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

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NSDI AND PARTNERSHIPS 9 COORDINATION AND LEADERSHIP The FGDC was formed in 1990 through the revision of Circular A-16 of the Office of Management and Budget to “…promote the coordinated development, use, sharing, and dissemination of surveying, mapping, and related spatial data” (OMB, 1990; p. 5). The major objective of Circular A-16 was to encourage agencies to avoid duplication of data acquisition efforts. Better data management should minimize the total costs in mapping and spatial data activities, while maximizing the availability of data to large numbers of users. In 1994, Executive Order 12906 directed the FGDC, within the context of the NSDI, to foster coordination among federal agencies, to assist in the development and promulgation of standards, to assist in the identification of requirements for and approaches to producing data, to help develop better means to find and access data, to promote education and training activities, and to facilitate and foster partnerships and alliances within and among various sectors to accomplish all of these activities (Federal Register, April 13, 1994; p. 17671–17674). At the time of the 1994 Executive Order, the NSDI was still an unfamiliar concept to many in the geospatial data community. The appropriate roles of all levels of government and the various private sector companies were poorly defined, and the steps needed to redefine traditional roles in the NSDI era were not clear. The infrastructure often appeared chaotic with no coherent direction. Organizations were confronted by myriad problems, confusing policies, and even disincentives to coordinate their activities. In addition, many of the essential components necessary for the NSDI to flourish were in their infancy. Soon after the Executive Order, the FGDC made significant advances by effectively communicating the NSDI challenge through newsletters, magazines, and professional journals, and through the organization of national forums. Although geographic information councils had already been formed in many states, the FGDC encouraged their formation in all states, gave its support to the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC), and gave that organization a role in FGDC’s deliberations. This increased awareness of the NSDI in the geospatial data community and the need for broad-scale coordination to meet NSDI objectives. 

NSDI AND PARTNERSHIPS 10 A report by the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA, 1998) drew attention to the need for a statutory basis for the NSDI in order to continue the advances achieved by the FGDC. It recommended the restructuring and consolidation of basic geographic information functions into a new Geographic Data Service, and the creation of a new private, non-profit organization, the National Spatial Data Council, to complement the federal functions of the Federal Geographic Data Committee (Box 2). To date, no formal actions have been taken to implement the NAPA proposals. BOX 2 STATEMENT BY THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION The panel believes that legislation is needed (to sustain the NSDI), but the case for any measure beyond the current executive order still needs to be made. Such a statute, at minimum, should include: • a list of congressional findings about GI [geographic information]; • a statement of national goals and a definition for NSDI; a charter for the National Spatial Data Council (see below); • orders for the consolidation of federal base GI functions; • modifications to existing law to facilitate GI partnerships, cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs), and private- sector procurements; • amendments or rescissions of current law to modernize and conform existing program authorizations to the NSDI concept. Recommendation: • Draft a new statute in cooperation with state and local governments and other organizations to create an NSDI, establish a National Spatial Data Council, and better define federal agency roles and responsibilities for NSDI so as to meet the participating organizations’ programmatic needs. SOURCE: NAPA, 1998; Page xiii.