Standing Committees recommend programs of action to the GSDI Council and Board and carry out specific tasks as set forth under the GSDI bylaws and as requested by the Council or the Board. Individuals interested in contributing to the work of committees should contact the committee chairs.

(1) Legal and Socioeconomic Committee
Chair: Roger Longhorn
Group Discussion List

The Legal and Socioeconomic Working Group explores the legal and economic frameworks within which spatial data infrastructures are developed within individual nations and multi-nation regions. It encourages dialogue in regard to varying public policy and legal approaches and explores models, approaches, and experiences that may enhance cooperation among nations in sharing spatial data and spatial technologies. The committee identifies, acquires, analyzes, and reports to GSDI Association members policies or legislation being adopted or considered by national, regional (multi-nation) or international law bodies that might be relevant to the goals of the GSDI Association or otherwise affect the global development of spatial data infrastructures. The committee shall propose and develop statements if needed in support of the goals of the organization, propose and draft responses to legislation that may be adverse to those goals, and develop approaches for communicating with legislators, agency personnel, and other policy makers.

(2) Outreach & Membership Committee
Chair: Mark Reichardt
Group Discussion List

The Outreach and Membership Committee supports strengthening the ability of government, commercial, not-for-profit and private citizen sectors in all nations to advance, use and sustain spatial data infrastructure developments that will allow these sectors to better address important societal, economic, and environmental issues. It does this by developing and offering awareness building and learning opportunities for the broad community as well as for members of the GSDI Association. The committee strives to strengthen and expand the capacity of the organization by supporting effective and timely communications between and among members and by developing and implementing programs and services to strengthen membership. The Outreach and Membership Services Committee shall actively solicit new organizational and individual members. The Committee will also manage the review and approval of application materials from prospective new organizational members, assuring that validated applications are considered by the entire GSDI Association Council in accordance with GSDI Association Bylaws, policies and procedures.

(3) Societal Impacts Committee
Chair: Carmelle Terborgh
Group Discussion List

The Societal Impacts Committee explores the organizational/institutional frameworks within which spatial data infrastructures are developed locally and across individual nations, multi-nation regions and globally. The Committee encourages dialogue and interaction with respect to varying approaches and explores SDI models, approaches, and experiences with the goal to enhance cooperation among nations in sharing spatial content, including spatial data, spatially-enabled services, geoprocessing models, etc. In transforming recommendations into action, this committee shall advise the Board on all matters that involve the GSDI Association with regard to funded projects, including grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts, in order to accomplish the greatest societal benefit. Funded projects are defined as any payments to the GSDI Association that oblige the GSDI Association to provide services to the organization providing the funding. The GSDI Association Board retains the final authority over such funded activities, cooperative agreements and contracts. The committee shall be responsible for dealing with all sources of externally funded activities for the GSDI Association. The Committee shall:

• Communicate with funding agencies to determine or develop requests for proposals or scope of work for GSDI Association projects,
• Solicit professionals from GSDI Association member institutions to complete this work,
• Accomplish proposal peer review processes if required or desired, and
• Monitor such contracts to ensure completion in a timely manner in adherence to schedules agreed upon with the funding agency.

The chair and vice-chair of the Societal Impacts Committee, as well as the Executive Committee of the GSDI Association, are ineligible, as individuals, to apply for any project funding administered by the Societal Impacts Committee during their term and for six months after their last date of service on the Committee, whether by resignation, expiration of term, or otherwise. This ban also includes the chair of any sponsored projects subcommittee processing such grants.

(4) Conference Planning Committee
Chair: Alan R. Stevens
Group Discussion List

The Conference Planning Committee is responsible for planning the regularly offered GSDI World Conference.

(5) Technical Committee
Chair: Doug Nebert
Group Discussion List

The Committee provides continuous observation and review of technical issues affecting the development of local to global spatial data infrastructures. It develops and reports on technical topics essential to the creation of compatible spatial data infrastructures, explores technical standards issues, and disseminates technical reports, examples, case studies, and similar learning materials of interest to GSDI Association members.