The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC®) will hold a Spatial Law and Policy Summit at The Westin Washington, D.C. City Center on October 7, 2009.

Professionals from the government and private sector whose work involves laws and policies related to geospatial technology are invited to register and attend. This unprecedented event will feature talks and panel discussions by experts familiar with the wide range of legal and policy issues associated with growth in consumer and business applications of geospatial systems, software and services. The growing use of Earth browsers, satellite navigation devices in cars and PDA’s, location-based services associated with cell phones, business intelligence, social networking and satellite tracking of vehicles and equipment raises a number of issues concerning privacy, intellectual property rights, liability, and national security. As the speakers will explain, in many cases, the existing legal and policy framework is inadequate to provide governments, businesses and consumers clear guidance on these issues. The Summit will be chaired by OGC director and Executive Committee member Kevin Pomfret, a Richmond, Virginia based attorney who has written and spoken extensively on spatial law and technology.