ESRI president Jack Dangermond was recently appointed to a three-year term on the Division of Earth and Life Studies (DELS) board at the National Academy of Sciences. Dangermond previously served on the DELS Geographical Sciences Committee (GSC) from 1998-2000.
The National Academies is a large, acronym-heavy organization. Geospatial technologies are represented in different ways at many different levels in the organization (which I will explore in more detail in future blog posts). But here’s an explanation of how Dangermond’s current and previous positions fit in their organizational structure:
Division of Earth and Life Studies (DELS)
Board on Earth Sciences and Resources (BESR)
Geographical Sciences Committee (GSC)
Also of potential interest to geospatial professionals is another group under BESR called the Mapping Sciences Committee (MSC).
GIS and Science 