NAIP is safe…for now

By: Tom Lee

Early this year, we found out that the National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) was under threat as an open data source. NAIP is an essential tool for researchers, businesses, and governments. We’ve continued to publicly talk about the problem and work with people inside and outside government to ensure that this resource remains available.

Today we can share some good news. NAIP data is safe for the time being, thanks to decisions reached in the past few weeks. Funding was found to cover collection cycles through fiscal year 2019. The program’s future beyond that date is uncertain; but for now, imagery users and open data fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

There is reason for optimism about NAIP’s longer-term prospects. The House’s initial attempt to pass a farm bill included dedicated money for NAIP. That bill failed and its successor didn’t include NAIP funding. Still, it’s encouraging to know that people on Capitol Hill are aware of this vital resource. Today’s news gives us two more years to spread that awareness.

As this NAIP funding saga unfolded, people we spoke to about the issue expressed varying levels of concern. Some felt that threatening NAIP’s openness was just a negotiating tactic — that the program’s voluntary funding model makes it difficult to win support from the agencies using NAIP data. Others think that the imagery market is moving inexorably toward a licensed model and that the implications this will have on open data aren’t being adequately reckoned with.

Whatever the case might be, this is a chaotic way to run a program that people depend on for countless research and business needs. We need government to recognize the importance of open data resources and make effective plans for sustaining them. And those of us in the private sector must explore more sustained ways of advocating for these datasets rather than responding in moments of crisis. If you’d like to join the conversation about the best way to do that, head over to the Save the NAIP mailing list.

Tom LeeTom works with Mapbox’s data team to open geodata for our users and the entire world. With a background in open data…www.mapbox.com
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