Part B
LEAD FEDERAL AGENCY/BUREAU AND/OR SUBCOMMITTEE/WORKING GROUP REPORT (Agencies With Lead Responsibilities Assigned under Current Circular A-16 Authorities) (Please provide a separate report for each activity for which you have the lead)
1. Program/Activity Name:
Federal Geographic Data Committee's Marine and Coastal Spatial Data Subcommittee
2. What are the programs this data supports?
The following agencies participate on the Subcommittee. The data developed by these agencies support Federal, State and local agencies that have an interest in the U.S. coastal zone and territorial waters.
Department of Commerce
U.S. Census Bureau
NOAA
Department of Defense
National Imagery and Mapping Agency
U.S. Navy
Army Corps of Engineers
Department of Interior
Mineral Management Service
U.S. Geological Survey
Department of State
Department of Transportation
U.S. Coast Guard
Environmental Protection Agency
Very Briefly Describe All Applicable Items:
3. Uses of Data: What are the end uses of this data? How does it benefit customers, support lead and other agency missions, etc.?
Marine and coastal spatial data are used for a variety of applications, including nautical charting, coastal resource management, environmental monitoring, resource development, legal and jurisdictional issues, ocean and meteorological modeling, engineering, and many other uses. Additionally, marine and coastal data are an integral component of the geospatial data framework.
4. Charter/Plan: Do you have a current charter or plan for collection? Should it be updated?
Yes. The charter for this Subcommittee can be accessed at http://www.csc.noaa.gov/fgdc_bsc/overview/charter.htm
5. Metadata: What is the status of metadata? Is it discoverable and served through the NSDI Clearinghouse? What percentage of this theme's data has metadata and is in a Clearinghouse node?
6. Standards: What is the status of this theme's data, process, transfer, and classification standards?
The following standard has been endorsed by the FGDC:
The Shoreline Metadata Profile of the Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata
The following standards are under development by the Marine and Coastal Spatial Data Subcommittee:
a) Hydrography Data Content Standard for Inland and Coastal Waterways
b) Part 5 of the NSDI Positional Accuracy Standards: Hydrographic Data Accuracy Standard
7. Progress: List FY 2000/2001 activities/progress to date (quantify where possible)
- Held four two-day metadata workshops. Participants included staff from the National Estuarine Research Reserve program and the National Marine Sanctuary program.
- Published Shore and Sea Boundaries, Volume Three by Michael W. Reed.
- Updated and re-released the subcommittee's Web site.
- Changed our name from the Bathymetric Subcommittee to the Marine and Coastal Spatial Data Subcommittee. This was done to reach a broader audience and to achieve additional participation.
- Continued development of a national shoreline database.
- Continued to work on a Shoreline Profile for the FGDC metadata standard to support information necessary for shoreline and related data sets (standard was endorsed by Steering Group in June 2001).
- Continued to develop the Hydrographic Data Content Standard for Inland and Coastal Waterways (standard has completed public review).
- Continued to develop Part 5 of the NSDI Data Accuracy Standard: Hydrographic Data Accuracy Standard (standard is in public review).
- Provided technical assistance to affected agencies and offices to implement the FGDC metadata standard.
- Supported state efforts to develop coastal and ocean data within the NSDI.
- Continued the funding mechanism, targeted at states, to cost share in developing hydrographic data.
- Continued to develop the Ocean Planning Information System (OPIS). OPIS provides easy access to comprehensive ocean-related data, metadata, and other information in the Southeast.
- NOAA and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) completed the Topo/Bathy pilot project in Tampa Bay designed to produce a high-resolution, seamless digital database from elevation down to bathymetry, including the shoreline.
- Initiated the development of an FGDC Marine Boundary Working Group, which is a crosscutting activity with the Cadastral Subcommittee and the Base Cartographic Subcommittee.
- Continued to maintain and build an e-mail directory of over 400 GIS experts working in the coastal zone.
- Worked with members of the private sector on issues relating to shoreline and hydrographic data.
- Coordinated the Coastal GeoTools conference that brought together over 400 professionals working in the field of coastal resource management.
- Participated in interagency collaboration with the Department of the Interior, Department of Commerce, the Department of State, and the Ad Hoc Committee on the U.S. Baseline on marine cadastral data issues.
8. Leadership: Describe your active leadership role with others (private, local, State, Federal) who collect and use this data.
The Marine and Coastal Spatial Data Subcommittee (formally the Bathymetric Subcommittee) is charged with promoting the coastal and marine aspects of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure. This is achieved through its member agencies and their various projects and activities that support the NSDI. The agencies represented on the Subcommittee include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Minerals Management Service (MMS), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information Analysis, and the Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI). The data, products, and standards produced by agencies serving on the Marine and Coastal Spatial Data Subcommittee benefit those who have an interest in the coastal and ocean zones of the United States, and promote the goals of the NSDI.
9. Collaborative Partnerships: How many major partnerships with others do you have on this theme? (list if desired)
The agencies that serve on the Subcommittee include: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Minerals Management Service (MMS), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information Analysis, and the Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI). Through the Subcommittee, all of these agencies serve as partners in promoting the coastal and marine components of the NSDI.
10. Scope: Are you engaged in broad participation and international/global coordination?
Yes. Federal, State, local and private sector interests are all represented on the Subcommittee. One of the goals of the Subcommittee is to coordinate marine and coastal spatial data development and relevant standards development within the Federal government. The Subcommittee is not involved in international coordination
11. Policy: Do you have a policy in place for full and open access or data sharing?
Yes. The policy is for full and open access of data in line with OMB Circular A-130. All data is freely available via the FGDC Data Clearinghouse.
12. Are there areas or issues regarding lead responsibilities for spatial data themes that require attention, or lessons-learned that you would like to share with others? Please describe.
None.