Craig A. Neidig

Craig Neidig was hired as the first West Virginia State GIS Coordinator in July 1995. He is Chair of the State GIS Steering Committee and a member of the West Virginia Information Technology Council. During his tenure, the WV GIS program has achieved several milestones including: federal recognition as a State Cooperating GIS Council; creation and expansion of the GIS Technical Center at West Virginia University; the inclusion of GIS in the State Technology Master Plan; and completion of the first statewide digital orthophotography coverage. He has also been the program chair and organizer of State GIS conferences in 1996, 1999, 2001, and 2002. He also serves as Program Manager of the Mineral Lands Mapping Program (MLMP), administered through the West Virginia Geological Survey, which is re-analysing the economic coal beds of the State using modern computer technology. In November 2001, he was appointed Chair of the Statewide Addressing and Mapping Board, which will be developing the program for Enhanced 911 delivery services for the state.

Since arriving in the Mountain State, Craig has worked closely with many local, county and state entities, including the State Flood Management Task Force, the Rahall Transportation Institute, and others, on mapping and GIS issues as diverse as Intelligent Transportation Systems, enhanced stream and watershed delineation, elevation modernization, and parcel map conversion. He participates in the following West Virginia organizations: the WV Association of Counties (WVACo), Miss Utility of WV (One Call), WV Association of Land Surveyors, and the WV E-911 Council. Most recently he has served as a judge at the annual WV Geographic Bee, sponsored by National Geographic Society and the WV Department of Education.

Prior to coming to West Virginia, Craig was a GIS Principal Investigator at the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Lab (USACERL) in Champaign, Illinois. Throughout his GIS career, he has engaged in national efforts regarding spatial data policy, spatial data and metadata standards, and GIS technical support issues. He has delivered presentations at numerous meetings and seminars from the local to national level. Professional memberships include the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA), the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS), and the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC). Craig served on the NSGIC Board of Directors from 1999-2001. He currently serves as co-chair of the NSGIC Communications Committee and authored the revised NSGIC bylaws in 2001. He also served as principal NSGIC liaison for the first national GIS Day in 1999, which succeeded in 35 Governors issuing GIS Day Proclamations for their states. He serves as the NSGIC representative on the National Digital Elevation Program (NDEP) Steering Committee. Craig received his undergraduate and graduate education at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Illinois, majoring in anthropology and geography, respectively. A native of central Pennsylvania, he currently resides in Charleston. Outside work he enjoys traveling, hiking and exploring nature, cooking, art, and music.

Craig A. Neidig
WV GIS Coordinator
1124 Smith St., Rm 201a
Charleston, WV 25301
Phone: 304-558-4218
Fax: 304-558-4963
E-mail: cneidig@gis.state.wv.us
Web: http://wvgis.wvu.edu