5/2/2006 - NGA Director James R. Clapper (Lt. Gen., USAF retired) and other senior NGA executives visited the UMC campus today to be briefed on the Center for Geospatial Intelligence (CGI). Other senior NGA executives in attendance included: Steve Wallach (Technical Executive), John Oswald (West Executive), Don Ball (Deputy Commandant, NGA College), and Dell Kostka (TX Staff Officer).

The day began with a luncheon with UMC Administration including Dr. Brian Foster, UMC Provost, Dr. Jim Coleman, UMC Vice Provost for Research, and Dr. James Thompson, Dean - College of Engineering. This was followed by a tour of the main campus, the engineering complex, and the $1.8M CGI facilities under constrcution. After this, a briefing and wrap-up session were held to discuss how NGA and the CGI could develop a long-term partnership encompassing R&D, education, and training. Commenting on the day, Director Clapper said that the planned facilities were "outstanding" and that "the research capabilities I saw during the briefing are very significant and very impressive."

Site Visit Photos

Left to Right: Dr. Jim Coleman, Dr. Brian Foster, and NGA Director Clapper

NGA Director Clapper and CGI Director Davis

Left to Right: Mr. Steve Wallach, Dr. Brian Foster,
NGA Director Clapper, and CGI Director Davis

Tour of Main UMC Campus

Tour of CGI Facilities Under Construction

CGI Briefing and Discussion Session

1/3/2006 - Today, Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) held a press conference in the MU College of Engineering’s Laffere Hall to announce $1.75M in research funding that he secured in the FY06 Defense Appropriations Bill for the Center for Geospatial Intelligence (CGI). Additional speakers at the press conference were: Dr. James Thompson, Dean – College of Engineering, Dr. Elson Floyd, President – UM System, and Dr. Curt Davis, Director – CGI (photos below).

Dr. Davis provided an overview of geospatial intelligence and its role in national security and military support. He then presented a summary of CGI activities including R&D areas, facilities, and support from the private sector. "Given the strong interest and support from NGA and the private sector, we are confident that our research program will make important contributions to the field of geospatial intelligence" said Davis. Senator Bond presently serves on the U.S. Senate's Select Committee on Intelligence providing oversight to the NGA. In addition, Senator Bond is the father of a marine lieutenant serving in an intelligence unit in Iraq. "He therefore has both a professional and personal understanding of the importance of geospatial intelligence for this nation and our deployed military" said Davis. "We are grateful for [Senator Bond’s] support and will work hard to develop this center by focusing on important geospatial intelligence research in support of our nation while also providing unique educational and training opportunities for our students."

In his comments, Senator Bond provided an overview of the importance intelligence in defending the nation from terrorist threats. "There is no way in this free society that we can build defenses around every area that might be attacked. Our only hope is to get intelligence of what they're planning and stop them before the attack occurs" said Bond. In addition, he outlined some of the challenges faced with the overwhelming amount of information. "I tell you we have a long way to go to make sure that we collect the information that we need, analyze it properly, and then we share it with those who have a need to know. And, as Dr. Davis and I were discussing earlier, we have a tremendous amount of intelligence – we have a lot of haystacks – and no way to find the needles in them" said Bond. Finally, Senator Bond stressed the importance of geospatial intelligence in support of the military. "This is a significant protection for our soldiers in the field ... I can tell you firsthand that the work that is being done by our troops in the field depends upon the effective analysis and effective dissemination of the information that's collected."

Other Information

   Text of Remarks:   Dr. Davis    Senator Bond

   Audio of Remarks:    Dr. Davis (mp3 or wav)   Senator Bond (mp3 or wav)

   Video of Remarks (high-speed connection):   Dr. Davis    Senator Bond

   Columbia Tribune article

   Related Columbia Tribune article

Press Conference Photos