News

January 9, 2017

The Department of the Interior has appointed 14 individuals to serve as members of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC), which provides advice and recommendations on federal geospatial policy and management issues and the development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). The NSDI promotes sharing of geospatial data across all levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors, and the academic community.

The Department has also reappointed the Chair and Vice-Chair of the NGAC. Julie Sweetkind-Singer, the NGAC Chair, is the Assistant Director of Geospatial and Cartographic Services; and Head Librarian of the Branner Earth Sciences Library & Map Collections at Stanford University.  Keith Masback, the NGAC Vice-Chair, serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation.

The NGAC includes up to 30 members, selected to achieve a balanced representation of the varied interests associated with geospatial programs and technology. NGAC members are appointed to serve staggered terms on the committee. The 2017 appointees to three-year terms on the NGAC are:

• Mr. Gar Clarke, State of New Mexico
• Mr. Garet Couch, National Tribal Geographic Information Support Center
• Ms. Patricia Cummens, ESRI (reappointed to a second term)
• Mr. Stuart Davis, State of Ohio
• Ms. Roberta Lenczowski, Roberta E. Lenczowski Consulting
• Mr. Keith Masback, U. S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (reappointed to a second term)
• Mr. Kevin Pomfret, Centre for Spatial Law and Policy (reappointed to a second term)
• Major General William N. Reddel III, New Hampshire National Guard (reappointed to a second term)
• Ms. Rebecca Somers, Somers-St. Claire GIS Management Consultants
• Mr. Cy Smith, State of Oregon
• Ms. Jennie Stapp, State of Montana
• Ms. Julie Sweetkind-Singer, Stanford University (reappointed to a second term)
• Dr. Harvey Thorleifson, State of Minnesota (reappointed to a second term)
• Mr. Jason Warzinik, Boone County, Missouri (reappointed to a second term)

The NGAC meets three to four times per year. The public is invited to comment and make suggestions at all committee meetings, which will be announced by publication in the Federal Register at least 15 days before the meeting date. The U.S. Geological Survey, a bureau of the Department of the Interior, provides support services for the NGAC. The NGAC functions solely as an advisory body.

The NGAC was created under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, enacted by Congress in 1972 to ensure that advice rendered to the executive branch by advisory committees, task forces, boards, and commissions formed by Congress and the President, be both objective and accessible to the public. The Act formalized a process for establishing, operating, overseeing, and terminating these advisory bodies.

Additional information about the NGAC, including a complete list of the 28 committee members, is available at www.fgdc.gov/ngac.

Related Items

• FGDC Announcement - Department of the Interior Appoints 14 Members to National Geospatial Advisory Committee (pdf)

Approved by the FGDC and endorsed by the NGAC in December 2016, the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Strategic Framework document provides a high-level plan for the continuing development and expansion of the NSDI. This high-level NSDI Strategic Framework has been developed through an analysis of the 2014-2016 NSDI Strategic Plan and the incorporation of input and requirements from non-federal partners and constituents, including the National Geospatial Advisory Committee and the organizations represented by its members. 

The FGDC community has made notable progress over the past three years in driving activities to advance the NSDI. However, significant work remains to achieve the vision of the NSDI. In order to continue this progress, this Strategic Framework identifies three major goals for the Federal community to address and three strategies to work on collaboratively with the broader geospatial community of practice.  The FGDC community will engage with the new administration in 2017 to refine this Framework and collaboratively develop implementation approaches to address the goals and strategies included in this document.

NSDI Strategic Framework Document (pdf) - Approved by the FGDC December 2016

The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) is seeking feedback on the draft strategic framework for the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).  This draft framework has been developed with inputs from multiple sources. These inputs have included forums for leaders of key geospatial organizations, workshops for Federal leaders, sessions at geospatial professional conferences, and public meetings of the FGDC Coordination Group, the FGDC Steering Committee, and the National Geospatial Advisory Committee. The ideas and suggestions we have received from partners have been instrumental in shaping this document.  Following the feedback opportunity, a revised version of the framework will be prepared for final review by the FGDC Steering Committee.  Following completion of the high-level strategic framework, the FGDC will develop a final strategic plan and implementation approach in 2017. 

• Draft NSDI Strategic Framework – Review Version (Version 1, 11/10/2016)
• NSDI Strategic Framework Feedback Form (Please use this form to provide feedback.  Responses can be submitted to nsdicomments@fgdc.gov by November 23, 2016)

DATES:  Feedback can be submitted  to nsdicomments@fgdc.gov by Wednesday, November 23, 2016.  

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  John Mahoney, U.S. Geological Survey (206-220-4621).

The Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology (FCSM) Geospatial Interest Group (GIG) is proud to sponsor a one-day workshop focusing on spatial analysis tools.  Come join us for a day of interactive demonstrations featuring exciting geospatial web applications developed by federal agencies. You will learn about each tool and have time to test it out.   Experts will also highlight their geospatial apps, tools, data and products in a series of lightning talks followed by an open session where you can meet each of the experts and have in depth discussions.  In person and remote participation is available.  

Learn more.

Contents

• Doug D. Nebert, NSDI Champion of the Year Awarded
• FGDC Announces New Address Theme
• National Geospatial Advisory Council (NGAC) – September Public Meeting
• Geospatial Platform Workshop to be held December 6 – 7, 2016

Read the full FGDC News Digest - October 2016 (pdf)

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently completed a National Address Database pilot project.   Pilot activities included identifying a minimum data content guideline and examining approaches to assist counties that haven’t previously had electronic address data. This activity supports the new National Geospatial Data Asset (NGDA) Address Theme.

Read the National Address Database Pilot Project Findings Report (pdf, 3.2mb)

The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) has announced the establishment of New National Geospatial Data Asset (NGDA) Address Theme. The FGDC Steering Committee, in concurrence with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), approved the creation of a NGDA Address Theme on August 8, 2016.  The addition of the new theme represents an official change to the list of NGDA Data Themes established as part of previous updates to OMB Circular A-16, Appendix E.

The Lead Agencies of the newly created Address Theme are the Department of Transportation and the Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau.  The new Address Theme will be supported by a subcommittee and will support the ongoing work to develop a National Address Database.

The NGDA Theme list and associated documents and web pages are being updated to reflect this change. The current list of NGDA Themes is available from the FGDC website at: http://www.fgdc.gov/policyandplanning/a-16/index_html

July 7, 2016

It is my great pleasure to announce the recipient of the 2016 Doug D. Nebert NSDI Champion of the Year Award. It goes to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center (ORNL DAAC) MODIS team. They are recognized for their "innovation, persistence, and creativity in the development of the MODIS tools. While similar tools now exist in the data community, the ORNL DAAC MODIS tools were some of the earliest pioneers of such systems and have established a new paradigm in remote sensing based Spatial Data Infrastructure." MODIS tools provide summaries of selected MODIS Land Products in an easy to use file format through an intuitive user interface. The ORNL DAAC MODIS system provides MODIS land products data (2000-present and for the global land area) in a nonproprietary comma delimited text file format and in GIS compatible GeoTIFF file format. Web-based visualization tools and a multitude of data delivery options are available to meet the demands of a large variety of user communities in research areas including climatology, meteorology, hydrology, vegetation productivity and condition, land cover mapping, and disturbance monitoring.

ORNL DAAC MODIS Team members who have contributed over the years (in alphabetical order):

• Tammy Beaty (User Services, 2002-present)
• Robert Cook (Retired, Chief Scientist, 2001-2016)
• Pete Eby (System Administrators, 2009-2015)
• Susan Holladay (Website and Subset List, 2002-2007)
• Deborah Higdon (Student Intern, Summer, 2012-2014)
• Jim Kidder (Librarian, 2007-present)
• Steve Margle (Retired, Lead Developer, 2002-2007)
• Ben McMurry (Database Specialist, 2006-present)
• Jack McNelis (Student Intern, 2015-present)
• Ketan Patel (System Administrators, 2014-present)
• Dave Sill (System Administrator, 2002-present)
• Bruce Wilson (DAAC Manager, 2006-2008)
• Suresh Vannan (Lead Developer, 2006-2011)
• Makhan Virdi (Lead Developer, 2011-present)

The ORNL DAAC User Working Group has also played a key role in the design, development, and success of the ORNL DAAC MODIS tools.

The award honors Doug Nebert, who was a respected FGDC colleague, technical visionary, and recognized national and international leader in the establishment of spatial data infrastructures. It is based on the following precepts:

• Innovation and vision
• Interoperability
• Use of standards
• Advancement of NSDI principles
• Service to communities of users
• Developed once, used by many
• Improved performance and service
• Real-world application

Please join me in congratulating the MODIS team for their efforts.

Jennifer Gimbel
FGDC Chair 

Related Items

• Award Ceremony

The FGDC announces the availability of the A–16 National Geospatial Data Asset (NGDA) Theme Summary and Dataset Reports and the associated GeoPlatform.gov Performance Dashboard. This information provides consistent reporting for facilitating management of the A–16 NGDA geospatial portfolio as part of the implementation of the NGDA Management Plan (NGDA MP). The NGDA MP is the 3-year process developed to implement NGDA portfolio management as outlined in the OMB Circular A-16 Supplemental Guidance (2010). These outputs are the result of efforts by the NGDA Theme Leads and Dataset Managers across the Federal agencies.

The 177 NGDA Dataset Reports contain points of contact, links to metadata, and output from the 2015 Lifecycle Maturity Assessment (LMA), which provides key information about each NGDA Dataset. The 16 Theme Summary Reports contain information about the Theme, an overview of the Theme’s NGDA Dataset maturity and a summary table. The GeoPlatform.gov Performance Dashboard visualizes the information from the 2015 NDGA LMA as well as a summary aggregation. For NGDA Datasets with identified Web services, the dashboard also shows Web service availability and reliability. The dashboard is available to anyone but requires a GeoPlatform.gov login. Instructions to create an account are on the login page.

For further information please contact fgdc@fgdc.gov.

At their April 2016 meeting the FGDC Steering Committee agreed verbally to the proposal to change the name of the Biota Theme to Biodiversity and Ecosystems Theme. This follows presentations that were made at the December Coordination Group and January NGDA Theme Lead meetings.

The change request was initiated by Roger Sayre, PhD, who is the Senior Scientist for Ecosystems, USGS Land Change Science Program; the GEO Task Lead; and the NGDA dataset manager for Terrestrial Ecosystems of the Conterminous United States. The proposed name will better reflect the content of the theme, as well as align more closely with common terminology used by professionals and subject matter experts using the data. Benefits of the name change include improved clarity; improved accuracy of placement for datasets related to biota, biodiversity, and ecosystems; and increased interest in the theme datasets from broader communities.

Following the presentation in January the proposal was circulated to the Coordination Group, Theme Leads, and Biota dataset managers for comment and consensus. All the feedback received to date has been positive. A vote by the Coordination Group on their recommendation for Steering Committee endorsement is currently underway. Next step will be a vote by the Steering Committee that will include concurrence by OMB, as FGDC Vice Chair.

Operationally, the change will require dataset managers to change the word “Biota” to the term “Biodiversity and Ecosystems” where it appears in metadata and other documentation and references where applicable so that the change will be carried through consistently. The change will also need to be reflected in multiple places, such as the GeoPlatform.gov, FGDC annual reports, communications materials, FGDC Web site, NGDA tools and reports. This also includes the current list of 16 NGDAs in OMB Circular A-16, Appendix E: “NSDI Data Themes, Definitions, and Lead Agencies”.

For more information, contact:

Marcia McNiff
Biota Theme Lead
mmcniff@usgs.gov

Brigitta Urban-Mathieux
NGDA Coordinator
burbanma@usgs.gov

The 2015 annual report is posted on the  FGDC Web site.  The report features an article on the National Geospatial Advisory Committee and provides a summary fiscal year 2015 activities focused on achieving the goals of the 2014-2016 National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) strategic plan. It also includes many Federal agency success stories and reports from the FGDC subcommittees and working groups. 

Jennifer Gimbel, FGDC Chair, stated that "We have made great progress in geospatial programs over the last year—from establishing the Geospatial Platform, to developing and implementing the goals of the NSDI Strategic Plan and the NGDA Management Plan,  to developing initiatives, such as the Open Water Data Initiative and the 3D Elevation Plan."

Many thanks to all the agencies and individuals who contributed content and provided review and comments.  

If you would like a printed version of the report please contact us at fgdc@fgdc.gov. 

The Federal Geographic Data Committee is now accepting nominations for the Doug D. Nebert National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Champion of the Year Award. Doug was a recognized national and international leader in the establishment of spatial data infrastructures and technical visionary as well as respected colleague.

To commemorate Nebert’s varied contributions to and passions for our nation’s geography and cartography, the FGDC is accepting nominations for the newly established award.

“This award commemorates Doug’s influence in promoting the vision of the NSDI,” said Ivan DeLoatch, Executive Director of the FGDC. “This is a unique opportunity to honor significant contributions to an individual or group of individuals that have furthered the goal of available and easily integrated data to enhance the understanding of our physical and cultural world.”

Eligibility: The nominations are available to an individual or a team representing Federal, State, Tribal, regional, and/or local government, academia, or non-profit and professional organization that has developed an outstanding, innovative, and operational tool, application, or service capability used by multiple organizations that furthers the vision of the NSDI. The nominee must be a US Citizen.

Nomination Process: Each nomination package will be submitted in electronic form through the award Web site and include justification and related nomination information. Nominations are due by May 6, 2016.

Award Selection: An interagency team of SDI experts from the FGDC will review all nominations and make a recommendation for the award to the FGDC Chair who will make the final decision on the award. The award information will be posted on the FGDC Web site. 

This NSDI award will be based on the following foundational precepts:

• Innovation and vision
• Interoperability
• Use of standards
• Advancement of NSDI principles
• Service to communities of users
• Developed once, used by many
• Improved performance and service
• Real-world application 

February 26, 2016

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell has appointed a new Chair and Vice Chair and 14 new and continuing members to the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC), which provides recommendations to the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), the interagency executive group responsible for providing leadership and direction in federal geospatial programs. 

Julie Sweetkind-Singer, the new NGAC Chair, is a leader in the geospatial library and information management community, serving as the Assistant Director of Geospatial, Cartographic and Scientific Data; and Head Librarian of the Branner Earth Sciences Library and Map Collections at Stanford University. Sweetkind-Singer has served as NGAC Vice-Chair for the past year.

Keith Masback, the new vice-chair, serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation. Before serving in this role, he was an officer in the U.S. Army and a senior executive in the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 

"We are honored to have these accomplished geospatial professionals as leaders and members of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee,” said Jennifer Gimbel, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science, who serves as Chair of the FGDC Steering Committee. “The NGAC has been a valuable resource and an excellent partner for the Federal geospatial community, and has provided thoughtful advice and recommendations on a wide range of geospatial policy and management issues. Geospatial data and technology are essential for Federal agencies and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with this distinguished set of leaders.” 

The NGAC includes up to 30 members, selected to achieve a balanced representation of the varied interests associated with geospatial programs and technology. NGAC members are appointed to serve staggered terms on the committee. The appointees to three-year terms on the NGAC are: 

• Mr. David Alexander, Department of Homeland Security 
• Mr. Frank Avila, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency 
• Dr. Sarah Battersby, Tableau Software 
• Mr. Talbot Brooks, Delta State University (reappointed to a second term)
• Mr. Matt Gentile, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services (reappointed to a second term) 
• Mr. Frank Harjo, Muscogee (Creek) Nation (reappointed to a second term) 
• Mr. Xavier Irias, East Bay Municipal Utility District
• Mr. Roger Mitchell, MDA Information Systems, Inc. (reappointed to a second term) 
• Ms. Rebecca Moore, Google, Inc. 
• Dr. Laxmi Ramasubramanian, Hunter College, City University of New York 
• Dr. Carl Reed, Carl Reed and Associates, LLC 
• Ms. Amber Reynolds, City of Topeka, Kansas 
• Dr. Douglas Richardson, American Association of Geographers (reappointed to a second term) 
• Dr. May Yuan, University of Texas – Dallas 

The NGAC meets three to four times per year. The public is invited to comment and make suggestions at all committee meetings, which will be announced by publication in the Federal Register at least 15 days before the meeting date. The U.S. Geological Survey, a bureau of the Department of the Interior, provides support services for the NGAC. The NGAC functions solely as an advisory body. 

The NGAC was created under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, enacted by Congress in 1972 to ensure that advice rendered to the executive branch by advisory committees, task forces, boards, and commissions formed by Congress and the President, be both objective and accessible to the public. The Act formalized a process for establishing, operating, overseeing, and terminating these advisory bodies. 

Additional information about the NGAC, including a complete list of the committee members, is available at www.fgdc.gov/ngac.

Download the PDF version of the release.

Carrie Stokes, an FGDC Steering Committee member representing the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) since 2011 has been selected as one of two recipients of this year’s American Association of Geographers (AAG) Gilbert White Public Service Award. As per the award release "Stokes epitomizes the ‘geographer as leader’ as demonstrated by her unwavering commitment to public service through advancing geography within and beyond government, Through her years of advocacy, leadership and action to promote the use of remote sensing and GIS to inform international development, humanitarian assistance, and climate change mitigation, she has had a profound impact on government policy and its on-the-ground effectiveness around the world, from Bangladesh to Central America. As an unsurpassed ambassador for geography and its ability to transform development programming, she deserves our highest commendation as an “enabler of dreams.”

Read the complete announcement on the AAG website.
 
Congratulations Carrie!

The FGDC is pleased to announced the establishment of the Doug D. Nebert National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Champion of the Year Award in honor of a respected colleague, technical visionary, and recognized national and international leader in the establishment of spatial data infrastructures. Details of the nomination and award process will be made available in early 2016 via the FGDC Web site with the first award anticipated to be announced in Summer of 2016.

The vision of the NSDI is to assure that spatial data from multiple sources—Federal, State, Tribal, regional, and local governments, academia, and the private sector—are available and easily integrated to enhance the understanding of our physical and cultural world. Each year, the award will be announced in the FGDC Annual Report and will be presented to an individual or team representing Federal, State, Tribal, regional, and (or) local governments, academia, or nonprofit and professional organizations for development of an innovative and operational geospatial tool, application, or service capability used by multiple organizations. 

This NSDI award will be based on the following foundational precepts: 

• Innovation and vision
• Interoperability 
• Use of standards 
• Advancement of NSDI principles 
• Service to communities of users 
• Developed once, used by many 
• Improved performance and service 
• Real-world application 

If you have any questions, please contact Gita Urban-Mathieux, burbanma@usgs.gov.