About Us

COG is the one place in metropolitan Washington that regularly brings leaders together to develop solutions to the region's major challenges. COG prepares plans enabling the region to receive federal funding, provides members with research and data to inform decision-making, and offers a wide range of programs, including commuter services, cooperative purchasing, technical assistance and grants, and public outreach campaigns.

Transportation

Through the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB), area officials, planners, and engineers ensure a well-managed and maintained transportation system. The TPB, which is staffed by COG, conducts the federally mandated transportation planning process for the region and ensures the uninterrupted flow of federal transportation funds that area jurisdictions receive.

Environment

COG's work engages leaders in various environmental fields from water quality experts to climate scientists. Together, they are advancing regional efforts to restore local waterways, improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change, promote recycling, and enhance and preserve green space and agriculture.

Community

Area officials and experts, including planning and housing directors and child welfare and health officials, work together with their counterparts at COG to help shape stronger communities throughout the region.

Homeland Security & Public Safety

COG brings police chiefs, fire chiefs, emergency managers, and other leaders together as part of its work to strengthen regional public safety coordination, homeland security planning, and emergency communication.

Environment

NCR GDX Regional Food Resources Initiative

In coordination with local government, private, and non-profit partners, and COG, the National Capital Region Geospatial Data Exchange (NCR GDX) Regional Food Resources Initiative was developed to enable the sharing of geospatial emergency food resource data across the region.

The initiative leverages NCR GDX, a regional tool allowing geospatial data to be shared among area jurisdictions and their partners. NCR GDX was established to improve regional preparedness by streamlining collaboration among participants. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the region into a greatly altered economic, social, and educational environment that exacerbated food insecurity significantly. Regional partners responded by collecting and sharing geospatial data and applications to provide relevant food resource information to support their local communities during the pandemic. These partner efforts served as the impetus for a regional data sharing effort with the NCR GDX program.

While many local and regional partners had developed and maintained their own geospatial food resource data within their area of responsibility, there was not a single, comprehensive, and accurate food resource layer providing coverage throughout the region. Over time, this initiative provides the opportunity for ongoing data collection and analysis in support of planning to address food insecurity.