73 billion is a conservative estimate of programs that will require some geospatial applications."

On Tuesday, March 17, several Federal agencies will present information on their programs, their FY09 budget and FY10 request and the requirements for geospatial products and services from the private sector that is in their acquisition plans. For more than 20 years MAPPS has held these sessions and has included participation by NGA, USGS, NOAA, USDA, BLM, NPS, DHS, FEMA, FHwA, USFS, Census, USACE, USAF, NAVFAC, EPA, FWS, USAID and many other agencies.

MAPPS has formal liaison committees with USDA, USGS, NOAA, NGA, FAA/TSA, Defense and Homeland Security (DoD, USACE, USAF, NAVFAC and DHS). Those federal agency liaison committees will also meet on March 17.

"For a firm to gather the information collected by the MAPPS staff and that which will be shared by the agencies at a MAPPS Federal Programs Conference on its own would take months and tens of thousands of dollars. We look forward to our members coming to Washington, DC to learn where the opportunities will be," said Palatiello.

On Wednesday, March 18, MAPPS will host a Congressional breakfast. A member of Congress will be the featured speaker. During that day, MAPPS members will be on Capitol Hill visiting their Congressional delegations, discussing legislation affecting the geospatial community, and advocating a number of Federal agency programs. Concluding the two-day conference, MAPPS will host the 4th Annual Geospatial Technology Exhibition, to be held from 5:00 - 7:00 pm in room B-338 of the Rayburn House Office Building within the U.S. Capitol Complex. This event is open to the media, congressional staff members and private geospatial firms. To RSVP for the event contact John Byrd, MAPPS government affairs manager at Email Contact or 703-787-6996.

About MAPPS
Formed in 1982, MAPPS is the only national association exclusively comprised of private firms in the remote sensing, spatial data and geographic information systems field in the United States. Current MAPPS memberships span the entire spectrum of the geospatial community, including Member Firms engaged in satellite and airborne remote sensing, surveying, photogrammetry, aerial photography, LIDAR, hydrography, bathymetry, charting, aerial and satellite image processing, GPS, and GIS data collection and conversion services. MAPPS also includes Associate Member Firms, which are companies that provide hardware, software, products and services to the geospatial profession in the United States and other firms from around the world. MAPPS provides its 170+ member firms opportunities for networking and developing business-to-business relationships, information sharing, education, public policy advocacy, market growth, and professional development and image enhancement.

For more information on MAPPS, please visit www.MAPPS.org.