NSGIC Posts 2007-2008 Advocacy Agenda

The National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) has posted its 2007-2008 Advocacy Agenda (PDF). The Advocacy Agenda is part of an effort to meet the NSGIC Strategic Plan (PDF) goal of being an effective advocate for states in national geospatial policy initiatives.

The 2007-2008 Advocacy Agenda focuses on several key and specific initiatives approved by member states at the NSGIC Annual Conference in Madison, Wisconsin, in September of 2007. They are:

1. Imagery for the Nation -- The Council will seek authorization and funding from Congress to implement a sustained federal program for the collection, maintenance, distribution and archive of aerial imagery that meets on-going local, state, and federal program requirements.
2. Cadastral (Parcel) Mapping -- The National Academy’s report entitled “National Land Parcel Data: A Vision for the Future” provides an opportunity to quickly enhance and improve significant portions of the cadastral layers of the NSDI. The report’s nine recommendations are important in that they encourage cost sharing and integration among federal, state and local cadastral activities.
   
3. Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP) Grants -- The Council will seek, support, and advocate for increased funding (new funds) for the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP) Grants within the U.S. Department of Interior. In FY 2007 a total of $1.2 million was made available to fund an estimated 26 innovative projects that spread across five categories. Each project focuses on ways to build and improve the existing geospatial data infrastructure necessary to effectively discover, access, share, manage and use digital geographic data.
   

The Advocacy agenda will help NSGIC in its effort to guide the states in fulfilling their role in building the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), and to promote statewide geospatial coordination activities in all states.