Director of National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency presenting at This is Auburn Speaker Series talk

The This is Auburn Speaker Series will return to the Auburn Alumni Center Friday, Sept. 23, at 3 p.m. with a talk by Robert Cardillo, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, who will present "Geospatial Intelligence and You: How Location-Based Data Impacts Security and the World."

Geospatial intelligence refers to anything that requires location-based information. Anyone who sails a U.S. ship, flies a U.S. aircraft, makes national policy decisions, fights wars, locates targets, responds to natural disasters or even navigates with a smart phone relies on the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The information obtained by the agency enables these critical actions and shapes decisions that impact the world.

Cardillo will speak about the way ahead for his intelligence specialty, both in the secure government world and the open commercial world. He will discuss how his agency must support its customers–the key policymakers, warfighters and first responders–as well as the importance of academic, industry and international partners to those who make up the entire geospatial intelligence enterprise, including those who focus on satellites, IT, mapping and navigation.

Prior to his appointment as director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Cardillo served as the first deputy director for Intelligence Integration in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. He also served as the deputy director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and the deputy director for analysis for the Defense Intelligence Agency from 2006-10. In 2009, Cardillo served as the acting J2, a first for a civilian, in support of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Before he moved to the Defense Intelligence Agency, Cardillo led analysis and production as well as source operations and management at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency from 2002 to 2006. Cardillo's leadership assignments at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also included congressional affairs, public affairs and corporate relations.

The This is Auburn Speaker Series is held on Fridays before home football games for fans wanting to learn more about Auburn people, history, sports, programs and research. For more information, go to http://www.auburn.edu/thisisauburnspeakerseries.