GEOSPATIAL FRONTIERS

A Publication by Project Geospatial

LOOKING BEYOND

THE MAP

Geospatial Frontiers, a new publication from Project Geospatial, brings together leading voices and experts from across the geospatial ecosystem to tackle the industry's most pressing challenges. Through in-depth articles and discussions, Geospatial Frontiers aims to explore innovative solutions and spark critical conversations that will shape the future of geospatial technology and its applications.

AUTHORS

Adam Simmons

Keith Barber

Adam Simmons 9/30/25 Adam Simmons 9/30/25

The Phoenix Project: A Challenge to the Community to Forge an Open-Source Successor to HIFLD

This article issues a compelling challenge to the community: to collaboratively forge an open-source successor to the vital HIFLD portal. We present a conceptual solution, not as a finished blueprint, but as a compass to guide a collective journey forward. Join the critical conversation on building a resilient, community-owned digital commons for national infrastructure data, reclaiming our shared responsibility in the wake of a crucial public resource going dark. This is a call to action for mappers, developers, emergency managers, and all stakeholders to define the future of accessible, authoritative geospatial data.

The Rise, Power, and Uncertain Future of America's Open Infrastructure Data

For two decades, the Homeland Infrastructure Foundation-Level Data (HIFLD) Open portal was the bedrock of U.S. disaster response and community planning—a free, authoritative map of the nation's most critical assets. Now, it's gone. This in-depth article explores the profound impact of the recent shutdown of HIFLD Open, from its origins in the wake of 9/11 to its vital role in responding to hurricanes and wildfires. Discover what made this curated government data uniquely powerful for emergency managers and researchers, and why its disappearance leaves a critical void that commercial and crowdsourced maps cannot fill. We examine the consequences of this decision for national resilience and the uncertain future of open data in America.