This content is provided by Mapbox

We live in an era of more: more people, more technology, more data. And of course, more complexity. In federal, state, and local government, employees are also accustomed to doing “more” with less, especially at a time of ever-shrinking budgets. It’s a delicate balancing act when critical services are on the line, because there’s no question of compromising quality or safety.

Fortunately, a benefit of these performance-under-pressure mandates is innovation – big ideas that make the most of limited resources now, and provide a way forward for challenges that will arise in the future. As the world becomes increasingly complex, these ideas will provide the context for addressing issues that seemed unimaginable only a generation ago.

One big idea that’s answering some crucial questions is location – specifically, using location-based data to solve complex problems more efficiently. Government entities can leverage location data to maximize mission outcomes, coordinate emergency response, provide transparency to the public, and improve decision making. To highlight how location data is addressing challenges across the public sector, Mapbox will host the first GovSummit conference on March 26 in Washington D.C. (View the agenda and register for the event here. Use 19GOVEVENTS50 to get 50% off your ticket.)

Because location provides so many inputs and affects nearly every important decision related to public policy – from hurricane evacuation routes and flood zone mapping to road maintenance and park management – as well as military operations, the potential for inter-agency coordination is massive. This is one of the largest opportunities to truly do more with less, and to generate wins in terms of budget reduction, increased efficiency, and better services.

During the one-day GovSummit event, Mapbox will bring together keynote speakers and session leaders who will share real-world experiences using location data in federal, state, and local government applications. Representatives from tech and government will gather to discuss how answering the question “Where?” is revealing new ways to approach issues ranging from severe weather events, emergency response, natural disasters, and delivering services to communities and individuals.

The question of “where” is one with many answers, each of which may involve a different government or agency. Where will the hurricane hit as the storm progresses, and how severe will the impact be in different areas? Where are the roads that are currently safe for emergency crews to use for rescue? Where are warehouses located for storing goods and services to provide to affected communities? And where are towns located that require these goods and services? By visualizing the answers to these questions, response to a major storm, for example, can be coordinated by many agencies using a single point of truth. This is just one example.

The goal of GovSummit is not only to elevate successful projects and productive ideas, but also to celebrate and connect the people responsible. “The lessons behind these innovations should be shared,” said Anthony Calamito, Director, Government Solutions, Mapbox. “By applying actionable insights from location data to solve complex challenges, government is building better tools that benefit citizens.”

Scheduled keynote sessions are “Open Source Census: Building a Critical Location Data Asset with the Opportunity Project,” sharing how Census is using open source for positive change; and “The Future of Advanced Visualizations,” in which Tony Frazier, president of Radiant Solutions, will share his perspective on the future of geospatial analytics and what it means for public and private partnerships. In “Bringing DevOps to the GeoPlatform,” Tod Dabolt, Director, Information and Technology Management Division, U.S. Department of the Interior, discusses how GeoPlatform will soon be a complete DevOps environment for developers and analysts looking to leverage live location in everything they build.

Other highlights include insight on projects involving NASA, FEMA, VA, and 911 responders. Mapbox executives will provide updates on the future of the company’s live location platform, and how Mapbox is continuing innovation to keep critical services open.

GovSummit is Tuesday, March 26 in Washington D.C. For event details including location, tickets, a detailed agenda for the day, letter of justification, and more, visit www.govsummit.us.

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