History of the “Geospatial Extension” Concept

The need for a systematic approach to addressing these needs became apparent in the mid 1990’s during an interagency collaborative dialog between NASA Space Grant, NASA Science Mission Directorate*, USDA-CSREES*, representatives of several Land Grant universities, and later, NOAA Sea Grant. Though many people contributed in immeasurable ways, the driving force and visionary behind this program was Dr. Julius Dasch, who was the Manager of the NASA Space Grant and EPSCoR programs during these formative years. These entities recognized that by working together they could provide the elements necessary to create a conduit for a two-way knowledge exchange between researchers, developers, and stakeholders. Through this they envisioned facilitating the practical use of Earth observations, modeling and systems engineering, geospatial application and decision support tools, and innovations in geospatial technology, while simultaneously informing the research and development community about evolving user needs. They also recognized that addressing the growing, unmet demand for a spatially literate workforce would require more than formal academic training.

In 2000, NASA joined with the long-standing experience and broad public reach of the Cooperative Extension infrastructure in Utah, Mississippi and Arizona to test the Geospatial Extension concept. A short term investment from NASA and a longer-term commitment to the program by Land Grant and Space Grant was piloted. Over the next three years, clever use of short term competitive grants or internal resources helped eight more states (Connecticut, North Dakota, Alabama, Virginia, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Ohio) launch similar programs. In 2004, a joint USDA/NASA/NOAA competitive program brought Rhode Island, Missouri, and Texas on board. Over the past year these states have gotten together to form the National Geospatial Technology Extension Network (NGTEN). NGTEN is an effort to foster communication, collaboration and resource sharing among participating states, and encourage ties to research and development efforts in academia and federal agencies.

* Agency names and affiliations have evolved since that time. In addition to Space Grant, NASA was represented by what was then called the NASA Office of Earth Science. The organization representing USDA was the SAES/USDA-CSREES National Environmental Initiative (SUNEI) – a collaborative project of the State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SAES) and the USDA-Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES).