The project was based on the outcomes of a 2005 conference, supported by the National Science Foundation and several of the collaborating organizations.  Representatives from the geospatial industry, government agencies, academia, and professional associations examined the potential for two-year colleges to meet current geospatial training needs.  They concluded that:

• well-developed two-year programs can meet workforce needs for geospatial technologists. 
• such programs must integrate geospatial technologies rather than focus exclusively on GIS.
• the main challenges for most two-year colleges are the lack of: appropriate curriculum models, faculty expertise in remote sensing, and access to remote sensing data.