The Obama Administration Arrives at NGAC

The following was submitted by Barney Krucoff, the GIS Director for the District of Columbia, Secretary to NSGIC's Board, and a member of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC).

The National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC) held its first meeting in April 2008, late in the life of the Bush administration. By the fall of 2008 most of the senior Bush political appointees had left their respective agencies and the government below the cabinet level entered a period in which many key positions were not filled. In such an environment, career employees are well able to keep the government running, but significant operational change is unlikely occur.

The December 2009 NGAC meeting was notable for the energy and direction provided by the Obama administration. Derek Douglas, Executive Office of the President, Xavier de Souza Briggs, Office of Management and Budget, and Andrew Jackson, Department of the Interior, each spoke to the committee. Another administration official, Vivek Kundra, had previously spoken to NGAC (PDF). Each has a very important job to do and must move with extraordinary speed.

Their priorities include:

• Developing resilient communities
• Developing effective place-based policies
• Making the government more transparent
• Ensuring that the Department of the Interior operates efficiently and shares its information

Geospatial data and technology is not on the priority list, but underlies each of these goals. The amount of high-level attention that geospatial will get depends on our communities' ability to quickly mobilize and meet the needs of an administration that is hungry for the data and analysis. In this light, the administration’s budget guidance, which calls of FGDC/Geospatial Line of Business to, “by April 1 … to provide recommendations to revise its governance structure, a 2012 business case and budget request for imagery for the nation and a modernization plan, including a target architecture of the geospatial platform” is perhaps the first and last opportunity to capture the imagination of the Obama administration by helping them do better what they are going to do with or without us.

Also notable from the December NGAC meeting: a serious push from USGS on LiDAR that leverages many of the “For The Nation” principles.

OMB Addresses Geospatial

The Obama administration is continuing the e-government and line-of-business initiatives of the Bush administration. This includes the Geospatial Line of Business and other initiatives important to the geospatial community.

A recent article in Federal News Radio presents information from internal documents they obtained from the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB). EXCLUSIVE: OMB guidance sets technology tone for 2010, beyond quotes pleasantly surprised federal officials who are accustomed to seeing good ideas discarded when a new administration takes command.

Here is a critical quote from the article:

• By April 1, the Geospatial Line of Business program management office will provide recommendations to revise its governance structure, a 2012 business case and budget request for imagery for the nation and a modernization plan, including a target architecture of the geospatial platform.

A Few Words from the NSGIC President: On the FGDC Annual Report

From the desktop computer of 2009-2010 NSGIC President Will Craig, of Minnesota.

A few things stood out for me as I read the Federal Geographic Data Committee's 2009 Annual report.

First was the naming of Bill Wilan as National Spatial Data Infrastructure Champion. Our previous post on the FGDC annual report accurately reflects my thoughts on Bill and his being honored.

I do recall one other thing, though. I remember talking to Bill at the 1996 award event. He was pretty proud of his work.

"I think it is the first layer of the NSDI, isn't it?"

Indeed it was. The NWI is not one of those "core Framework" themes, but it was the first out and it met the needs of all levels of government across the nation.

I was also pleased to see the Fifty States Initiative as both an accomplishment and a part of the FGDC's goals for the next year. This partnership between the FGDC and NSGIC has been very valuable for the states, helping almost all of us increase our strategic planning efforts. I'm happy to see that the FGDC plans to start working with us on a transition from planning to implementation.

Among the success stories in the report is one about using geospatial data for program compliance. This is a story about USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) using NAIP images from four consecutive years, along with Common Land Unit data, to analyze areas suspected of improper claims. NAIP imagery allowed the RMA to identify large areas that were ineligible for payment, thus preventing more than $700,000 in improper payments in one state.

This illustrates the value to the federal government and to states of a sustained orthophotography effort and highlights, I think, the importance of the Imagery for the Nation (IFTN) initiative. Among the goals in the FGDC report for IFTN are "establishing a virtual project management office to implement the governance structure and to advance the funding strategy for full implementation in fiscal year 2011."

And I was impressed by the substance in the white paper on parcel data included in the report: Cadastral Data and the U.S. Mortgage Crisis: A Case for a National Land Parcel Database. A number of studies identify the need for an indicator based on parcels. The conclusion here is basically the same as that of the 2007 National Academies report -- that immediate action be taken to put in place a national land parcel coordinator. Because establishing this position will require resources and because the job is likely be a difficult one, the report also recommends that a review be done of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) authorities to understand who could take on this work.

It's a start, and I hope it is a start that we make in the coming year. This is important work and I was very happy to see it highlighted by the FGDC in this report.

Ten Geospatial Organizations Endorse IFTN

The leadership of ten geospatial organizations have agreed to support a simple resolution in support of a national digital imagery program:

Be it resolved that the undersigned geospatial organizations support the funding and establishment of an operational program consistent with Imagery for the Nation (IFTN) within the US government with the responsibility for acquisition of high resolution digital imagery over the United States.

The leadership of these organizations met in a conference call on July 22 to discuss the resolution and voted via e-mail over the following day in order to have a position in place for the July 23 Congressional oversight hearing on Federal Geospatial Data Management.

The following organizations agreed to support the resolution:

• American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM)
• American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS)
• Association of American Geographers (AAG)
• Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CAGIS)
• Geospatial Information Technology Association (GITA)
• GIS Certification Institute (GISCI)
• International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO)
• National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC)
• University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS)
• Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA)

Imagery for the Nation (IFTN) is a NSGIC initiative to support the development of a sustainable and flexible digital imagery program that meets the needs of local, state, regional, tribal and federal agencies.

Update: Congressional Hearing on Geospatial

As noted in Learon Dalby's "Prez Column" earlier this week, there are plans for a Congressional oversight hearing on geospatial governance on July 23. With thanks to commenter jlhgis (who are you, masked commenter?), we can now point to the web page for the House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources hearing.

Here's the part to bookmark for future reference:

The hearing will be webcast live and archived on the Committee's Web site at resourcescommittee.house.gov.

It is also interesting to note that this will be a hearing on "Federal Geospatial Data Management" and it will be immediately followed by a legislative hearing on House Resolution 2489 (AmericaView Geospatial Imagery Mapping Program Act), which NSGIC will want to keep an eye on:

H.R. 2489 (Herseth Sandlin): To authorize a comprehensive national cooperative geospatial imagery mapping program through the United States Geological Survey, to promote use of the program for education, workforce training and development, and applied research, and to support Federal, State, tribal, and local government programs. "AmericaView Geospatial Imagery Mapping Program Act."

We understand that the hearing could go about two hours. Each witness will be given five minutes of testimony. There will only be three or four witnesses, to be followed by a question and answer session.

A Few Words from the NSGIC President: A Breath of Fresh Air

The following is the ninth in a series of monthly guest-posts from 2008-2009 NSGIC President Learon Dalby, of Arkansas.

NSGIC has posted a briefing document (in PDF) on three major issues -- IFTN, Title 13, and Governance -- which we have shared with a number of folks in Washington. This isn't just our document; NSGIC has worked with many others in the geospatial community to move these issues along. We are thrilled to see that movement.

Here are two things we hope for:

1. The GIS Community will unite and work together rather than working independent of one another, and
2. All this work and movement will result in action.

Here are some actions we've seen on each of these issues. This is movement. This is progress.

Imagery For The Nation (IFTN)

• The National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) has expanded coverage with additional funding.
• The FGDC Executive Committee is actively working on an implementation plan for IFTN.
• The Office of Management and Budget has expressed interest in seeing IFTN move forward.
  

Title XIII on Addresses and Coordinates

• A study by the Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget to address privacy concerns related to information sharing, including address data.
• NSGIC continues to make its views known about releasing address point locations from Title 13 restrictions.
  
• National CIO Vivek Kundra specifically spoke to the need to release addresses and coordinates in an interview in Wired Magazine.
• The National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA), in its Notice of Funding Availability for broadband mapping (PDF), has called for states to map broadband access at the address level. NSGIC has made NTIA aware of the files maintained by the Census Bureau.
  

Governance

• The Congressional Research Service has published a detailed report on geospatial governance.
• A Congressional oversight hearing on geospatial governance has been scheduled for July 23.
  

All of these may seem like minor things; taken individually, they don't tell us much. But when you take a step back and look at the big picture, it has to make you smile.

NAIP Expands to Cover More States in 2009

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that the Farm Services Agency (FSA) would allocate the full $24 million available to the 2009 National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP).

NAIP will also attract additional partnership funds from federal and state agencies increasing the expenditure to approximately $30 million. This event reflects well on the efforts of the entire geospatial community to realize Imagery For The Nation (IFTN) as a viable national program, and it signals a new level of cooperative effort between NSGIC and its corporate partners.

The expanded coverage of 32 states -- against the original plan of 15 states -- means that roughly two-thirds of the country will obtain much-needed imagery. This of course will have a very positive impact on the public, and the federal, state and local agencies that use NAIP. Many states are already seeking to procure enhanced products. Efforts are underway to increase and secure additional NAIP funds in the coming years to obtain complete coverage. NSGIC leadership will continue to play a supporting role in these efforts.

"NSGIC applauds USDA leadership for moving forward with additional funding for NAIP and the efforts of the geospatial community to make this happen" said NSGIC President Learon Dalby, of Arkansas. "Building on the recent success with NAIP, NSGIC will continue to advocate for the high resolution leaf-off portion of IFTN. The nation is just beginning to see tangible evidence that our years of work are paying off, but IFTN won’t be a reality until the entire program is funded."

A Few Words From the NSGIC President: April Showers Bring May Flowers Showers

The following is the seventh in a series of monthly guest-posts from 2008-2009 NSGIC President Learon Dalby, of Arkansas.

It's been a busy April for NSGIC, and we don't see any signs of a slow-down in May. The Board and committee leadership have been active on many fronts. Let me give you a sense of what's been going on. I know I can't do real justice to any of these, but here's what's been happening.

The NSDI White Paper
The NSDI white paper (PDF) is complete and has been approved by the NSGIC Board. This paper, based on many discussions among NSGIC membership, presents our thoughts on how best to create the National Spatial Data Infrastructure that we all seek to achieve. If I have to boil it down to one thought, it is this: The NSDI will be created as a collection of inter-related SSDIs - State Spatial Data Infrastructures.

Broadband
NSGIC leadership provided comments to the Federal Communications Commission on ways to make broadband mapping more effective as the nation works to close the digital divide. Broadband enhancement is a big and complicated job, but it will depend on accurate mapping of where the broadband infrastructure already exists. And that's something we know how to do.

The National IT Dialogue
NSGIC, as an organization, submitted two ideas to the National IT Dialogue. And many NSGIC members have been active in this on-line discussion which was set up to try to find ways to make recovery and Government Transparency web sites more useful.

We suggested ways to enhance recovery web sites with imagery; a funded Imagery for the Nation (IFTN) program would certainly make this easier.

We also offered thoughts on a nationally consistent approach to collecting geospatial location information on where recovery funds are spent. You'd think that that would be an easy thing to do. But if we want to do it right on a nation-wide basis, we all need to agree on a simple, logical approach.

ARRA Comments
We submitted comments on May 1, 2009, on OMB Section 1512 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Public Law 111-5. Again, our focus was on a consistent approach to collecting geospatial location information.

FLAIR Act Support
The NSGIC Board passed a motion supporting HR1520 (The FLAIR Act) at its April meeting. This is legislation that calls for the federal government to "improve federal land management, resource conservation, environmental protection, and use of Federal real property, by requiring the Secretary of the Interior to develop a multipurpose cadastre of Federal real property and identifying inaccurate, duplicate, and out-of-date Federal land inventories, and for other purposes."

NSGIC continues to respond to federal requests for comments as best it can. To be most effective, we need the whole of the state GIS coordination community to present a united message and to speak, at times, with many voices in unison. If we do that, we can share the load of speaking to the federal government. If we present a consistent message, we can amplify our message and be most effective.

The NSGIC leadership also needs to hear from individual states as we formulate NSGIC positions. The "State Caucus" is no longer just a part of the mid-year and annual conferences. We now have a "continual caucus" that meets on-line and by conference call. Please don't be a stranger; be a voice in our discussions and in our chorus.

Oracle Adds Its Voice to the Call for IFTN

Oracle Corporation has sent a letter of support (PDF) for the Imagery for the Nation (IFTN) to NSGIC President Learon Dalby.

In the letter, Oracle Vice President Steven Hagan writes:

...this initiative will help to maintain US leadership in geospatial technologies, while helping to better manage our resources, communities, and economy. It will contribute to a broader national spatial information infrastructure that is the foundation for our future economic development. Oracle strongly endorses the IFTN proposal and looks forward to its successful acceptance.

Mr. Dalby, in welcoming the Oracle endorsement, stressed the importance of a broad spectrum of stakeholders in national initiatives such as IFTN.

"We cannot, and should not, try to do what are very large jobs all alone," he said. "If we are to build a National Spatial Data Infrastructure that works for all levels of government and all sectors of the geospatial community, we all have to work together. Oracle represents a vital part of our industry and I am thrilled to have their support for IFTN."

Google on Geospatial Data Sharing

Dylan Lorimer, of Google's Strategic Partnerships Team, has posted some thoughts on the Google Lat Long Blog on why and how Google would like to share data from state and local governments.

In the post (Why we believe in geospatial data sharing), he points to recent blog posts from Google about their interest in sharing data, and notes the importance of working with state and local partners:

We undertake these partnerships because, by definition, organizations like local governments are the most authoritative source of geospatial data for their jurisdiction.

But, he adds, with so many state and local government agencies now providing data, it is important for Google to work with "organizations that seek to streamline access to and simplify the sharing of geospatial data." And we're pleased to see NSGIC used as an example.

Several Google folks were with us at the NSGIC Midyear in Annapolis, and we had some good discussions about issues of data sharing between the states and Google (similar to our on-going conversation with federal partners). Mr. Lorimer points to a shared support, among Google, NSGIC and federal partners, for development of the NSDI and important initiatives such as Imagery for the Nation.

From those discussions has come a set Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about sharing data with Google, which is now posted as part of the Google Map Content Partners site.

He finishes with a look ahead:

We applaud the work of GIS agency managers and policymakers who are working, at all levels of government, to ensure that the public's investment in geospatial data is shared and thereby used across agencies and governments, but also is made readily available to the public through free services like Google Maps. We look forward to collaborating with NSGIC and other organizations to advance such efforts in data sharing.

A Few Words From the NSGIC President: What We've Been Talking About

The following is the fifth in a series of monthly guest-posts from 2008-2009 NSGIC President Learon Dalby, of Arkansas.

Sorry if we missed you at the NSGIC Midyear Conference in Annapolis, Maryland last month. We spent a good deal of time on the NSGIC Advocacy Agenda (PDF). I want to take a moment to provide you a quick summary of the NSGIC Issues Briefing so I can relay a few points that I feel passionate about.

The focus of this discussion was on communications. Technology is not our challenge. It is how people communicate (or don't communicate) that is our single biggest challenge. There was a sense in these discussions that NSGIC is somehow against the idea of "Elevation for the Nation." This is an example of missed communication.

NSGIC is not against LiDAR or against elevation data. NSGIC recognizes the need to provide all of the framework data sets. That said, efforts to create nationwide imagery and parcel products have been fully vetted in the community. We have viable plans in place for these data sets -- if only we continue to work together, and follow through on those plans.

The elevation data theme has not yet gone through a similar process. It will, we have no doubt. And when it does it will be successful.

Additional money for orthos does not equate to a successful Imagery for the Nation (IFTN). We know what needs to happen for IFTN to be deemed a success:

• Full funding is appropriated for the initiative;
• That funding is sustained into the future;
• Imagery plans include high resolution and 1-meter products;
• Effective management or governance is in place;
• IFTN provides benefits to all levels of government; and
• Imagery products are in the public domain.
  

As a community, we must avoid the many traps that can doom a "for the Nation" effort before it can become a part of our tradition. These include:

• Rushing to address an issue with a single purpose;
• Failing to obtain community buy-in;
• Spending taxpayer money and investing time without purpose;
• Failing to meet the needs of the full community;
• Not doing the job right the first time, and having to do it all again at additional costs; and
• Completely losing credibility in the process.

And so we must continue working to make Imagery for the Nation and Parcels for the Nation successes while we also work to prepare other important data initiatives such as Elevation for the Nation. We have a big job to do; careful planning and a deliberate, well-guided process will help us get it done.

Cason Presented With Distinguished Service Award

NSGIC President Learon Dalby, of Arkansas, presented the 2009 NSGIC Distinguished Service Award to James E. Cason, formerly of the U.S. Department of the Interior, on Wednesday, February 25. The presentation took place at the NSGIC Technology Showcase at the Rayburn House Office Building.

Mr. Cason, who had served as Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget (PMB) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the Department, was given the award both for his work as a strong and effective champion for Imagery for the Nation (IFTN) and for his leadership as Chair of the Steering Committee for Federal Geographic Data Committee.

In this role, he quickly realized that the committee needed strong leadership and a sense of purpose which he provided. In addition, he became the “Champion” for Imagery for the Nation which is still NSGIC’s #1 advocacy issue. He created an Executive Committee to shepherd development of IFTN and gave them a mandate to complete their planning process by the end of 2008. Based on the work of the Executive Committee, Mr. Cason forwarded a stimulus request to fund the program.

Many members of NSGIC were saddened to see Mr. Cason tender his resignation, as protocol dictates, with the recent change in administration. His leadership will be missed, but will serve as an inspiration to help carry forward the work of providing dependable geospatial data for the nation.

The Distinguished Service Award is one of several awards presented by NSGIC. It is usually given "to an individual or organization that is in a leadership position, advanced the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, promoted NSGIC’s goal of efficient and effective government through prudent implementation of geospatial technologies, and is likely to continue in their current or a more challenging position." It is NSGIC’s highest service award recognition.

NSGIC Midyear: A Call to Action

NSGIC president Learon Dalby presented an issues briefing -- recast as an “opportunities briefing” -- as part of the Tuesday morning session. He issued a call to action to the whole GIS Community to take a hard look at the projects needed to achieve the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).

He noted that the geospatial community is broad and vast. NSGIC is just a part of that community. The federal agencies are just parts of that community. As are the private sector. And academia.

The GIS Community needs to find ways to come together and to speak with one voice to legislators in order to get to the results that we all desire: a sustained National Spatial Data Infrastructure.

NSGIC is in favor of all framework data sets; though we have our priorities, we do support all data sets needed, including proposed elevation data.

And NSGIC has formally supported two of the several geospatially-related stimulus proposals that were floated this winter. But we want to keep our eyes focused on the priorities in our advocacy agenda. And we want to be sure that we reach the end goal.

For example, it is not the case that any funds dedicated to Imagery for the Nation equals “success.” IFTN will be a success when:

• Full funding is appropriated to the initiative for high resolution data. That will mean sustainable and effectively managed funding.
• IFTN provides benefits to all levels of government and the data are in the public domain.

Learon noted that all things evolve. Humans have evolved. The electronic games our kids play with have evolved. The internet has evolved. And GIS coordination has to continue to evolve. He called on the GIS community – as a whole – to evolve its approach to managing national data sets; the ones we call “For the Nation.”

He proposed that the basic framework layers of the national map go through thorough “life cycle” reviews that define where we are, outline what we want and need, and design implementation to achieve that need.

Learon offered a simple thought to put the effort into perspective. It's not his own, and he admits to not recalling here he heard it, but it clearly stuck with him and struck a chord:

If you don't have time to do it right, how are you going to find the time to do it over?

The review can start with Imagery for the Nation, one of the more mature of the “For the Nation” ideas.

Through all of the work that has been done on IFTN, we have put together a well thought out process that will allow local, state and federal agencies to work together on the development of framework data where each level of government gets some benefit.

It is critical that IFTN go forward to show that this model works. By doing this, we should be able to develop support from local government and state government to advocate on behalf of the next initiatives - success breeds success.

NSGIC will need to have help from the larger community to complete this assessment. NSGIC cannot and should not do that assessment on its own. All geospatial partners -- local. federal, private sector, academic, media, retirees, etc. -- will have to play a role.

Learon said, simply: What if we put all our efforts behind one thing and were successful?

A Few Words from the NSGIC President: Let Us Set Priorities

The following is the fourth in a series of monthly guest-posts from 2008-2009 NSGIC President Learon Dalby, of Arkansas.

The NSGIC Midyear Conference will take place in just a little more than a week. I am really looking forward to this event. The agenda includes time for discussion of each of NSGIC’s advocacy agenda items. These are important initiatives that need to move forward.

Adena Schutzberg, of Directions magazine, posed this question in a recent podcast in a discussion of the national stimulus package and all the competing priorities that have been suggested:

How would you respond if President Obama came to you and said, "[insert your name here], what should we do first?"

I would answer that we should make Imagery for the Nation (IFTN) a reality.

Through all of the work that has been done on IFTN, we (the collective we) have put together a well thought-out process that will allow local, state and federal agencies to work together on the development of framework data where each level of government will get some benefit.

We think it is critical that IFTN go forward to show that this model works. By doing this, we should be able to develop support from local government and state government to advocate on behalf of the next initiatives. Success breeds success.

There are numerous local geospatial success stories across the nation. It is past time we had a success story as a geospatial community at the national level.

NSGIC Leadership in Support of "Building a National GIS" Proposal

NSGIC President Learon Dalby, writing on behalf of the NSGIC Board and leadership, has sent letters to Congressional leaders in support of the "Building a National GIS" proposal suggested by several of the larger geospatial companies in recent days.

In his letter (PDF), Mr. Dalby notes NSGIC's support for the development and maintenance of the data and systems that would make up a National Spatial Data Infrastructure. he adds:

We support full funding for this proposal to be managed by the Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary, for activities to design, field, and support the National Geospatial Information System. The Secretary of Interior should distribute those funds accordingly to the appropriate Federal agencies.

The letter was sent on January 19, 2009, to:

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)
• Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
• Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
• Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI)

A Few Words from the NSGIC President: Happy New Year!

The following is the third in a series of monthly guest-posts from 2008-2009 NSGIC President Learon Dalby, of Arkansas.

With my hearty "Happy New Year" comes an optimistic outlook. A number of things have happened while you were breaking bread with family & friends, opening gifts, and celebrating.

You have likely heard of the stimulus package currently being worked on in Washington, DC. There are many efforts underway to stress the importance of geospatial technologies and the need for data to support the projects that may be funded through this mechanism. Imagery for the Nation has been mentioned along with other issues from NSGIC’s advocacy agenda. Nothing can be assumed at this point, but it sure is nice to hear these initiatives being considered for funding.

No doubt you have numerous questions as to the how, who, what and when. We won’t have any answers until Congress deliberates and takes action. What I do know is that many of you have put forth concepts that will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government and provide benefits to the private sector. Those concepts are meant to reduce duplicative efforts and save the taxpayer a few bucks in the process. NSGIC will soon be calling on its membership to advocate for these issues and to put the next round of good ideas on the table for future action.

I look forward to seeing each of you at the Midyear conference, where I am hopeful we will be able to begin answering the how, who, what and when.

Issue Brief: Imagery for the Nation and NAIP

NSGIC has published an issue brief (PDF) on the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) as a component of Imagery for the Nation (IFTN). The brief, one of a series of issue briefs focused on the organization's 2008 - 2009 Advocacy Agenda (PDF), presents an overview of imagery and why it is important, sets a vision for the future, and suggests actions to achieve that vision.

The issue brief notes that orthorectified imagery, from aerial photography and from satellite imagery, provides a basis for most GIS applications and explains that uncoordinated imagery acquisition is increasing the cost to the public for this imagery.

By establishing basic standards and using large area contracts, the quality of imagery for all applications can be significantly improved while its cost is considerably lowered. Establishing an effective national program will resolve these issues and result in a program that works for all levels of government and provides benefits to the public and private sector.

The vision for the future includes "a sustainable and flexible digital imagery program that meets the needs of local, state, regional, tribal and federal agencies and is in the public domain."

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

• Establish the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) as a “line item” in the budget,
• Direct USDA to spend all NAIP funds on the acquisition of imagery and reasonable costs to administer the program, and
• Provide approximately $42 million per year for a fully functional program.
  

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, the NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP) Grants, and improved Technology for the 21st Century.

FGDC Publishes 2008 Annual Report

The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) has published its 2008 Annual Report. The document is available as both a web page and a PDF document.

The Annual Report includes highlights of 2008 and goals for 2009.

The highlights for the last year include:

• The Geospatial Line of Business,
• Formation of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee,
• The third year of the 50 States Initiative,
  
• Growth in the Geospatial OneStop,
  
• Progress on Imagery for the Nation, and
  
• Several success stories.

Goals for 2009 include continuing to work in these areas and:

• Developing a national strategy for geospatial information,
• Improving national land parcel data, and
  
• Support for homeland security and emergency management.

Among several appendices are an update on the status of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure Framework Themes.

NSGIC Mid-Year Reports: Imagery for the Nation Update

There was a panel of NSGIC, USDA, USGS, NGS, and EPA that gave an update of the status of the Imagery for the Nation (IFTN) project.

The National Digital Orthophoto Program, NDOP, met and selected an preferred approach to IFTN. NDOP has established subcommittees to look into Technical Specifications, Acquisition Management, and Program Management. The committees are meant to have draft reports back to NDOP this year.

Meanwhile, the FGDC Steering Committee is looking into the preferred alternative. The FGDC was also asked to establish an executive committee to review funding ideas for IFTN and for other NSDI initiatives.

NSGIC has been advocating for IFTN for the last year. Several members worked to try to get more funding for the National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) into the Farm Bill. That was considered, but the effort failed for a few reasons, many of them not related to IFTN. It was a good effort to get IFTN at least raised in legislative discussions.

NSGIC is working now with MAPPS to try to resolve several issues and to work together on IFTN advocacy.

NSGIC continues to collect support and advocacy from states and other groups. There is new advocacy information available on the NSGIC web site. The IFTN web page has been update in general.

The Farm Services Administration depends on imagery for its services to farmers. NAIP provides a regular, natural color update. There are funding challenges. Trying to get to each county at least once each 5 years.

Funding grew for each year up through 2006. The funding for 2007 was very low. Funding for 2008 will grow slightly.

USGS is working to integrate orthoimagery, elevation and graphics programs. USGS is leveraging funds through partnerships with NGA and with states and local governments. They have a focus on the 133 urban areas as a priority.

USGS provides contracting help, QA/QC, and a seamless data server to provide access to the data.

They take a similar approach -- partnerships -- to collect elevation data. USGS is working towards a 1/3-arc second national elevation dataset (NED) dataset, nationally.

NOAA is collecting some imagery in coastal areas in support of their coastal mapping and benthic programs.

EPA also makes use of imagery in its Earth Observing Systems, which combine different data and imagery streams.

Update (3/18/08): Presentation materials from this session are now available on-line.

NSGIC Mid-Year Reports: NSGIC Goals and the NSDI

NSGIC President Cy Smith (Oregon) gave an overview of the NSGIC effort to create a new strategic framework for the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).

He reported that lots of progress has been made, but there is plenty that is left to be done.

NSGIC was formed about when NSDI discussions started and the group has taken part in many of the initiatives focused on the NSDI.

Mr. Smith said that a unified vision is required to achieve the NSDI. NSGIC plans to release a discussion draft of a strategic framework for the NSDI shortly after the NSGIC mid-year to outline a variety of approaches and initiatives to build the NSDI.

The 50 States Initiative, for example, includes strategic plan templates, guidance and common marketing tools.

Another approach has been the "Ramona" GIS Inventory to help manage GIS data resources.

Imagery for the Nation is a national aerial imagery program to collect imagery for all levels of Government across the nation. It was envisioned as the first in a series of national data development efforts designed to fill-out the NSDI. There are also transportation, addressing and other "For the Nations."

Mr. Smith encouraged NSGIC to focus on one initiative at a time, planning new ones while delivering older ones. The idea is to build a record of success.

It was suggested that the NSDI should be built from individual State SDI's. SSDIs have to be agreed upon and built at the state and local levels to build up to a national level. This will require a sustainable funding model. Most now use a "pay as you go" approach, which reduces long-term savings. The NSDI will need a strong shared vision to support long-term investment.

Data Stewardship is needed to ensure that we have proper on-going data management. A data stewardship model needs to include lifespan planning, metadata, and adequate funding.

There was a general discussion of what is needed to accelerate the implementation of the NSDI. The discussion included the need for more information and outreach, especially to mainstream IT agencies.

There was lots of discussion about working with and through NASCIO and other groups. There was an overview of COGO, the Coalition of Geospatial Organizations, which is just getting ramped up and has a wide variety of members.

Jill Saligoe-Simmel (Indiana) suggested that there are "Three Ls" that we need to keep in mind:

• Local data is best and needs to be the ultimate source.
• Licensing (copyright and data agreements) can interfere with overall goals.
• Leverage is needed to maintain a balance of equity and fairness among all levels of government.

There was discussion about different industry and interest groups to get involved in and ways to share the message from NSGIC about the NSDI.

There was also a discussion about making our reports and terminology work well for, and be understandable by other professional organizations.

Update (3/18/08): Presentation materials from this session are now available on-line.

A Podcast on NSGIC's National Initiatives

Directions Magazine has released a 20-minute podcast interview of TeleAtlas' John Auble on the subject of national-scale data initiatives such as Imagery for the Nation and Transportation for the Nation.

The podcast serves as something of a catch-up on the NSGIC 2007 Annual Conference, which Directions writers were not able to cover in person.

Auble, a member of the NSGIC Corporate Leadership Council, gave an overview, from his perspective, of the advances made in the last several years towards the goals of the 50 state initiative and more robust local/state/federal/private-sector partnerships.

Another (the Official) Update on Imagery for the Nation

The first of a planned series of Imagery for the Nation (IFTN) updates has been posted to the NSGIC web site.

Imagery for the Nation is a cooperative effort to make real a vision of "a sustainable and flexible digital imagery program that meets the needs of local, state, regional, tribal and federal agencies."

Update #1 (PDF) looks at several on-going activities related to the effort:

• Work now under way on a Cost Benefit Analysis study.
• Thoughts on the idea from the Western Governors Association.
• Recent discussions on potential funding options.
• Next steps and "what can I do to help?"

One answer to that last question is very simple:

You can assist the implementation of IFTN by showing your support for this initiative. Please have your organization send a letter of support to NSGIC for posting on its web page. You can simply use the format from one of the letters on the site, or create your own format. What’s important is your show of support.

Stay connected to the NSGIC blog and to the IFTN web site for further updates.

An Update on Imagery for The Nation

Ted Koch, NSGIC's lead on the Imagery for the Nation (IFTN) project, has posted an update on the project on the Wisconsin Mapping Bulletin.

He reports that the National Digital Orthophoto Programs Committee (NDOP) which has been focused on IFTN lately, met in May and continued their work to flesh-out what IFTN will mean:

The NDOP committee will be developing over the next six months a much greater level of detail on technical specifications, and program and management issues. Work on these issues will involve federal, state and local government participation.

He also reports on work on a Cost Benefit Analysis of IFTN funded by the USGS and the USDA

The CBA will compare costs over a 10-year period of the way orthoimagery is currently collected and achieved vs. the potential methods that could be possible under the IFTN proposal. The study will also look at overall risks and benefits to the proposed program.

He notes that the analysis is expected to be published this summer.