By Nadine Alameh
I’ll start this message the same way I would likely start and end all my communications with the amazing consortium that is the Taylor Geospatial Institute—with a thank you!
Thank you for your warm welcome, thank you for your commitment to TGI’s success, and thank you for coming along on this journey.
Since starting my position at the beginning of September, I feel like I’ve definitely been thrown into the deep end—interviewing on KMOX, introducing TGI at the White House, hosting a career guide for students, moderating a panel with the Director of NGA and the President of SLU, and of course having the privilege of spending quality time with Mr. Andy Taylor and the Governing Council of TGI.
I have been in the geospatial field for a while now (as a student and postdoc at MIT, as an advisor to NASA, as the founder of a tech startup in DC, as the innovation architect as Northrop Grumman, and as the CEO of the Open Geospatial Consortium). And I can honestly say that I have NEVER experienced anything close to the momentum, excitement, and passion surrounding TGI and the St. Louis geospatial community anywhere in my career or in my travels around the world!
I think we are all so lucky to be here at this place at this moment in time. The amazing trajectory of geospatial is converging so uniquely with the inspiring journey of St. Louis. What we are doing here is special on so many levels. At TGI, we seek not only to take the field of geospatial science & technology to a new level, but more importantly to use innovations in the field to fuel the generation of solutions that promise to make our world a better place, our planet more sustainable. We can use geospatial to affect change in so many areas—food security, water security, transportation, environment, climate change, infrastructure, health, humanities, to list but a few.
The TGI vision is big and bold, too massive to realize alone. That’s why you, as part of this consortium, are so critical to our success. Since our inception, our foundational strategy has been to establish and nurture partnerships with industry, government, and researchers. And our plan relies upon drawing on our collective expertise and collaborations to shape the next generation of policies, prepare the next generation of geospatial scientists and leaders, and transform the entrepreneurial landscape using the power of geospatial!As I embark on my journey as the inaugural Executive Director of TGI, I will keep you posted on the progress, challenges, and opportunities! For now, I need your support in 3 areas:
- Please share with me the amazing work you’re doing with geospatial, so we can help you promote it.
- Please point me to unique inventions/research you’re doing, so we, along with our partners at the Taylor Geospatial Engine, can help you commercialize your idea and bring it to market.
- Let’s stay connected! Our consortium network is the key to our unique positioning and strength! TGI is on LinkedIn and X (Twitter). So am I! Let’s amplify each other’s voices!
I promise to keep you posted on our plans and the opportunities to engage with TGI, I promise to keep listening and learning, and I promise to work with you to make the TGI vision a reality for geospatial, for St. Louis, for the US, and for the world!
Thank you (again!),
Nadine