Intelligence

16. APPENDIX A: Terms Of Reference For The Independent Commission National Imagery And Mapping Agency (NIMA)

16.1 OBJECTIVE:

To establish terms of reference (TOR) and an operating plan to ensure that the legislatively-mandated NIMA Commission complies with the Congressional language.

16.2 BACKGROUND:

The Appropriations Conference Committee Classified Annex to the FY 2000 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill requires the establishment of an independent Commission to review NIMA. The appropriations conferees agreed to the House-initiated language and included directive language in the FY 2000 Conference Report for the National Imagery and Mapping Agency Program (NIMAP/NFIP) and the Defense Imagery and Mapping Agency Program (DIMAP/JMIP).

16.3 GENERAL:

• The Secretary of Defense (SecDef) and the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) will appoint the members of the Commission. The SecDef and the DCI have delegated these responsibilities to Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence (ASD[C3I]) and Director of Central Intelligence for Community Management (DDCI/CM), respectively.
• The and DDCI/CM will select a Federally Funding Reserve and Development Contractor (FFRDC) to provide the Executive Secretary and Staff for the Commission.
• The DCI Administrative Staff will provide administrative, logistics, travel, security, and documents research support. The members of the Commission will be drawn from within and outside of the government.
• The commission shall include members with expertise in the following areas:
• Large system development and acquisition;
• Information technology;
• Imagery technology;
• Telecommunications technology; and
• Organizational development
• The Commission shall include at least one member from the commercial imagery and geospatial industry and one member from an independent audit organization such as the General Accounting Office's Computer and Information Technology Assessment Office.

16.4 SPECIFIC COMMISSION TASKS:

• The Commission shall conduct a comprehensive review of NIMA's present organizational and management structures, current technology development and acquisition plans, business practices, and operational support services provided to the Defense Department and the Intelligence Community. The review should include, but not be limited to, the following issues and questions:
• The optimal future configuration of the management structure at NIMA;
• The most effective future course for NIMA's strategic technology development and acquisition programs;
• The prospect and the efficacy of greater use of commercial sources for imagery collection and exploitation, geospatial information, and storage and retrieval of data and information;
• The efficiency of NIMA business practices;
• An assessment of the NIMA workforce's acquisition experience and system integration experience, and
• The sufficiency of current requirements forecasts and cost estimates for USIGS to include an assessment of the adequacy of the budgetary resources devoted to USIGS over the current FYDP.
• The Commission will provide periodic briefings to the appropriations committees during the course of the Fiscal Year 2001 budget cycle with a final report to be delivered to the congressional defense and intelligence committee no later than 31 August 2000.

16.5 KEY EVENTS

The commission will execute a wide range of activities during its review of NIMA. Key events may include: agreement on Terms of Reference; information briefings by NIMA and other organizations as requested by Commission members; periodic updates to Congress; site visits with national, theater and tactical customers; site visits to commercial vendors; site visits to NIMA operational locations.

16.6 ORGANIZATION/MANAGEMENT OF COMMISSION:

• Commission Members:

• Peter Marino, Chairman
• Kevin O'Connell, Executive Secretary
• Nancy Bone
• Jack Dangermond
• Evan Hineman
• Jim Hirsch
• Robert King
• C. Lawrence Meador
• Keith Rhodes
• Tom Weinstein

• Role of the Executive Secretariat
  
  The Executive Secretary will be responsible for developing the substantive themes for the Commission, record keeping, and the production of periodic briefings and the final report in accordance with commission direction. The Executive Secretary will ensure that all events required for the successful completion of review are accomplished by scheduling meetings with appropriate customers and adjacent agencies.

• NIMA's role:
  
  NIMA will provide full access and availability to all data holdings and relevant documents as well as any further assistance as requested by the Chairman and the Commissioners.

Foreword | Executive Summary and Key Judgments | Introduction | NIMA from the Beginning
NIMA in Context | Two-and-a-Half Roles for NIMA | The Promise of NIMA
NIMA and Its Stakeholders | NIMA and Its "Customers" | Is There a "National vs Tactical" Problem?
NIMA and Its Peers and Partners | NIMA and Its Suppliers | NIMA Management Challenges
NIMA's Information Systems | NIMA Research and Development
NIMA and Its Information Architecture | Recommendations | Appendix A
Appendix B | Glossary of Terms

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