Department of Defense 1997 Progress Report

Goal 1: Increase the awareness and understanding of the vision, concepts and benefits of the NSDI through outreach and education. Training & FGDC Education

The FGDC had a booth and briefed at the opening session of the Tri-Service CADD/GIS Technology Center Symposium in August 1997.

The Tri-Service CADD/GIS Technology Center distributes a "Geospatial Data Documentation Support Package" on CD-ROM along with the Tri-Service Spatial Data Standards. The package includes a discussion of the requirements for geospatial metadata, metadata examples, and lists sources for additional information.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has formal policy (an Engineer Regulation) and technical guidance (an Engineer Manual) outlining the requirements of Executive Order 12906 for its Commands having civil works, military constructions, and environmental restoration responsibilities.

USACE held two Metadata workshops in 1997. One of the workshops was held at the USACE/National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing Conference Tri-Service CADD/GIS Symposium. Five workshops are scheduled for 1998.

USACE has a geospatial data web site (http://corpsgeo1.usace.army.mil) with links to the FGDC web site.

Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has made the appropriate Field Activities aware of NSDI and encouraged them to actively participate with federal and non-federal organizations.

U.S. Army Center for Public Works (USACPW) has provided NSDI orientation sessions at their training workshops since 1995. In addition, NSDI Implementation has been covered in annual presentations to installation Directors of Public Works (DPWs) and in periodic articles addressed to DPW managers.

The Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Information Technology Strategic Plan, in its section on CADD/GIS, emphasizes the use of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) clearinghouse to locate existing geospatial data and the generation of metadata as geographic data is acquired to include in the clearinghouse. The plan is on the NAVFAC home page on the World Wide Web at URL: http://www.navfac.navy.mil/strpln98/default.htm and the CADD/GIS section promoting the awareness of the NSDI is at: http://www.navy.mil/homepages/navfac/compt/15cadgis.htm Additionally, links to the FGDC and online geographic data sources are provided in an Information Technology World Wide Web links page at: http://www.navy.mil/homepages/navfac/compt/itlinks.htm

The NSDI has been a topic at several NAVFAC Information Technology Workshops.

E-mail notices relating to NSDI such as those from the NSDI-L and Geoweb e-mail lists are frequently forwarded to a "GIS Interest" e-mail list of NAVFAC and other Department of the Navy points-of-contact.

Goal 2: Develop common solutions for discovery, access, and use of geospatial data in response to the needs of diverse communities. Clearinghouse, tools, technology

The Tri-Service CADD/GIS Technology Center will establish and operate a NSDI Clearinghouse Node that will be used by military installations to serve their metadata files in early 1998.

Since 1995, USACE has had a NSDI Clearinghouse Node where USACE Commands are required to serve metadata and check the clearinghouse prior to starting a project. Currently, the Corps is serving over 2000 metadata files on the USACE NSDI Clearinghouse Node.

To aid USACE Commands in metadata creation, the Corps has developed a metadata generation tool, Corpsmet95, and distributes it freely to all Corps Commands and the general public.

GIS guidance, to include the Corpsmet95 metadata tool, are available on special USACPW web page (http://www.usacpw.belvoir.army.mil/librarie/GIS/GIS.htm).

In the Life Cycle Management review and approval process for geographic information systems acquisitions, the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) specifies as a condition of information systems approval that any geographic data acquired for the systems be documented according to the FGDC metadata standard in compliance with Executive Order 12906.

DLA is currently surveying the Agency's available public data to determine if it is appropriate geospatial data and what Metadata needs to be developed. DLA is also collecting data and developing plans to document existing data.

Goal 3: Use community-based approaches to develop and maintain common collection of geospatial data for sound decision-making. Standards

The Tri-Service Spatial Data Standards (TSSDS) are a Tri-Service effort developing spatial data standards for use in facility related geospatial activities. The TSSDS is being developed in coordination with FGDC standard activities.

USACE participates on the following FGDC subcommittees to develop standards: Cadastral and Demographic Data, Bathymetric, Geodetic, Ground Transportation, Facilities Working Group, Standards Working Group, and the Ad-hoc Metadata working group. USACE is also a member of the Coordination Group and a DOD Co-Member of the FGDC Steering Committee.

USACE requires all Commands to use the TSSDS.

The Army actively participates in FGDC standards development through USACPW's involvement in the FGDC Facilities Working Group.

The Air Force Civil Engineer has made significant contributions in the development of the TSSDS developed by the Tri-Service CADD/GIS Center. Each version release of the TSSDS made by the Tri-Service Center to Air Force installations has been accompanied with an Air Force Civil Engineer memorandum mandating use of the standards for projects under development.

Goal 4: Build relationships among organizations to support the continuing development of the NSDI. Data sharing activities

Participation of USACPW in state and local committees, as well as direct coordination with local planning organizations, has been encouraged , both as a means of reducing data collection costs and providing spatial thematic analysis crossing installation boundaries.

Many of the Corps Commands participate on local GIS councils and purchase data in joint effort with federal as well as state and local governments. Some are formal purchasing agreements, others are more informal data exchanges.

Over the past year, the Corps has purchased data with Massachusetts State, Hampton Roads Planning District, NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the Hudson River Foundation, Nassau County NY, Suffolk County NY, New Jersey State DEC, New York State, Lewiston ID, Clarkston WA, Paso WA, Richland WA, Santa Clara Valley Water District, Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office, Michigan Dept of Natural Resources, Michigan Dept of Agriculture, Michigan Dept of Transportation, Michigan Dept of Environmental Quality, Arkansas State, Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation Commission, Florida State, Allegheny County PA, Univ. Of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Port Authority, Franklin County OH, McDowell County WV, and Grundy VA.

The Corps is also actively participating on Southwestern PA GIS Council, Oklahoma GIS Council, Arkansas GIS Users group, Improving Michigan's Access to Geographic Information Networks (IMAGIN), Idaho Geographic Information Advisory Committee, Savannah Area GIS (SAGIS) Consortium, Nebraska GIS Steering Committee, New Jersey's State Mapping Advisory Committee (SMAC), New York State GIS Coordination Program, New York State GIS Coordination Program, New York City Area Data Working Group - the Geographic Information Systems and Mapping Operation (GISMO), and Long Island GIS (LIGIS) users group.