Introduction
In this lesson we are going to discuss definitions of geospatial intelligence, the scope of the subject, and examine why geography as a subject and a discipline is fundamental to the idea of geospatial intelligence. For those of you out there who are geospatial intelligence practitioners and professionals, the definition of geospatial intelligence may seem obvious, i.e. "geospatial intelligence is what my agency says it is, and the scope encompasses what we do..." However, as you will find out, different people and different agencies have different understandings of the definition and scope of the field.
It also may seem obvious to some that geography and geographical understanding and knowledge obviously underlay any field called "geospatial intelligence." However, it is quite possible that geospatial analysts have very little if any geographic knowledge and understanding. At Penn State, we think that is a real problem and one of the main reasons that a course entitled "Geographic Fundamentals of Geospatial Intelligence" is the foundation course of the Certificate in Geospatial Intelligence. So here is a fundamental concept of this course:
A reasonable knowledge of geography and associated geographical viewpoint is essential for all practioners of geospatial intelligence no matter their agency, mission, focus, or specialization.