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                        THE WHITE HOUSE

                 Office of the Press Secretary

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For Immediate Release                            April 11, 1994


                         EXECUTIVE ORDER

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      COORDINATING GEOGRAPHIC DATA ACQUISITION AND ACCESS:
            THE NATIONAL SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURE

     Geographic information is critical to promote economic
development, improve our stewardship of natural resources, 
and protect the environment.  Modern technology now permits 
improved acquisition, distribution, and utilization of 
geographic (or geospatial) data and mapping.  The National 
Performance Review has recommended that the executive branch 
develop, in cooperation with State, local, and tribal 
governments, and the private sector, a coordinated National
Spatial Data Infrastructure to support public and private sector 
applications of geospatial data in such areas as transportation, 
community development, agriculture, emergency response, 
environmental management, and information technology.

     NOW, THEREFORE, by the authority vested in me as President
by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
America; and to implement the recommendations of the National 
Performance Review; to advance the goals of the National 
Information Infrastructure; and to avoid wasteful duplication 
of effort and promote effective and economical management of 
resources by Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, it 
is ordered as follows:

     Section 1.  Definitions.  (a)  "National Spatial Data
Infrastructure" ("NSDI") means the technology, policies, 
standards, and human resources necessary to acquire, process, 
store, distribute, and improve utilization of geospatial data.

     (b)  "Geospatial data" means information that identifies
the geographic location and characteristics of natural or 
constructed features and boundaries on the earth.  This 
information may be derived from, among other things, remote 
sensing, mapping, and surveying technologies.  Statistical 
data may be included in this definition at the discretion of 
the collecting agency.

     (c)  The "National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse" means a
distributed network of geospatial data producers, managers, and 
users linked electronically.

     Sec. 2.  Executive Branch Leadership for Development of
the Coordinated National Spatial Data Infrastructure.  (a)  The 
Federal Geographic Data Committee ("FGDC"), established by the 
Office of Management and Budget ("OMB") Circular No. A-16 
("Coordination of Surveying, Mapping, and Related Spatial Data 
Activities") and chaired by the Secretary of the Department of 
the Interior ("Secretary") or the Secretary's designee, shall 
coordinate the Federal Government's development of the NSDI.

     (b)  Each member agency shall ensure that its
representative on the FGDC holds a policy-level position.

     (c)  Executive branch departments and agencies ("agencies")
that have an interest in the development of the NSDI are 
encouraged to join the FGDC.

     (d)  This Executive order is intended to strengthen and
enhance the general policies described in OMB Circular No. A-16. 
Each agency shall meet its respective responsibilities under OMB 
Circular No. A-16.

     (e)  The FGDC shall seek to involve State, local, and
tribal governments in the development and implementation of 
the initiatives contained in this order.  The FGDC shall 
utilize the expertise of academia, the private sector, 
professional societies, and others as necessary to aid in 
the development and implementation of the objectives of this 
order.

     Sec. 3.  Development of a National Geospatial Data
Clearinghouse.  (a)  Establishing a National Geospatial Data 
Clearinghouse.  The Secretary, through the FGDC, and in 
consultation with, as appropriate, State, local, and tribal 
governments and other affected parties, shall take steps within 
6 months of the date of this order, to establish an electronic 
National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse ("Clearinghouse") for the 
NSDI.  The Clearinghouse shall be compatible with the National 
Information Infrastructure to enable integration with that 
effort.

     (b)  Standardized Documentation of Data.  Beginning
9 months from the date of this order, each agency shall document 
all new geospatial data it collects or produces, either directly 
or indirectly, using the standard under development by the
FGDC, and make that standardized documentation electronically 
accessible to the Clearinghouse network.  Within 1 year of the 
date of this order, agencies shall adopt a schedule, developed 
in consultation with the FGDC, for documenting, to the extent 
practicable, geospatial data previously collected or produced, 
either directly or indirectly, and making that data 
documentation electronically accessible to the Clearinghouse 
network.

     (c)  Public Access to Geospatial Data.  Within 1 year
of the date of this order, each agency shall adopt a plan, in 
consultation with the FGDC, establishing procedures to make 
geospatial data available to the public, to the extent permitted 
by law, current policies, and relevant OMB circulars, including 
OMB Circular No. A-130 ("Management of Federal Information 
Resources") and any implementing bulletins.

     (d)  Agency Utilization of the Clearinghouse.  Within
1 year of the date of this order, each agency shall adopt 
internal procedures to ensure that the agency accesses the 
Clearinghouse before it expends Federal funds to collect 
or produce new geospatial data, to determine whether the
information has already been collected by others, or whether 
cooperative efforts to obtain the data are possible.

     (e)  Funding.  The Department of the Interior shall
provide funding for the Clearinghouse to cover the initial 
prototype testing, standards development, and monitoring of the 
performance of the Clearinghouse.  Agencies shall continue to 
fund their respective programs that collect and produce 
geospatial data; such data is then to be made part of the 
Clearinghouse for wider accessibility.

     Sec. 4.  Data Standards Activities.  (a)  General FGDC
Responsibility.  The FGDC shall develop standards for 
implementing the NSDI, in consultation and cooperation with 
State, local, and tribal governments, the private and academic 
sectors, and, to the extent feasible, the international 
community, consistent with OMB Circular No. A-119 ("Federal 
Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary 
Standards"), and other applicable law and policies.

     (b)  Standards for Which Agencies Have Specific
Responsibilities.  Agencies assigned responsibilities for
data categories by OMB Circular No. A-16 shall develop, through 
the FGDC, standards for those data categories, so as to ensure 
that the data produced by all agencies are compatible.

     (c)  Other Standards.  The FGDC may from time to time
identify and develop, through its member agencies, and to the 
extent permitted by law, other standards necessary to achieve 
the objectives of this order.  The FGDC will promote the use 
of such standards and, as appropriate, such standards shall be 
submitted to the Department of Commerce for consideration as
Federal Information Processing Standards.  Those standards shall 
apply to geospatial data as defined in section 1 of this order.

     (d)  Agency Adherence to Standards.  Federal agencies
collecting or producing geospatial data, either directly or 
indirectly (e.g. through grants, partnerships, or contracts 
with other entities), shall ensure, prior to obligating funds 
for such activities, that data will be collected in a manner 
that meets all relevant standards adopted through the FGDC 
process.

     Sec. 5.  National Digital Geospatial Data Framework.
In consultation with State, local, and tribal governments
and within 9 months of the date of this order, the FGDC shall 
submit a plan and schedule to OMB for completing the initial 
implementation of a national digital geospatial data framework 
("framework") by January 2000 and for establishing a process 
of ongoing data maintenance.  The framework shall include 
geospatial data that are significant, in the determination
of the FGDC, to a broad variety of users within any geographic 
area or nationwide.  At a minimum, the plan shall address how 
the initial transportation, hydrology, and boundary elements 
of the framework might be completed by January 1998 in order 
to support the decennial census of 2000.

     Sec. 6.  Partnerships for Data Acquisition.  The Secretary,
under the auspices of the FGDC, and within 9 months of the date 
of this order, shall develop, to the extent permitted by law, 
strategies for maximizing cooperative participatory efforts with 
State, local, and tribal governments, the private sector, and 
other nonfederal organizations to share costs and improve 
efficiencies of acquiring geospatial data consistent with
this order.

     Sec. 7.  Scope.  (a)  For the purposes of this order, the
term "agency" shall have the same meaning as the term "Executive 
agency" in 5 U.S.C. 105, and shall include the military 
departments and components of the Department of Defense.

     (b)  The following activities are exempt from compliance
with this order:

          (i)  national security-related activities of the 
          Department of Defense as determined by the Secretary 
          of Defense;

          (ii)  national defense-related activities of the 
          Department of Energy as determined by the Secretary 
          of Energy; and

          (iii)  intelligence activities as determined by the 
          Director of Central Intelligence.

     (c)  The NSDI may involve the mapping, charting, and
geodesy activities of the Department of Defense relating to 
foreign areas, as determined by the Secretary of Defense.

     (d)  This order does not impose any requirements on
tribal governments.

     (e)  Nothing in the order shall be construed to contravene
the development of Federal Information Processing Standards 
and Guidelines adopted and promulgated under the provisions 
of section 111(d) of the Federal Property and Administrative 
Services Act of 1949, as amended by the Computer Security Act 
of 1987 (Public Law 100-235); or any other United States law, 
regulation, or international agreement.

     Sec. 8.  Judicial Review.  This order is intended only
to improve the internal management of the executive branch 
and is not intended to, and does not, create any right to 
administrative or judicial review, or any other right or 
benefit or trust responsibility, substantive or procedural,
enforceable by a party against the United States, its agencies 
or instrumentalities, its officers or employees, or any other 
person.


                                   WILLIAM J. CLINTON


THE WHITE HOUSE,
    April 11, 1994.


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