The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Makes Me Sad

In my continuing tour of the websites of the United States' 16 military intelligence departments, I visited the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The NGA's mission is to make and analyze maps and photographs.

Ah, but can the NGA’s Kids’ Page rank up there with the National Security Agency’s CryptoKids page (post here)? It's not even close. Take a look at Exhibit A from from the NGA's “Games” section (right).

Since when is coloring in a weaksauce worksheet a “game”? This doesn’t even qualify as educational… I’m picturing the two cartographers charged with the task of putting this Kids’ site together. “Well, making sandwiches is kind of fun.” “Yeah, it's like a game!”

Another NGA kids' classic is being able to watch a desultory “fly through” of a map of... a copper mine?! “Pilots use information like this to ‘fly’ around areas just like a computer game” the text exults. Uh-huh.

For any kids mysteriously inspired by this material to seek out a career with the NGA, this page fills them in on the educational background they’ll need to enhance their geospatial-intelligence. (That would be elementary school, then middle school, high school and college.)

Man, the CryptoKids never looked so good.