The Council of the Institute acts as its Board of Directors. The Council Members are elected annually by the Membership. Day-to-day operations of the Institute are conducted by the National Office Staff, at the national headquarters of the ION in Manassas, Virginia.
The purpose of the Satellite Division is to encourage the development, operation, and use of navigation and position determination systems incorporating satellite based elements. The Satellite Division activities include the sponsorship of an annual Institute of Navigation International Meeting, and the sponsorship of a student paper competition in which winning students are provided with full travel and accommodations to present their technical papers at the Satellite Division meeting. Other Satellite Division activities are established in accordance with the Satellite Division Bylaws by the Satellite Division Elected Officers.
The purpose of the Military Division of the Institute of Navigation is to further the Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) capabilities of the U. S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by sponsoring, organizing and directing conferences for government, industry, and academia.