A Publication of the Federal Geographic Data Committee November 1995

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N E W S L E T T E R

COMPETITIVE COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS PROGRAM WORKSHOP

On August 21-22, in Charleston, South Carolina, the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) brought together the recipients of the 1994 and the 1995 National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Competitive Cooperative Agreements Program (CCAP) Awards. The NSDI CCAP was established by the FGDC to help form partnerships with the non-Federal sector to assist in the evolution of the NSDI. This program provides funding for cooperative agreements to State and local government agencies, institutions of higher education, and private organizations. The goal is to encourage resource-sharing projects through the use of technology, networking, and more efficient interagency interaction.

The workshop participants represented a broad cross-section of agencies and organizations actively engaged in activities to improve the NSDI through consistent geospatial data documentation, coordinated geospatial data collection and expanded interagency coordination. FGDC Secretariat staff provided Clearinghouse and Metadata implementation training, and 1994 CCAP project representatives described their technical, operational, and business experiences. The workshop provided a forum for open and candid discussion of "lessons learned" and provided opportunities for pooling knowledge, resources, and research capabilities for the benefit of all participants. Among the most often cited "lessons learned" are: be flexible in approach; keep tasks simple; get involved in State councils (and get State councils involved!); encourage broad participation, even if project is small; hold presentations about the project in different cities and towns around the State; stay focused on the long-term goal; and, recognize that today's technology will change and may not always offer the most effective or efficient solutions.

The 1994 CCAP project reports will be available soon. In the meantime, check out the FGDC Homepage for links to CCAP participants' Clearinghouse nodes, and to find out about the CCAP projects selected for 1995.

Upcoming 1996 Competitive Cooperative Agreements Program Announcement

The 1996 CCAP announcement is in development. In addition to previous objectives promoting NSDI clearinghouse, and metadata activities, CCAP will address projects beneficial to the development of the NSDI framework concept. Watch for the announcement and details in the Federal Register, The Commerce Business Daily, various GIS magazines and the FGDC Homepage or contact the FGDC to let us know you are interested.

A Software Entrepreneur Opportunity...

Informal discussions during the August Charleston CCAP workshop centered around the need for a FGDC compliant metadata collection tool. Participants felt that a collection tool should have output capability to a relational database management system (RDBMS), and to a hypertext markup language (HTML) or related languages for Internet browsers. This software should also have a graphic interface, and the capability to create parseable metadata files that can be read by other packages.

Suggested software types ranged from shareware to fully integrated network products. Though estimates range from $10 to $2,000 site licenses, most participants stated they would be willing to pay from $100 to $500, for a useful collection tool.

NATIONAL DIGITAL GEOSPATIAL DATA FRAMEWORK WORKSHOP

Presidential Executive Order 12906 directed the FGDC to submit a plan and schedule to the OMB for completion of the initial implementation of a national digital geospatial data framework. The Executive Order identified framework data as those data "most significant to a broad variety of users within any geographic area or nationwide." The FGDC convened an intergovernmental Working Group to refine the framework concept and draft the plan and schedule. The final report proposed seven framework data themes (geodetic control, digital orthoimagery, elevation, transportation, hydrography, governmental units, and cadastral data), and the technical characteristics and institutional arrangements believed to be necessary to make the framework concept a reality.

The first in a series of NSDI Framework Workshops being hosted by the FGDC was held August 23 -25, 1995, in Charleston, South Carolina. The workshop participants represented 22 consortia from across the nation that are engaged in "framework-like" cooperative efforts in geospatial data collection, sharing and coordination. Consortia consist of members from local, State, and Federal government, utilities and academia. In addition, commercial software developers attended and contributed their perspectives on the technological and business aspects of instituting the framework.

The NSDI framework concept as described in the April 1995, report Development of a National Digital Geospatial Data Framework was re-examined in light of the consortia-led framework pilot projects database developments. "How to begin" is a key issue; diverse implementation strategies will be needed to encourage broad participation.

Difficult technical issues were discussed including the feature-based data model, permanent feature-identification codes, vertical theme integration and contiguous dataset edgematching. Current technology is limited in providing efficient solutions for easy implementation of these data characteristics.

Key to the institutional discussion of framework is the role of area integrators, who may maintain data, coordinate data creation, and implement certification policies and technical standards. The area integrator role needs to be more closely examined. The issues of who certifies data and the criteria used must be further addressed.

A phased implementation of framework was suggested to facilitate the geospatial data community's understanding of the framework concept, and to allow time to establish the necessary institutional and business arrangements. The evolution of common terminology and software applications supportive of framework data will be a continuous process. Workshop participants agreed that education and outreach to promote the framework concept are crucial for correcting misperceptions, as well as for promoting the benefits of framework. Framework implementation must be a process that allows for flexible adaptation over time while achieving the basic goals for nationwide availability of the best basic data.

If your organization is building what you think are framework datasets and/or functions as an area integrator and you wish to participate in a framework pilot project, please send a brief (one-page) summary to the FGDC Secretariat. The summary should include: project description, data themes collected or coordinated, geographic area of interest, current funding, project time frames and a point of contact.

Framework Cadastral Partnerships

The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Geological Survey, in conjunction with the State of Missouri, the Arizona State Lands Department, and the Oneida County Wisconsin Surveyor, have initiated partnerships and pilot activities for implementing the NSDI framework cadastral data theme. These pilot activities will prototype digital data sharing, maintenance, and technical collection issues, and will pursue evolving cooperative multi-agency relationships.

Land ownership and boundary data will be utilized to model and to test the framework concept, and to establish procedures for the cadastral data theme framework implementation. Data content will consist of boundary lines and points, survey corners and survey lines, special surveys and reservation features. The U.S. Forest Service will contribute data where available.

Pilot project objectives include consistent feature representation of multi-resolution data, improved data quality, and multi-source data integration. These projects will be an opportunity to show how the framework concept can be applied by data users and producers, and to work towards a common portrayal of data at all levels of government.

Any questions regarding this project may be directed to the project managers, Debra Dinville, BLM Liaison to USGS at (303) 202-4127 or Carol Giffin, USGS Liaison to BLM at (303) 236-0537.

National States Geographic Information Council Survey

The National States Geographic Information Council's Standards Committee recently released the results of a survey conducted in 1994 to identify the current status of geographic information and GIS standards development and their adoption at the State level. The survey was sent to representatives of State geographic information coordinating councils in each of the fifty States. Thirty-four State representatives responded. A ranking of survey responses indicates the following top five most needed standards in order of importance:

      1. Cataloging and documenting data
      2. Producing consistent and geometrically accurate base data
      3. Developing standards for data that are critical for permitting policy decisions
      4. Standardizing on consistent methodologies for the physical exchange of data
      5. Dealing with policy issues related to public access.

The survey is available for $10.00 (postage paid) from :

      National States Geographic Information Council
      45 Lyme Road Suite 304
      Hanover, New Hampshire
            03755-1223
      Voice: (603) 643-1600, Fax: (603) 643-1444
      E-mail: NSGIC@AOL.COM

FGDC/State Council Partnerships

The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) was established by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 1990 to "promote the coordinated development, use, sharing, and dissemination of surveying, mapping, and related spatial data." At about the same time (and even earlier in some cases), GIS "champions" in State agencies, in universities, and in local governments across the country formed local and regional Geographic Information System (GIS) user groups and information councils. Many of those informal groups have evolved over time into organizations with responsibilities for statewide geographic data coordination. The FGDC and those State councils share a common interest in, and commitment to, the wise stewardship of the national geographic information resource.

To establish a more formal mechanism for interaction with State councils, the FGDC has initiated a partnership program. All State councils, and other "cooperating groups" willing to promote the use of FGDC-endorsed standards, to participate in the National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse, to coordinate geographic data collection and dissemination, and to encourage participation among all sectors of society in those efforts are invited to participate. For a more detailed description of the respective roles and responsibilities of FGDC and cooperating groups, request a copy of the Guidelines to Encourage Cooperation in Development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure from the FGDC Secretariat.

The Alaska Geographic Data Committee

The Alaska Geographic Data Committee (AGDC) provides a forum for the coordination of spatial data development, the development of coordinated methodologies for implementing standards and policies, and for building geospatial data partnerships between Federal, State and local agencies. The AGDC also provides leadership in the coordination of surveying, mapping, and related spatial data activities. Twenty Federal agencies and five Departments within the State of Alaska are active members of the AGDC. The committee facilitates data transfer and information exchange, and the coordination of data collection to reduce duplication of effort. The AGDC works with the non-Federal community through organizations such as the Council on Northern Resource Information Management (CONRIM), and the Alaska Surveying and Mapping Conference. Current cooperative shared resource activities include those for the joint USGS/BLM/FWS/NPS digital hydrography revision project, and the State of Alaska Census/Transportation project, and the Alaska Geospatial Data Program. For additional information contact Paul Brooks, AGDC Chair, at (907) 786-7000.

One Year on the Internet: The NWI Experience

The National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) recently announced the results of its initial experience serving the wetlands data as part of the NSDI. During the first year of serving digital data on the Internet, users downloaded 93,882 quads, saving the public $863,714 in paperwork and processing effort. By offering this service, NWI met the April 1995 deadline for providing public access to geospatial data sets in the NSDI Executive Order (#12906).

Analysis of the first year's Internet use shows that about one-third of the NWI wetland files downloaded went to government agencies. Other users included commercial enterprises, environmental organizations, universities, the military and users from 25 countries.

Data are available in a compressed digital line graph (DLG) format. Also available and popular is the NWI conversion and file decompression software. Three-quarters of all data downloaded from the NWI Homepage are digital geospatial data. Since the network site began operating, offline media orders on magnetic tape have decreased significantly, reducing costs and customer delay. Visit the NWI Homepage.

URISA 96

The Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) and the FGDC will jointly cosponsor a NSDI Partnership Forum as a part of the upcoming 1996 URISA Conference scheduled for July 27-August 1 in Salt Lake City. Watch this space for more details.

FGDC/NSDI Homepage

Several links have been added to the Federal Geographic Data Committee NSDI server. This list can be accessed by World Wide Web browsers such as Mosaic or Netscape and with such text-based browsers as Lynx. The URL of the NSDI Homepage is .

The FGDC Thematic page now links to information on the activities of the FGDC subcommittees for the cultural and demographic data theme coordinated by the Bureau of the Census, the ground transportation data theme coordinated by the Department of Transportation and the geodetic control data theme coordinated by the National Geodetic Survey.

Spotlight on FGDC Subcommittees

Each subcommittee of the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) is responsible for coordinating the activities related to a specific theme of geospatial data. These activities include establishing and implementing standards for data content and data exchange, encouraging data sharing, and organizing data collection to minimize duplication. The subcommittees are composed primarily of Federal agency representatives. The following are highlights of current subcommittee activities.

Base Cartographic Subcommittee

    Point of Contact (POC) Mark DeMulder Interior - USGS (703) 648-4514

The Subcommittee for Base Cartographic Data (SBCD) is sponsoring the development of several national standards. These include standards for digital orthoimagery, standards for digital elevation data, and a replacement for National Map Accuracy Standard.

The objectives of the standards for digital orthoimagery and digital elevation data are to provide flexible and inclusive standards for data users and producers across local, State and Federal agencies under the auspices of the FGDC. These standards will aid in accomplishing the goals of Executive Order 12906, "Coordinating Geographic Data Acquisition and Access: The National Spatial Data Infrastructure" (U.S. Executive Office of the President, 1994), which calls for the implementation of a national digital geospatial data framework. The FGDC will seek wide involvement from the spatial data community at large in the review and development of these standards in order to produce truly national standards that are valuable to all segments of the community. The SBCD expects to submit the digital orthoimagery and elevation standards to the Coordination Group in late 1995 to start the public review and comment period.

The replacement for the National Map Accuracy Standard (NMAS), known as the National Spatial Data Accuracy Standard (NSDAS), has been under development for several years, its genesis having been an American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing proposal for an NMAS replacement. The NSDAS defines positional accuracy of spatial data, in both digital and graphic form, derived from sources such as aerial photographs, satellite images, or existing maps. The draft NSDAS has now been harmonized with the draft Standards for Geospatial Positioning, which define positional accuracy standards for geodetic control networks, being developed by the Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee. Both of these standards are expected to be submitted to the FGDC Coordination Group for endorsement and release for public review and comment during early 1996.

Bathymetric Subcommittee

    Millington Lockwood, POC Commerce - NOAA (301) 713-2777

The Bathymetric Subcommittee is planning to focus its 1996 efforts on the areas of clearinghouse, data standards and outreach.

As part of the NSDI Clearinghouse activities, the Bathymetric Subcommittee is developing a "Homepage" site on the World Wide Web. This site -- scheduled to be operational in January 1996 -- will be associated with the NOAA Office of the Coast Survey (formerly the Coast and Geodetic Survey) and will contain linkages to a wide range of bathymetric, hydrographic, and marine information sources available over the WWW. In addition, the site will include notice of meetings, minutes of previous meetings, data standards under development, proposals for framework data collection efforts, and a referral to data experts.

In cooperation with the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), the Bathymetric Subcommittee is drafting an accuracy and data quality standard for bathymetric data. This standard is a revision of the procedures designated by the IHO as "S-44" and allows consideration of data of various horizontal and vertical (water depth) accuracies to be included. Previous standards were of a "pass-fail" nature and did not account for data collected by agencies that were not associated with the production of nautical chart products. It is hoped that this expansion of the old S-44 standard will facilitate the expanded collection and use of bathymetric data by the entire community.

One of the main efforts of the Bathymetric Subcommittee is to try to reach the large community of data producers and users who are not associated with Federal government programs. In order to accomplish this goal, the subcommittee attempts to hold each year at least one "open forum" outside the Washington, D.C., area. In 1995, the subcommittee held a half-day workshop in conjunction with the Coastal Zone-95 meeting in Tampa, Florida, in July. Approximately 50 individuals attended this meeting, including representatives of State and local governments, academic institutions, and the private sector. A second meeting will be held in late October in conjunction with the Federal Waterways R&D meeting in Washington, D.C. The subcommittee plans to continue this type of community interaction during 1996. Individuals or organizations who are aware of a national meeting at which the Bathymetric Subcommittee could hold a forum are urged to contact the Subcommittee's Executive Secretary, Millington Lockwood, NOAA National Ocean Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Sta. 6222, Silver Spring, MD 20910; fax x4019, or E-Mail: mlockwood@ocean.nos.noaa.gov.

Cadastral Subcommittee

    Bob Ader, POC Interior - Bureau of Land Management (303) 236-3587

Based on the public review of the Content Standard for Cadastral Data, the subcommittee has divided the original standard into several parts. This will result in three separate standards that will be more focused and more easily understood.

The three standards are:

  • Cadastral Data Content Standard
  • Federal Domain of Values for the Content Standard
  • Cadastral Metadata Clearinghouse Domain of Values.

The Data Content Standard describes the elements contained in a cadastral data theme, the definitions of those elements, their attributes, and relationships. The subcommittee will complete a final draft of the Data Content Standard and begin standard validation in November, and will deliver the standard to the FGDC Standards Working Group in January 1996, with expected approval of the standard in the Spring.

The Federal Domain of Values describes the values for attributes in the Cadastral Data Content Standards for Federal applications. The subcommittee will be working with the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to complete this task.

The Clearinghouse Domain of Values will provide guidance for adding cadastral data to a clearinghouse function. This is based on the FGDC Content Standard for Geospatial Metadata.

Cultural and Demographic Subcommittee

    Fred Broome, Chair Commerce - Bureau of the Census (301) 457-1056

The Subcommittee on Cultural and Demographic Data (SCDD) has linked to the NSDI with an informative home page that provides a status report of the SCDD's standards activities, an opportunity to review the draft Content Standards for Cultural and Demographic Data Metadata, and the minutes of subcommittee meetings. In addition, the homepage provides links to member agency sites that have interesting cultural and demographic data. The SCDD Homepage URL is http://www.census.gov/ftp/pub/geo/www/standards/scdd. The SCDD reconvened after a summer recess to an ambitious schedule focused on completing work items already begun rather than embarking on new projects. Topping the list are efforts to identify key cultural and demographic thematic data sets that meet national planning and management needs and to identify classification schemes for cultural and demographic data. The process of gathering information on data sets is integral to understanding the still elusive terms "cultural" and "demographic" and to help member agencies determine commonality among their data interests. Identifying common interests also is key to improving data access and beginning work on cultural and demographic content and data exchange standards. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has agreed to be the first member agency to participate in the process by hosting a data search and define session open to all interested subcommittee members. The information gathering process will evolve as each member agency participates in and adds to a cultural and demographic data matrix.

The SCDD's Content Standards for Cultural and Demographic Data Metadata standard is currently under review by the Standards Working Group.

      Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee
      John Spencer, POC
      Commerce - NOAA
      (301) 713-3169

The Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee (FGCS) charter was revised recently to include oversight for the activities of the Global Positioning System Interagency Advisory Council (GIAC) as a working group of the subcommittee. In order to make the GIAC more representative of the Federal civilian community, efforts will be made in the coming year to expand membership, particularly among Federal law and safety enforcement agencies. An inventory of Federal GPS applications will be compiled by early 1996, with input from GIAC member agencies. In addition to working specific technical issues, the GIAC plans to hold an open forum during 1996.

The subcommittee and its working groups will continue to make information available on the Internet through the FGCS homepage. This information includes the FGCS charter, minutes of meetings, action items, reports, and instrument evaluation test schedules. The subcommittee notes that having the information posted substantially increases the availability of access to FGCS activities, while reducing the number of formal inquiries received, including those made under the Freedom of Information Act.

See the FGCS homepage for additional information.

Ground Transportation Subcommittee

    Bruce Spear, Chair, Department of Transportation - Bureau of Transportation Statistics (202) 366-8870

The Ground Transportation Subcommittee is continuing its work on developing standards to facilitate the exchange of geospatial data bases depicting transportation networks. Two major subcommittee activities for the coming year include the development of a data dictionary for transportation spatial features, and a workshop to discuss how to represent complex transportation features such as routes in spatial databases and transfer them under the Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS).

A draft data dictionary is being compiled at the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center based on glossaries of transportation terms collected from subcommittee members. The glossaries have been scanned for terms that identify spatial features, which will then be grouped into broader categories that can be represented as specific spatial objects. The resulting categories will be published in a draft report that will be circulated for review throughout the transportation community. A working draft is expected early in 1996.

The workshop, titled "Linear Referencing and the Spatial Data Transfer Standard," will be held January 6-7, 1996, in Washington, DC. It builds upon the results of the first Location Data Modeling Workshop held August 5-6, 1994, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but will focus on the practical implementation issues of transferring such features as transit routes and linear referencing systems as part of a spatial database. The results of this workshop will be incorporated into the SDTS Transportation Network profile (TNP).

Ongoing activities of the Ground Transportation Subcommittee can now be followed by accessing the subcommittees's homepage on the Wide World Web at: . This site includes minutes of subcommittee meetings; subcommittee charter, membership, and annual work plans; and technical documents related to the subcommittee's standards development efforts, including the latest version of the Transportation Network Profile.

International Boundaries & Sovereignty Subcommittee

    Bradford Thomas, Chair, State - Office of the Geographer (202) 647-2250

In 1996, the Subcommittee on International Boundaries and Sovereignty plans to continue its development of a digital international boundaries database based on the Defense Mapping Agency's World Vector Shoreline Plus product. Issues to be addressed include enhancement of the textual layer of the product with brief summary information on land boundaries, and development of a work plan for collection and input of enriched international boundary data.

The subcommittee will address several standards issues during 1996. The simple feature standard being developed for the digital international boundaries database is a modification of the World Vector Shoreline product standard, which is based on DIGEST. The subcommittee will attempt to coordinate this standard with those being developed in other FGDC theme subcommittees concerned with international boundaries, maritime limits, or shorelines. The subcommittee will also cooperate with the FGDC Standards Working Group on the broader issue of harmonizing DIGEST data transfer and metadata standards with the standards developed by the FGDC.

Spotlight on FGDC Working Groups

The Federal Geographic Data Committee Working Groups promote consistent solutions to issues common and crosscutting all data categories.

Standards Working Group

    Denise Perreca, POC FGDC Secretariat Voice: 703-648-4573 FAX:703-648-5755

The role of the Standards Working Group (SWG) is to develop and provide guidance on FGDC standards policy and procedures to the FGDC subcommittees and to facilitate coordination between subcommittees that have overlapping standards activities or interests. The SWG will review proposals for standards and draft standards for compliance with FGDC guidelines and will make recommendations of endorsement to the FGDC Coordination Group. The newly revised charter, reflecting changes in the role of the SWG, has been submitted to the Coordination Group for approval.

The Standards Working Group sponsored a coordination activity in September for the purpose of identifying the overlaps and gaps in FGDC subcommittee standards. Using the help of contracted facilitators, each subcommittee was interviewed about their current and proposed standards activities. A report of the results will be completed at the end of October. The results will help the SWG and other working groups and subcommittees coordinate the development of standards in areas of mutual interest.

FGDC Standards Reference Model

A subgroup of the SWG drafted a document, entitled the "FGDC Standards Reference Model," that will provide guidance on standards development for the FGDC subcommittees and working groups. It defines the expectations of FGDC standards, describes the different types of geospatial standards, and documents the FGDC standards process, including the new role of the SWG. A draft has been made available to the SWG and Coordination Group members for comment.

Status of FGDC Standards

The subcommittees and working groups of the FGDC are developing standards that will aid in the sharing of geospatial data as mandated by OMB Circular No. A-16 and Executive Order 12906. The following is a list of the standards that are under development by the FGDC, with the responsible FGDC subcommittee in parenthesis.

Currently in development:

  • National Spatial Data Accuracy Standard (Base Cartographic)
  • Standards for Digital Orthoimagery (Base Cartographic)
  • Draft Standards for Digital Elevation Data (Base Cartographic)
  • Hydrographic and Bathymetric Accuracy Standard (Bathymetric)
  • Standards for Geodetic Control Networks (Geodetic)
  • Transportation Network Profile for Spatial Data Transfer Standard
    • (including a standard linear referencing scheme) (Ground Transportation)
  • Transportation-related Spatial Feature Dictionary (Ground Transportation)
  • Soils Data Transfer Standard (Soils)
  • Vegetation Classification Standards (Vegetation)
  • River Reach Standards and Spatial Feature Dictionary (Water)
  • Facility ID Code (Facilities Working Group)
  • Content Standard for Cultural and Demographic Data Metadata (Cultural and Demographic)

NOTE: The National Spatial Data Accuracy Standard, noted above, will be submitted for a second public review due to revisions to the standard.

Completed public review:

  • Cadastral Content Standard (Cadastral)
  • Federal Domain of Values for Data Content Standard (Cadastral)
  • Cadastral Collection Standard (Cadastral)
  • Clearinghouse Metadata Profile (Cadastral)
  • Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States (Wetlands)

These standards are close to being ready for a formal public review. Anyone interested in participating in the review of a particular standard during the review period should contact the FGDC Secretariat and have your name added to a mailing list for that standard.

In November, look for a new SWG homepage containing information on all SWG activities and updates on the status of specific FGDC standards under development.

Facilities Working Group

    M.K. Miles, Chair, Department of Defense - Corps of Engineers (202) 761-8885

The Facilities Working Group was created in January 1995 and has met monthly to address data issues that will enhance facility management. A facility is an entity with location, deliberately established as a site for designated activities; a facility database might describe a factory, military base, college, hospital, power plant, fishery, national park, office building, space command center, or prison. The Facilities Working Group is participating in several standards efforts.

    1. The Tri-Service CADD/GIS Spatial Data Standards (TSSDS), developed by the Defense Tri-Service CADD/GIS Technology Center, standardizes content and symbology for large scale/high resolution data typically found in a facility database. The Center is working with FGDC subcommittees and other entities to incorporate small scale features into the TSSDS, to ensure harmonization of the varying granularities of data.
    2. The working group is pursuing the development of a Facility ID Code Standard. Unique, non-intelligent identifiers would coexist with agencies' internal codes and would initially be applied to Federal buildings.
    3. The working group is considering revising the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Facility Mapping Accuracy Standard to meet the needs of a broader facilities community.
    4. The Tri-Service CADD/GIS Technology Center has begun work on an SDTS/FIPS 173 CADD Profile; the working group will be part of the review and planning team.

To make available information about the activities of the working group, minutes of meetings will be linked to the FGDC Homepage by the end of 1995.

FGDC SECRETARIAT STAFF CHANGES...

Nancy Tosta

Ms. Tosta has assumed responsibilities as special assistant to the Secretary of the Interior, Chairman of the FGDC.

John Moeller

Mr. Moeller comes to the FGDC Secretariat from the Bureau of Land Management, is taking on the responsibilities as Staff Director of the FGDC Secretariat.

Doug Nebert

Doug has been selected to join the secretariat staff from USGS-Water Resources Division, will assume responsibilities for further development of the National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse.

FGDC Contact Information

The FGDC Newsletter describes activities of the geospatial data community and the National Spatial Data Infrastructure. Subscriptions are free of charge. Correspondence or contributions may be directed to the FGDC Secretariat as indicated below:

      FGDC Secretariat
      590 National Center
      Reston, VA 22092
      Voice (703) 648-5514
      Fax (703) 648-5755

FGDC Information and Documents

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    Password: "your E-mail address"
    After connecting: cd pub
    README.DOC file has current information on the files in each subdirectory.

FGDC Publications

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Upcoming Conferences

1995

    Nov 8-11 18th Annual Applied Geography Conference Arlington, VA
    Nov 12-16 GIS/LIS Annual Conference Nashville, TN
    Nov 27-28 Annual GIS Forum Austin, TX
    Nov 28-29 GIS Texas: Expanding Frontiers Austin, TX

1996

    Feb 7-9 North Carolina GIS Conference Winston-Salem, NC
    Feb 20-22 1996 Nebraska GIS Symposium Linclon, NE
    Mar 24-27 AM/FM International Conference Seattle, WA
    April 1-3 Montana GIS Conference Missoula, MT
    April 10-12 GIS Research UK, 4th Nat'l Conference Canterbury, UK
    April 11 LIS For Local Gov'ts Satellite Conference Madison, WI
    April 22-25 ASPRS/ACSM Annual Convention Baltimore, MD
    Apr 29-May 1 MidAmerica GIS Symposium Kansas City, MO
    May 19-24 USGS 8th Nat'l Computer Technology Meeting Rancho Mirage, CA
    June 4-7 Towson State University GIS Conference Baltimore, MD
    Jul 27-Aug 1 URISA 96 Salt Lake City, UT
    Oct 6-8 Int'l City/County Management Assoc. Washington, DC
    U.S. Department of the Interior
    U.S. Geological Survey
    590 National Center
    Reston, VA 22092