Part B
LEAD FEDERAL AGENCY REPORT (Agencies With Lead for NSDI Theme From Circular A-16, Appendix E) (Please provide a separate report form each theme for which you have the lead)
1. Data Theme Name:
Governmental Units
2. What are the Budget Programs this data supports? (activities, sub activities):
Censuses and surveys conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and, more generally, all Federal data collection activities that support a variety of budget programs through governmental units-based data collection because a majority of data are collected and tabulated to geographic units. OMB Circular A-16, Appendix E states that the "...lead agency shall provide leadership and facilitate the development and implementation of needed FGDC standards, especially a data content standard for each data theme." To meet this obligation, the Subcommittee for Cultural and Demographic Data, on behalf of the U.S. Census Bureau, has drafted and is ushering through the FGDC standard development and endorsement process the data content standard, the Governmental Unit Boundary Data Content Standard.
3. Uses of Data: What are the end uses of this data? (benefits to customers, how it supports lead and other Agency missions, etc.)
Governmental unit boundary data provides the framework by which most statistical data are collected and to which they are tabulated. The purpose of the Governmental Unit Boundary Data Content Standard is to provide consistency in the collection and interchange of governmental unit boundaries and to facilitate their maintenance, analysis, and comparison, and thereby, support most federal, state, and local statistical programs.
4. Charter/Plan: Do you have a current charter or plan for collection? Should it be updated?
For over 50 years the U.S. Census Bureau has collected and maintained boundary information. Originally the database was maintained in analogue form but for the past fifteen years in digital form. Our collection plans are under continuous review and improvement. Boundary updates are made in conjunction with local, state, and tribal officials. Other agencies, for their own purposes and on their own schedules, collect governmental unit boundary data.
5. Metadata: What is the status of metadata? Is it discoverable and served through the NSDI Clearinghouse? What percentage of this theme's data has metadata? Is a Clearinghouse node established?
The U.S. Census Bureau has FGDC compliant metadata associated with its public products, including those with a governmental unit boundary layer, (e.g., TIGER/Line Files) and a node on the FGDC clearinghouse for data dissemination is in development.
6. Standards: What is the status of this theme's data standard?
The standard will be presented for comment at the June 7, 2001 meeting of the Federal Geographic Data Committee's Subcommittee on Cultural and Demographic Data. The comments will be addressed and the standard will be submitted to FGDC's Standards Working group for its review and submission to the FGDC's Coordination Committee for public review at a forthcoming 2001 FGDC Standards Working Group meeting. Public review will occur during the Spring of 2002 with final FGDC Steering Committee endorsement in the Fall of 2002.
7. Progress: List FY 2000/2001 Activities/Progress to Date (quantify where possible)
The draft of the Governmental Unit Boundary Data Content Standard was completed and will be presented to the Subcommittee on Cultural and Demographic Data prior to submission to the FGDC Standards Working Group for approval for public review. The Standard draft will be presented at the annual meeting of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) in Los Angeles [October 20-24, 2001] for comment and is being circulated among other public, private, and governmental organizations,
8. Leadership: Describe your active leadership role with others (private, local, State, Federal) who collect and use this data.
The U.S. Census Bureau maintains the current list of contacts for governmental unit boundary data that now exceeds well over 40,000 agencies nationwide. The U.S. Census Bureau is an active participant in the FGDC Clearinghouse and various subcommittees, including efforts in supporting FirstGov and E-gov efforts and chairs the FGDC's Subcommittee on Cultural and Demographic Data.
9. Collaborative Partnerships: How many major partnerships with others do you have or this theme (list if desired).
The database mentioned above represents a cooperative effort between federal and local officials for the purpose of keeping the data up to date. These cooperative efforts now exceed 40,000 agencies nationwide.
10. Scope: Are you engaged in broad participation and International/global coordination?
The U.S. Census Bureau is an active participant in ISO/TC 211, the International Organization of Standardization Technical Committee 211, Geographic Information/Geomatics, where it served as editor for two of the standards and participates as technical experts on several others.
11. Policy: Do you have a policy in place for full and open access or data sharing?
Governmental Units, including metadata, are included as a component in most all publicly available data products produced by the U.S. Census Bureau.
12. Are there areas or issues regarding lead responsibilities for spatial data themes that require attention, or lessons-learned that you would like to share with others? Please describe.
None