Weaving a National Map A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey Concept of 'The National Map' (2003) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
2 The Need for a National Map
2 The Need for a National Map
Pages 19-34
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 19... ...
is needed to meet federal mapping requirements, to reduce unnecessary redundancy in federal mapping efforts, to continue to serve the needs of paper-map users, and to ensure standards for digital and paper maps. From the committee's perspective there is a positive and significant benefit to the nation from coordinated, timely, and accurate topographic mapping.
|
From page 20... ...
In particular the committee distinguished between Unctions of unified coverage at a common scale, where the main contribution is to remove the arbitrary limitations of local districts through common specifications and extent versus the desire at all times to have the most accurate and upto-date information, regardless of common standards or scale. What do participants in the planning process for The National Map imagine it to be?
|
From page 21... ...
When these verification checks are completed, the new streets are inserted into the "online" version of the enhanced National Atlas, accessible immediately through Geospatial OneStop, the Geography Network, and other distribution services, each of which determines whether it is time to update their distributed versions of the national road map layer. The National Atlas layers are backward integrated into the larger National Map that includes access to some proprietary data sources.
|
From page 22... ...
The private sector has developed a robust market for location-based services and is providing a wide range of spatial data services to local governments, therefore companies are amenable to more /liberal licensing agreements. Local governments recognize that the benefits offreely distributing their data outweigh the minimal revenue they earn.
|
From page 23... ...
Given the critical earlier role of U.S. federal data in the spatial data community and in establishing world leadership in this nascent industry, the committee believes this federal role is also one of creating and maintaining a map of the nation for the public domain.
|
From page 24... ...
Prior national mapping efforts have created essentially stand-alone maps at specific scales, such as 1 :100,000 and 1:24,000, whose update and production are independent operations. Although this was necessarily true in a paper map era, far more is
|
From page 25... ...
For example, given a dual need for map revision and digital orthophotographic map production at the federal level, and the desire for a high-precision spatial database for facilities planning, local taxation, or even individual projects at the local level, the committee believes that the best way to conduct this mapping is by joint funding and shared commitments to acquisition support, map data processing, and data production. The committee believes that local strengths are in site-specific knowledge, transactional updates, programmatic requirements, and in utility; federal strengths are in coordination, support, development and application of standards, and data archiving and distribution.
|
From page 26... ...
The blanket approach to national mapping has in the past been exclusively a top-down operation. As the USGS has built state and local cooperative arrangements as parts of cost sharing and cooperative research agreements, the blanket-only model has become increasingly strained.
|
From page 27... ...
Acceptance of data into Me National Map itself could have value. Similar to a "National Historical Landmark" designation, contributors would have their data certified as being from a "National Map partner." Such designation could have implications for future data sharing, future cost sharing, and ongoing relationships associated with NSDI activities, and is more comprehensive and realistic than simply complying with fixed National Map Accuracy Standards.
|
From page 28... ...
28 WEA DING A NATIONAL MAP correct place in the next county. If the USGS took responsibility for this kind of integration, both counties would benefit by participating in the project because each would get back a map showing their roads in the same position, thus connecting with each other.
|
From page 31... ...
Lake Tahoe, · Integration of federal and local data; California-Nevada · Use of volunteer groups for updating datasets; Area · Collaboration with California on statewide vision for Framework data development and distribution. Mecklenburg · Demonstration of current capabilities to provide County, North access to, combine, view, and download a wide range Carolina of data themes from distributed data holdings at the national, state, and county levels; · Addressing such homeland security issues as continual service through mirror and backup data sites, and reprojecting data "on the fly."
|
From page 32... ...
Orthoimagery with frequent updates at county level to demonstrate data currency, archival, and maintenance functions of The National Map; Hydrography data coordinated with local sources; · Land-cover data coordinated with state and local agencies. Expansion of USGS relationship with StratMap (Texas Natural Resources Information System database)
|
From page 33... ...
At the same time, the patchwork quilt would contain public domain data and pointers to locally held proprietary data where such restrictions are necessary. Proprietary data could take the forms of (~)
|
From page 34... ...
The future of mapping in the United States depends on forging partnerships among all levels of government and the private sector.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.