Persons Attending
Roger Sperry (NAPA); Gerald Gates (Census); MK Miles, Nancy Blyler, Dave Gerczak (Facilities); Anne Frondorf, Maury Nyquist (Biological); Fred Broom (Demographic); Bruce Spear (Ground Transportation); John Knoerl (NPS); John Stewart (DOE); Win Lyday (NACo); Gerry Barton (NOAA); Richard Hogan (Standards); Kathy Clement (Base Cartographic, Earth Cover); Gale TeSelle (Earth Cover); Bruce Ambacher (Historical Data); Dave Catlin (EPA); Tim Smith (Spatial Water); John Spencer (Geodetic Control); Fred Kaiser (Vegetation); Don Buhler (Cadastral); Jerry McFaul (USGS); Valerie Hartung (Census); Gene Thorley (Chair, Coordination Group); Kathy Covert, Barabara Poore, David Painter (FGDC Secretariat)
Information Items: Review of July Coordination Group Meeting summary/action items
Report on Cultural/Archaeological Resource Data: Kathy Covert reported on the status of the formation of a Cultural Resources working group or subgroup under the auspices of the FGDC to develop standards for cultural resource geospatial data. In April, John Knoerl, Branch of Mapping and Information Technologies, National Park Service, sent a letter to John Moeller describing the objectives of the State Historic Preservation Office Data Automation Advisory Group to develop metadata standards and guidelines for digitizing historic resource locations, both archaeological and architectural, as well as historic and prehistoric, in order to facilitate data sharing.
On July 16, 1997, Kathy Covert and Fred Broome met with John Knoerl and his NPS associates to discuss the pro's and con's of organizing as a subgroup under the Cultural and Demographic Subcommittee or as a separate cross-cutting Cultural (Archaeological) Resources Working Group. Mr. Knoerl said he would consult with the Advisory Group and report their preference for status as working group or subgroup before the September 1997, Coordination Group meeting.
April 30, 1997 Steering Committee Action Items: Action: John Moeller (FGDC Secretariat) is requested to provide the status of the action items from the April 30, 1997 FGDC Steering Committee meeting.
Privacy Issues Draft Guidelines: Kathy Covert reported that the privacy issues draft guidelines distributed at the July 1, 1997 Coordination meeting has been commented on by several agencies. Action: Please review and provide comments on the privacy issue draft guidelines to Kathy Covert by August 14.
Records Disposition Schedule Draft Review: Bruce Ambacher reports there has been no response to the request to review and comment on the draft of a Records Disposition Schedule for GIS data distributed at the July 1 meeting. This description reinforces the FGDC Metadata Standard and SDTS and provides assistance to agencies in developing records control and disposition schedules. Action: Please review and provide comments on the Records Disposition Schedule draft to Bruce Ambacher by August 14.
Wyn Lyday described the need to develop an internal NACo integrated county process for representation of surveyors, assessors, etc. from different levels of state and local government and geographic areas in FGDC Subcommittee discussions. Questions of funding for travel to attend meetings, and level of and formality of participation were raised. Action: As a first step, Committee and Working Group Chairpersons should identify requirements for external participation with the committee to John Moeller by August 29, 1997.
FGDC/NSDI Shoreline Data Workshop: No report on request for review and comment on workshop prospectus to Millington Lockwood (Bathymetric) by July 15, 1997.
Second IEEE Metadata Conference: The question arose concerning FGDC participation at the Second IEEE Metadata Conference, September 16-17, 1997 in Silver Spring, MD. Doug Nebert (FGDC Secretariat) will be attending that conference as a panelist.
Briefing on NAPA Draft Report:
Roger Sperry, National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) briefed the committee on the status of the NAPA study of U.S. geographic information resources. The study is addressing four questions: is geographic information critical to keeping the U.S. competitive in a world economy; what is the appropriate role for the federal government in geographic information activities; what roles are appropriate for the non-federal sectors; and are there restructuring opportunities in the federal sector for greater efficiencies. Some of the points covered in the briefing include that there is a need for better agency coordination, that the FGDC is dominated by the Federal sector and that there is a need for a national body to promote the NSDI. NAPA is evaluating organizational models that would be outside the formal federal organization to represent a truly national NSDI effort. There is a need to strengthen state coordinating bodies to be more inclusive.
The public purpose in basic data is recognized as a government role, however there is a need for greater use of multi-lateral partnerships. Other points covered concerned outsourcing as more a management option than a requirement and intellectual property rights. Mr. Sperry noted that there is enthusiasm within the geospatial data community for the NSDI, however, there is a lack of knowledge in the lay community that hinders greater public support.
Other discussions concerned competition with the private sector, NSDI mandating legislation, existing organizational models and question of the report addressing non-base geographic data. Landview III a low-end, GIS starter-kit viewing package was briefly discussed as an example of technology whose dissemination could broaden the general public's knowledge in GIS. Handout describing software was distributed. Action: A demonstration of the Landview III CD-ROM was requested for a future Coordination Group meeting.
Final NAPA panel meeting will be on September 10, and the draft report available by late September. Handout describing overview of NAPA effort was distributed.
Privacy Issues Briefing:
Mr. Gerald Gates, Census Bureau, Chair NIITF Privacy Working Group discussed the three general principles that all agencies participating in the National Information Infrastructure should address to respect privacy: information privacy, information integrity, and information quality. Mr. Gates noted that there is a need to continue ahead with access and analytical information technology, however, the privacy issue needs to be considered, awareness of privacy issues raised and for organizations to be proactive on this issue. There is an expectation that there will be a reaction on information access due to the misuse of personal information in the near future that will force federal agencies to reduce the distribution of data. He further noted that the principles did not apply well to the commercial sector. Other discussions noted the good reception of the privacy issue at the URISA conference, European need for a single U.S. organization for interaction, and issue of privacy of groups. Report of the Privacy Working Group was distributed.
Privacy issues topic is recommended as an agenda item for the September Coordination Group Meeting.
Framework Demonstration Projects Program (FDPP) and NSDI Benefits Programs: 1997 Project Awards: Barbara Poore and David Painter (FGDC Secretariat) briefed the committee on the applicants awarded in the NSDI Benefits and FDPP programs respectively. Handouts were distributed describing awarded program projects. Gale TeSelle noted the Coordination Group's investment in the review of potential applicants at the beginning of a program but that there is a lack of follow-up on project outcomes at the end of the program. He asked if there is a need for a group to be responsible for follow-up on the outcomes of programs and their effectiveness. Action: Review and discuss the purposes and outcomes of FGDC cooperative programs at the September Coordination Group Meeting.
Biological Data Working Group: Review of Proposed Charter: Anne Frondorf and Maury Nyquist briefed the group on the proposed charter establishing the Biological Data Working Group. They noted activities on a biological metadata profile, and a biological nomenclature standard. Mr. Nyquist indicated that there is a whole realm of biological data having a spatial component that still needs to be addressed. The proposed charter was discussed and accepted with modifications. Action: Biological Data Working Group Proposed Charter was accepted with modifications as follows:
A...
Part IV. Responsibility
...
B. Facilitate development and adoption of the Federal Integrated Taxonomic Information System ( biological species taxonomy and nomenclature ) as an FGDC-approved biological data content standards.
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V. Procedures
The Chairperson of the FGDC Coordination Group shall appoint a Chairperson for the Working Group. This individual shall be a representative of the designated lead agency, the USGS Biological Resources Division.
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Wrap-up
Action: Secretariat will provide list of topics for September Coordination Meeting by August 15 with deadline for response.
Action: Secretariat will identify a FGDC representative to attend the September 10, 1997 NAPA Meeting. Note this meeting conflicts with the September FGDC Coordination Meeting.
Other Handouts:
Jerry McFaul: LandView III CD-ROM factsheet.
John Spencer: GIAC Sponsored GPS Modernization Technical Meeting, August 26, 1997, Silver Spring, MD
Barbara Poore: A National Satellite Videoconference, October 15, 1997
Kathy Clement: Metadata National Satellite Videoconference, USGS National Center Auditorium,
Reston, Virginia, October 15, 1997.
Kathy Covert: Draft of Proposed NSDI Awards Program. Action: Please review and comment on by September 2, 1997.
Jerry Barton: Second Annual IEEE Metadata Conference, September 16-17, 1997, Silver Spring, MD
Status of FGDC Standards
Next Meeting: Please note that due to popular demand the site of the September Coordination Meeting has been changed from the Washington-Dulles Holiday Inn to the NACo Headquarters in downtown Washington, D.C.
September 9-10, 1997
9:00 to 4:00 each day
National Association of Counties
440 First Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20001-2080
Directions:
3 blocks west of Union Station,
between E and D Streets NW mid-block,
at 440 1st Street NW.