Mr. McCool, CEO of McCool Team LLC, retired from government service as a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) senior executive in 2023 and now serves as an advisor for artificial intelligence companies.

His final NGA assignment was standing up the Data and Digital Innovation Directorate, which was responsible for leading GEOINT artificial intelligence. Prior to this, Mr. McCool served for several years as NGA’s senior officer in Israel. His other NGA leadership roles involved improving analytic skills and methods, operationalizing automation technology, and directing intelligence production across all NGA analytic offices, as well as revamping analyst recruitment and hiring.

While at the Central Intelligence Agency, Mr. McCool led analytical teams focused on counterterrorism and irregular warfare, was a briefer for the Presidents Daily Brief (PDB), and served as an all-source analyst and an imagery analyst. He has a B.S. degree from the University of Maryland and served stateside and overseas in the US Air Force.

Welcome, Jim!

Join us at USGIF GEOINTeraction Tuesday sponsored by Esri on Tuesday, March 24, 2026 to hear from Jim McCool and Sue Kalweit.  

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Ms. Kalweit brings over three decades of expertise in geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) and the Earth Observation industry eco-system. Her career spans critical roles supporting national security programs, including 23 years with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). She was the Director of Analysis at NGA, leading 4000 GEOINT professionals in the conduct of GEOINT analysis and reporting, and modernizing the tradecraft using AI.

Ms. Kalweit also spent more than 17 years in industry at Booz Allen Hamilton and Deloitte. At Deloitte, she led business development initiatives and pioneered Space Data on Demand solutions, bridging government requirements with commercial space capabilities. Her deep understanding of GEOINT architectures, satellite imagery exploitation, and U.S. intelligence community workflows positions her uniquely to advise clients on technical requirements and acquisition strategies and how to navigate the complex U.S. national security space market.

Welcome, Sue!

Join us at USGIF GEOINTeraction Tuesday sponsored by Esri on Tuesday, March 24, 2026 to hear from Sue Kalweit and Jim McCool.  

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Enabled Intelligence specializes in world-class data labeling and AI annotation services, focusing on sensitive and classified datasets across a wide array of markets. The company transforms raw, unstructured, and complex data into accurate, secure, and reliable training data, AI models, and intelligence for mission-critical government and commercial applications. 

Enabled Intelligence’s partnership with USGIF will contribute meaningfully to the Foundation’s efforts to Advance the Tradecraft and Accelerate Innovation pillars, bringing secure, high‑accuracy data labeling and trusted AI development to the GEOINT ecosystem. Their unique human‑in‑the‑loop model—powered by veterans, people with different abilities, and highly trained subject‑matter experts—enhances the reliability and integrity of mission‑ready AI solutions, reinforcing our commitment to supporting the evolving needs of the GEOINT workforce and broader community.

As a Strategic Partner, Enabled Intelligence joins a select group of organizations committed to supporting professional development, community building, and access to leaders across the GEOINT enterprise. Strategic Partner membership includes exclusive opportunities for collaboration and participation in high‑impact events such as the GEOINT Symposium. Learn more at usgif.org/membership.

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SynMax is a forward-thinking geospatial data analytics company at the forefront of delivering actionable intelligence across the maritime and energy sectors. Founded on the principle of pioneering geospatial intelligence, SynMax leverages cutting-edge technology, including satellite imagery and machine learning, to empower organizations with real-time insights and predictive analytics. SynMax is dedicated to transforming vast data landscapes into precise, actionable solutions, enabling our clients to navigate today’s complex global challenges with confidence and strategic foresight.

With its advanced geospatial analytics and AI‑driven data‑labeling capabilities, SynMax will play a pivotal role in strengthening USGIF’s Accelerate Innovation pillar. Their expertise expands the commercial analytic resources available across our ecosystem and supports the evolving needs of the GEOINT workforce and community.

By joining USGIF as a Strategic Partner, SynMax becomes part of a select group of organizations committed to advancing professional development, strengthening community connections, and expanding access to leaders across the GEOINT enterprise. Strategic Partner membership includes exclusive opportunities for collaboration and participation in high‑impact events such as the GEOINT Symposium. Learn more at usgif.org/membership.

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Each year during the opening session, Ronda Schrenk, CEO of USGIF, and Robert Cardillo, Chairman of the USGIF Board of Directors, share a series of powerful, mission-focused “vignettes” from the main stage. These brief stories spotlight the exceptional accomplishments made possible by the expertise, innovation, and dedication of our USGIF member organizations—and they continue to be a highlight of the Symposium.

We invite USGIF members to submit an example that showcases your team’s success in GEOINT tradecraft, technology, or innovation and demonstrates real-world mission impact.

Submission deadline: February 22, 2026

Submitted vignettes will be considered for inclusion. 

Submission guidelines:

    •    Provide one slide highlighting your example, along with a supporting document that clearly explains:

    •    the challenge or issue addressed

    •    the capability or approach applied

    •    the measurable or meaningful impact achieved

    •    Vignettes should be designed for a 90–120 second presentation

    •    Multiple slides are acceptable, provided the total content does not exceed the 120-second limit

Please upload your materials using the following link by February 22, 2026:

https://www.dropbox.com/request/eh37whSnfhHAmqp4bQn6

We look forward to showcasing your achievements and sharing your story with the global GEOINT community!

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USGIF awards general scholarships to graduating high school seniors, undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students studying Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) and related disciplines. Students studying GEOINT-related disciplines including geospatial science, remote sensing, intelligence studies, earth science, and many more are encouraged to apply. 

Additionally, USGIF awards Named Scholarships in partnership with generous organizations and individual donors. These high-impact awards are designed for specific research areas, geographic regions, and skillsets, and may require additional criteria. These include: 

• Stu Shea Endowed Scholarship  

• Reinventing Geospatial, Inc. Scholarship for Geospatial and Engineering 

• Ken Miller Scholarship for Advanced Remote Sensing Applications 

• Black Cape Scholarship for Students in Geospatial Intelligence 

• Vantor Scholarship for Innovation in GEOINT 

• AWS Scholarship for Leadership in GEOINT 

• GDIT Horizons Scholarship  

• Leidos Scholarship for AI/ML Advancement 

• Future Geospatial Innovator Award  

• Globe Building St. Louis Scholarship  

• Westway Services Scholarship for Veterans 

USGIF will host optional virtual information sessions on Wednesday, February 11 and Monday, March 16 at 12 pm ET. These sessions provide an opportunity for students to learn more about the scholarship application process and have questions answered in real-time. Please register in advance if you plan to attend. 

Scholarship applications are open through April 5, 2026.  

Prospective applicants are encouraged to review the 2025 USGIF Scholarship Recipients to discover some of the wide-ranging research areas and career trajectories being pursued by USGIF scholars. 

To learn more, apply, visit the USGIF Scholarship Program page. 

If you’re interested in supporting USGIF’s Scholarship and Education Programs, including Named Scholarship opportunities, click here.   

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Lightning Talks are 5-minute presentations on a new idea, project, technology, or topic of interest to the GEOINT Community.

Lightning Talks will be presented at the Innovation Corner during GEOINT Symposium, May 3-6, 2026 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado.

Applications will be reviewed by USGIF’s selection committee.

In order to be selected, you must be a USGIF individual or organizational member. Visit our membership page to apply for membership or check your organization’s status.

Applications are open until February 9, 2026. Selected presenters will be notified in March.

Please note that sales pitches will be excluded, and that presenters are responsible for their own travel, lodging, and registration.

Learn More and Apply

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Poster sessions take place during GEOINT Foreword on Sunday, May 3rd. Student presenters will share their ideas with GEOINT leaders and professionals, network with fellow students and academics, and are invited to attend panel and keynote sessions.

Students whose posters are selected receive complimentary registration to GEOINT Foreword and GEOINT Symposium, May 3-6, 2026 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado.

Students are expected to showcase their work during designated poster sessions at GEOINT Foreword. A panel of Subject Matter Experts review and judge the posters, and the top three posters are recognized at the end of the day on the Main Stage. The winner of the poster competition will also be awarded the opportunity to present their research on stage at GEOINT 2027 Symposium, including complimentary registration.

Presenters are responsible for their own travel and lodging.

Eligibility:

• This opportunity is only available to current students
• No requirement to attend a USGIF-accredited schools
• No need to hold or pursue a GEOINT-specific degree

Applications close February 18, 2026. 

Learn more and apply

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Speaker: Todd Johanesen, Director, Foundation GEOINT Group, NGA

Todd Johanesen’s remarks showcased NGA’s efforts to create a high-powered, dynamic digital foundational GEOINT functional environment while highlighting modernization efforts related to automation and AI/ML.

He began with an overview of Foundation GEOINT, which is one of two core functions at NGA and traces back to the Office of the Geographer’s role in the Continental Army in 1777. Foundation GEOINT supports NGA’s mission through providing up-to-date, accurate, and applicable foundational geospatial offerings across sea, land, air, and space domains. It includes data related to areas such as gravity, magnetics, coordinate systems, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), topography, geographic names, Safety of Navigation, and much more. This breadth and depth of data allows NGA to describe the earth from the center of the planet all the way to the space domain.

Today, Foundation GEOINT at NGA includes four key domains: geomatics, geography, aeronautics, and maritime. Johanesen walked through each of these domains and discussed how Foundation GEOINT is addressing the unique mission imperatives and service-driven requirements by moving to a data-centric environment.

Geomatics – 3D GEOINT

Foundation GEOINT’s Office of Geomatics is currently building a 3D GEOINT production workflow and standard to create 3D GEOINT models and mesh textures for mission planning and simulation. This work is strongly rooted in WGS-84, GNSS, and geodetic surveys and will achieve the high accuracy that Foundation GEOINT is known for. The team expects to have the entire world mapped, in varying detail, by 2030. The standard, Real3D, will allow anyone to create a textured mesh at the same level of accuracy.

Geography – Automated Mapping

In the geography domain, Foundation GEOINT has experienced exponential growth in the ability to create and use automated maps. In the past, a cartographer would gather all the information and disparate data to develop a 1:50,000 topographic map by hand. With automation, a cartographer can program specifications into a series of algorithms, turning a months-long process into a task that takes just a few minutes. This allows cartographers to meet time sensitive mapping needs. As priorities continue to shift at a rapid pace, the Foundation GEOINT group may not have products on the shelf ready to meet those needs. However, through automated mapping, the team can rapidly adjust and put the power in the user.

Maritime – Safety of Maritime Navigation

Within the maritime mission, Foundation GEOINT is planning for the transition to a new hydrographic geospatial data standard published by the International Hydrographic Organization called the S-100, a universal hydrographic data model. This will develop a connection across diverse sources so that updates are shared to relevant groups automatically. For example, an update related to a navigation hazard could be disseminated out to all ships at sea, so all users have the latest information in their charts. The adoption of this unified model will strengthen international partnerships, reduce redundancy, and address data inconsistencies across organizations. 

Aeronautics – Performance Based Navigation

Even today, most aeronautical navigation aids are 1960s-era radio devices on the ground that require increasingly routine maintenance. Foundation GEOINT is supporting a shift toward Performance Based Navigation (PBN), which involves pre-programming geospatial digital data into aircraft navigation systems. These aircrafts can then operate on any desired flight path within the coverage of ground and spaced-based navigation aids. This allows for increased efficiency and safety within airspace and more timely flights. PBN requires highly accurate data and is a global standard that all countries are working toward.

The modernization efforts described above represent improvements in GEOINT AI technology that are advancing GEOINT Foundation work.

Foundation Digital Twin

Johanesen then introduced the Foundation Digital Twin (FDT). A digital twin is a virtual and dynamic replica of a physical asset or environment that resembles and acts exactly like its real-world equivalent, with Foundation data powering that model. Digital twins are speedy, prioritize change detection and automation, and optimize customer satisfaction.

He described the FDT as a federated data environment of authoritative and non-structured geospatial content from across the Foundation GEOINT domains. At present, Foundation GEOINT data can be accessed through various producers and databases, each with their own method of access and knowledge required to use that content. The FDT strives to be data-centric and deliver agile, accurate, and globally available data from one interface that would enable customization to fit the mission.

The FDT will generate a global 3D environment that includes integrated data capability, leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), and prioritizes interoperability. It will enable any user to provide time-sensitive and spatial accurate 3D representations of the Earth’s service to meet mission demand.

Development

Throughout 2025, Johanesen and the Foundation GEOINT team produced an FDT proof of concept, with the goal of demonstrating how the proposed workflows aligned across the four domains to create data that is accessible and can be viewed by anyone. The test location was in USINDOPACOM AOR. The timeline was as follows:

• September 2024 – Start 3D data production
• January 2025 – Build orthomosaics for all-domain extraction
• March 2025 – Complete data production
• May 2025 – Complete data integration and prototype
• June 2025 – Complete lessons learned review and report

Lessons Learned

The FDT proof of concept integrated five unique, freshly extracted datasets into relevant and unified geospatial content. The proof of concept AOI included about 100sq km and 40,000 buildings, and the team had 120,000 building footprints delivered by four vendors with four different schemas. In the past, three of these would have been rejected for not being up to specification and would have resulted in loss of material composition attributes and missing building footprints. Thanks to technological advances, the FDT was able to integrate all these datasets and have the correct 40,000 buildings with all the attributes.

The team learned that data centricity is not about having more data but about having all the right data and using that data to make better informed decisions. Johanesen noted that he sees data centricity, FDT, and AI as the next evolution of Foundation GEOINT taking advantage of all the tools available to them.

What’s next?

With the caveat that future plans are influenced by budget, Johanesen seeks to expand the proof of concept during this fiscal year, evaluating capabilities over a larger geographic area against greater data velocities and volumes to advance new technologies and workflows required to achieve a digital twin. They also plan to scale automatic feature extraction to all the Foundation GEOINT domains. Their third goal is to mature change detection capabilities, recognizing that universally Foundation GEOINT requires change detection to more effectively manage production.

Looking further ahead to the 2028 through 2032 timeframe, NGA plans to apply these advancements to realize new data-centric acquisitions and workflows to make the work more efficient and provide a digital twin that can meet all domain requirements.

Challenges

NGA’s Foundation GEOINT team faced many challenges throughout this proof-of-concept, both expected and unexpected. One challenge related to data holdings that were incompatible and difficult to access, as well as data updates that only occurred when products were updated. Additionally, the team hoped to incorporate true orthomosaics into their workflows and were met with cultural, specification, and workflow challenges.

They also dealt with data compression issues and getting data to flow across network. Data conflation was also a huge challenge, one that is felt across the mapping industry. Johanesen noted that there needs to be a better way to take new data and existing data and make them work together harmoniously.

They also dealt with the question of twinning rates and what the right rate is to update the digital twin. It is inefficient to twin at a higher rate than the consumer and the networks can handle, so it is about striking the right balance.

Final Thoughts

The Foundation GEOINT Group is determined to continue integrating and delivering Foundation GEOINT data to all consumers and provide the most relevant and up-to-date information in support of the mission. They are working to connect data and mission relationships across organizations to increase sharing and reduce redundant collection, processing, and storage. Finally, they are seeking to expand the idea of a digital twin by taking feature-level data from all domains to be updated and available at near real-time.

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USGIF works to build the community, advance the tradecraft, and accelerate innovation, and accredited programs play an important role in supporting that mission. This accreditation reflects academic quality and connects UNCW directly to USGIF’s mission to promote the geospatial intelligence tradecraft.  

Alignment with USGIF’s Vision 

UNCW’s GEOINT Certificate program welcomes students from geography, computer science, environmental science, international studies, and related fields. This interdisciplinary approach supports USGIF’s focus on collaboration across communities that work on national and global security challenges. 

The certificate prepares students not only with technical skills but also with an understanding of how geospatial intelligence supports decision making, crisis response, and scientific research. This focus reflects USGIF’s broader commitment to education, training, and workforce development.  

Dr. Peng Gao, Program Director at UNCW, shares, “USGIF accreditation highlights UNCW’s commitment to preparing students for careers in geospatial intelligence. Our program combines rigorous coursework with hands-on experience, equipping students with the skills and judgment needed to advance the tradecraft and contribute to the GEOINT community.” 

Curriculum and Capstone Experience 

The GEOINT Certificate is structured to develop both foundational knowledge and applied geospatial tradecraft. Course offerings include cartography, GIS, remote sensing, spatial programming, aerial drone applications, and advanced geospatial analysis. The curriculum aligns with the core competencies outlined in USGIF’s Essential Body of Knowledge, which defines the skills needed for effective GEOINT practice. 

All students complete a capstone experience that allows them to apply their training in a professional or research setting. Options include an internship, an honors thesis, a Directed Independent Study, or a dedicated GEOINT capstone course. Graduate students may complete a thesis or project in addition to internships or independent study. Students must maintain a B average across core courses and earn at least a C in each to qualify for the USGIF certificate. 

Hands On Learning and Community Building 

UNCW emphasizes experiential learning in ways that reflect USGIF’s commitment to building a strong and engaged GEOINT community. The program has established relationships with federal agencies, private sector organizations, and research groups that benefit the work of students and faculty. The university also operates a Coastal Drone Observatory supported by the National Science Foundation, which provides hands on training in drone based coastal mapping and environmental monitoring. These opportunities help students engage with real world geospatial challenges and contribute to innovation in the field.  

Preparing the Future GEOINT Workforce 

By earning a USGIF-accredited GEOINT certificate, UNCW students benefit from a credential that is well recognized throughout the GEOINT profession. The certificate signals that graduates are prepared to meet community defined standards in data analysis, spatial reasoning, geospatial communication, and remote sensing.  

Learn More 

Learn more about USGIF’s Education and Professional Development Program > 

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