You recall the request from FGDC for people to populate the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC), right? It came out in May and asked for nominees by June 28.

The NGAC is being created to advise the Federal government on the management of national geospatial programs and the development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). ...

The NGAC will include approximately 20–25 members, who will be selected to generally achieve a balanced representation of the viewpoints of the various partners involved in national geospatial activities. The Secretary of the Interior will appoint Committee members and their alternates to the Committee to serve 2-year terms.

I recall no signficant discussion of the committee or nominees anywhere on the Net. I do recall seeing the press release on a few sites (including Directions Magazine). Clearly, the folks at MAPPS did some discussing and came up with their slate of nominees. Before delving into the "who" note a few things about this release:

(1) MAPPS is described as "the only national association of private geospatial and surveying companies."

(2) MAPPS worked with a number of organizations on "endorsements." Huh? Each candidate's name must be submitted with three references or endorsements. Which orgs helped with endorsing? "ASPRS, the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM), the Council on Federal Procurement of Architectural and Engineering Services (COFPAES) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce." A version of the release on another website included NSGIC; I'm not sure why that group is not in the release on the MAPPS website (which is the same one on our website).

Now, on to the people endorsed. I know some of them. They work for firms involved in data collection. Among them: John Palatiello, the executive director of MAPPS.

Have any other organizations nominated and publicly noted their nominees? Did any readers nominate themselves?