Site: BLM, 1620 L Street, Washington, DC, 7th Floor meeting room
Recorder: Mark Reichardt & Kim Burns-Braidlow
Attendess: Buhler, Don - BLM, Moskerintz, Holly - NACo, Jarreau, Bert NACo, Ambacher, Bruce - NARA, Fegeas, Robin - USGS, Dahl, Bob - BLM, Morton, Jan - USGS, Marquette, Shovlin - EPA, Croner, Chuck, HHS, Morehouse, David - DOE, Usselman, Thomas - MSP, Moeller, John - FGDC, Reichardt, Mark - FGDC, McKee, Lance - OGC, McKenzie, Bruce - FGDC, via phone - Miglarese, Ann - NOAA, Voss, Alan - TVA, Fortner, Jim - NRCS, Braidlow, Kim - FGDC
Roundtable Items:
Chuck Croner: Great job by FGDC staff on recent visit to the HHS regarding the FGDC survey / design review
John Moeller: The Design Study Team is wrapping up with interviews, not able to get all agencies, but have gotten a great cross section to help get a balanced response from the federal perspective. Will have in excess of 30 interviews. The team will be going through this information next week to draw conclusions, issues, recommendations for future activities for the FGDC and its related groups and activities. Sometime after the 10th, expect some more information and updates. Certainly for the March meeting.
Milo Robinson wanted it noted that Randall Johnson from Minnesota will be in DC on 6 March 2000. He will be coming to Main Interior to give a presentation on Metro GIS and cost model. Should be an interesting meeting on the county perspective of how to pay for / justify GIS operations from their perspective. Room 7000A is reserved. Milo will be sending out additional information soon to the Coordination Group. Metro GIS is a major project that has been ongoing for years. NACO is having a legislative conference on the 3rd, and Randall will be giving a presentation along with Randy Johnson.
Julie Binder Maitra wanted it noted that votes on CADD profile are very low at present. EPA, Interior, NIMA, HUD, and COE votes are in. Not enough votes to pass that standard. Also, the Facilities Standard is not on the agenda today because it is still being worked on at this time by the subcommittee. John M. asked for a call to go out to all FGDC Steering / Coordination groups representatives to close on this vote immediately! Kim asked all participants today to get back to their decision-makers to encourage a vote ASAP. We can't go forward with approval without 50% response. We are way short of this requirement.
ACTION: All members brief their Steering Committee representative on the CADD Profile standard and encourage them to vote ASAP.
Don Buehler: Working on a Western Governors Summit on Cadastral Data, 22 March 2000 in Salt Lake City. Each of the western states will have 14 or so folks invited, along with other key federal officials. Don will keep the Coordination Group in the loop on this activity. GIS council under the Western Governers are the ones coordinating the conference. Lance: there is movement and interest in a cadastral SIG at the Open GIS. If such a SIG is formed, then work will proceed on the related open technology interoperability interfaces that deal with this topic. John: We do have the approved FGDC standard for cadastral, so that standard should be the basis for the SIG from a data perspective. Don: NILES was addressed at the last meeting. Still interested in requirements review - see www.blm.gov/nils. Robin: OGC is not just US, Canadians are interested in this topic as with many other nations.
Open GIS Discussions - Web Mapping Testbed
Mark Reichardt presented a demonstration of the Web Mapping Testbed. Using a laptop, Internet and Servers you get only the data you want. Disassociated datasets can be associated and integrated in a visual way to support decision-support systems. The Web Mapping Testbed demonstrations are available on the OpenGIS web page at www.opengis.org. Previously, one could go to Mapquest, Terraserver, and Enviromapper to retrieve and map data, however, while this is good information, how do you tie it together? The work collaborated on by multiple vendors through OGC now provides more power than was previously available.
Lance McKee presented OGC's Interoperability Program Status. Standards development is a slow process compared to the rapid development of the web. OGC is working to accelerate the OpenGIS specification process through pilot programs, reference implementation, and the use of SCOTS (Standard Commercial Off The Shelf) software. OGC is also working to improve the interoperability infrastructure through feasibility studies, testbeds, pilot projects, prototypes, demonstrations, and insertion studies. Web Mapping Testbed Phase 1 was a success. Phase 2 is intended to create new specifications, include more data and servers - have a foundation for pilot projects. Lance encouraged agencies that need interoperability to get involved with OGC in order to shape the development.
Procurement Task Group Update:
Procurement Task Group met and determined a course to address the collection of data and the metadata. Members were tasked to put together metadata, data content, and accuracy requirements. Additional work was going on behind the scenes - Brent Lowell of USGS has forged ahead as well as the Corps of Engineers to imbed this procurement language into their contracts. Kim wants to know what the Coordination Group wants to do - the Group wants to see the detail as it is right now. Kim will also query Nancy Blyler and Brent Lowell to see if they are willing to share the procurement language as well. Please have the folks get this information back to their procurement officials at their home agencies and get feedback to the Procurement Language Group.
ACTION: Kim will provide Coordination Group with Procurement Language components as well as examples of how USGS & COE incorporated these components into their contract language.
John: What the FGDC wants to achieve is a set of language that everyone across government would be willing to use as a core set of language for procurements (best practices). Also, want to take this to GSA to influence GSA procurements. Although the process has been slow, we are appreciative that there has been some significant progress. Have been lots of variations between the agencies to deal with here
Kim: The 1999 Accomplishments Reports. Has received a number of reports. Hate to see it just posted on the web site. Bruce Ambacher: is there an OMB requirement for a consolidated report? No, not at present. We did do this for the 1992 initial progress report and for the 1997 strategy. John suggests that we try for a story line that shows some areas of progress and metrics. Ann (NOAA) : Not sure if there is a single NOAA report coming, but Kim acknowledged that FGDC did receive a CSC report.
Kim: Chairs of the subcommittees and working groups should pay attention to the web pages to keep them current and relevant and please make certain that we have the correct links out there to get to what you want FGDC web viewers to see from our site. May have some outdated information that could be improved.
ACTION: Chairs ensure your web pages are current.
John: ITC (Cutting Edge Technology show) has sent a proposal for a 30 minute program on Information for Livable Communities. They've talked with Estes, Goodchild, Mark Schaefer, and Larry Ayers to get their support. Proposed CNBC broadcast, Yahoo.broadcast.com, and a variety of other publications (videos, DVD). Eighty Eight million households is the reach. Estimated cost approximately $167K - asking FGDC and others related to the FGDC to fund. Three payments, may be able to spread this out across the fiscal year. Bruce: is there a need that the committee might need in a year or so for promotional material to support the NSDI? John: there is definitely a need here, would be smart to see this as a potential mid-term deliverable in a larger outreach program. Lance: what is the purpose and audience? Holly: What are the distribution and use rights over and above the listed venues? In concept the FGDC Coordination Group supports it, however agencies have no funds committed.
Communications and Outreach working group was formed recently and disbanded - too difficult to approach. We need to get this reformed with a broad cross section of stakeholders.
ACTION: John tell ITV that this specific solution, while it has merit, is not something that we can move forward with right now. We will be forming an overall marketing strategy, and may get back with them.
FGDC Portal:
Norm Gunderson provided overview of the NSDI Portal to resources
Comments from the Coordinating Group:
- Semantics - we need to be certain to include some way to help users cut through the terminology and acronyms that plague all of these sites (David M)
- Introduction - Need to provide an up front description and text that clearly explains the objectives and user communities that this site appeals to in terms of functionality. NACO reps also noted that we need to be certain to understand the targeted audiences
- Need to build this site simply by compiling more sites, working the design, and then deal with the more detailed mid to long-term issues of how to migrate or evolve this site. The CEONet structure in Canada is very similar to FGDC and accommodates the posting of data, services, and other resources. The Open GIS Catalog Services standard will eventually provide the web services that are necessary to do this type of virtual marketplace on the web without specific gateways...
- Chuck Croner - the site needs to come alive, use some really neat graphics and animations to make the site exciting and a place that folks will want to return to in the future. Also, it needs a new name like "International Portal to spatial information and Resources".
- This is intended to be an international portal, essentially a global portal.
- Do something quickly, go live and get feedback from the public. If we wait too long, as we have in the past, it will be forgotten. It doesn't have to be perfect. It will be a work in progress
CFIP Status Report:
Norm Gunderson reported that a letter signed by Governers supporting the increased funding in federal agencies to better support flood mitigation , relief, etc. was signed December 1999 and would be of great benefit to FGDC in promoting the CFIP for FY01. CFIP is planned in 2001 budgets of agencies, however, more work needs to be done.
Next Meeting:
March 7, 2000
9:00 - Noon
BLM (same location)