The 1995 Program

The 1995 program will invite proposals on three elements of the NSDI: the

development and implementation of the clearinghouse, implementation of

FGDC-endorsed standards, and development of software tools or techniques to

aid in the evaluation of geospatial metadata or data through the National

Geospatial Data Clearinghouse. Proposals must involve two or more

organizations. The participants must provide matching funds or resources.

Funding for 1995 will total $500,000.

An explanation of the program and application materials will be available in

November 1994. The open period for proposals will be 90 days. Formal

announcement of the program will be published in the Commerce Business

Daily and the Federal Register, and also will be available from the FGDC

anonymous FTP server (ftp://fgdc.er.usgs.gov/). Copies of the materials may be

requested in writing from Nedra Stallone, U.S. Geological Survey, Office of

Procurements and Contracts, Mail Stop 205A, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive,

Reston, Virginia 22092. Requests also may be made by facsimile to Cindy

Sather at (703) 648-7901. Please note Program Announcement 8110 in the

request.

1994 National Spatial Data Infrastructure

Competitive Cooperative Agreements Program

The National Spatial Data Infrastructure

(NSDI) Competitive Cooperative In September 1994, the FGDC completed

Agreements Program was established by granting awards for the first year of the

the Federal Geographic Data Committee program. The nine grants totaled nearly

(FGDC) to help form partnerships with $225,000. These awards support the

the non-Federal sector that will assist in development and implementation of the

the evolution of the NSDI. This program National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse The Texas Natural Resources

provides funding for cooperative (NGDC) for finding and accessing Information System (TNRIS) plans to

agreements to State and local geospatial data, or the development and create an Internet node for distributing

government agencies, institutions of promulgation of FGDC-endorsed Texas' digital environmental data to the

higher education, and private standards in data collection, public and private sectors. The TNRIS

organizations. The goal is to encourage documentation, transfer, and search and will use Mosaic and Spatial Wide Area

resource-sharing projects through the query. The FGDC received 37 Information Service (WAIS) software to

use of technology, networking, and more applications for the fiscal year 1994 create an accessible user interface to its

efficient interagency coordination. competition. GIS data base. The node will incorporate

For further information about the A brief summary of each funded project collection, storage, and transfer. Users

program, contact the FGDC Secretariat, follows. The summary includes the list of will be able to download TNRIS GIS

c/o U.S. Geological Survey, 590 National participating agencies and the name and data, obtain data information, and

Center, Reston, Virginia 22092; contact information for the project communicate with the TNRIS staff.

telephone (703) 648-5514; facsimile director. Internet users will also be able to access

(703) 648-5755; or Internet other State, Federal, and local servers

gdc@usgs.gov. through the TNRIS node. Listings of

The 1994 Program

An NSDI

Internet Node

for the State of

Texas

FGDC policies and standards for data

other agencies' holdings will be available

through the TNRIS node. The node will

promote FGDC goals and provide a

major point of access for Texas' natural

resources data. 

Collaborating Organizations: 18 State

agencies: Texas Natural Resources

Information System; Texas Water

Development Board; General Land

Office; Texas Parks and Wildlife

Department; Texas Department of

Transportation; Railroad Commission of

Texas; Bureau of Economic Geology;

Office of the Governor; Texas Natural

Resource Conservation Commission;

Texas Forest Service; Texas Department

of Commerce; Texas Department of

Health; The University of Texas at

Austin; Texas Department of

Agriculture; Texas State Soil and Water

Conservation Board; Texas Historical

Commission; Texas Office of the StateFederal Relations; Office of the Attorney

General of Texas.
Point of Contact: Roger Jaster; TNRIS; The Integration

Texas Water Development Board; P.O. of Florida Montana GIS

Box 13231; Austin, Texas 78711-3231; Citizens and Data

telephone (512) 463-7957; facsimile State and Local Clearinghouse

(512) 463-9893; Internet Governments

jaster@twdb.texas.gov into NSDI

Establishing a

National

Geospatial Data

Clearinghouse

Node in Iowa

This project will create a prototype node

of the clearinghouse in the State of Iowa.

The node will be developed and

maintained by two State agencies, the Collaborating Organizations: Natural

State Library of Iowa and the Iowa Resource Information System, Montana

Department of Natural Resources. The State Library; The Montana GIS

Iowa Geospatial Data Clearinghouse will Interagency Technical Working Group

initially offer three services. The first is a comprised of: U.S. Department of the

directory of geospatial data information Interior (Bureau of Land Management;

sources will be created and maintained Fish and Wildlife Service, Charles

on an Internet server at the State Library Russell Wildlife Refuge; U.S. Geological

of Iowa. This directory of geodata sources Survey; Bureau of Indian Affairs; Bureau

will provide locators to frequently of Mines, Western Field Operations;

requested information, with particular National Park Service, Grant Kohrs

emphasis on subjects typically handled by Ranch); U.S. Department of Agriculture

the State Data Center of the State Library (Forest Service, Region 1; Soil

of Iowa. Secondly, access will be Conservation Service, Montana State

provided to Iowa Department of Natural Office); U.S. Environmental Protection

Resources' Natural Resource Geographic Agency (Region VIII, Montana Office);

Information System (NRGIS) library, U.S. Department of Energy (Bonneville

consisting of 380 ARC/INFO coverages Power Administration); State of Montana

in ARC/INFO export format. Finally, Collaborating Organizations: Florida (Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks;

users will have access to FGDC metadata State University; Growth Management State Library, NRIS; Montana State

text files for the NRGIS library Data Network Coordinating Council; University; University of Montana;

coverages. The NRGIS library's existing Leon County Public Library; Wilderness Department of Natural Resources and

set of documentation will be converted to Coast Library Coalition; Tallahassee Conservation; Reserved Water Rights

comply with the FGDC-approved Free-Net; Leon County Growth and Compact Commission; Department of

Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Environmental Management. State Lands; Department of

Metadata. Transportation; Bureau of Mines and

Collaborating Organizations: Iowa State University; Office of Research; 101

Department of Natural Resources; Iowa Morgan Building; 2035 East Paul Dirac Principal Contact: Fred Gifford;

Department of Education. Drive; Tallahassee, Florida 32306-3067; Natural Resource Information System;

Principal Contact: Bernie Hoyer; Iowa

DNR; Geological Survey Bureau; 109

Trowbridge Hall; Iowa City, Iowa 52242-

1319; telephone (319) 335-1575;

facsimile (319) 335-2754; Internet

bhoyer@gsbth-po.igsb.uiowa.edu

Initiatives

This project will collect geospatial Data Infrastructure, implement the

metadata for data sets developed by FGDC metadata standards, facilitate

Florida State agencies and by counties implementation of the Spatial Data

surrounding Tallahassee, Florida, in Transfer Standard , update the Montana

accordance with the FGDC-approved GIS Standards Plan to bring it in line

Content Standards for Digital Geospatial with FGDC goals, design tools for

Metadata. This collected information will accessing geospatial data, and provide

be put on an Internet node running more communication opportunities for

WAIS server software on the Tallahassee geospatial GIS users within the State.

Free-Net and will be incorporated into

the clearinghouse. The experiences

gained in collecting these metadata will

help identify impediments to the adoption

and use of the clearinghouse and other

NSDI initiatives by local and State

governments and will help solve these

problems. The metadata information and

selected data sets will also be accessible

to local citizens. Citizens will be

provided with access to the clearinghouse

through the Tallahassee Free-Net. Data

sets will be made available through

customized CD-ROM's developed for

each participating library branch. User

feedback will be evaluated to help

improve local and State geospatial data

access and usage. 

Principal Contact: Dean K. Jue; Florida

telephone (904) 644-3410; facsimile 1515 East Sixth Avenue; Helena,

(904) 576-2207; Internet Montana 59620-1800; telephone

djue@opus.freac.fsu.edu (406) 444-5357; facsimile

The State of Montana will establish

multiple nodes on the National Spatial

Geology; Legislative Council).

(406) 444-0581; Internet

fgifford@nris.msl.mt.gov
Wisconsin NSDI GIS User Geographic

Clearinghouse Network and Information

Initiative Geographic System Metadata

The Wisconsin NSDI Clearinghouse

Initiative is a pilot project structured to The State of New Jersey draws upon a

accomplish four primary objectives: statewide network of partners who use This project supports the FGDC's NSDI

(1) establish and manage an NSDI GIS's and collect geographic information. requirement to promote sharing of spatial

clearinghouse network node on the The project will foster a collaboration data. New Mexico's Resource Geographic

Internet for posting and accessing various between the New Jersey Department of Information System (RGIS) Program,

Wisconsin digital geospatial metadata; Environmental Protection and Rutgers begun in 1988, operates an on-call

(2) to collect, compile, and post metadata University and is coordinated by the New clearinghouse that uses a metadata

in accordance with the FGDC approved Jersey State Mapping Advisory system developed by the New Mexico

Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Committee (NJSMAC), which serves to Geographic Information Council

Metadata; these metadata describe coordinate GIS activities in the State. (NMGIC) and the State's Geographic

primary data holdings of cooperating The goal during the first year of the Information System Advisory Council

Federal and Wisconsin State and local project is to provide the National Spatial (GISAC). This metadata system will be

agencies; (3) to establish NSDI Data Clearinghouse with a New Jersey modified to fit the FGDC-approved

clearinghouse activities as an integral node that will provide access to a Content Standards for Digital Geospatial

component of the geographic and land statewide inventory of GIS users and Metadata. The following four tasks were

information system services in digital data based on an already existing proposed to accomplish this: (1) learn the

Wisconsin; and (4) make the compiled New Jersey GIS Resource Guide. FGDC metadata standards during a

metadata and the metadata content Documentation of data holdings will be training period; (2) compare and evaluate

standards used in this project available to in accordance with the FGDC-approved the two metadata approaches to

all participating agencies. Content Standards for Digital Geospatial determine what is immediately adaptable

Collaborating Organizations:

Wisconsin Land Information Board;

Wisconsin State Cartographer's Office;

U.S. Soil Conservation Service;

Wisconsin Geological and Natural

History Survey; Wisconsin Department of

Natural Resources; Wisconsin

Department of Transportation; Dodge

County Survey and Description

Department; Marathon County Planning Collaborating Organizations: New Collaborating Organizations: Earth

Department; Winnebago County Jersey Department of Environmental Data Analysis Center, University of New

Planning and Zoning Department. Protection; Rutgers University. Mexico; State of New Mexico.

Principal Contact: Ted Koch, Principal Contact: Henry L. Garie; Principal Contact: Amelia M. Budge;

Wisconsin State Cartographer’s Office, New Jersey Department of Earth Data Analysis Center; University

550 North Park Street; Madison, WI Environmental Protection; Office of of New Mexico; 2500 Yale SE,

53706; telephone (608) 262-6852; Information Resources Management, GIS Suite 100; Albuquerque, New Mexico

facsimile (608) 262-5205. Program; 401 East State Street (CN 428); 87131-6031; telephone (505) 277-3622;

Contributing Conversion of New

New Jersey's Mexico's Resource

Information to to FGDC Metadata

the NSDI Standards

Metadata. Organizations that meet the and what will require additional work

standards will be encouraged by the (for example, the creation of a composite

NJSMAC to share data using the node metadata template to facilitate data

managed by Rutgers University. A final conversion); (3) implement the FGDC

component of the project will be the metadata standards for existing RGIS

coordinating several regional GIS metadata and State agency holdings not

workshops throughout New Jersey to currently contained in the RGIS

educate the public about NSDI, the clearinghouse; and (4) install and test

Clearinghouse, and data sharing. metadata retrieval over the Internet. 

Trenton, New Jersey 08625; telephone facsimile (505) 277-3614; Internet

(609) 984-6639; facsimile (609) 292- edac@spock.unm.edu

7340.
Federal Geographic Data Committee October 1994

North Carolina

Geographic Geospatial

Data Data

Clearinghouse Standards

On behalf of the North Carolina

Geographic Information Coordinating

Council, the Center for Geographic Alexandria Technical College (ATC) in

Information and Analysis (CGIA), the Minnesota will develop training

agency responsible for coordinating the programs to address FGDC standards for

State's digital geographic information, producing geospatial data. These training

plans to create and provide access to programs will promote better

geospatial metadata over the Internet. management of geospatial data and more

The existing North Carolina corporate efficient collection, maintenance, access,

geographic data base, which has more and transfer of new data. The ultimate

than 60 layers, will be documented using goal of this standards training will be to

the FGDC-approved Content Standards maximize data usefulness for users of

for Digital Geospatial Metadata. Mosaic multiple data. Also, a test site will be

software will be used to provide access to established in the GIS computer lab

both the corporate metadata and the within ATC, where analysis functions

applicable graphic status maps. Mosaic can test the digital geospatial data for

will be used to construct and serve a compliance with data standards. 

North Carolina Geographic Data Source

Directory of digital geographic data

resources from government agencies and

other organizations across the State; the

directory will have hypertext links to the

source agencies. The CGIA will help

agencies with construction of their own

metadata in accordance with the FGDC

metadata standards, through

demonstrations and pilot projects. 

Collaborating Organizations: Center

for Geographic Information and

Analysis, North Carolina Office of State

Planning; North Carolina Geographic

Information Coordinating Council; State

Government GIS User Committee;

Affiliated GIS User Group.

Principal Contact: Karen Siderelis,

Director; Center for Geographic

Information and Analysis; North

Carolina Office of State Planning;

115 Hillsborough Street; Raleigh, North

Carolina 27603-1721; telephone

(919) 733-2090; facsimile

(919) 715-0725; Internet

karen@cgia.state.nc.us

Education in

Minnesota

Collaborating Organizations:

Alexandria Technical College;

Minnesota Department of Natural

Resources.

Principal Contact: Kevin Kopischke

and Kathy Kvitek; Alexandria Technical

College; GIS Customized Training

Department; 1601 Jefferson Street;

Alexandria, MN 56308; telephone (612)

762-4404; facsimile (612) 762-4634;

Internet 0206atc@InforMNs.K12.mn.us