|  |  | A Publication ofThe Federal Geographic Data Committee
July 1996N E W S L E T T E RURISA  96 **GeoData Partnerships Forum**
The Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) and the FederalGeographic Data Committee (FGDC) will sponsor a GeoData Partnerships Forum onWednesday, July 31, 1996 in Salt Lake City, Utah on "Building the NationalSpatial Data Infrastructure."
The forum is a part of the upcoming URISA Conference scheduled for July 27-August 1.Fifteen sessions about the Clearinghouse, Framework, Partnerships and StandardsDevelopment initiatives to build the NSDI have been organized. On Monday, July29, Doug Nebert, FGDC Clearinghouse Coordinator, will demonstrate the latest Internetspatial data search techniques in two technical training sessions: "Using theNational Digital Geospatial Data Clearinghouse" and "How to create a node in theNSDI."  For more information on the URISA  96 Conference and Exposition see theURISA website
**The 1996 Competitive Cooperative Agreements Program**Award Announcements Soon...
Awards for the 1996 Competitive Cooperative Agreements Program (CCAP) will beannounced this July.  CCAP, an FGDC program,  facilitates the formation of partnershipswith and among non-Federal organizations to assist in the evolution of the NSDI.The 1996 CCAP program objective is to build on current CCAP efforts to developand implement the National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse, and develop FGDC endorsedstandards including the metadata standard. In addition, the 1996 program expandedto include feasibility projects for implementing technical or institutional aspectsof the National Geospatial Data Framework. Watch for the announcement of awardeesand their project descriptions at the FGDC -CCAP Homepage
**National Digital Geospatial Data Framework Initiative**
The framework concept outlined in the report "Development of a National DigitalGeospatial Data Framework" (April 1995) proposes a means by which the geospatialdata community can work together to produce and maintain commonly needed themesof data for national, regional, state, and local analyses.
**The Denver Framework Workshop**
Thirty-six National Digital Geospatial Data Framework Pilot representatives fromlocal, regional, State and Federal Government, academia and the private sectormet in Denver, Colorado from May 7-9 1996 for the second in a series of FGDC hostedworkshops to discuss technical and institutional issues related to the implementationof the framework concept. The participants selected four topics for additionalwork:
   development of the framework data model
   definition of framework management organizational structure
   identification of incentives to participate
   formulation of framework business plans.
The next workshop has been scheduled for the week of July 22 in Baltimore, Maryland.
**The NSDI Framework Handbook**
The firm of Somers-St.Claire, GIS Management Consultants, has been commissionedby the FGDC to develop a handbook for the framework. The handbook will introducethe framework concept, suggest actions that organizations can take to participate,and provide a directory of other resources. The handbook will be available inthe spring of 1997.
**The 1996 Framework Demonstration Projects Program**
Proposals will be announced early this fall for awardees of the NSDI FrameworkDemonstration Projects Program. The application submission period closed June26, 1996.  The FGDC invited proposals for cooperative agreements for projectsthat will broadly test the applied framework concept in its information content,and in its technical, institutional and business contexts. Participant organizationssought are those establishing long-term institutional structures, and cooperativearrangements with other partners in sustained efforts to build, maintain anddisseminate geospatial data over an area for the larger geospatial data community.
These projects will provide guidance on policies and practices for establishingother operational framework sites, act as examples of applied framework for otherimplementers, and provide a springboard for future research and development.
Watch the Framework homepage for Framework Demonstration Project announcements and project summaries.
**State GIS Councils Meet with FGDC Steering Committee**
On April 30, 1996 representatives of nine recognized State GIS coordination councilsparticipated in a meeting of the FGDC Steering Committee. Bruce Babbitt, Secretaryof the Interior, and Chair of the FGDC Steering Committee noted that the purposeof the meeting with State representatives was to gain insights about the natureof this partnership and to sharpen the focus of mutual activities. The discussiongenerated several ideas for joint action, including the need to focus on buildingframework data sets, and the exchange of contact lists to improve coordinationand cross-membership participation on working groups. A full report of the meetingis available on-line in thePartnerships homepage.
**Tennessee Valley Geographic Partnerships Program**
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has initiated a Geographic Partnerships programto build partnerships with agencies that produce or maintain base geographic informationas a part of their regular operations. Through these partnerships, TVA intendsto help build and maintain better information for the agency partners' internalpurposes, and obtain current and accurate information for its own requirements.The program will include:
   development of partnerships, and coordinating geographic data activities in   the region
    development of joint data production projects
    creation and maintenance of a clearinghouse of geographic data
    coordination of TVA geographic data activities with other Federal agencies   through the FGDC in compliance with Executive Order 12906
   evaluation of geographic data needs for the TVA and the effectiveness of this   program in meeting those needs
 The data production activities currently of interest include scanned topographicmaps (digital raster graphics), digital orthophotography, digital vector data(digital line graphs and other formats), revision and publication of 1:24,000-scaletopographic maps, acquisition of aerial photography, participation on the NationalAerial Photography Program steering committee, wetlands mapping, and land useand land cover mapping.
If you would like more information or to participate in this program, pleasecontact:
     Alan Voss, Program Manager
     Tennessee Valley Authority
     1101 Market Street (HB2A)
     Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801
Or by telephone at (423) 751-2425 or via the Internet at [email protected]
**U.S. Forest Service to Form Inventory and Monitoring Institute**
In January, 1996, the U.S. Forest Service leadership approved the formation ofan Inventory and Monitoring Institute (IMI) to facilitate and support the collectionand management of consistent scientifically reliable resource information at alllevels to support ecosystem management. In March, a meeting was held in Ft. Collins,Colorado to begin implementation by drafting a charter and working on other integrationissues.
While the IMI's initial emphasis will be on tying together the myriad Forest Serviceinventory and monitoring programs, the agency invited its partners in the Bureauof Land Management, the National Biological Service, The National Park Service,the U.S. Geological Survey, The Department of Defense, The U.S. Department ofAgriculture Office of General Counsel, and the National Association of State Forestersto the meeting to contribute their perspectives. The draft charter produced atthis meeting is undergoing revision by the Forest Service.
Some proposed functions of IMI are:
  standardize protocols, eliminate inconsistency, promote quality assurance
    assess quality of resource information and develop strategies for improvement
   advise leadership on priorities and budgets
   provide technical assistance and serve as clearinghouse
   coordinate and prioritize research and development
   facilitate sharing of information, methods and protocols to partners and the  public.
For more information contact Doug Powell,U.S. Forest Service, National MonitoringCoordinator at (202) 205-1724.
**EPA's Role in Community Based Environmental Protection**
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has embarked on a new community-basedstrategy for solving environmental problems. Working with states and other concernedstakeholders, EPA has committed to a process for identifying and solving environmentalproblems that gives preference to local and regional initiatives. Many of theseinitiatives are attempting to solve a full range of human health, ecological,and economic issues that have been complicated by Federal regulations. As a keyelement in its community-based approach, EPA is building partnerships with statesand communities to upgrade and share spatial data for pollution sources, ecosystems,and other factors critical to the quality of life in communities. Of interestto URISA  96 attendees: "EPA's Role in Community Based Environmental Protection"features a panel of EPA representatives and state officials from Washington, Connecticut,and New Jersey who will discuss their joint efforts in applying this community-basedstrategy and will engage the audience in a discussion of how best to proceed.
Tribute to a ChampionPopular culture equates the word champion with a winning sports figure or team.In Middle English usage however, a champion was a defender, a staunch advocate.In this older, more authentic sense, the Federal spatial data community is losinga true champion as Nancy Tosta resigns from Federal government service to accepta new position as Director of Forecasting and Growth Strategy for the Puget SoundRegional Council.
In her four-year tenure as the Staff Director of the Federal Geographic Data Committeeand most recently as a Special Assistant to Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt,Nancy has served as a tireless and effective champion of spatial data sharing.Her vision, embodied in the developing National Spatial Data Infrastructure, encompassesa distributed network of spatial data producers and users cooperating to exchangeinformation and data nationwide, throughout the public and private sectors. Nancyinitiated activities to create a National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse, to identifyand implement standards for metadata and other categories of spatial data, toform partnerships among Federal, State, and local governments, academia and theprivate sector, and to begin to develop a distributed framework of basic categoriesof high-quality spatial data.
First and foremost, Nancy believes that geography is the key to finding new approachesto solving problems. By asking what data are available or are needed over a particularpiece of geography to address "place-based" issues, and how people can be broughttogether to talk about the issues and the data, Nancy reached out to people whomay never before have used or thought about spatial data-- educators, county officials,local groups. She opened a national conversation about spatial data and gave usa vision of how this conversation can be extended into our own communities.
As Staff Director of the FGDC, Nancy was a frequent presenter and keynote speakerat local, state, regional, national, and international conferences on GIS andtechnology, addressing issues of data sharing, technology use and implications,community development, and data infrastructures. In her "free time" she continuedher "Data Data" column in Geo Info Systems. Always lively and provocative, Nancy'swriting has been and will continue to be a bellwether.
In their recent study of spatial data sharing, Onsrud and Rushton ask :"Are data-sharing'champions'...necessary or advantageous to successful sharing?" In the case ofNancy Tosta, we would be obliged to answer a resounding "yes" to the second proposition.At the FGDC, we are fortunate to have had the advantages of Nancy's leadership.We know that she will continue to be a champion in her new role, and we wish herwell
Onsrud, Harlan J. and Rushton, Gerard. 1995. Sharing Geographic Information. NewBrunswick, N.J.
**FGDC Subcommittees and Working Groups Highlights** The subcommitteesof the FGDC are responsible for coordinating the activities related to a specifictheme of data. These activities include establishing and implementing standardsfor data content and data exchange, encouraging data sharing, and organizing datacollection to minimize duplication. The subcommittees are composed primarily ofFederal agency representatives. The following are highlights of current subcommitteeplans and activities.
**Cultural and Demographic Data Subcommittee** Fred Broome, ChairCommerce, Bureau of the Census (301) 457-1056
The Subcommittee on Cultural and Demographic Data (SCDD) is continuing its effortto identify key cultural and demographic thematic data sets that meet nationalpolicy, planning and management needs. This work is considered essential for identifyingclassification schemes for cultural and demographic data. The first informationgathering session hosted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) leadto a refinement of the proposed data use query form. The next session will behosted by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
Standards Update: The initial version of the SCDD's Content Standards for Culturaland Demographic Data Metadata is currently under review by the Standards WorkingGroup.
Of interest to URISA  96 attendees...
The SCDD encourages persons interested in cultural and demographic data to attendtwo Census 2000 Forums sponsored by the Census Bureau as part of the URISA 96Conference. Partnerships and cooperative programs will be discussed in the sessions:
   "Statistical Areas Program Delineation"
  "Updating the Census Address List and TIGER Data Base"
   "Local Partnerships: The Key to a Better (and Less Costly!) Census"
Those interested in the changes taking place in the criteria for defining andidentifying census blocks will want to attend "Reengineering the Census." If youfrequently surf the net in an attempt to access data, don't miss Gisele Asher'stalk on "Electronic Data Access and Dissemination at the Census Bureau."
**Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee** John Spencer, POC Commerce- NOAA (301) 713-3169
NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) and the National Geophysical Data Centermet on May 16 with representatives of the FGDC to discuss the Geodetic ControlData Profile for Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS). The profile will be developedfrom the NGS geodetic digital transfer format of the NGS data sheet (DSDATA).
DSDATA format is now used as a "de facto" standard by the surveying and mappingindustry and is utilized in most GIS systems as the accepted geodetic controltransfer format. On June 13, Dr. Charles Schwarz, NOAA, will present a proposalto the Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee (FGCS) to begin the process to makethis standard a "de jure" standard that fits the SDTS model.
Writing such a profile requires skills not found in the FGCS member organizations;it requires a deep understanding of the Spatial Data Transfer Standard itself,as well as knowledge of the procedures for proposing FIPS standards for approval.Initial contact with the FGDC Standards Working Group indicates that this groupand the SDTS maintenance authority at the U.S. Geological Survey are willing totake the lead in drafting the Geodetic Control Profile.
**The Global Positioning System (GPS)** Interagency Advisory Council(GIAC) provides technical and administrative staff support to the Department ofDefense/Department of Transportation Positional Navigational (POS/NAV) GPS AdvisoryBoard, which sets policy on GPS Federal government activities. GIAC members CaptainLewis Lapine, Charles Challstrom, and William Strange, of NOAA, assisted withthe Presidential Decision Directive (PDD) on GPS that was released by PresidentClinton on March 29, 1996. This directive provides for a comprehensive NationalPolicy on the future management of GPS, supports continued growth of GPS for itsuse in transportation and other civilian activities, and Federal Government commitmentfor support of GPS. For information about FGCS and GIAC activities, visit theFGCS homepage
**Ground Transportation Subcommittee** Bruce Spear, Chairman DOT- Bureau of Transportation Statistics (202) 366-8870 The Ground TransportationSubcommittee has continued its standards development activities with a revisedversion of a Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS) Transportation Network Profilethat includes a module for encoding complex linear objects like routes and linearreferencing systems. This revised profile is posted at theSubcommittee's website and willbe available at the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) booth at the URISAannual meeting in Salt Lake City, July 28-August 1.
Members of the Subcommittee have also been engaged in several meetings with theIntelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) locational reference design team. TheITS community needs a standard set of procedures for finding and communicatingthe location of vehicles, accidents, etc. on a highway. One proposal now underconsideration by the ITS design team is to develop a national highway locationalreference geo-datum, consisting of well defined and accurately measured referencepoints on major highways. These reference points can be used to anchor linearmeasurements between major highway interchanges as well as to register highwaynetwork base maps of different accuracy and level of detail. At its last meeting,the subcommittee voted to help promulgate the ITS linear reference geodatum asa new FGDC standard. A two-day technical workshop on linear referencing is beingheld in conjunction with the URISA annual meeting and the Transportation ResearchBoard mid-year meeting in Salt Lake City on Friday and Saturday, July 26-27. Thereis no registration fee for this workshop. Details, including a preliminary agenda,are posted on theBTS website:
The subcommittee is also working to develop data sharing partnerships with stateand local transportation agencies as part of the NSDI initiative. National transportationnetworks and facilities geospatial databases are being developed by many of theFederal agencies represented on the subcommittee. The databases are disseminatedfree of charge by the BTS through itswebsite and on CD-ROM as the NationalTransportation Atlas Databases (NTAD).
These databases will aid in the development of the transportation theme for theNSDI framework. Consistent with the framework philosophy, it is anticipated thatstate DOT's and local transportation agencies will develop and contribute moreaccurate and detailed network data to the framework.
A day-long discussion of geodata partnership issues has been planned as part ofthe URISA meeting on Wednesday, July 31. A separate session (Session 12), focusedspecifically on improving access to transportation data, is scheduled on Monday,July 29.
**Historical Data Working Group** Bruce Ambacher, Chair, NationalArchives and Record Administration (301) 713-6630 The Historical Data WorkingGroup, with assistance from the Standards Working Group, recently completed draftingchanges to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) which incorporated the SpatialData Transfer Standard (SDTS) and the Content Standard for Geospatial Metadatainto the requirements for transferring permanently valuable electronic recordsto the National Archives and Records Administration. The proposed changes arecurrently under review at the Office of Management and Budget. They will appearin the Federal Register in late June with the standard sixty day period for commentsfrom Federal agencies and others. The changes appear in 36 CFR 1228.188(d)(3)and (e)(2). Subitem (d)(3) requires that all geospatial data files transferredto NARA must be SDTS compliant if the data were created on a system procured afterthe SDTS became mandatory in February 1994; data created on systems procured priorto that date are exempt. Subitem (e)(2) requires that all permanently valuablegeospatial data files created after January 1995 must include the metadata createdfor that file in conformance with Executive Order 12906. Again, geospatial datacreated prior to the effective date of the executive order is exempt from thisrequirement, although agencies are required to have plans in place for creatingmetadata for all geospatial data files.
The purpose of both proposed modifications to the CFR is to increase understandingof the data, promote its transfer to other users, and enhance  use of the datafor other purposes.
The Historical Data Working Group and the Standards Working Group encourage allFederal geospatial data creators to examine these proposed changes and to makeany comments you may have on them to the appropriate authorities in your agency.For more information contact Bruce Ambacher, National Archive and Record Administration,at (301) 713-6630.
New FGDC Factsheet: "Managing Historical Geospatial Data Records, Guide for FederalAgencies" The NSDI will play a guiding role in the protection and preservationof geospatial data records through their life cycle from creation and use untilthey pass into the Nation's archives.
The new FGDC factsheet "Managing Historical Geospatial Data Records, Guide forFederal Agencies" outlines the responsibilities of Federal geospatial data producersfor properly creating data, documenting data with appropriate metadata, makingdata available, and arranging for the appropriate disposition of data. Althoughthis factsheet is designed for Federal geospatial data producers, the guidelinesand principles will be useful to anyone collecting or producing geospatial data.
The factsheet discusses the Code of Federal Regulations, criteria to considerfor preservation of data, metadata application, and geospatial data base considerations.Sources of additional information are provided. To obtain this factsheet contactthe FGDC Secretariat at the address below.
**Standards Working Group** Richard Hogan, Chair, U.S. GeologicalSurvey (703) 648-5531 With a recently revised charter, the FGDC Standards WorkingGroup (SWG) has entered a new phase of standards development. The catchwords ofthis new phase are integration and coordination. The FGDC SWG is now working tointegrate the emerging standards of the various subcommittees among themselvesand with existing FGDC standards. Additionally, the SWG is working to coordinatethat work with other emerging standards activities at both the national and internationallevels.
The FGDC SWG has begun to put in place guidelines and procedures that will insurean integrated and consistent family of standards rather than a series of independentspecifications. The guiding document for this effort is the FGDC Standards ReferenceModel. A preliminary version of this document is now available through the FGDCSWG Homepage. This document willcontinue to be expanded and enhanced. The FGDC standards procedure has been revisedto guarantee that proposed FGDC standards adhere to the principles laid down inthe reference model and are consistent with other FGDC standards.
Users will see two significant results of the integration activities in the nearfuture. The first will be an integrated accuracy standard. This will be a multi-part,multi-agency contributed accuracy standard which includes:
geodetic control surveys by the Geodetic Control Subcommittee
construction engineering surveys by the Facilities Working Group
a national standard for spatial data accuracy by the Base Cartographic Subcommittee
hydrographic surveys by the Bathymetric Subcommittee
The second visible result will be an integrated data content standard. This effortwill bring all of the content and classification standards developed by FGDC componentstogether into a single registry that uses a common data model. This will assistusers in comparing the content standards and using them appropriately.
The FGDC is a member of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and assuch participates on X3L1, the geographic information standards committee of ANSI. This committee also serves as the Technical Advisory Group to TC211, the geographicinformation committee of the International Standards Organization (ISO). This participationprovides the FGDC with significant influence on the development of national andinternational standards for geographic information. An example, is the use ofthe FGDC Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata as the base specification forthe development of ISO 15046-15, Geographic Information - Metadata. Other ANSIaccredited standards bodies also participate in FGDC standards development activities.For example, ANSI X3L8 - Data Element Definition, is contributing to the FGDCIntegrated Data Content standard effort.
**URISA 96 Standards Session...** FGDC Standards Working Group willhost an educational session on "FGDC Standards Development" in  the upcoming URISAConference on July 31, This session will be chaired by Richard Hogan, Chair ofthe Standards Working Group. The first part of the session will deal with therevised FGDC standards process and how the FGDC relates to and participates inANSI and ISO standards activities. The second part of the session will presentspecifics of some of the current FGDC standards projects and provide an opportunityfor open discussion. The sessions are designed to be interactive and will be anopportunity for the FGDC to hear the opinions of others as much as an opportunityfor them to hear about the FGDC standards program and activities.
Further information on the Standards Working Group and the standards activitiesof the FGDC Subcommittees and Working Groups can be obtained from the SWG Homepage
**Facilities Working Group**Kevin Backe U.S. Army Corps of EngineersThe FGDC's Standards Working Group (SWG) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers(USACE) are jointly sponsoring a project to integrate the FGDC data content andclassification standards into a nationally focused, comprehensive integrated geospatialdata content standard.  The objective of this project will be to develop an entity/attributecatalog populated from the feature content and classification work of the FGDCsubcommittees and working groups. This integrated standard will be based upona logical data model consistent with  Spatial Data Transfer Standard. The USACEwill be working with the FGDC subcommittees and working groups to perform theintegration activities necessary to generate a single integrated database of FGDCapproved entities/attributes, and to provide the software tools necessary to examinethis database and generate an Integrated Standard document.
This project will consist of two phases. The first "proof of concept" phase willdevelop a rapid prototype of the Integrated Standard using content and classificationstandards selected by the SWG and provide a runtime version of the database forevaluation by the FGDC. The second "full execution" phase consists of integratingall relevant FGDC approved data content and classification standards into thisFGDC integrated standards database. This phase includes providing assistance uponrequest to the FGDC subcommittees and working groups in the incorporation of theirdata classification and content standard(s) into the logical data model approvedby the FGDC for this project, performing the integration activities necessaryto produce and maintain a single integrated database of FGDC approved entities/attributes,and developing the software tools necessary to examine this database and generatean Integrated Standard document.
Farewell!!To Friends of the FGDC:
Many of you know I've decided to step off in a slightly different career direction,but I couldn't do so without taking the opportunity to say a heartfelt "ThankYou". Though frustrating at times, the last four years in Washington have givenme a sense of incredible wealth. I've had the opportunity to meet and work withhundreds, if not thousands, of dedicated people who are genuinely trying to makea difference in their agencies, in our governments, and in the quality of allof our lives. I've been challenged by and learned more from all of you than Icould ever have imagined. I thank you for the support you've given me personallyand for your willingness to participate in and take charge of an activity as esotericas the National Spatial Data Infrastructure.
Please know that I leave the progress you've made on NSDI in good hands. First,there are all of the visible committees and certainly Secretary Babbitt's increasingcommittment to the value of geospatial data sharing across geography and institutions.Additonally, there are numerous federal, state, and local government people wholabor on nearly invisible committees on your behalf to help create standards andresolve other issues of data sharing. And last, but by no means least, there arethe staff of the FGDC Secretariat. They commit untold hours in the nether worldof interagency-intergovernmental coordination. They've become my friends overthe last few years and there are no words I can find to tell them how much theirsupport has meant to me, other than to say, they will be sorely missed.
Thanks again for the opportunity to interact with all of you and I hope that ourpaths will continue to cross. Please keep in touch. My new title and e-mail are:Director of Forecasting and Growth Strategy, Puget Sound Regional Council, Seattle,Washington at [email protected]
Nancy TostaSpecial Assistant to the Secretary forGeographic Data CoordinationDepartment of the Interior
P.S. And don't forget about metadata!
The FGDC Newsletter describes activities of the geospatial data community andthe National Spatial Data Infrastructure. Subscriptions are free of charge. Correspondenceor contributions may be directed to the FGDC Secretariat as indicated below:
     FGDC Secretariat     590 National Center     Reston, VA  22092     Voice      (703) 648-5514     Fax     :        (703) 648-5755     E-mail:   [email protected]
     FGDC Information and Documents     FTP via Internet      Address: fgdc.er.usgs.gov     User name: anonymous     Password: "your E-mail address"     After connecting: cd pubREADME.DOC file has current information on the files in each subdirectory.
**FGDC Publications**
To subscribe to the newsletter or request the FGDC's publication list, pleasecomplete the information below and return it to the FGDC Secretariat by facsimileor mail. Be sure to provide the information requested below in your message.
Name/PositionOrganizationStreet AddressCity/State/Zip (Postal Code)/CountryTelephone/FAXE-mail
Please add me to the newsletter mailing list.Please FAX me the FGDC publication list.(Be sure to include fax number above).I am currently on this mailing list. This is a new address.**Upcoming Conferences**1996Jul 10-12 /  Wetlands  96  /                       Washington, DC             MdJul 27-Aug 1   /  URISA  96   /                    Salt Lake City, UT            Md, Ch, Std, FwAug 24-29 /  American Public Works Assoc. Conference  / Washington, DC      Sep 14-18  / National States Geographic Information Council  /    Tucson, AZSep 23-25  / Geographic Technology in Gov't  96 Conference    /   Crystal City, VAOct 6-8        Int'l City/County Management Assoc.         /   Washington, DCOct 7-8      /    7th Annual Virginia GIS Conference     /   Wintergreen, VA     NSDINov 4-7  /   Eco-Informa  96                        /   Lake Buena Vista, FLNov 16-22 /  GIS/LIS  96                       /   Denver, CONov 18      /     GIS in Illinois, 96 Annual Conference  /       Schaumburg, ILDec 9-11  /  1996 Texas GIS Forum                          /           Md1997May 1-2   /  6th Annual IMAGIN Forum          /    Lansing, MI  /        Ch, Fw
FGDC sessions & workshops indicated thus: NSDI - general, Ch - Clearinghouse, and Md - Metadata, Std - Standards, Fw - Framework.  Subject to change. 
For more information please contact the FGDC Secretariat.U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey590 National CenterReston, VA  22092 |
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