the MSC has addressed in several of its reports. For example, it also advocates the development of an extended framework.

The OMB initiative established a model for Implementation Teams (I-Teams). These teams develop comprehensive plans, conduct needs assessments, and formulate implementation strategies. Although this approach was only publicized in the summer of 2000, within a year I-Teams had been established for Arizona, Arkansas, Nebraska, Delaware, Kentucky, Wayne County Michigan, New Jersey, New Jersey and New York Metro Region, New York City, Texas, Utah, North Carolina. Montana, and Oregon. Some of these initiatives are already quite extensive. For example, the Utah Framework Implementation Plan is a comprehensive assessment of statewide needs and a blueprint for creating the NSDI within the state. It is very clear that the OMB initiative is providing a valuable umbrella for coordination. According to the Utah plan, “The OMB Information Initiative to align the needs and resources to continue to develop the National Spatial Data Infrastructure provides public and private agencies in Utah an opportunity to focus on mutually beneficial partnerships. The results of these efforts will help to provide integrated information for analysis of issues and decision-making at federal, state, local, and Tribal levels of government. Further it will provide a common frame of reference for communicating information and concepts of complex issues to citizens….”

The OMB initiative also called for the establishment of a ‘financing solutions team’ that would examine ways to reconcile the need for long term capital financing and the reliance on short-term annual funding mechanisms. As a consequence of this suggestion, the FGDC sponsored a report, Financing the NSDI: National Spatial Data Infrastructure—Aligning Federal and Non-Federal Investments in Spatial Data, Decision Support and Information Resources. Revision 2.0 of this report is now available for public comment.