FGDC Announces Plans for the 2010 NSDI CAP Grants

The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) has announced plans for the next round of Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP) grants for the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).

The official solicitation is due next month, but the plans are for seven CAP grant categories in 2010:

• Metadata Trainer and Outreach Assistance
• Framework Data Exchange through Automated Geo-Synchronization
• Fifty States Initiative: Strategic and Business Plan Development
• Fifty States Initiative: Business Plan Development and Implementation
• Return on Investment (ROI) Methodology and Business Case Development for Multi-agency NSDI Projects
• FGDC Standards Development and Implementation Assistance and Outreach
• Demonstration of Geospatial Data Partnerships across Local, State, Tribal, and Federal Government

Grant submissions will likely be due in January, with projects to commence by September of 2010.

And Now, the Rest of the CAP Grants...

The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) has announced the final awards in the Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP) grant series for 2009. The FGDC had earlier announced grant awards in most of the 2009 CAP grants categories.

Today's announcement was for grants in Categories 2 and 4, which both focus on improving the use and function of local, state and federal data-sharing tools.

Category 2: Behind the Portal - Use of GOS Map and Data Services

• The Carbon Project was awarded a grant for An Enterprise GIS Desktop Dashboard for the GOS Portal.
• The Center for Intelligent Spatial Computing (CISC) at George Mason University was awarded a grant to Utilize GOS Map and Data Services for Cross-Agency Earth Science and Geospatial Cyberinfrastructure Communities.
• Innovate! Inc. was awarded a grant to develop a suite of reusable components to enable The Coeur d'Alene Tribe, The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and US Environmental Protection Agency to integrate Geospatial OneStop search capabilities into their websites and other tools.
• MobiMaps LLC was awarded a grant to integrate access to Geospatial OneStop catalog and data services into NASA WorldWind.

Category 4: Enabling Use of Government Tabular Data in a Geographic Context

• Fortius One was awarded a grant to extend the GeoCommons platform to create geospatial data sets automatically from tabular data.

Today's announcement brings to a close the "announcement" portion of the 2009 grant series. Work is already started on many of the grants already announced.

Many of us working on state GIS strategic plans will watch the grant projects announced today with great interest. Tools developed under these grants could be greatly useful in state and local geospatial data coordination.

More (But Not Yet All) 2009 CAP Grant Awards Announced

The Federal Geographic Data Committee today announced more of the 2009 NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP) grant awards. The latest announced grants were awarded in the following CAP grant categories:

• Category 1: Metadata Trainer and Outreach Assistance
• Category 5: Building Data Stewardship for The National Map and the NSDI
• Category 6: FGDC-Endorsed Standards Development and Implementation Assistance and Outreach
• Category 7: Demonstration of Geospatial Data Partnerships Across Local, State and Federal Government

Awards in Category 2 (Behind the Portal - Use of GOS Map and Data Services) and Category 4 (Enabling Use of Government Tabular Data in a Geographic Context) are to be announced soon. Awards in Category 3 (Fifty States Initiative: Strategic and Business Plan Development in Support of the NSDI Future Directions Fifty States Initiative) were announced earlier this month.

Among the grant awards announced today were funds for:

• Metadata training initiatives by Winston-Salem State University and by the Penobscot Indian Nation:
• NSDI Data Stewardship initiatives in Alaska, Michigan, Montana, and Utah;
• Development of data standards by Old Dominion University and by the Open Geospatial Consortium; and
  
• Demonstrations of cross-government partnership in Idaho, Illinois, Indiana and Missouri.
  

Further discussion of the NSDI CAP grants program -- both its present and its future -- is expected at the NSGIC Mid-Year Conference, starting soon in Annapolis, Maryland.

FGDC Announces (Some of the) 2009 CAP Grant Awards

The Federal Geographic Data Committee has announced the awarding of Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP) Grants to eight states to develop statewide strategic plans, business plans, and funding plans in support of the development and maintenance of a National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).

The grant awards, none of which were for more than $47,000, were projects under Category 3 (Fifty States Initiative) of the 2009 CAP Grants proposal. The grants will go to the following projects:

• A Framework Data Development Sustainable Funding Plan for Arkansas
• The Arizona Geographic Information Council Strategic and Business Plan Project
• The Delaware Geospatial Data Coordination Strategic Planning Project
• The Commonwealth of Kentucky Geospatial Strategic Plan
• A Fifty States Initiative Creating a Statewide Geospatial Business Plan for Michigan
• The Oregon Statewide Strategy for Geographic Information Management
• The Commonwealth of Virginia Five Year GIS Strategic Plan Development
• An Update the Washington GIS Strategic Plan to Support the 50 States Initiatives and Build a Business Plan for Tracking Progress and Results in Washington

These eight states join at least 38 other states that have partnered with the FGDC and USGS to work on strategic, business or funding plans.

FULL DISCLOSURE: It is important that I point out that I am leading the strategic planning effort in Delaware that is part of this announcement. I hope my participation will not unduly color my commentary. I am proud, but I try to be objective on NSGIC News.

Issue Brief: NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program Grants (CAP)

NSGIC has published an issue brief (PDF) on the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP). The brief, one of a series of issue briefs focused on the organization's 2008 - 2009 Advocacy Agenda (PDF), presents an overview of the annual program that assists the geospatial community through grant funding and other resources to implement components of the NSDI.

This program (sponsored by the FGDC and housed at USGS) has funded 75 projects in the previous 3 years that have focused on building and improving the existing geospatial data infrastructure necessary to implement the NSDI.

How has the Cooperative Agreements Program benefited the States? Among the competitive grants that make up the CAP program are the 'Fifty States Initiative' grants that have been awarded to 30 States (thus far) to develop and implement statewide strategic and business plans.

Speaking from a personal perspective, in 2007, the Iowa Geographic Information Council received one of the Fifty States Initiative grants to develop a business plan for the creation of an Iowa Geospatial Infrastructure. The State of Iowa has had several statewide GIS coordinators in the last dozen or so years (and without any Coordinator at all since 2004). The Council itself is an entirely volunteer organization.

The CAP Grant awarded to Iowa has allowed the Council to hire a consultant to come and collect business costs and benefits associated with geospatial practices in Iowa. Without the CAP Grant award, Iowa would not have been able to approach a task as daunting as this. And we have seen positives that have stemmed from this project. The Council is now in a position where we have "hard" dollar costs associated as well as documented benefits related to geospatial practices in Iowa. We have found these figures to be extremely helpful as we enter into uncertain economic situations and look to compete for funding sources with other more established government business practices.

The achieve that vision, the NSGIC issue brief suggests that Congress:

• Instruct the Department of Interior through specific language in the budget to ensure that these funds are not used for other purposes and that they are awarded to non-federal entities to further the development of the NSDI.
• Double the available funding.

The issue brief provides more detail and additional information. it is part of a series that also looks at Transportation for the Nation, Nationwide Parcel Mapping, Imagery for the Nation (IFTN) , and improved Technology for the 21st Century.

FGDC Winter Newsletter Released

The Winter 2008 edition of the Federal Geographic Data Committee Newsletter (PDF) has been released. The Newsletter includes updates on a number of fronts:

• A meeting of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC).
• 2008 NSDI CAP Grant highlights and a reminder about the 2009 grants,
• New FGDC employees,
  
• Announcement of the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management 2009 Geospatial Conference,
  
• Metadata activities, and more.

The newsletter is one of many resources available on the FGDC web site library page.

2008 CAP Grant Awardees Announced

The FGDC Secretariat has announced the selection of the 2008 NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program (PDF) proposals that will be funded this year. The list includes several NSGIC members and partners. The 2008 grants were awarded in 6 categories, several of which are of greater interest to NSGIC members.

Seven states, and the US Virgin Islands, have been awarded funds to "develop and implement statewide strategic and business plans" under the Fifty States Initiative.

Two universities, a state council, and a state agency have been awarded funds to support for "building data stewardship for The National Map and the NSDI."

And two universities, a city and a state have been awarded funds "to assist in the implementation of FGDC- endorsed [data] standards."

Other categories are:

• Metadata Trainer and Outreach Assistance,
• Best Practices in Geospatial Service Oriented Architecture, and
  
• Joint Canadian and United States Spatial Data Infrastructure Project.

The FGDC has also posted a project status table that will eventually include fact sheets, a projects map, and reports and updates.

State Planners Seeking Input On The Florida Geographic Information System

TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM); together with a consortium of state, local, federal, academic, and private partners, has begun a strategic planning process to foster statewide coordination of geographic information systems (GIS) activities in Florida, and is seeking the input of the GIS community over the next several months. A survey designed to collect information on organizational needs and experiences with geospatial program coordination can be completed by visiting the project web site at www.floridadisaster.org/gis/capgrant and following the link for the survey. The survey will be available until December 7, 2007. For more information go to: http://www.floridadisaster.org/