About Us

Helping Mission-Driven Organizations Meet the Pace of Change

We empower changemakers big and small to take advantage of emerging technologies — like artificial intelligence and earth observations — to accelerate their work and tackle today’s pressing environmental and social challenges.

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Our Story

Nonprofit Geospatial Solutions for a Better World

CGS started in 2020 with a simple idea: What if every organization striving for a better world had access to the same advanced technologies as the private sector? So, we created something new: a nonprofit geospatial enterprise.

Combining purpose-driven heart with cutting-edge tech, CGS helps others make informed decisions to manage land, water, and social resources more effectively and equitably. Our team tackles big issues like climate change, housing access, and resource disparities, giving organizations the tools they need to make a greater impact.

Our Vision

Equip People and the Planet To Meet the Pace of Change

CGS strives to expand the reach of new technologies to realize swift and fair outcomes for all. We help organizations grappling with our most pressing environmental and social challenges understand complex situations on the ground and respond to emerging realities and opportunities.

Our Mission

Empower Data-Driven Decisions for the Greater Good

Like data navigators, CGS improves how data is accessed, interpreted, and applied. We fuse diverse datasets and combine a mix of proprietary and open-source technologies to create sophisticated tools grounded in real-world experience, empowering purpose-driven leaders with the clarity needed to act with confidence and make a positive difference.

Our Expertise

Data Modernization, Data Fusion, and Data Storytelling

CGS excels at taming complex, fractured data landscapes to extract new insights and inspire action. We bring decades of applied expertise and industry-leading GIS capabilities to liberate, connect, and translate key information into nuanced, timely decision-support. We develop systems, dashboards, and applications that transform data into action, revealing a complete picture of complex situations.

Our Model

Built for Purpose, Not Profit

CGS, a self-sustaining nonprofit enterprise, provides services directly to other purpose-driven organizations to fund our operations. Accessibility is the founding principle of our business model. We are committed to providing industry-leading, unbiased expertise and end-to-end support at a fraction of the cost of traditional agencies and engage funders to sustain our work.

Systemic challenges need interdisciplinary solutions, but the complete and reliable information needed to make the best decisions is out of reach for most people striving to make a difference. CGS is building new tools to break through these barriers to collaborative, informed, and swift action.

Anne Scott

Executive Director, CGS

CGS represents a transformational idea — by making land, water, and mapping technology universal, we can enable people and organizations to collaborate and achieve impact that is orders-of-magnitude greater than what they can accomplish today.

George “Mac” McCarthy

President & CEO, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

The Center for Geospatial Solutions is moving the global environmental field forward to meet ambitious goals set forth by scientists to save and restore our planet.

Jack Dangermond

President & CEO, Esri

Helping Changemakers Big and Small

We work with private and public organiations of all sizes to help inform decisions and empower positive change. CGS is built from the ground up to be a trusted partner — combining geospatial expertise with service excellence.

Our Home

Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Practice

CGS operates out of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy — a global authority on creative approaches to land as a solution to economic, social, and environmental challenges. The policy expertise and resources of the Lincoln Institute further our efforts to equip organizations with the advanced technologies they need to manage land and water resources with precision and at the scale required to confront pressing challenges.

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Who We Are

One Team, On a Mission

With advanced degrees and decades of hands-on experience in areas like public health, urban planning, agriculture, and environmental science, our multidisciplinary team is uniquely equipped to tackle tough problems. We are passionate technologists who believe that technology can transform communities and safeguard our planet, and this belief guides everything we do.

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