 |
 |
Notice for public dissemination The Office of the Geographer and Global Issues (GGI), Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), provides a range of critical services to the Department of State, from analysis of such global concerns as refugee flows, human rights, and environmental protection to providing geographic information systems (GIS) support for cartographic production and special projects, from territorial negotiations to responding to complex emergencies. The director of GGI now serves in the INR front office as the Geographer for the Department of State and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Analysis and Information Management, where he continues to oversee the work of GGI, but also the office of African Affairs, the bureau’s Information Systems, and the current intelligence 24-hour “INR Watch”. INR is proposing to expand the functions of GGI into two offices – the Office of Global Issues and the Office of Geographic Information and Imagery Support. The proposed Global Issues office will continue its analytical and briefing support for functional bureaus and information support for war crimes tribunals; in addition, it will also be standing up a new interagency Humanitarian Information Unit. The proposed Geographic Information and Imagery Support office will work on meeting the growing demands for GIS services and remote sensing imagery (both national and commercial) for diplomatic missions. The Geographer, whose title will be maintained, has been elevated to Deputy Assistant Secretary with responsibility for all these new programs. The proposed Office of Geographic Information and Imagery Support, however, would continue to maintain its mandated boundary inventory to assure that international boundary representations on US government maps reflect US foreign policy and would continue its leadership role with the US Board on Geographic Names. The Geographer will continue to closely supervise the ever-growing demands by the Department for geography-based analysis and GIS-based information management.