US SUMMIT The National Geospatial Ecosystem of the United States

Hamed Alemohammad is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Geography and Director of Clark Center for Geospatial Analytics at Clark University. He is an interdisciplinary scientist with expertise in remote sensing, earth science, and artificial intelligence (AI). Hamed has been the PI for several projects focused on developing novel AI models for multispectral, microwave and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite observations. Prior to Clark University, Hamed was the Chief Data Scientist and Executive Director at Radiant Earth Foundation where he established and led the development of Radiant MLHub - the open-access repository for geospatial training data and AI models. He received his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from MIT.

With over two decades of geospatial expertise, Miriam Olivares, GISP leads the GIS support services at Yale University, instructing and advising on geospatial applications to promote cutting-edge teaching and research. Her interdisciplinary collaborations, scholarly, and consulting work touch upon geospatial data management, GIScience, supply chain, natural hazards, and marine conservation. Olivares geospatial service includes membership in the Leventhal Map & Education Center's Board of Review at the Boston Public Library, at the Advisory Board of the Academic Network of the United Nations initiative on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM): Americas, and Connecticut GIO's GIS Strategic Plan and GIS Clearinghouse Workgroups. She co-founded and co-chairs GIS LATAM and served as a director on the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science board.

Tracy Whelpley is Senior Vice President of Business Attraction at Greater St. Louis, Inc. -an alliance of business and civic leaders working together to create jobs, expand inclusive economic growth, and improve the St. Louis region's global competitiveness. Tracy is responsible for implementing highly targeted marketing initiatives that compel corporate executives and entrepreneurs to explore the advantages of investing and locating within the St. Louis metro.

Tracy is also a champion for the region's GeoFutures Strategic Roadmap, a 10-year action plan that channels the collective action of leaders across public, private, academic, and government spheres to establish St. Louis as a premier destination for geospatial innovators to collaboratively unlock industry opportunities and forge solutions to the world's most pressing challenges.

Before joining Greater St. Louis, Inc., Tracy held various agency roles, leading brand marketing communication teams to drive awareness and revenue objectives for multinational corporate clients, including Bayer Crop Science and Enterprise Mobility.

Ms. Whelpley earned her Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia and her Master of Business Administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

As Senior Vice President, Amar Nayegandhi, CP, CMS, GISP leads the Geospatial and Technology Services group at Dewberry and provides program oversight for the execution of all remote sensing projects nationwide. An expert in topographic and topobathymetric lidar data acquisition and processing, Amar was the Director of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) Lidar Division and was appointed as an ASPRS Fellow in 2024. He co-edited the ASPRS DEM User's Manual, 3rd Edition, and authored the chapters on Airborne Topographic Lidar and Airborne Lidar Bathymetry. Amar co-authored the USACE EM 1110-1-1000 Manual on Photogrammetric and Lidar Mapping.

Amar has presented his research and technological findings at 100+ international conferences and technical workshops, including an invitation from the USGS to present the industry perspective for the USGS 3D Elevation Program at the United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (UNWGIC) in Deqing, China. Amar has authored 16 manuscripts in various international journals and 65+ data series and reports for the USGS. He has a Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering from the University of Mumbai and a Master's in Computer Science from the University of South Florida. He is an ASPRS Certified Photogrammetrist and Certified Mapping Scientist, and a GIS Professional.

Mark has worked in GIS and mapping since 1984. As Esri's Director of National Mapping Solutions, since 2005, he has a passion for working with National Mapping, Maritime, Aviation and Geospatial Authorities to help them be successful. Mark previously worked with these same organizations for nearly 10 years as a Senior Consultant and Project Manager in Esri's Professional Services. Prior to Esri, Mark was on the management team at NAVTEQ (now HERE), as they were pioneering digital mapping for in-vehicle navigation, web and mobile uses. Mark participates on the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM).