Appendix B - FGDC Structure and Membership

The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) operates under Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A–16 (revised August 2002). The circular incorporates Executive Order 12906 and reaffirms the FGDC’s role to provide leadership for the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) and coordinate the development, use, sharing, and dissemination of the Nation’s geospatial data. The effective use of geospatial information requires close coordination among the many agencies involved in its development.

FGDC Structure

The FGDC is governed by a Steering Committee that sets the FGDC’s high-level strategic direction. The Executive Committee, which is a subset of the Steering Committee, provides advice and guidance to the Chair and the Vice Chair.

The National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC) is a Federal advisory committee that provides advice and recommendations on Federal and national geospatial programs. The FGDC Coordination Group conducts the FGDC’s day-to-day business. The work of the Coordination Group is facilitated by the FGDC Secretariat, which is located at the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, Va.

The FGDC infrastructure also includes committees, agency-led working groups and subcommittees, Geospatial Line of Business Work Groups, and collaborating partners that represent State, tribal, and local governments, as well as industry and academic and professional groups. All participants initiate and (or) support the following activities that are crucial to expanding the NSDI:

• Developing and establishing the National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse on the Internet.
• Developing and implementing standards.
• Creating a national digital geospatial data framework. The framework covers seven fundamental geographic themes: cadastral information, elevation, geodetic control, governmental units, hydrography, orthoimagery, and transportation.
• Promoting collaborative relationships for sharing geospatial data among non-Federal partners.
• Developing policies and processes to better harmonize collective action.

Chart showing the structure of the Federal Geographic Data Committee. The
Transportation subcommittee is shown in red because the subcommittee is
currently inactive. Because of its importance, the Transportation subcommittee
is expected to become active again in fiscal year 2010.

Steering Committee

The FGDC Steering Committee is the policy-level interagency group that is responsible for overseeing OMB Circular A–16-related activities and implementation of the NSDI. It provides executive leadership and establishes policy to coordinate geospatial activities within, between, and among Federal agencies. The Steering Committee meets three to four times per year in Washington, D.C., and is composed of senior agency officials for geospatial information.

The Secretary of the Interior or designee chairs the FGDC Steering Committee, which is composed of representatives from Federal organizations, including the Executive Office of the President and Cabinet-level and independent Federal agencies. The Deputy Director for Management of the OMB or designee serves as Vice Chair.

A subset of the Steering Committee, the Executive Committee, meets more frequently and is responsible for providing guidance and helping move forward critical decisions. The Executive Committee makes recommendations to the Steering Committee and provides a focal point for coordination with the NGAC.

*Designated Senior Agency official for Geospatial Information

Coordination Group

The FGDC Coordination Group provides advice on the day-to-day business of the FGDC to facilitate interagency coordination and implementation of the NSDI at the operational level. It also helps oversee the work of the FGDC subcommittees and working groups, as well as Geospatial Line of Business Work Groups. The Coordination Group meets monthly in Washington, D.C., and is composed of representatives from Federal agencies and collaborating partners.

Secretariat Staff

The FGDC Secretariat staff provides support for the FGDC and performs the following tasks:

• Administers the FGDC standards program
• Initiates and participates in FGDC subcommittees and working groups
• Drafts policies and procedures for consideration and approval by the Coordination Group, the Steering Committee, and the Executive Committee
• Provides support to the NGAC
• Administers the NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP)
• Administers the FGDC International Spatial Data Infrastructure program
• Manages the NSDI training and outreach program
• Maintains the FGDC Web site
• Manages all administrative requirements associated with scheduling and conducting meetings
• Undertakes staff analysis, technical development, and other activities on behalf of the Coordination Group

National Geospatial Advisory Committee

The National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC) was established under the Federal Advisory Committee Act and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Interior. It is an advisory body that provides advice and recommendations on Federal geospatial policy and management issues and a forum to convey views representative of partners in the geospatial community. NGAC membership includes representatives from 28 Government and nongovernmental organizations. The committee holds public forums to discuss geospatial activities and solicits input from State, tribal, regional, and local governments, academic institutions, and the private sector.

National Geospatial Advisory Committee Mission Statement

The mission of the NGAC is to provide strategies for the creation, management, and dissemination of cohesive geospatial data, information, and knowledge to enable commercial, academic, and nonprofit organizations and all levels of government to more effectively—

• Empower and serve the public
• Protect the homeland
• Foster economic growth
• Advance science
• Manage the Nation’s resources
• Govern the Nation
• Prepare for and respond to emergencies

•  

  2009 National Geospatial Advisory Committee Members
  Anne Hale Miglarese, Chair	Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
  Steven Wallach, Vice Chair	National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
  Sean Ahearn	Hunter College–City University of New York
  Bull Bennett	North Dakota Association of Tribal Colleges
  Michael Byrne	State of California
  Allen Carroll	National Geographic Society
  Richard Clark	State of Montana
  David J. Cowen	University of South Carolina
  Jack Dangermond	Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.
  Donald Dittmar	Waukesha County, Wisconsin
  Dennis Goreham	National States Geographic Information Council
  Kass Green	The Alta Vista Co.
  Randall L. Johnson	Metropolitan Council, St. Paul, Minnesota
  Randy Johnson	Hennepin County, Minnesota
  Jerry Johnston	U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  Barney Krucoff	District of Columbia
  Timothy Loewenstein	Buffalo County, Nebraska
  David F. Maune	Dewberry
  Charles Mondello	Pictometry International
  Zsolt Nagy	State of North Carolina
  Kimberly Nelson	Microsoft Corp.
  Matthew O'Connell	GeoEye, Inc.
  John Palatiello	Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors
  Jay Parrish	State of Pennsylvania
  Michael Ritchie	Photo Science
  David Schell	Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc.
  Eugene A. Schiller	Southwest Florida Water Management District
  Christopher Tucker	Consultant

  Note: Ivan DeLoatch, Executive Director, Federal Geographic Data Committee, is the NGAC Designated Federal Official.

   

   

  Thematic Subcommittees

  OMB Circular A–16 enumerates 34 data themes of national significance and assigns responsibility for each of the themes to one or more Federal agencies. FGDC thematic subcommittees are established for nine of the data themes.
  
  Federal agencies lead the thematic subcommittees; each subcommittee focuses on a particular NSDI spatial data theme. Lead agency responsibilities and new data themes may be added or altered by FGDC recommendation and OMB concurrence.
  
  Definitions of the nine active thematic subcommittees appear in the chart opposite. The Transportation subcommittee is currently inactive. Because of its importance, the subcommittee is expected to become active again in fiscal year 2010.

   

  Thematic Subcommittees by Lead Agency and Definition
  *Cadastral	DOI BLM	The geographic extent of past, current, and future right, title, and interest in real property; the framework to support the description of that geographic extent. Geographic extent includes survey and description frameworks.
  Cultural and Demographic Statistics	DOC USCB	Geospatially referenced data that describe characteristics of people: nature of structures in which they live and work; economic and other activities they pursue; facilities they use to support their health, recreational, and other needs; environmental consequences of their presence; boundaries, names, and numeric codes of geographic entities used to report information collected.
  *Geodetic Control	DOC NOAA	Common reference system for establishing coordinates for all geographic data. All NSDI framework data and users’ applications data require geodetic control to accurately register spatial data. The National Spatial Reference System is the fundamental geodetic control for the United States.
  Geologic	DOI USGS	Geologic mapping information and related geoscience spatial data that can contribute to a National Geologic Map Database as pursuant to Public Law 106-148..
  Marine and Coastal Spatial Data	DOC NOAA	The subcommittee, through its member agencies and the FGDC, develops strategic partnerships, relevant standards, collaborative tools, and outreach that will enhance access to and utility of coastal and ocean framework data.
  *Spatial Water Data (Advisory Committee on Water Information)	Co-leaders: DOI USGS and USDA NRCS	The Advisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI) advises the Federal Government, through DOI USGS, on the coordination of Federal water information programs. The purpose of ACWI is to represent the interests of water information users and professionals on activities and plans related to Federal water information programs and the effectiveness of those programs in meeting the Nation’s water information needs.
  *Transportation	DOT BTS	Used to model geographic locations, interconnectedness, and characteristics of transportation systems in the United States; includes physical and nonphysical components representing all modes of travel that enable movement of goods and people between locations.
  Vegetation	USDA Forest Service	Collection of plants or plant communities with distinguishable characteristics that occupy an area of interest. Existing vegetation covers or is visible at or above land or water surface and does not include abiotic factors that tend to describe potential vegetation.
  Wetlands	DOI FWS	Provides classification, location, and extent of wetlands and deepwater habitats; no attempt is made to define the proprietary limits or jurisdictional wetland boundaries of any Federal, State, or local agencies.

  * Indicates framework theme.
  Note: Abbreviations are defined in the glossary in Appendix D.

   

  FGDC Working Groups

  FGDC working groups crosscut the subcommittees and focus on infrastructure issues common to many of the NSDI data themes. Descriptions of the active working groups are listed in the chart below.

   

   

  FGDC Working Groups by Lead Agency and Description
  Technology and Architecture	FGDC	The primary objective the Technology and Architecture Working Group is to develop requirements and recommendations for the Federal Enterprise Architecture to better organize the use of geospatial technology and data across the Federal enterprise. The working group also supports the Geospatial LoB technical and architecture tasks.
  Users/Historical Data	NARA	The Users/Historical Data Working Group promotes awareness among Federal agencies of the historical dimension to geospatial data to facilitate the long-term retention, storage, and accessibility of selected historically valuable geospatial data. In addition, the group is exploring becoming a general users group, for which historical data would be one subactivity.
  Homeland Security	DHS	The Homeland Security Working Group ensures that the NSDI supports the preparation for, prevention of, protection against, response to, and recovery from threats to the Nation’s population centers and critical infrastructures; these threats may be of terrorist, criminal, accidental, or natural origin.
  Metadata	FGDC	The Metadata Working Group promotes and coordinates geospatial metadata activities among FGDC member agencies in support of the NSDI. The Metadata Working Group promotes awareness among FGDC member agencies of the metadata dimension to geospatial data; facilitates the evolution and revision of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata; and establishes a mechanism for the coordination, development, use, sharing, and dissemination of geospatial metadata among FGDC member agencies.
  Standards	FGDC	The FGDC Standards Working Group actively promotes and coordinates FGDC standards activities. The Standards Working Group provides guidance on FGDC standards policy and procedures, facilitates coordination between subcommittees having overlapping standards activities, and reviews and makes recommendations on the approval of standards proposals, draft standards for public review, and draft standards for FGDC endorsement.

  Note: Abbreviations are defined in the glossary in Appendix D.

   

  Geospatial Line of Business Work Groups

  The Geospatial Line of Business Work Groups were developed by the OMB to support electronic government. The OMB has assigned responsibility for these work groups to the FGDC. These work groups operate under the FGDC. Each work group has work plans that are updated and approved annually through the Coordination Group and the Steering Committee. Descriptions of the active work groups are listed in the chart below.

   

  Geospatial Line of Business Work Groups by lead Agency and Description
  Common Services	EPA	The Common Services Work Group is responsible for evaluating and expanding Governmentwide and intergovernmental procurement opportunities related to geospatial services and data sharing.
  Geo-enabled Business	FGDC	The purpose of the Geo-Enabled Business (GEB) Work Group is to demonstrate and communicate the value of geospatial approaches to business processes and agency mission functions, especially to audiences that have had limited experience with geo-enabled decision support.
  Grants and Contracts	FGDC	The Grants and Contracts Work Group is responsible for developing and implementing common grants and cooperative agreements and contract language requirements for geospatial data, products, and services to better leverage geospatial data produced by Federal partners. The overall goal of the Grants and Contracts Work Group is to capture, for the greater benefit of the geospatial community and agency program managers, the large amount of geospatial information produced with Federal funding.
  Lifecycle Management	EPA	The Lifecycle Management Work Group (or Lifecycle Work Group) is responsible for evaluating existing geospatial data lifecycle management frameworks and, based on these assessments, developing standard terminologies and processes for the geospatial data lifecycle. This group proposed actions affecting Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A–16 and governance in the geo-community.
  Technology and Architecture	FGDC	The primary objective of the Technology and Architecture Work Group is to develop requirements and recommendations for the Federal Enterprise Architecture to better organize the use of geospatial technology and data across the Federal enterprise. The work group also supports the FGDC’s working group technical and architecture tasks.

  Note: Abbreviations are defined in the glossary in Appendix D.

   

   

  Collaborating Partners

  The FGDC solicits the involvement of public interest groups who participate within the committee structure to ensure that their needs are included in the developing NSDI. These collaborating partners include State, tribal, and local governments; academic institutions; and a broad array of private sector geographic, statistical, demographic, and other business information providers and users. NSDI strives to build upon local data wherever possible.
  
  Collaborating partnerships are open to public, private, and nonprofit organizations whose missions are complementary to the mission of the FGDC. Organizations interested in becoming partners are invited to send a written request to the FGDC Chair. Current non-Federal collaborating partners include the organizations listed to the right.

   

  Collaborating Partners and Descriptions
  American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM)	A nonprofit educational organization that advances the sciences of surveying and mapping and related fields to further the welfare of those who use and make maps.
  Association of American Geographers (AAG)	A scientific and educational society whose members share interests in the theory, methods, and practice of geography and geographic education.
  Cartographic Users Advisory Council (CUAC)	An organization of representatives from national and regional library organizations, dedicated to cartographic interests.
  Geospatial Information and Technology Association (GITA)	A nonprofit educational association serving the global geospatial community.
  International City/County Management Association (ICMA)	A professional and educational organization for chief appointed managers, administrators, and assistants in cities, towns, counties, and regional entities throughout the world.
  National Association of Counties (NACo)	Advances issues with a unified voice before the Federal Government, improves the public's understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research, and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money.
  National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO)	Represents State CIOs and information resource executives and managers from the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and 6 U.S. territories.
  National League of Cities (NLC)	Strengthens and promotes cities as centers of opportunity, leadership, and governance.
  National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC)	Provides a unified voice on geographic information and technology issues, advocates State interests, and supports its membership in their statewide initiatives.
  Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc.® (OGC)	A nonprofit, international, voluntary consensus standards organization of more than 365 companies, government agencies, research organizations, and universities; leads the development of standards for geospatial and location-based services.
  University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS)	A nonprofit organization of more than 50 universities and other research institutions.
  Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA)	A multidisciplinary educational association for geospatial professionals around the world.
  Western Governors' Association (WGA)	Addresses important policy and governance issues in the West, advances the role of the western States in the Federal system, and strengthens the social and economic fabric of the region.

   

  Main Report

  Appendix A

  Appendix B

  Appendix C

  Appendix D