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The Subcommittee on International Boundaries and Sovereignty was re-activated in September with a refined agenda and new chairperson after eight months of inactivity. The group now meets once a month, rotating the meetings at the different member agencies. The goal of the Subcommittee is to create an International Boundary and Sovereignty Data Standard that would be used to build a Digital International Boundary Data Base. The group also expanded the agenda to include topics of common interest and resolution of outstanding international boundary questions, including administrative divisions within foreign countries.
While the group has not begun work on the standard as of yet, progress has been made by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) on the Definitive Source Guidance Packages which make up the Digital International Boundary Data Base. This Data Base will be a Federal level archive of international boundary delineations with supporting metadata and background information, such as treaty text. It will contain the best available data for both land and maritime boundaries, will be updated as necessary, and have U.S. Department of State clearance. Digital delineation is based on World Vector Shoreline Plus, and the boundary segments will be edited and updated using ArcInfo format. The Subcommittee is also investigating programs in other countries to digitize international boundaries. If there is a need, an FGDC approved boundary standard may be proposed as an international standard.
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