The National Spatial Data Infrastructure in the United States:
Standards, Metadata, Clearinghouse, and Data Access
Julie Binder Maitra
Federal Geographic Data Committee
c/o U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
590 National CenterReston, Virginia 20192
Email: jmaitra@usgs.gov
Abstract
Office of Management and the Budget Circular A-16 (revised 1990) defined the responsibilities of Federal agencies with respect to coordination of Federal surveying, mapping, and related spatial data activities and anticipated the eventual development of a “national digital spatial information resource.” Executive Order 12906, issued in April 1994, called for the development of that resource, to be referred to as the (U.S.) National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). The NSDI is defined as the technologies, policies, and people necessary to promote sharing of geospatial data throughout all levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors, and the academic community. This presentation provides history of the NSDI and the vision, goals, and objectives of the NSDI Strategic Plan. Particular emphasis will be paid to data standards, data documentation (metadata), data clearinghouse, and data access policy in the United States.
Introduction
The U.S. Federal government has recognised the need to coordinate Federal spatial data activities for nearly 50 years. The Bureau of the Budget issued Circular A-16 in January 1953 to coordinate Federal surveying and mapping activities, and reissued Circular A-16 in May 1967. The 1967 version identified leadership responsibilities for the Department of Interior, as pertaining to National Topographic Map Series and National Atlas of the United States, and for the Department of Commerce, as pertaining to National Networks of Geodetic Control.
Circular A-16 underwent a major revision and was reissued in October 1990 by the Office of Management and the Budget (OMB), the successor to the Bureau of the Budget [1]. The 1990 version of Circular A-16 took into consideration developments in digital geographic information systems and recognized activities pertaining to digital spatial data, in addition to traditional surveying and mapping activities. Its scope was expanded to include additional Executive Departments (comparable to ministries) and additional Federal spatial data programs. The objective of this circular was the “eventual development of a national digital spatial information resource, with the involvement of Federal, State, and local governments, and the private sector.” The 1990 version of OMB Circular A-16 called for establishment of an “interagency coordinating committee” to “promote the coordinated development, use, sharing, and dissemination of surveying, mapping, and related spatial data.”
Executive Order 12906, Coordinating Geographic Data Acquisition and Access: The National Spatial Data Infrastructure, signed by President Clinton and issued April 1994, named the national digital spatial information resource described in OMB Circular A-16 as the “National Spatial Data Infrastructure,” or NSDI [2]. It defined the NSDI as “the technology, policies, standards, and human resources necessary to acquire, process, store, distribute, and improve utilization of geospatial data.” Executive Order 12906 also provided for executive branch leadership by the Federal Geographic Data Committee as the interagency coordinating committee for the Federal government’s development of the NSDI. Executive Order 12906 called for
- Development of a National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse
- Standardized documentation of spatial data
- Development of spatial data standards
- Initial implementation of a national digital geospatial framework
The vision, goals, and supporting objectives of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure were articulated in the NSDI Strategic Plan released in 1997 [3]. The vision of the NSDI is that “Current and accurate geospatial data will be readily available to contribute locally, nationally, and globally to economic growth, environmental quality and stability, and social progress.” The goals and their supporting objectives built upon Executive Order 12906