Washington, DC – May 29, 2012 -- Dr. David Applegate, Associate Director for Natural Hazards at USGS, Chair for the National Science and Technology Council's Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction for the White House Office, will deliver a keynote “Science in Times of Crisis: Delivering Situational Awareness to Emergency Managers and the Public When Disaster Strikes” at COM.Geo 2012 conference which will be held on July 1-3, Washington, DC.

When the White House National Science and Technology Council laid out a series of grand challenges for disaster reduction, the first was to provide hazard and disaster information where and when it is needed. Earth observation and monitoring capabilities are only as good as their ability to reach those in harm's way and inform those who must respond when disaster strikes. At the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), our scientists work on many different natural hazards across the US and around the globe in close collaboration with federal, state and academic partners. We support monitoring networks, generate hazard assessments, and study the natural processes and societal factors that shape the risks we face from hazard events. Read more at: http://www.com-geo.org/conferences/2012/index.htm

About COM.Geo Conference
COM.Geo Conference is the leading-edge computing for geospatial conference, focusing on the latest computing technologies for multidisciplinary research and development that enables the exploration in geospatial areas. Innovative geospatial research and application technologies are the brightest spotlights at COM.Geo conference. COM.Geo is playing a guiding role to advancing the technologies in computing for geospatial fields.