Information about the draft National Shoreline Data Content Standard
The location of our national
shoreline is a baseline for legal boundaries, nautical charts, and commercial
and natural resource utilization and management. Effective use of shoreline
data requires a highly defined logical data structure that is interoperable, efficient,
and applicable to a broad base of government and private sector demands.
Current practices and protocols have
led to a highly variable shoreline data infrastructure that limits agencies and
organizations from effectively sharing and using shoreline coincident data.
The draft National Shoreline Data Content Standard ties related protocols and
existing content together in a new model using recognized reference material,
definitions, semantics, and structures. Harmonized shoreline content will lead
to cost savings by reducing the time in design, data re-use, training, and
implementation and will assist in areas such as coastal research, historical
shoreline change analysis, shoreline change prediction analysis, and the
effects of relative sea rise. The draft National Shoreline Data Content
Standard provides a framework for shoreline data development, data sharing, and
shoreline data transformation and fusion.
The geographical scope of the
standard comprises all shorelines within the coastal and inland waterways for
the United States, its Commonwealths, and Territories and any other possession
that the United States exercises sovereignty.
The functional scope of the standard includes the definition
of data models, schemas, entities, relationships, definitions, and cross-walks
to related standards. Legal controversy has historically surrounded shoreline
definitions because of the boundary implications. This standard will provide a
framework inclusive of multiple shoreline interpretations, and will not attempt
to resolve disputed terminology.
Information about public review
The public review period begins on Wednesday, March 7, 2007. The draft National
Shoreline Data Content Standard may be found
at http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/projects/FGDC-standards-projects/shoreline-data-content/200701_ShorelineDataContentStandard.doc.
Reviewers are strongly encouraged to complete the comment form (Word, Excel) using the
instructions provided in FGDC
Standards Directive #2d, Standards Working Group Review Guidelines: Review
Comment Template. Proposed changes are needed to ensure that the question
/problem is correctly addressed and adjudicated.
Comments shall be submitted to Julie Maitra of the FGDC Secretariat (Email: jmaitra@usgs.gov) no later than Friday, June 8, 2007 at 12:00 midnight Eastern Time.
Comments resulting from public review will be
adjudicated
following the close of the public review on Friday, June 8, 2007. After
public review comments have been adjudicated and a revised draft
standard based
on comment adjudications has been prepared, the revised draft standard
and
supporting documentation will be submitted for endorsement as an FGDC
standard.