Reston, VA, January 14, 2009 – John M. Palatiello & Associates, Inc., ( www.jmpa.us) a public affairs consulting firm providing government relations, public relations, association management, strategic planning, and management & marketing consulting services to firms and organizations, with an emphasis on the geospatial, engineering, infrastructure and technology communities, has been retained by PaMAGIC, the Pennsylvania Mapping and Geographic Information Consortium ( www.pamagic.org), to facilitate the development of a GIS Coordination Council.

The coordination council was proposed in the Geospatial Coordination Strategic Plan for Pennsylvania that was developed under a Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) CAP grant and completed in May, 2009.  Although legislation to create a council has been introduced in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, it has not been enacted.  PaMAGIC has led efforts to win endorsement of a council among numerous geospatial stakeholders in Pennsylvania.  John M. Palatiello & Associates, Inc. is assisting PaMAGIC with a facilitated “congress” of endorsers to develop a strategy for creating the council.

“Pennsylvania is one of the few states that do not have a council.  Such a body is essential to the full deployment and utilization of GIS by state and local government, universities, the private sector, and non-profit organizations to enable government and make it more efficient and effective.  We are confident that a strategy for making such a council a reality in Pennsylvania will be developed and implemented,” said John Palatiello, president of JMP&A.

More than 65 individuals representing more than a dozen organizations supporting a council participated in a January 14 session in Enola (Harrisburg), PA, facilitated by JMP&A, to develop a plan for getting a council established in the Keystone State.

JMP&A serves as association manager for MAPPS ( www.mapps.org), the national association of private geospatial firms, COFPAES ( www.cofpaes.org), the Council on Federal Procurement of Architectural & Engineering Services, and BCFC ( www.governmentcompetition.org), the Business Coalition for Fair Competition.  Formed in 1987, JMP&A has assisted more than 25 firms, organizations and government agencies with public policy and commercial market issues with its staff of six professionals.  The firm’s president, John M. Palatiello, is a member of the federal government’s National Geospatial Advisory Committee and was a member of an advisory panel to the Virginia General Assembly that led the effort to create a state council and program, the Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN).