Satnews Daily
September 30th, 2019

National Geospatial Agency Inducts Four into the GEOINT Hall of Fame


The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has inducted four new members into the Geospatial Intelligence Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the agency’s Springfield, Virginia, headquarters.
 
Established in 2001, NGA’s Geospatial Intelligence Hall of Fame honors and inducts members each year to recognize those who have profoundly affected the geospatial intelligence tradecraft. 
 
NGA Director Vice Admiral Robert Sharp said that the four individuals being inducting into the GEOINT Hall of Fame this year have individually contributed to the transformation of the GEOINT discipline and the geospatial industry wouldn’t be where we it is today without them. These individuals had leading roles in major events and technological advancements in the field.
 
This year’s inductees are:

  • Justin E. Baer
    Justin E. Baer is a retired imagery analyst with more than 34 years of government service to include four years in the U.S. Army. Baer was instrumental to the transformation of NGA’s Office of Counterterrorism during the defining national crisis of this era — the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

     
  • William H. Heidbreder
    William H.  Heidbreder had a distinguished career of more than 40 years. Known for his technical expertise, he had the lead role in the development of the KH-9 Hexagon camera system at the Defense Mapping Agency and his collaborative work with commercial imagery led to the development of the first world-wide, on-line imagery database.

     
  • Brigadier General Gilbert W. Kirby, Jr. (posthumously)
    Brigadier General Kirby made an enormous difference in the geospatial intelligence effectiveness of the U.S. Army for nearly 30 years. As a key faculty member at the U.S. Military Academy, Kirby merged geography with computer science and his personal outreach to DMA resulted in the creation of West Point’s innovative Computer Graphic Laboratory and Office of Artificial Analysis and Evaluation.

     
  • John B. Tuley
    John B. Tuley retired from the U.S. Air Force and then started a second exemplary career of public service that spanned DMA, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NGA. An expert in targeting, Tuley was central to the development, deployment and sustained modernization of NGA’s Target Management System.