The purpose of the Cultural Resources Subcommittee is to identify, prioritize, implement, coordinate, and oversee the strategies and tasks required to support the national cultural resource geospatial data theme and to coordinate these activities across Federal, State, Tribal, local, and private sector geospatial programs to that end. 

Because each State/Tribal historic preservation office, certified local government, and Federal agency operates independently to collect, maintain, and utilize their portion of the repository of over four million cultural resources nationwide, coordination in data standards is a key aspect for the utility of the data, required for Federal regulatory needs, disaster response, and preparedness, as well as for climate change studies. The subcommittee provides the framework for developing cultural resource data standards to facilitate data sharing, in addition to fostering coordination of data collection efforts among stakeholders. Subcommittee members include 20 Federal agencies as well as 10 State and 10 Tribal participants. The Cultural Resources Subcommittee Charter has more information about the organization of the subcommittee and its activities.