Update (July 2012): DHS S&T has been working with the Pennsylvania State University’s GeoVISTA Center to promote standardization and sharing of map symbology throughout DHS components and the public safety community. The following two prototype capabilities have been developed out of this effort:

1. A distributed, collaborative web based process and toolset that allow users to:

  • Review their existing symbology
  • Identify missing, redundant, ambiguous symbols
  • Identify poor symbol labels and definitions
  • Develop logical symbol categories

2. A web-based Symbology service (Symbol Store) that allows users to:

  • Find relevant symbols using keyword search (The prototype Symbol Store will initially be populated with ANSI 415-2006 (FGDC HSWG), HSIP, FEMA, and DHS NPPD symbols)
  • Review available symbols along with metadata such as: symbol name and description; where they are used (what organizations); are they part of a standard; etc.
  • Preview symbols on different scale maps
  • Select and download symbols
  • Publish symbols and symbol libraries to the Symbol Store

The prototype Symbol Store is currently hosted by Penn State for evaluation at http://symbolstore.org. Based on initial feedback, the Symbol Store capability would be useful across a broad variety of users and communities.

Notice: To the extent that any information/material contained herein is a Government work, it is not subject to copyright protection, and may be published/disseminated without restriction(s).

Symbol Availability - The information contained herein is the work of the FGDC Homeland Security Working Group including Federal, State, and local agencies. The set of symbols shown is a work-in-progress.