It’s been three years since Hurricane Katrina hit and with hurricane season here, it is no wonder why the Lt. Governor of Louisiana, Mitch Landrieu, stated the importance of Google Street Maps to the New Orleans community. The tool offers the people the opportunity to view the progression in New Orleans. For a better perspective on the recovery, visit The New Orleans Index Anniversary Edition: Three Years After Katrina.

The use of GIS for natural disasters is now trickling over to emergency preparedness. The World Vision International, a faith-based disaster aid organization, is beginning to embrace GIS. The main mission of the organization is to ‘overcome poverty and injustice by reducing the impact of natural disasters with area development programs that concentrate efforts with long-term commitment to maximize their impact.’ Because there is a direct correlation between poverty and areas prone to natural disasters, World Vision International will use GIS to help save lives and prevent loss of life.

The Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO) is now official. A meeting was held this week at the ESRI User’s Conference in San Diego, where organization members voted on their new officers. Currently the coalition has 11 organization members including, the Cartography and Geographic Information Society, the GIS Certification Institute and the American Congress of Surveying and Mapping.

Geospatial professionals are integrating with social networks. Apparently, social network creator Ning has about 22 members and is steadily growing in their Geospatial Professionals Network. Fellow professionals are encouraged to join and engage.

Finally, as the Olympics get underway, we want to say good luck to Director of Operations Matt Madigan, who is currently in Beijing coaching the women’s quad sculling team.

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