The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) announces that it has appointed Dr. Terry Idol as Executive Director, Interoperability Program.

Continuing OGC’s leadership in advancing geospatial information, OGC is pleased to announce Dr. Terry Idol as the new Executive Director of OGC’s Interoperability Program. Reporting to George Percivall, OGC’s Chief Engineer, and working with OGC staff, membership and partner organizations, Terry will plan and manage the program of OGC initiatives, which includes testbeds, pilots, plugfests, and interoperability experiments. These initiatives develop, test and validate specifications that lead to open standards for geospatial information and technology.

Terry is a great match for this position as he is well known to the OGC community through his past activities. Most recently, he participated in OGC activities while with a US federal agency. Previously, Terry served as Initiative Director of the OGC Critical Infrastructure Protection Initiative while he was on loan to OGC staff from BAE Systems. Terry has rich experience in geo-information and remote sensing technologies. He received his Doctorate in Earth Systems and Geoinformation Sciences from George Mason University.

George Percivall commented, “Executive Director for OGC’s Interoperability Program is a challenging position that will provide Terry the opportunity to work with OGC members and the broader community to advance the state of practice of geospatial information. Terry’s knowledge and his experience in government and OGC programs will serve him well in this new position. We are delighted that he will join OGC Staff.”