July 14, 2015 (Sunriver, Oregon) - MAPPS, the national association of private sector geospatial firms, today announced the establishment of a new Architecture & Engineering (A&E) Forum.

Comprised of MAPPS member firms that have geospatial or GIS divisions within a multi-disciplinary A&E firm, the forum will serve as an avenue to discuss and share information on the unique aspects of managing geospatial activities. The forum will focus on such management, technology and public policy issues as integration, marketing strategies, and growth challenges. It will advise the MAPPS staff and Board of Directors on trends to be addressed and actions to be taken by the association. Forum members will recommend policies for MAPPS Board; monitor market trends; provide input to the Program Committee on sessions, speakers and topics to be addressed at MAPPS conferences, interact with the MAPPS Legislative Affairs Committee on A&E procurement, professional licensing and other relevant issues, and otherwise share information within MAPPS in this area of practice.

The Forum is open to all MAPPS member firms and participation is encouraged. Robert Hanson, Senior Vice President of GIT Service Area of Michael Baker Jr., Inc., Harrisburg, PA, will serve as the first chairman of the forum.  Zsolt Nagy, Senior Manager with Geospatial Services, North America, will serve as Vice Chair. The forum is holding its firms meeting today at the MAPPS annual summer conference in Sunriver, Oregon.

“From profit centers to marketing, capital investment to teaming, from QBS to design-build, reverse auctions and unfair government and university competition, there are important issues that face A&E firms and their geospatial divisions which the MAPPS A&E Forum will address though the exchange of information, discussions, programs and policy development,” said MAPPS Executive Director.  “MAPPS is a diverse and inclusive association of firms in all aspects of geospatial practice, with A&E firms comprising more than 25 percent of our current membership.  We welcome other A&E firms engaged in the geospatial discipline to join MAPPS and the forum.”

Other MAPPS forums are focused on Aerial Acquisition, Emerging Markets & Technologies, GEOINT, Government & University Competition, Infrastructure, Ocean & Coastal Mapping, Small Business, and Surveying.

About MAPPS

Formed in 1982, MAPPS is the only national association exclusively comprised of private firms in the remote sensing, spatial data and geographic information systems field in the United States. The MAPPS membership spans the entire spectrum of the geospatial community, including Member Firms engaged in satellite and airborne remote sensing, surveying, photogrammetry, aerial photography, LIDAR, hydrography, bathymetry, charting, aerial and satellite image processing, GPS, and GIS data collection and conversion services. MAPPS also includes Associate Member Firms, which are companies that provide hardware, software, products and services to the geospatial profession in the United States and other firms from around the world. Independent Consultant Members are sole proprietors engaged in consulting in or to the geospatial profession, or provides a consulting service of interest to the geospatial profession.

MAPPS provides its member firms opportunities for networking and developing business-to-business relationships, information sharing, education, public policy advocacy, market growth, and professional development and image enhancement.

Contacts:
MAPPS
www.MAPPS.org