November 6 FGDC Coordination Group Meeting

[agenda]

Telecon / WebEx Participants:

Alan Stevens, FGDC
Alison Dishman, FGDC
Anne O'Connor, Census
Betsy Kanalley, USFS
Bill Burgess, NSGIC
Bob Pierce, USGS
Bonnie Gallahan, FGDC
Charles Hickman, USGS
Colleen Cahill, LoC
David Paschane, DoD
David Morehouse, DOE
Donald Buhler, BLM
Doug Vandegraft, FWS
Gita Urban-Mathieux, FGDC
Joe Evjen, NGS
John Mahoney, USGS
Julie Maitra, FGDC
Marisa Capriotti, NRCS
Pat Phillips, USGS
Randy Fusaro, Census
Rebecca Ferguson, OMB
Rob Dollison, USGS / GOS
Scott McAfee, FEMA / DHS
Vaishal Sheth, FGDC
Wendy Blake-Coleman, EPA

 

Summary of our October 2 CG Meeting – Alison Dishman, FGDC 

[presentation] [annual report update]

  • Lynn Scarlett is issuing a memo to SAOGIs regarding TF transition – including our need for official CG members, SC and WG members
  • Grant Thornton was awarded the PMO contract and is reviewing the costs due to the revised JBC – need to look at the revised tasks
  • The FY 07 Annual Report won’t deal with climate change specifically because it is a politically charged issue  -  the theme will be “Spatially Understanding Our Changing World”
  • The 2008 CAP is out and Gita is looking for volunteers to reviewer the proposals – the CAP review will take place in Jan timeframe
  • LoB Task Force –
    • Licensing agreements – a TF subcommittee is investigating Google Earth licensing for all Feds.  They also may look at Microsoft Virtual Earth – EPA is now in the process of considering both.
    • NASA and NGA have Google Earth contracts
    • Tony is leading the TF subgroup reviewing licensing agreements
    • TF will also discuss 08 goals – these need to be listed in Annual Report
  • The FACA recommendations are at the Sec Interior’s Office awaiting signature 

 

FGDC Secretariat Update – Alan Stevens, FGDC

Alison Dishman will be leaving the FGDC to take a 90 day detail at the USGS Congressional Liaison office.  

Pat Phillips will be acting as FGDC Interagency Liaison.  Please send any business related to the Annual Report, Coordination Group, Steering Committee, and Spatially Speaking e-newsletter to Pat.  (paphillips@usgs.gov, 703.648.5931) 

We look forward to Pat joining the FGDC Staff and we wish Alison luck on her detail. 

 

Upcoming Standards Working Group Meeting – Julie Maitra, FGDC 

The Standards WG will meet tomorrow and the agenda includes a Framework Data Standard status update; the FGDC Standards program of work; the Coal Mining Data Standard; the FY 08 CAP.  We will also discuss our 2008 Work Plan which will include the integration of voluntary consensus standards – including ANSI, ISO and OGC standards.  We will also discuss why the organizations charge for standards and what we can do about it.  

Q:  Bill Wilen left message about the continuing debate on the Wetlands Mapping Standard.  Is there some question on that?  He said that he was told the standard runs contrary to tactical plan of USGS, which provides stewardship of national products at a 1:24K scale.  Any more info on that? 
A:  Bob Pierce brought this up when we went for vote – why DOI voted no.  The standard was geared for 1:12K reference instead of 1:24K.  Trouble figuring how to make it work since USGS and others have used 1:24K for a standard for a long time.  Lots of groups not ready to deal with 1:12K.  

Comment:  The DOQ is 1:12K, so it might be a non event – need to deal with it offline.  DOQ – orthophoto quads are 1:12K – all photo is collected, processed and released at 1:12K. 

Everyone wants 1:24K products to go down to 1:12.5K – need to have a conversation 

Action:  Al will meet with Julie and Bob Pierce to discuss the DOI concerns over the Wetlands Mapping Standard and will relay the information to Bill Wilen.  

Julie will adjudicate the comments fairly, so let Julie facilitate it.  The editing committee will adjudicate comments and should include those people who were from FWS, they had the most criticisms and issues.  

 

GOS Update – Rob Dollison, USGS / GOS 

[presentation]

Training packages on how to use the GOS portal and publishing, have been drafted as part of the NSDI training program.  They will be posted on the FGDC website soon – after their final review. 

GOS has provided outreach presentations to a wide variety of groups over the year. 

The updated version of GOS will have:

  • Metadata reports – harvesting agency data – let them know which come through – are validated
  • Market place reports – will send out notification to the stewards about that – clean up records over a year old
  • Better visualization of search results – see footprint of records
  • Download data into a spreadsheet – boil it down to what you need 

Q:  FEMA had problems with GOS harvesting NDEP metadata.
A:  Please let Rob Dollison know ahead of time since they are switching versions – need help making the connection while switching to the new standard

Q:  We would like to a feature on GOS that shows different ways in which GOS is collecting metadata from different sources and how it comes together.
A:  The new portlet on our next release will show how to take advantage of new portal. 

Q:  Might want to have a GOS blog – to ask GOS administrator questions
A:  In Dec we want to take advantage of search results saved – want to send messages telling you when new data is in that matches your area of interest