Attendees: Gita Urban Mathieux, Ivan DeLoatch, Julie
Binder Maitra, Randy Fusaro, Michael Thieme, Wendy Blake Coleman, Mark
DeMulder, Donald Buhler, David Morehouse, Bill Burgess, Vicki Lukas,
Bob Pierce, Ann O’Conner, Brett Abrams, Betsy Kanalley, Dru Smith,
Donald Draper Campbell, Pat Phillips, Vaishal Sheth
On the phone: Charles Hickman, Charlie Smart, Jim Fulmer, Barb White, Marisa Capriotti, Bonnie Gallahan, Milo Robinson, Mike Lee, Rebecca Feguson, Rob Dollison
Summary of Actions:
Action 1: Share the NGAC potential study issues list with the CG members.
Action 2: Ivan to take the action to see how the CG can be a resource to the NGAC.
Action 3: Those SAOGI’s that have not already done so must submit the names of one primary and one alternative Coordination Group member to Ivan DeLoatch at Ideloatch@usgs.gov
Action 4: There is a need to develop a government wide process and price schedule for purchasing ANSI data. Contact Mark DeMulder at mark.l.demulder@nga.mil for additional information about NGA’s next purchase agreement.
Action 5: Select draft standards should be endorsed by the FGDC before being submitted for ANSI approval: in that way these standards will be freely available. The draft Framework Standard will be submitted to the FGDC Coordination Group for vote at the April 1 meeting for approval for FGDC endorsement.
Action 6: Start thinking about the 2009 NSDI CAP grants themes which will open for applications in October 2008. Federal agencies cannot be the primary awardees in this process.
Action 7: Invite Larry Sugarbaker, USGS to present at the next CG meeting on the outcome of The National Map customer research.
Welcome and Introductions – Ivan DeLoatch, FGDC
FGDC Staff Director Ivan DeLoatch welcomed the Coordination Group,
provided an overview of the meeting and took roll call.
Ivan provided an update on the National Geospatial Advisory
Committee’s (NGAC) first teleconference call on February 27,
2008. Administrative issues were discussed including committee
logistics, ethics, travel and high- level roles and responsibilities
for the members. Ivan serves as the Designated Federal Official for the
NGAC while delegating some responsibilities to John Mahoney. The NGAC
will have their first two day meetings on April 15 -16 at the American
Institute of Architects boardroom in Washington D.C. When possible,
subsequent NGAC meetings will be held one day prior to the FGDC
Steering Committee meetings to encourage interaction between the two
groups. The first few meetings will be devoted to what the committee
will address in the next 8-10 months, how to work through the change in
Administration and then address longer term goals.
Q. How will we vet our concerns through the
committee?
A. We have developed a list of potential NGAC study
issues that we will share with CG members.
Action 1: Share the NGAC potential study issues list
with the CG members.
Action 2: Ivan to take the action to see how the CG
can be a resource to the NGAC.
Aside from the initial first two administrative meetings, all others meeting will be open to the public and minutes will be available online.
The FGDC Executive Committee is working with Interior to plan their first meeting. NDOP would like to brief the Executive Committee on Imagery for the Nation. Most of the meeting will be devoted to understanding IFTN and internal investments.
Upcoming meetings
- NSGIC midyear conference will be held in Annapolis, MD March 9- 12
- MAPPS meeting will be held March 10-11
- FGDC Coordination Group meeting will be held on April 1 at the
National
Capitol Planning Commission - NGAC meetings will be held at Interior and the American Institute
of Arcitecture
April 15-16 - National Academy of Sciences, Mapping Science Committee meeting
will be
held on April 24-25 - FGDC Steering Committee meeting will be held on May 1, 9:00 a.m. –
12:00
p.m. at the American Institute of Architects
Action Items from the last CG meeting – Pat Phillips, FGDC
The Grants ad Contract Workgroup would like to develop three Enterprise License Agreements that benefit smaller agencies. There was discrepancy about the three ELA’s this work group was pursuing between: Google Earth, Microsoft, Adobe, TeraGo and Globe Explorer.
Statement: There is no need to have an ELA with Google Earth, everyone can use it. The Department of the Interior has a list of 13 ELA’s.
The Coordination Group committee’s primary and alternative names still need to be formalized.
Action 3: Those SAOGI’s that have not already done so must submit the names of one primary and one alternative Coordination Group member to Ivan DeLoatch at Ideloatch@usgs.gov
Standards Update – Julie Binder Maitra, FGDC
Julie provided an overview of FGDC Standard activities:
- The endorsement of the National Vegetation Classification Standard, version 2.0 has completed all steps of the standards process. The Forest Service has put together an implementation plan.
- The FGDC Standard Working Group has admitted the Cultural Resources Data Standard project into the FGDC standards program of work. There is a high level of interest from Federal and State Historical Preservation Officers.
Statement: DOD commented they were unaware of this standard. We need to be all inclusive in the participation of standards. FGDC will need to address this.
- The Standard Working Group has recommended that the FGDC CG approve releasing the Federal Trail Data Standard for public review.
- The Minimum Geospatial Coal Surface Mining Boundary Standard, spearheaded by Office of Surface Mining was referred to the Standards Work Group for FGDC recommendation. EPA had a last minute objection about the lack of coordinate geometry attribution.
Statement: This should be a parking lot item, we need to have a better standard recommendation process and the CG members must help see this through. We need to get organized better internally; a cc to the CG members would alert them of issues.
Statement: The ANSI standard requires payment for usage. We need a government- wide process to pay for ANSI so the cost is spread throughout.
Statement: ISO and ANSI are copyrighted. NGA has negotiated before and we can add other agencies to our purchase process.
Action 4: There is a need to develop a government wide process and price schedule for purchasing ANSI data. Contact Mark DeMulder at mark.l.demulder@nga.mil for additional information about NGA’s next purchase agreement.
Action 5: Select draft standards should be endorsed by the FGDC before being submitted for ANSI approval: in that way these standards will be freely available. The draft Framework Standard will be submitted to the FGDC Coordination Group for vote at the April 1 meeting for approval for FGDC endorsement
Statement: Many countries are now developing standard profiles and NGA is making sure all are harmonized. Mark DeMulder is the contact for the South American profile.
NSDI Cooperative Agreement Program Selection – Gita Urban- Mathieux, FGDC
Gita summarizes the 23 funded Cap projects and the six categories:
- Category 1 provides assistance to organizations to provide training and implementation of metadata and outreach. Four projects were awarded.
- Category 2 supports best practices in geospatial service oriented architecture. Three projects were awarded.
- Category 3 supports the Fifty States Initiative. Eight projects were awarded. 30 states in all are now covered.
- Category 4 supports the joint Canadian and United States Spatial Data Infrastructure Project. Awardees will be announced soon.
- Category 5 focuses on building data stewardship for structures or transportation for The National Map and the NSDI. Four projects were awarded.
- Category 6 provides funding to organizations to assist in endorsing standards implementation and outreach. Four projects were awarded.
Action 6: Start thinking about the 2009 NSDI CAP grants themes which will open for applications in October 2008. Federal agencies cannot be the primary awardees in this process.
The National Map, The Tactical Plan and 2.0– Vicki Lukas, USGS
[presentation coming soon]
Vicki presented an overview of the new direction for The National Map (TNM). The charge for the revision was recently given by the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, Mark Myers.
The goal of TNM is to become the trusted, nationally consistent,
integrated and current topographic information for the nation and
available online for a broad-range of uses. TNM is a contribution to
the NSDI and includes the eight data layers and additional public
domain data. The data supports multiple scales and resolutions and is
built on partnerships. This vision remains the same since 2001 however
there have been a lot of accomplishments since then.
The recognition of the need for greater consistency, integration and
direct access to the data has lead a movement toward a fully
centralized approach for the next phases of development in TNM 2.0.
Tactical 2.0 will focus on integration into a seamless data model,
trusted data sources and topographic maps in GeoPDF format. Partner
contributions and data remain a primary input and foundation of TNM
2.0. The USGS role is to facilitate this process. TNM 3.0 focuses on
customer research and recognizes the critical role of partners and
customers in further definition. The tactical plan is a huge document.
A shorter summary will be available in a few months.
Comment: The HSIP freedom is a potential source of data and it may be useful to fill in gaps. Also NGA and DHS are other potential sources for data models. It may be useful to get a commercial partner to design the visualization aspects instead of having the federal government fulfill this need. If integration takes too much time, users will be unhappy.
Comment: TNM delivers topography? This may cause
some concern.
A. This is our 30 second elevator speech. We tried
substituting the word framework but we are now looking at further
defining the word topographic.
Comment: The next steps slide about customer research, it would benefit the CG if this could be shared publicaly.
Action 7: Invite Larry Sugarbaker, USGS to present at the next CG meeting on the outcome of The National Map customer research.
Gravity for the redefinition of the American Vertical datum, GRAV – D
program - Dru Smith, NOAA, NGS
The GRAV-D program is an ambitious new plan for the National Geodetic Service to accomplish and is part of the NOAA/NOS/NGS mission “to provide products, services, and information that promote safe navigation, support coastal communities… and to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment…” Using gravity to determine heights provides an accurate datum re-definition of the American Vertical Datum. NAD 83 and NAVD 88 are known to have systematic errors. The plan is to re-define the vertical datum of the United States by 2017.
There are over 2 million bench mark sites in the Continental United
States that have not been updated in years. Due to uplifting and
subsidence some datum is off and we do not foresee the US having the
resources to re-level the country.
NOAA is proposing this will take approximately $38.5 M over a ten year
period to accomplish and is looking for partnership opportunities.
Q. What are the contingency plans and what could
happen if GPS satellites go out?
A. NGS still keeps track of benchmarks and this would
be the backup.