The Chesapeake Chapter has been in existence since the early 1980s. More recently it was formed as a nonprofit. In the early years, the organization networked and educated members at monthly meetings.
More recently the nonprofit has worked with civil servants in Romania to develop a cadre of information system technicians with expertise in information systems, and more importantly, with an organizational structure that would promote techical training and the sharing of solutions across local government boundaries. That initial endeavor yielded several Romanian interns staying in the United States and working with local government GIS shops.
The nonprofit's study of opensource mapping solutions caught the interest of USAID and efforts to bring mapping solutions to Central America. Officials from USAID were hosted by a local Virginian GIS shop and shown how electronic mapping tools increase information sharing for everyone.
Chesapeake Chapter held a four-hour training program in open source GIS software. Attendees were from federal and local government. Admission cost was kept low to encourage participation from local community leaders, while at the same time a recognized expert from the private sector was the instructor.
The Chesapeake Chapter held it's annual board meeting in November 2007.
Currently, the nonprofit has formed a biodiesel committee in an effort to show how mapping resources can play an important role in energy and environmental issues at the local level.
Board members are circulating among city events raising awareness of biodiesel. The nonprofit's president recently attended a Biofuels, Globalization and Food Scarcity forum held at the University of DC in late November 2007.
The Chesapeake Chapter is an all volunteer organization with low overhead. In an effort to reach out to civil servants, citizens and business people in any local or international economy, membership is free.
