n 2010, Google Earth is old news. And while we have all used the nifty little satellite image finder to sneak a peak at the White House roof or even get a close-up of the cars parked in our own driveway, the novelty has started to wear off. But while average Joes may have grown tired of checking out Brad Pitts backyard, many industries use geospatial technology every day. From transportation to workforce development, the uses for digital mapping are endless. And they may have positive implications for Pennsylvanias future workforce.
To ensure that geospatial technology continues as a growth sector in the state, the Pennsylvania chapter of the Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS) convened the first gubernatorial roundtable on geospatial technology in Harrisburg on April 19. The event gave the campaigns for Jack Wagner (D) and Tom Corbett (R) the chance to outline their plans for ensuring that this technology-based field, which each candidate believes has endless applications for industry and manufacturing, would continue to grow.
“This technology, for disaster relief, emergencies of all kinds, economic development and most importantly planning, is critical, it is critical to our vision, our future, here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, throughout the country and throughout the world,” says Wagner. “It is vitally important that we move this profession forward in a coordinated effort as it relates to government.”
Speaking for Tom Corbett was campaign representative Nick DiFrancesco, who addressed Attorney General Corbett’s campaign platform on workforce development, the current state of Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and budget challenges.
President of PA MAPPS, Mike Shillenn believes that the roundtable reaffirmed Pennsylvanias commitment to a technology he believes to have infinite possibilities for the state.
The roundtable was really an extension of our charter, increasing the awareness of this technology and its applications as a driver for economic development and job creation, says Shillenn. Both candidates value the technology and acknowledged that we have not leveraged the technology as strongly as we could be here in Pennsylvania, working together at all levels of government to maximize its potential.
You can check out the Gubernatorial Roundtable, broadcasted on the Pennsylvania Cable Network, here.
Source: Mike Shillenn, PAMAPPS
Jack Wagner, Gubernatorial Candidate
Writer: John Steele