Users/Historical Data Working Group

In FY 2015, the UHDWG petitioned the FGDC CG to consider the “Guidance on the Selection and Appraisal of Geospatial Content of Enduring Value” document as an official FGDC publication. The UHDWG prepared this guidance document to help Federal agencies and data stewards define geospatial content of enduring value to the Nation. This guidance suggests possible priority approaches on how resources might be allocated to support long-term preservation and access through appropriate Selection and Appraisal processes in a challenging funding environment. While many Federal Government applications rely on the most current available content, there is increasing demand for older content to support historical and temporal  analyses related to change in the Earth’s natural and human landscape, including physical infrastructures. Examples of applications that require historical content include the study of climate change, disaster planning, environmental impact analysis, industry site location planning, and the resolution of legal challenges. The document provides inputs to future FGDC lifecycle planning, including future iterations of the National Geospatial Data Asset management strategy.

In addition, the UHDWG held monthly webinars for members to discuss issues and share topical information on geospatial use, preservation, and stewardship. Topics included UHDWG Subcommittee members’ continued work with the International Council for Science CODATA Task Group (www.codata.org) on data at risk; identifying resources at risk and exploring early warning and rescue efforts; exploring the impacts and costs of Government shutdowns on access to, and preservation of, historical data; and the USGS offline archive media-trade studies that are intended to inform those interested in market options and related factors to the archive.