Quote Originally Posted by pcmfr
Learning the buttonology for GIS software is one thing, but making sense of the data and illustrating in a matter useful to decision makers is what separates a techie from an analyst. I recommend training for your GEOINT folks from guys who do this full time.
I fully agree with you there - and the training opportunities for GEOINT are expanding as the field grows along with its spectrum of application. There are a lot of programs out there dedicated for LE GIS analysts, but the availability of broad-spectrum training is increasing as well.
That, or you can outsource the mapping. These guys seem to have some interesting approaches that are working for the corporate risk management and security world: Geocritical
There is a lot of outsourcing going on. Much of it is crap, because many of those looking for support have no idea what they're looking for, or how to define quality product. Worse, much support is provided through the old boy network within the senior executive chain rather than by competitive bidding to select those best able to fulfill support requirements. Hordes of incompetent amateurs maintain comfortable lifestyles despite the complete lack of a quality product due to connections they made in college or while in government service earlier in life. Like in many other walks of life, ethics is serious problem, despite much exhortation to the contrary.

My viewpoint is driven by the fact that I currently work security/risk intelligence in the corporate world myself. Given that perspective, I found the products shown as examples on the GeoCritical site to be less than impressive. Any reasonably smart guy with a computer and 'net connection could put those maps together. Hell, updated equivalents or better of their samples on Avian Influenza, Earthquakes, and Hurricanes are readily found for free on specialty sites on the open web. Unless they're hiding their real product from the casual viewer (which doesn't make sense from a marketing standpoint), it does not appear that it requires either dedicated GIS software or true GEOINT analytic capability to duplicate (or improve upon) their efforts.