Working with the NSF Geosciences Directorate at the National Science Foundation, along with NASA, NOAA, USGS, EPA, DOE, DOD, professional societies and other appropriate agencies, the NSF Large Information Technology Research Grant titled Linked Environments for Atmospheric Discovery (LEAD) is establishing the National Forum on Geosciences Information Technology (pronounced “figit”). Similar in concept to the Global Grid Forum and as a grass roots effort that already has received broad support, FIGIT will serve as a focal point for national dialog on cyberinfrastructure (CI) in the geosciences with particular emphasis on the linking of IT systems and the sharing of knowledge and resources. We describe in this paper the concept behind FIGIT including its structure, goals and expected outcome. The first meeting of FIGIT will be held in spring 2005.