Esri's John Day on the Impacts of the US Sequestration

After the postponement of the National Map Users Conference and the cancellation of this year's Joint Navigation Conference, numerous empty seats at the ASPRS 2013 Conference were yet another sign of the impact of the US sequestration. Can we expect to see more negative effects in the future? John Day, director of Defense Business Development for Esri, thinks there are two forces at work here, not just sequestration alone.

By John Day, Director of Defense Business Development, Esri

Firstly, in the aftermath of the scandalous General Services Administration events in Las Vegas in 2010, there are new USG/DOD regulations relating to travel and attendance at conferences. This has tied travel and conference attendance much more closely to the mission and already led to a reduction in government-sponsored events and attendance at industry events in 2013.

Secondly, the release of the DOD budget for FY 2013, and the effects of sequestration, have dramatically reduced the monies available to government agencies to send staff to events in 2013.

Put together, these are a double whammy primarily impacting the government’s ability to interact with its contractors – current and potential. The geospatial industry is not exempt and its meetings and events are suffering the same impacts as other markets.

Related:

Steve DeGloria, ASPRS President - Paying the Price for Geospatial Isolationism

AJ Clark, President, Thermopylae Sciences and Technology - Sequestration Pushes Private Sector to Advance Mission Goals Cost-effectively