National Spatial Data Infrastructure Partnership Programs: Rethinking the Focus (2001)

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REVIEW OF NSDI PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS 26 detrimental to the goal of partnership development. After reviewing the call for proposals for the 2001 program, the committee notes that the maximum grant limit—$6,000 for metadata implementation assistance and $30,000 for trainer assistance—may restrict the likelihood of success, whereas the maximum limit of $75,000 for the single US-Canadian Framework project is a more appropriate funding level. The committee also noted that the 30 percent of the funding allocation for 2001 is reserved for federal agency grants. The committee considers that the strength of the NSDI partnership program lies in the development of partnerships between federal agencies and other levels of government, industry, and academic communities, and views the reservation of such a substantial proportion of available funds as detrimental to the leveraging concept and unlikely to have the catalyzing effect that the committee originally promoted. In the committee’s view, one of the significant benefits of the FGDC partnership programs lies in the effort that must be made during the proposal preparation stage. Several participants have commented that the “carrots” the FGDC offers have fostered interagency cooperation, which has resulted in successful long-term collaborations independent of the outcome of the award competition. Consequently, a high success rate may actually reduce one of the incentives for collaborative efforts. COMMUNITY DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS Community Demonstration Projects represent an FGDC effort to promote another level of partnership. By using $645,000 provided by the National Performance Review Fund, FGDC was able to fund six projects from 1998 to 2000 that demonstrate the importance of geospatial data in community-wide planning. At its September 1999 meeting, the MSC heard presentations on the program as a whole, and on projects carried out in Dane County, Wisconsin; the Tijuana River Watershed; Gallatin County, Montana; and the Baltimore City Police Department. Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) is a partner with FGDC in these activities, providing the projects with in-kind software support and expertise. Each of the projects is exploring an innovative form of community-federal partnership with a major geospatial data component. 

REVIEW OF NSDI PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS 27 A common objective for each of the projects is to promote the broad-based participation of stakeholders in planning and decision making by enabling geospatial information to be easier to create, share, and use. The underlying premise is that geographic information technology can change the traditional way that local decisions are made. The goal is to better inform citizens, to get them involved in the planning process, and to enable them to explore alternative scenarios. Each of the projects makes use of GIS technology, as well as a wide range of alternatives such as the Internet, cable TV, displays at public meetings, and collaborative software to help disseminate information. The following bullets summarize the key points made to the committee on each of the four projects presented: • Dane County, Wisconsin. This county has a long history of innovative uses of geospatial data and technologies, particularly in agriculture and land-use planning. The project aims to address inequities in the accessibility of geospatial information through a series of workshops for professionals and the general public. Among many benefits of the process to its stakeholders, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will gain a better understanding of community needs for soils data. Available at: http://www.lic.wisc.edu/shapingdane. • Tijuana River Watershed. This watershed straddles the United States- Mexico border and feeds an estuary that is part of NOAA’s estuarine research program, the National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) Program. Geospatial information provides the common language among five overlapping projects within the NERR, with an improved assessment of flood vulnerability as a major goal. Available at: http:// typhoon.sdsu.edu/tjwater. • Gallatin County, Montana. This project aims to engage the community in evaluating options for growth in the county, which is being impacted by urban sprawl. The county contains part of the Greater Yellowstone area, with its high environmental sensitivity. This project is exploring and evaluating ways of presenting geographic information and planning options through community meetings, the media, and other mechanisms. Available at: http://co.gallatin.mt.us/planning/ index.htm. 

REVIEW OF NSDI PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS 28 • Baltimore City Police Department. Conducted in partnership with the Department of Justice, this project is exploring ways to use maps and other products of geospatial information technologies to reduce crime, and the fear of crime, in Baltimore neighborhoods. Available at: http:// usdoj.gov/criminal/gis/rcagishome.htm. Two additional projects were completed under the Community Demonstration Program: • Tillamook County, Oregon. This flood mitigation and restoration project integrated several datasets to assess the risk of flooding. Available at: http://gisweb.co.tillamook.or.us. • Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed. This flood mitigation and environmental management project utilized web-based approaches to share maps with the community. Available: http://www.fgdc.gov/ nsdi/docs/cdp/ppt/UpperSusquehanna_files/frame.htm. Although each of these projects revolves around geographic information technology and geospatial data, their objectives and the objectives of their sponsors go well beyond the immediate aims of the NSDI, especially in the realm of data integration. Although the federal investment is small, it is being spent in just a few local areas, and thus can be expected to have a more significant local impact than the same amount of investment directed at an entire state. The committee believes that these projects represent a valuable investment in a few well-designed experiments. The four projects represent a cross section of geographic areas and public policy issues. They are being conducted by experienced teams and show great promise in evaluating how well some of the technological advancements that have progressed and whether they are useful in promoting a broader base of citizen participation. The projects also offer a good opportunity to determine whether the geospatial data are appropriate for the level and type of policy decisions being explored. The FGDC’s final report noted that funding precipitated the formation and maintenance of partnerships that would otherwise probably not have developed (FGDC, 2001). The FGDC document, Overview of the Lessons Learned from the NSDI Community Demonstration Projects (Executive Summary), emphasizes the importance of vision, capacity,