Matt Ball — "The definition of GIS is rather stable in terms of its underlying components, however the application of the technology to different platforms and for different purposes has expanded the meaning to encompass new things over time. Allowing the evolution of the technology, without dictating the core meaning, is a difficult thing for early adopters who have helped create the definition that is being molded to mean something else."

Matt Ball — "There’s an ever-increasing body of knowledge about human health, because we all want to live long and healthy lives. We acknowledge the importance of research into disease and illnesses, and we fund that research in order to continuously enhance the quality of our collective health. It would be nice to see the same level of global commitment to the health of our planet."

Matt Ball — "When it comes to renewable energy, the contribution of geospatial technologies is essential. Renewable energies derive power from earth systems, and GIS coupled with GPS is uniquely positioned to analyze and monitor these processes to make certain that renewable power generation sites are optimally sited, and that the power that is generated is delivered efficiently."

Matt Ball — "There’s much investment in large global modeling environments, such as Google Earth, Microsoft Virtual Earth, ESRI’s ArcGIS Explorer and NASA’s World Wind. The prevailing wisdom in the marketplace seems to favor multiple competing globes for different purposes. But what if the concept of a digital globe were to be sold on the basis of universal access and interface to all data types?"

Matt Ball — " There have been several structural changes at companies, where divisions and product lines have been realigned, that have greatly altered how they approach the market. I’ll stick to generalities here that relate to many companies as it’s not important to get specific. Changes in approach speak to how geospatial perceptions have evolved, and of course to the competition in the marketplace."