Draft Agenda Posted for National Geospatial Advisory Committee Meeting

The FGDC web site has a draft agenda up for the initial meeting of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC). The meeting is set for April 15 and 16, at the American Institute of Architects Building, on New York Avenue in Washington, DC.

The NGAC is a Federal Advisory Committee set up to "review and comment upon geospatial policy and management issues and will provide a forum to convey views representative of non-federal stakeholders in the geospatial community." It includes members from the private sector, nonprofits, and Academia.

The agenda includes a variety of introductory remarks, briefings on federal geospatial data activities, planning for future study and discussions, and public comment.

The meeting is also announced (PDF) in the March 31 issue of the Federal Register.

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.

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.

The Roster for the NGAC Has Been Officially Released

A number of NSGIC members, and many NSGIC Friends, are among 28 individuals named today to serve on the new National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC). The NGAC membership was announced (PDF) by Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today.

Fourteen members represent the private sector, nonprofits, or Academia:

• Sean Ahearn, Hunter College, City University of New York;
• Allen Carroll, National Geographic Society;
• David Cowen, University of South Carolina;
• Jack Dangermond, Environmental Systems Research Institute;
• Kass Green, The Alta Vista Company;
• David Maune, Dewberry;
• Anne Hale Miglarese, Fugro EarthData, Inc.;
• Charles Mondello, Pictometry International;
• Kim Nelson, Microsoft Corporation;
• Matthew O’Connell, GeoEye;
• John Palatiello; Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors;
• G. Michael Ritchie, Photo Science;
• David Schell, Open Geospatial Consortium; and
• Christopher Tucker, IONIC Enterprise

Another 14 members represent government agencies:

• Rizwan Ahmed, State of Louisiana;
• Timothy M. Bennett, NativeView;
• Michael Byrne, State of California;
• Donald Dittmar, Waukesha County, WI;
• Dennis Goreham, State of Utah;
• Randall L. Johnson, Metropolitan Council, St. Paul, MN;
• Randy Johnson, Hennepin County, MN;
• Jerry Johnston, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;
• Barney Krucoff, District of Columbia;
• Timothy Loewenstein, Buffalo County, NE;
• Zsolt Nagy, State of North Carolina;
• Jay Parrish; State of Pennsylvania;
• Gene Schiller, Southwest Florida Water Management District; and
• Steven Wallach, U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

According to Secretary Kempthorne, the committee "will help provide advice and perspectives from a broad range of our partner organizations as we continue to develop new ways to utilize geospatial information for the benefit of the public."

The NGAC is an advisory committee, formed under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, and is charged with "providing recommendations on effective management of Federal geospatial programs." In particular, development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).

NSGIC took a closer look at the NGAC in the Summer/Fall 2007 issue of NSGIC News (PDF).

Study Recommends USGS Research Priorities

The National Academies Press has published a study that makes recommendations to the USGS for future research by the USGS Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS).

The study, A Research Agenda for Geographic Information Science at the United States Geological Survey, is by the Mapping Science Committee of the National Research Council.

The study makes 12 recommendations:

1. CEGIS should initially focus on research that will improve the capabilities of The National Map.
2. The three priority research areas for CEGIS should be (1) information access and dissemination, (2) integration of data from multiple sources, and (3) data models and knowledge organization systems.
3. The two priority research topics within the area of information access and dissemination should be to reinvent topographic maps in an electronic environment and to investigate user-centered design for The National Map web services.
4. The two priority research topics for CEGIS within the area of data integration should be generalization and fusion.
5. The two priority research topics in the area of data models and knowledge organization systems should be developing geographic feature ontologies and building the associated feature data models and gazetteers.
   
6. CEGIS should initially comprise six to eight Ph.D.-level scientists working in teams of at least two on the high-priority topics identified in Recommendations 3 to 5. Each team would comprise a mix of USGS scientists and visiting scientists and/or postdoctoral fellow(s) as appropriate to the topic. Their location should not be constrained to USGS facilities if the most efficient progress could be made in another setting (e.g., an academic center of excellence).
7. CEGIS should establish and/or support one to two centers of excellence in GIScience at universities with relevant GIScience focus and capabilities that address its longer-term research challenges.
   
8. CEGIS should supplement the work of its core research teams with Broad Area Announcements, Cooperative Research and Development Act agreements, and targeted contracts on high-priority research topics.
   
9. To reestablish USGS’s leadership role in GIScience, maximize efficiency, and share in the cost of addressing common challenges, CEGIS should forge connections with other federal agencies, professional societies, and private-sector firms that conduct, support, and/or promote GIScience research.
10. Because of USGS’s core role in integrating data from local sources for The National Map, CEGIS should establish collaborative activities with state and local agencies that have progressive activities in GIScience.
11. CEGIS should use specialist meetings, perhaps in conjunction with the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science winter meeting or summer assembly, to advance its state of knowledge and plans for addressing emerging research challenges.
12. To provide broad-based input, review, and critique of CEGIS plans, activities, and progress and to institutionalize CEGIS’s connection to the USGS disciplines, the National Geospatial Program Office should establish an advisory board for CEGIS that includes members from each of the USGS disciplines as well as non-USGS GIScience experts.
    

The study is available for sale on the National Academies Press website. An Executive Summary (PDF) is available for free download.

NSGIC Presents 2007 Outstanding Service Awards

Six leaders in the geospatial community were awarded NSGIC Outstanding Service Awards (PDF) for 2007 at the annual NSGIC conference in Madison, Wisconsin, in September. NSGIC also debuted a new and special award at the Madison conference.

NSGIC Past President Stu Davis (Ohio) gave awards to:

• David Brotzman (Vermont)
• Will Craig (Minnesota)
• Kenny Miller (Maryland)
• Miki Schmidt (NOAA)
• Anne Hale Miglarese (Fugro EarthData)
• Fred Stringfellow (NSGIC)

The Outstanding Service Award recognizes long-term service to NSGIC and is presented to those who have advanced the National Spatial Data Infrastructure and promoted NSGIC’s goal of efficient and effective government through prudent implementation of geospatial technologies. It is one of NSGIC’s highest service awards.

The first instance of a new award, the Dedicated Service Award, was presented to the family of the late Carol Brandt (U.S. Department of Transportation), in recognition of her devoted lifetime of service.

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.

A Workshop on Improving Geospatial Transportation Data

The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies has announced a workshop in December to "examine the potential benefits and costs for the transportation community from improvements to the national geospatial information infrastructure for transportation. "

According to the Workshop Invitation (PDF), there are five objectives of the one-day workshop:

1. Investigate the likely applications, benefits, and costs of an improved multimodal surface national transportation geospatial information system for the transportation community;
2. Identify likely users, beneficiaries, and funding sources;
3. Discuss key data elements for the various transportation modes that could be included;
4. Suggest potential roles, mechanisms for sharing data, and approaches to integrate required data from multiple sources; and
5. Explore institutional arrangements that could facilitate such an initiative.

Among the speakers identified in the preliminary agenda included in the workshop invitation is NSGIC President Stu Davis.

The workshop is set for December 14, at the The National Academies Keck Center, in Washington, D.C. The workshop is not free. Costs and hotel information are also detailed in the workshop invitation.

GIS in the Oval Office?

The Associated Press is reporting that Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani has said that, if elected, he would use a version of the CompStat program that he used as Mayor of New York in addressing issues as president.

"What I'm going to do when I become president is I'm going to use that program to secure our borders," he said during a speech at the Police Officers Association of Michigan's annual convention. "If we did the same thing with our borders that we did with crime in New York City, we could stop people from coming into this country illegally by having a 'BorderStat' program." (via the Chicago Tribune)

Setting aside the political and policy questions (not grist for this particular mill), I note that CompStat is built on a GIS platform, using the geospatial element to organize, analyze, and present crime information.

I doubt that this would really be the first use of GIS in an Oval Office, but this story does suggest to me that the next president might be the first to consciously use GIS as an every day information tool.

That reinforces the need to build an accurate National Spatial Data infrastructure and suggests a need for an interNational Spatial Data infrastructure.