[Sdi-northamerica] National Spatial Data Infrastructure Report Card

[Kate Lance]

National Spatial Data Infrastructure Report Card
In the United States, the Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO, http://www.cogo.pro/ ), which includes 11 geospatial organizations, is working in conjunction with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) which has created a series of Infrastructure Report Cards which 'grade' various infrastructures in the United States, such as for example: aviation, dams, roads, rail, and energy.
COGO and ASCE intend to create 'The National Spatial Data Infrastructure Report Card', and to that effect they have put together a panel of respected and independent members of the geospatial profession to assess the adequacy of the nation’s NSDI.
While the assessment will be semi-quantitative and consensus-based, the grade will be based on the panel members’ own experience, knowledge and professional judgment, as well as information gathered by the panel, primarily through interviews with those currently involved in developing the NSDI.
The member organizations of COGO are concerned that the nation’s spatial data infrastructure is falling behind the times, and this is having a negative effect on economic growth and quality of life in the United States. They contend that the NSDI Report Card is needed to bring to the attention of the public and governmental decision makers from federal to local levels, facts and figures regarding the 'condition' of our spatial data infrastructure.
The NSDI is comprised of seven data themes, each having a federal agency responsible for each theme. While an agency is assigned at the federal level - the data are much more a 'national resource' than a 'federal resource', with attendant responsibilities for creation and maintenance at the state and local levels. The seven data themes are:
- Geodetic Control ‐‐ National Geodetic Survey
- Cadastral ‐‐ Bureau of Land Management
- Orthoimagery ‐‐ U. S. Geological Survey
- Elevation ‐‐ U. S. Geological Survey
- Hydrography ‐‐ U. S. Geological Survey
- Administrative Units ‐‐ U. S. Census Bureau
- Transportation ‐‐ Department of Transportation
Examples of factors the panel will consider for the NSDI report card evaluation include:
- Currency (how up-to-date the data are)
- Completeness (which may include interoperability & metadata)
- Scale/Resolution
- Accessibility
A team of staff from COGO organizations will be available to assist the panel, and upon completion of the report card, will design and implement a media/public relations campaign to promote the results.
For any questions on the NSDI Report Card Project, please contact John Palatiello, Executive Director of MAPPS, a COGO member organization, who can be reached at: MAPPS, 1856 Old Reston Avenue, Suite 205, Reston, VA 20190, (703) 787‐6996, john at mapps.org .
Source: http://kampro.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/NSDI_ReportCard.pdf
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