After being delayed half a year due to the government shutdown, the GEOINT 2013 Symposium is being held April 14-17 at the Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, Fla. Hosted by the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF), which displayed a sense of humor by adding an asterisk to the event’s title, becoming the GEOINT 2013* Symposium.

“It’s hard to express the appreciation I feel for the speakers who stood by USGIF during the confusion in the fall all the way through to now as we prepare for an extraordinary event.”

Although not directly affected by the government shutdown in terms of funding, the GEOINT 2013* Symposium was hamstrung by onerous travel restrictions that would have limited attendance by government employees and prevented some scheduled keynote speakers from reaching the conference. “It’s hard to express the appreciation I feel for the speakers who stood by USGIF during the confusion in the fall all the way through to now as we prepare for an extraordinary event,” said USGIF CEO Keith Masback in a USGIF press release. “It’s a testament to what we feel is a sacred contract between the foundation and everyone we work with,” concluded Masback.

USGIF has tried to make up for the delay by filling the agenda of the conference with senior leaders. The final list of GEOINT 2013* keynote speakers include Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM); James R. Clapper, Director of National Intelligence (DNI); Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, Director, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA); Dr. Suzette Kimbal, Acting Director, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); Letitia A. Long, Director, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA); Adm. William H. McRaven, commander, U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM); Lt. Gen. Raymond P. Palumbo, Director for Defense Intelligence for Warfighter Support, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense of Intelligence; Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), ranking member, U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; Betty J. Sapp, Director, National Reconnaissance Office (NRO); and Lt. Gen. Joseph L. Votel, commander, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). Long’s address, titled “Driving the Next Phase of Intelligence,” will highlight the NGA’s efforts to build a platform for integration that seeks to create an immersive experience for the intelligence and defense communities.

The GEOINT Symposium, now in its 10th year, has become the largest intelligence event in the U.S. The symposium is a chance for the defense, intelligence, and homeland security communities to come together for a week of sharing, discussion, training and education, technology demonstrations, and networking.

The GEOINT Symposium, now in its 10th year, has become the largest intelligence event in the U.S. The symposium is a chance for the defense, intelligence, and homeland security communities to come together for a week of sharing, discussion, training and education, technology demonstrations, and networking. To that end, three panel discussions and a special presentation will take place on the main stage and examine national security topics, introduce new initiatives, and discuss how these initiatives will affect the community. Topics discussed in the panels will include navigating the global information sharing environment and the “global SOF network.”

Nearly 270 exhibitors will be in attendance. Companies such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, D-Wave Systems, Inc., Boeing, Booz Allen Hamilton, TouchShare Inc., and Sierra Nevada Corp. will have a presence at GEOINT 2013*. A full list of exhibitors in attendance can be found at: http://geoint2013.com/expo/exhibit-list.