Karen Siderelis has been named as the first Geospatial Information Officer (GIO) for the U.S. Department of the Interior. Siderelis was previously the associate director for Geospatial Information and Chief Information Officer for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), an agency of the Interior department. She was also announced as the first “Geographic” Information Officer of the USGS back in 2000.
While the words defining the GIO term have changed over the years, I’m certain that the mission is very similar, and now on a larger scale. In the press release, the appointment is highlighted for the “guidance of the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) in advancing the National Spatial Data Infrastructure and coordination of GIS efforts in all nine Interior bureaus.”
