FGDC Annual Report to OMB
Format for Agency Reports - FY 2001
The following outline should be used by FGDC Member Agencies (or Bureaus) for their Annual Spatial Data Reports, which will be consolidated by the FGDC and submitted to OMB. Reports should be brief, using bullets where possible. Please provide only the information that will be useful for OMB to assess the agencies' achievements using the funding they received, and for establishing future direction.
Part A
GENERAL FEDERAL AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES REPORT (All Agencies)
1. Agency or Bureau:
Department of the Interior, US Geological Survey
2. Name of Contact for Report:
Karen Siderelis
ksiderelis@usgs.gov
703-648-5747
3. Steering Committee Member:
Dr. Charles Groat
cgroat@usgs.gov
703-648-7411
4. Coordination Group Participant(s):
Hedy Rossmeissl
hjrossmeissl@usgs.gov
703-648-5577
Jan Morton
jmorton@usgs.gov
703-648-6509
Maury Nyquist
maury_nyquist@usgs.gov
303-202-4217
5. Subcommittee or Working Group Participation: Subcommittees or Working Groups in which your agency is actively involved, but does not lead:
Bathymetric, Cadastral, Cultural & Demographic, Geodetic, Soils, Transportation, and Vegetation Subcommittees, Clearinghouse, Earth Cover, Historical, Metadata, and Standards Working Groups
6. Goals and Accountability: Are you using spatial data with regard to performance?
Yes
7. List agency GPRA strategic plan goals specifically related to spatial data activities (or "none"):
The USGS has 2 GPRA Strategic Goals. They are:
The Hazards GPRA Program Activity. Under the Hazards GPRA Program Activity or mission goal, the USGS provides science for a changing world in response to present and anticipated needs, focusing efforts to predict & monitor hazardous events in near-real and real-time and to conduct risk assessments to mitigate loss. Within this mission context, the USGS long-term goal is to ensure the continued transfer of hazards-related data, risk assessments, and disaster scenarios needed by our customers before, during, and after natural disasters, to increase the delivery of real-time hazards information by adding telemetry, and by installing improved earthquake sensors; all to minimize loss of life and property.
Environment and Natural Resources GPRA Program Activity. Under the Environment and Natural Resources GPRA Program Activity or mission goal, USGS provides science for a changing world in response to present and anticipated needs to expand our understanding of environmental and natural resource issues on regional, national, and global scales and enhance predictive/forecast modeling capabilities. Within this mission context, the USGS long-term goal is to ensure the continued availability of long-term environmental and natural resource information and systematic analysis and investigations needed by customers, and to develop new decision support systems and predictive tools for informed decision-making about natural systems.
b. List agency GPRA performance measures specifically related to spatial data activities (or "none"):
For a detailed explanation of the GPRA Performance measures, visit the USGS Annual Performance Plan 2001 and Annual Performance Report 1999 at http://www.usgs.gov/budget/gpra/gpra_con.pdf For the Hazards GPRA Program Activity or mission goal, the USGS performance measures are to develop, maintain and improve monitoring networks and techniques of risk assessment by: maintaining the baseline of data and risk assessments transferred to customers; increasing by 300 the quarterly average number of streamgages delivering real-time data on the Internet, and increasing by 150 improved earthquake sensors to deliver real-time information on potentially damaging earthquakes to minimize loss of life and property.
For the Environment GPRA Program Activity or mission goal, USGS performance measures are to provide and improve long-term environmental and natural resource information, systematic analysis and investigations, and predictive options for decision-making about natural systems by: providing essential information to address environmental and natural resources issues by maintaining 45 long-term data collection/data management efforts and supporting 2 large data infrastructures (NSDI and NBII) managed in partnership with others; delivering 1,077 new products from systematic analyses and investigations to our customers; improving and developing 9 new decision support systems and predictive tools for decision-making; and collaborating with university partners to understand natural systems and facilitate sound management practices through 258 external grants and contracts.
8. Strategy: Has your agency prepared a strategy for advancing geographic information and spatial data activities in coordination with the FGDC strategy, pursuant to Circular A-16?
The USGS is responsible for the National Mapping Program and National Geologic Mapping Program as identified in OMB Circular A-16. The USGS also leads, funds, and administratively manages the Department of the Interior Circular A-16 request for DOI High Priority Data Requirements. As chair of the Interior Geographic Data Committee Base Mapping Working Group, the USGS works with the other Department of Interior Bureaus in meeting their mapping requirements.
Additionally, as documented in Executive Order 12906, the USGS leads or participates on numerous FGDC Subcommittees or Working Groups.
9. Standards: Has your agency developed and/or adopted appropriate standards?
Yes
Endorsed Standards
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (version 2.0), FGDC-STD-001-1998
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata, Part 1: Biological Data Profile, FGDC-STD-001.1-1999
Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS), FGDC-STD-002 (a modified version was adopted as ANSI NCITS 320:1998)
Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS), Part 5: Raster Profile and Extensions, FGDC-STD-002.5
Geospatial Positioning Accuracy Standard, Part 3, National Standard for Spatial Data Accuracy, FGDC-STD-007.3-1998
Content Standard for Digital Orthoimagery, FGDC-STD-008-1999
Standards under development
Content Standard for Framework Land Elevation Data
Digital Cartographic Standard for Geologic Map Symbolization
Biological Nomenclature and Taxonomy Data Standard
The USGS Survey Manual provides general policy and guidance to the development and adoption of geospatial data standards.
10. Metadata: Is your agency's metadata and/or data available and discoverable online through an NSDI-compatible clearinghouse node registered as part of the NSDI Clearinghouse Network?
Yes. Metadata collected complies with the FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata and is served and maintained at USGS NSDI Clearinghouse nodes. The metadata is served for individual datasets and dataset series (collections of data). Policies and guidelines exist for the release of GIS data sets on the USGS public web sites and for posting metadata on the USGS NSDI nodes. In total, there are 19 USGS NSDI compliant clearinghouses.
The USGS also leads and manages the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII), through which, the USGS has established a metadata training cadre of over 17 members (English and Spanish speaking). Since September 2000, this metadata training cadre held over 22 workshops for the USGS, other Federal/State agencies, universities, NGO's and other entities across the US and for Canadian data partners. The USGS has received several NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program awards for metadata collection, metadata training as well as to develop metadata educational on the International Organization for Standardization 19115 Metadata Standard for the FGDC.
In addition, the USGS has also developed a variety of software tools and technical documentation, to assist both in the creation of metadata and in the management of collections of metadata and provided to the public via the web sites http://geology.usgs.gov/tools/metadata/ and http://geo-nsdi.er.usgs.gov/.
11. Vertical and Horizontal Data Integration: Is your data integrable with other Federal agencies and other sources of data (State, County, local, private)?
Yes. In most cases the data produced by the USGS are able to be integrated because they are available in common formats, have the necessary metadata to discover and assess the data, and typically are developed using applicable FGDC mapping and classification standards. Additionally, the USGS uses common geodetic reference systems such as the North American Datum of 1983 and the North American Datum of 1927 horizontal datums and the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1988 to provide a common spatial reference system. The USGS also distributes data in the American National Standards Institute Spatial Data Transfer Standard (ANSI 320) data transfer standard. The use of USGS data in the National Atlas exemplifies the integration of these data with those of other agencies.
12. E-Gov: How are you using geospatial data in your mission activities to provide better services? (Please list)
Yes, USGS geospatial data and information about that data are produced, made available, and searchable on the USGS public website and NSDI Clearinghouse nodes.
As a geospatial data steward, the USGS leads and participates in the NSDI framework, standards, metadata, and clearinghouse activities. There are also specific national programs such as the National Mapping Program and the National Geologic Mapping Program as well as specific discipline programs such as the USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program, the USGS Gap Analysis Program, the Land Use History of North America (LUHNA) program, and the Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends) Program all dedicated to land and resource stewardship.
13. Are there areas or issues regarding spatial data that require attention, or lessons-learned that you would like to share with others? Please describe.
None.