Clearinghouse

Biological Resource Emphasis

Clearinghouse

Regional/Local Emphasis

National Spatial Data Infrastructure

 1996 Competitive Cooperative Agreements Program

The National Spatial Data Infrastructure

(NSDI) Competitive Cooperative

Agreements Program was established by the

Federal Geographic Data Committee

(FGDC) to help form partnerships with the

non-Federal sector that will assist in the

evolution of the NSDI. This program

provides funding for cooperative

agreements to State and local government

agencies, institutions of higher education,

and private organizations. The goal is to

encourage resource-sharing projects

through the use of technology, networking,

and more efficient interagency

coordination.

For further information, contact the FGDC

Secretariat, c/o U.S. Geological Survey, 590

National Center, Reston, Virginia 20192;

telephone 703-648-5514; facsimile 703-648-

5755; or Internet gdc@usgs.gov.

The 1996 Program

In July 1996, the FGDC completed issuing

awards for the third year of the program. The

thirty-one cooperative agreements totaled

$1,085,000. These awards support the

development and implementation of the

National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse

(NGDC) for finding and accessing geospatial

data, the development and promulgation of

FGDC-endorsed standards in data collection,

documentation, transfer, search and query, the

development and creation of a National

Geospatial Data Framework, and the

development and implementation of

educational outreach programs to increase

awareness and understanding of the NSDI. A

brief program summary follows which includes

the list of participating agencies and contact

information for the project director.

Virgin Islands Biological Information Node

This project will establish a searchable

National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse node

for accessing FGDC-compliant metadata of

biological geospatial information for marine,

coastal, and terrestrial resources of the U.S.

Virgin Islands.

Collaborating Organizations: Island house node (WAIS server) to disseminate

Resources Foundation, Virgin Islands FGDC-compliant metadata on sensitivity

Conservation Data Center and Eastern classified shorelines, biological resources, and

Caribbean Center at the University of the human-use resources data from Environmental

Virgin Islands, The Nature Conservancy, V.I. Sensitivity Index (ESI) digital atlases that are

National Park and Biosphere Reserve, Dept of used in oil spill emergencies.

Planning and Natural Resources, Department of

Housing, Parks, and Recreation, Division of

Libraries, Archives and Museums, Department

of Public Works, Water and Power Authority

Principal Contact: Bruce Potter, Island

Resources Foundation, 6296 Estate Nazareth,

#11, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 00802-1104;

telephone: 202-265-9712; facsimile 202-232-

0748; Internet bpotter@irf.org

Establishment of a National

Geospatial Data Clearinghouse

Node for Biological Resource

Geospatial Data

This project will result in the establishment of a

fully functioning National Geospatial Data

Clearinghouse node at Kansas University for

biological resource geospatial data;

development of FGDC-compliant metadata for

the Brunca Region (Costa Rica) GIS database;

and, provide assistance and clearinghouse

services to the Inter-American Geospatial Data

Network and Organization for Tropical Studies

consortium of more than 50 universities and

research institutions throughout North and

Central America. 

Collaborating Organizations: University of

Kansas Center for Research, Inc., Kansas

Biological Survey and Department of

Systematics and Ecology, U.S. Geological

Survey, Organization for Tropical Studies

Principal Contact: Paul M. Rich, Kansas

Biological Survey and Department of

Systematics and Ecology, University of Kansas

Center for Research, Inc., Nichols Hall, 2291

Irving Hill Road, Lawrence, Kansas 66045;

telephone 913-864-7769; facsimile 913-864-

7789; Internet prich@oz.kbs.ukans.edu

Establishing a NSDI

Clearinghouse Node for

Coastal Resource GIS Data

Research Planning, Inc. (RPI) will collaborate

with the South Carolina Department of Natural

Resources to implement an NSDI clearingCollaborating Organizations: Research

Planning, Inc., SC Department of Natural

Resources, Marine Resources Commission

Principal Contact: Joanne Halls, Research

Planning, Inc.,1200 Park Street, Columbia,

South Carolina 29201; telephone 803-762-

5068; facsimile 803-254-6445; Internet

joanne@rpi.columbia.sc.us

Developing Nodes for National

Geospatial Data Clearinghouse in

New Mexico 

This project will establish three NSDI

compliant nodes to network geospatial

databases in New Mexico and to make these

data available on-line. This effort will serve as

a testbed for continuation of networking other

sites in the state, with the long-term goal to

establish a series of NSDI-compliant nodes to

network all geospatial databases in New

Mexico and to make these data available online. 

Collaborating Organizations: Earth Data

Analysis Center/University of New Mexico

City of Santa Fe, McKinley County

Principal Contact: Amelia M. Budge, Earth

Data Analysis Center, University of New

Mexico, 2500 Yale SE, Suite 100,

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-6031;

telephone 505-277-3622; facsimile 505-277-

3614; Internet abudge@spock.unm.edu

San Francisco Bay Geospatial

Data Clearinghouse 

This project will augment a geographic

information system currently under

development for the San Francisco Bay region
Clearinghouse

Statewide Emphasis

to bring it into conformance with NSDI “EXPORT” format with links to metadata This project will enhance Vermont’s

clearinghouse standards and protocols, and to prepared in accordance with the Content established non-Internet based system for

make the information publicly accessible via Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata. distributing metadata and spatial data by

the Internet. Also, this project will suggest implementing an Internet-based spatial data

improved means for using coastal information clearinghouse node. Also developed, will be a

at other locations and provide a testbed for new utility for exploring the metadata off-line with a

technologies that will create integrated data sets PC for those who cannot make use of the

in addition to individual data products. Internet, and instruction will be provided to

Collaborating Organizations: San Francisco site and the metadata exploration tool.

Bay Conservation and Development

Commission, Univ of CA-Berkeley, NOAA Collaborating Organizations: Vermont Center

National Ocean Service for Geographic Information, Inc.

Principal Contact: Jeffry Blanchfield, Resources, Vermont’s 12 Regional Planning

San Francisco Bay Conservation and Commissions

Development Commission, 30 Van Ness

Avenue, Suite 2011, San Francisco, California Principal Contact: Bruce Westcott, Vermont

94102; telephone 415-557-8773; facsimile 415- Center for Geographic Information, Inc., 206

557-3767; Internet jeff@bcdc.ca.gov Morrill Hall, Burlington, Vermont 05405-0106;

Southwest Washington 0776; Internet brucew@vcgi.uvm.edu

Geospatial Data Standards

and Data Sharing Project

The Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of

Government and its members and collaborating

organizations will create a regional Geographic

Information System which will be compatible

with existing GIS within the region by adopting

and using FGDC endorsed standards. A

National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse node

will be established, geospatial data will be

catalogued using the Metadata Standard, and

workshops will be held to facilitate use of the

system.

Collaborating Organizations: CowlitzWahkiakum Council of Governments, Cowlitz

County GIS Department, City of Longview

Information Services, City of Kelso Public

Works Department

Principal Contact: Cecil Chen, CowlitzWahkiakum Council of Governments,

Administration Annex, 207 4th Avenue North,

Keslo, Washington 98626; telephone 360-577-

3041; facsimile 360-25-7760

Creating the Mount Desert

Island, Maine Regional NSDI

Clearinghouse Node on the

Internet

The focus of the project is to create a searchable

Metadata database and establish a National

Geospatial Data Clearinghouse node complying

with FGDC-endorsed standards and protocols.

This node will disseminate geographic

information developed by the collaborating

organizations over the past nine years for the

Mount Desert Island, Maine region.

Approximately 150 ecological and cultural data

themes will be available in Arc/Info

Collaborating Organizations: College of the

Atlantic, National Park Service, Penobscot

Nation, Maine Department of Environmental

Protection, Maine State Planning Office,

Hancock County Planning Commission, Town

of Bar Harbor, Town of Tremont, Town of

Mount Desert, Town of Southwest Harbor,

Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Island Institute,

ESRI, Acadianet, Inc.

Principal Contact: Gordon Longsworth,

College of the Atlantic, Geographic Information

Systems Laboratory, 105 Eden Street, Bar

Harbor, Maine 046409; telephone 207-288-

2271; facsimile 207-288-4126; Internet

gordonl@ecology.coa.edu

Montana National Geospatial

Data Clearinghouse Initiative

This project builds on the success of

establishing the initial National Geospatial

Data Clearinghouse node in Montana. Four

more GIS data producing organizations will

implement NGDC nodes based on the

experiences of the Natural Resources

Information System (NRIS). NRIS will provide

technical assistance in the installation, use, and

maintenance for the software required for

setting up, configuring, and populating a

clearinghouse node with FGDC-compliant

metadata. Node components will include a

Z39.50 compliant server, World Wide Web

server, scripts, and metadata tools.

Documentation of data holdings by the

collaborating organizations will be compliant

with the Content Standards for Digital

Geospatial Metadata.

Collaborating Organizations: Natural

Resource Information System, Montana State

Library, University of Montana School of

Forestry, Montana Department of

Environmental Quality, Desktop Assistance,

Inc., Helena National Forest

Principal Contact: Fred Gifford, Natural

Resource Information System, 1515 East Sixth

Avenue, Missoula, Montana 59620-1800;

telephone 406-444-5357; facsimile 406-444-

0581; Internet fgifford@nris.msl.mt.gov

Vermont Metadata

Clearinghouse Project

Vermont GIS users on the utility of the Internet

University of Vermont/School of Natural

telephone 802-656-4277; facsimile 802-656-

Establishing a National

Spatial Data Clearinghouse

Node in Georgia

This project will create a National Geospatial

Data Clearinghouse node within the state of

Georgia. The clearinghouse will include

creating and maintaining a directory of existing

Georgia geospatial data sources; a central,

shared GIS data repository that links the servers

at Georgia Institute of Technology and the

University of Georgia; an interface support

system that can provide metadata search, field

search and spatial search; and provide for data

dissemination via Internet and/or CD-ROM.

Collaborating Organizations: Georgia

Institute of Technology, Dept of Community

Affairs, Department of Transportation

Principal Contact: Dr. William J. Drummond,

Georgia Institute of Technology, City Planning

Program, College of Architecture, Atlanta,

Georgia 30332-0155; telephone 404-894-9840;

facsimile 404-894-1628; Internet

bill.drummond@arch.gatech.edu

Kansas NSDI 

Clearinghouse Node

The Kansas GIS Policy Board and the Kansas

Geological Survey - Data Access and Support

Center (DASC) will jointly develop and

maintain a NSDI Clearinghouse Node on the

Internet. This node will contain FGDC

compliant metadata, ftp access to databases,

textual and graphical spatial searches, and also

develop and maintain a metadata forms

interface to facilitate input of FGDC compliant

metadata to the DASC.
Educational Outreach

Collaborating Organizations: University of Principal Contact: Berry H. Tew, Jr., Principal Contact: Ron Woodburn, South

Kansas/Kansas Geological Survey, State of Geological Survey of Alabama, 420 Hackberry Dakota Bureau of Information and

Kansas GIS Policy Board member agencies Ave, P.O. Box O, Tuscaloosa, AL 35486-9780; Telecommunications, Information Services, 700

Principal Contact: Thomas D. Mettille, 2861; Internet nick@sand.gsa.tuscaloosa.al.us 2291; telephone 605-773-4750; facsimile 605-

University of Kansas, Kansas Geological 773-4068; Internet ronw@denr.state.sd.us

Survey, 1930 Constant Avenue Campus West, Access and Development of a

Lawrence, Kansas 66047; telephone 913-864-

3965; facsimile 913-864-5317; Internet

mettille@gisdasc.kgs.ukans.edu

Wyoming Geographic

Information Advisory

Council NSDI Clearinghouse

This project will create an National Geospatial public sector partners, the University of

Data Clearinghouse node on the Internet to Delaware will also develop a strategic and

access and deliver GIS data to public and management plan for the future development of

private sectors, including all Wyoming State nodes with other information facilities in the

agencies, 23 Wyoming Counties, Wyoming region. Documentation of all data holdings on

Municipalities and the University of Wyoming. the nodes will conform to the Content

The node will post metadata in accordance with Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata.

the FGDC Content Standards for Digital

Geospatial Metadata. Training and Collaborating Organizations: University of

documentation will be provided to state, Delaware College of Urban Affairs and Public

federal, and local agencies as well as other Policy, Delaware Department of Natural

public and private sectors on the use of the Resources and Environmental Control,

node. Department of Transportation, Department of

Collaborating Organizations: State of State Planning Coordination, Delaware

Wyoming Department of Administration and Geological Survey, New Castle County

Information, Wyoming Geographic Information Planning Department, University of Delaware

Advisory Council, State Land & Farm Loan Research Data Management Services

Office, Wyoming Game and Fish Department,

University of Wyoming, Wyoming Department Principal Contact: David P. Racca and

of Transportation, Department of Commerce Richard S. Sacher, University of Delaware,

State Historic Preservation Office, WY GIS College of Urban Affairs and Public Policy,

User’s Group, Bureau of Land Management, Graham Hall, Academy Street, Newark,

Bureau of the Census, U.S. Geological Survey Delaware 19716-7330; telephone 302-831-

Principal Contact: Richard C. Memmel, 3587; Internet dracca@udel.edu or dsacher

Wyoming State, Dept of Administration and @udel.edu

Information, Information Technology Division,

Emerson Building, 2001 Capitol Avenue, Establishing a National Geospatial

Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002; telephone 307-

777-5103; facsimile 307-777-5120; Internet

rick@ctprol.state.wy.us

Establishment of an Alabama NSDI

National Geospatial Data

Clearinghouse Node

This project will establish and maintain an and, conduct a series of workshops to provide

Alabama node of the National Geospatial Data information on FGDC metadata standards and

Clearinghouse providing access to metadata the use of the clearinghouse.

and geospatial data archived by the

collaborating organizations. Metadata will be Collaborating Organizations: SD Bureau of

searchable through a HTML forms/freeWAIS- Information and Telecommunications,

sf interface and geospatial data will be made Engineering and Environmental Research

available on-line. Center at the South Dakota State University,

Collaborating Organizations: Geological Parks, Department of Environment and Natural

Survey of Alabama, State Oil & Gas Board of Resources, North Central Resource

Alabama Conservation and Development District

telephone 205-349-2852; facsimile 205-349- Governors Drive, Pierre, South Dakota 57501-

National Geospatial Data

Clearinghouse Node for Delaware

This project will establish a clearinghouse node

at the University of Delaware and develop a

strategy for implementing complementary

clearinghouse nodes within the cooperating

government agencies. In cooperation with the

Planning and Data Administration, Office of

1698 or 302-831-1466; facsimile 302-831-

Data Clearinghouse Node for

South Dakota

This project will establish a National

Geospatial Data Clearinghouse node on the

Internet; conduct a pilot project that will

demonstrate to state agencies how adherence to

FGDC metadata standards can be achieved;

South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and

The Personal Interface in GIS:

Training the Trainers

This project will extend the use of geographic

information systems to citizens and

organizations across the state through the indepth training of Madison-campus librarians,

the development of online training materials,

the development of a GIS web page, and the

broad training of academic and public

librarians.

Collaborating Organizations: University of

Wisconsin/Board of Regents, University of

Wisconsin-Madison General Library System,

University of Wisconsin-Madison State

Cartographer, University of WI-Madison

Spatial Information and Analysis Consortium,

Council of Wisconsin Libraries

Principal Contact: Nolan Pope, Board of

Regents, University of Wisconsin, 750

University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin

53706; telephone 608-262-6141; facsimile 608-

265-2754; Internet pope@doit.wisc.edu

A Multimedia Tour of the

NSDI

This project will entail development, production

and distribution of an interactive, media

intensive education and awareness program

that introduces prospective users and providers

to the possibilities and potential of the NSDI.

The primary delivery medium will be CD-ROM

(PC and Mac) but it will be adaptable for

access via the Internet. The primary target

audience will be local government officials (e.g.

planning departments, engineering

departments, traffic/transportation engineers).

Secondary audiences include private sector civil

engineers engaged in public projects requiring

them to access and/or develop data. The

audience will be assumed to have little or no

information about the NSDI.

Collaborating Organizations: Pietrodangelo

Production Group, Inc., FL State University

Principal Contact: Donato Pietrodangelo,

Pietrodangelo Production Group, Inc., 216 East
Framework

Oakland Avenue, Tallahassee, Florida 32301; managing metadata, integrating metadata goal of the project is to provide guidelines that

telephone 904-681-2392; fax 904-561-5408 collection into GIS operations and other can be used by others to enhance the existing

Citizen Access to the

NSDI via the Mountain

Area Information

Network of Western 

 North Carolina

This is an outreach and education project

designed to train public librarians, high school

and community college teachers, and Mountain

Area Information Network (MAIN) technical

volunteers, who in turn will provide ongoing

public outreach and assistance for citizenaccess to the North Carolina Geographic Data

Clearinghouse. The project will also create a

special interactive website and publish a

“Citizens Guide to Spatial Data -- An

introduction to the NSDI” as models for public

education and outreach nationwide.

Collaborating Organizations: Mountain Area

Information Network, North Carolina Center

for Geographic Information & Analysis,

Resource Data, Inc.

Principal Contact: Wally Bowen, Mountain

Area Information Network, 34 Wall Street,

Asheville, North Carolina 28801; telephone

704-255-0182; facsimile 704-254-2286;

Internet wallyb@main.nc.us

Establishing an NSDI

Clearinghouse Node for

West Virginia and

Advancing Metadata 

Standards through 

 Educational Seminars

This project will result in the establishment of a

central NSDI Clearinghouse node for the state

of West Virginia, and the development of

seminars aimed at potential metadata nodes

(state agencies and private firms active in the

state). The seminars will be provide an

overview of the FGDC and the NSDI, and

provide an in-depth review of the Content

Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata,

recommended techniques for creating and

associated metadata issues. national hydrography data set using more

Collaborating Organizations: West Virginia maintaining the link to the lower resolution

University Statewide GIS Technical Support national data. It also tests methods which link

Center, Office of State GIS Coordinator specific attributes about other points of interest

Principal Contact: Dr. Trevor points) using the reach code as the permanent

Harris, Department of Geology and feature identifier. The project will also

Geography, West Virginia State- investigate techniques for adding attributes to

wide GIS Technical Support the new, higher resolution data. The project will

Center, West Virginia University, also identify methods that can be used to update

425 White Hall, POI 6300, Morgantown, West existing geometry using higher resolution

Virginia 26506; telephone 304-293-5603; geometry while still providing lower resolution,

facsimile 304-293-6522; Internet generalized data. 

tmh@wvugeo.wvnet.edu

The Ohio Geographically Referenced

Information Program (OGRIP) - Large

Scale Features Classification Project

This project will extend the USGS 1:24,000

Feature Classification and DLG-E Feature

Template methodology to large-scale (larger

than 1:24,000) feature data. An extensive list of

large scale feature data and definitions will be

collected from producers of large-scale data,

merged into the ORACLE database and

assigned unique feature ID’s. The USGS

Feature Classification methodology and Feature Carolina

Templates will be evaluated, modified and used

to reconcile a pilot set of data. The A prototype transportation data set will be

modifications will be documented and created for Moore County which will be

presented for review. The outcome will be the documented using the Content Standards for

Proof-of-Concept of a method to help integrate Digital Geospatial Metadata and served

large scale feature data into smaller scale through the North Carolina Geographic Data

regional, state and federal spatial datasets. Clearinghouse. Concepts introduced by the

Collaborating Organizations: Ohio Dept of Framework for the NSDI” will be tested for

Administrative Services, Ohio Department of their technical, operational and business

Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, feasibility. The institutional and programmatic

The Corporation for Public Information requirements for the long term management of

Principal Contact: Jean Field, Ohio Dept of NSDI will be assessed and documented.

Administrative Services, Ohio Geographically

Referenced Information Program, 2151

Carmack Road, Columbus, Ohio 43221-3595;

telephone 614-646-7474; facsimile 614-752-

6108; Internet ogrip_field@ohio.gov

Florida Hydrography and Geological Survey, U.S. Bureau of the Census 

the Framework

This project tests the

integration of the 1:24,000-scale hydrography

data into the USEPA River Reach File. The

project will test the ability of the reach code to

telescope across different resolutions of data. A

detailed, higher resolution local data, while

(such as monitoring stations, and discharge

Collaborating Organizations: Florida

Department of Environmental Protection, St.

Johns River Water Management District,

University of FL, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency

Principal Contact: Ruth Montgomery Roaza,

Florida Dept of Environmental Protection,

Bureau of Information Systems, 2600 Blair

Stone Road, Mail Station 6520, Tallahassee,

Florida 32399-2400; telephone 904-488-0892;

facsimile 904-922-6041; Internet

roaza_r@dep.state.fl.us

Transportation

Framework Data

Development in North

FGDC in “Development of a Geospatial Data

a transportation framework data set for the

Collaborating Organizations: Center for

Geographic Information and Analysis,

North Carolina Geographic Information

Coordinating Council, Moore County, Dept of

Transportation, Dept of Public Instruction, U.S.

Principal Contact: Zsolt Nagy, 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
Metadata Implementation

zsolt@cgia.state.nc.us Wasatch County, Salk Lake County, Tooele Collaborating Organizations: University of

Michigan Geographic County, State GIS Advisory Committee Maine, City of Portland, Natural Resource

Framework Project

This is a Federal, state, regional, and county

collaborative pilot project that seeks to identify

and evaluate technical methodologies and

institutional arrangements that will facilitate

the creation and maintenance of a geographic

framework in Michigan. Technically, the

project seeks to evaluate the usefulness of

conflation tools in integrating geographic base

maps, establishment of unique ID’s and

generalization of geography across institutional

lines. Institutionally, the project identifies how

the area integrator and framework management

concepts may work in the context of Michigan.

Collaborating Organizations: Michigan

Department of Management and Budget/

Michigan Information Center, Michigan

Department of Environmental Resources/ Real

Estate Division/MIRIS, Michigan Department

of Transportation/Planning Division, Southeast

Michigan Council of Governments, Tri-County

Regional Planning Commission, Barry County

Mapping Department, Manistee County

Planning Department.

Principal Contact: Rob Surber, Michigan

Department of Management and Budget,

Michigan Information Center, 320 South

Walnut Street/Lewis Cass Building, Lansing,

Michigan 49833; telephone 517-373-7910;

facsimile 517-373-2939; Internet

rob_surber@state.mi.us

Wasatch Front Transportation

Data Integration and

Generalization Project

This project encompasses the integration and

generalization of transportation data within a

four county area. Integration will involve

gathering the best data available from various

sources, and edge matching these data both

spatially and logically. Generalization will

involve following the USGS rules for

transitioning data from 1:24,000 scale (or even

higher resolution) to a 1:100,000 scale to create

a pilot quadrangle, which will also

accommodate the needs of the contributors.

Results of this project will be the development

of documentation and procedures necessary to

achieve the integration and generalization of

transportation data for the NSDI Framework.

Collaborating Organizations: State of Utah,

Division of Information Technology Services,

Automated Geographic Reference Center,

Federal Highway Administration, U.S.

Geological Survey, Utah Dept of

Transportation, Mountain Lands Assoc of

Governments, Utah County Public Works,

Principal Contact: Dennis Goreham, State of Maine State Office of GIS, Maine Department

Utah, Div of Information Technology Services, of Transportation

Automated Geographic Reference Center, 5130

State Office Bldg., Salt Lake City, Utah 84114; Principal Contact: Dr. Peggy Agouris,

telephone 801-538-3163; facsimile 801-538- Department of Spatial Information Science and

3550; Internet grdbg@itshp1.it.as.ex.state.ut.us Engineering, University of Maine, Orono,

Public Access to the Alaska facsimile 207-581-2206; Internet

Public Land Survey System: An

Integrated Software-Data

Approach for the NSDI 

 Framework

Alaska’s PLSS data provides the foundation for

ownership records, legal boundaries described

in statutes and conveyance documents, parcel

based platting systems for land records within

state and municipal jurisdictions, and the georeferencing of many government permitting

systems. This project will solve the long term

Alaskan problem related to uniformity and

availability of the PLSS data. Software will be

developed to facilitate data use on multiplatform environments and dissemination of

data via Internet and CD-ROM. A training

program will be implemented to ensure the user

community is aware of and be able to use the

PLSS data and derivative products. 

Collaborating Organizations: Alaska Dept of

Natural Resources, AK Dept of Fish and Game,

Alaska Dept of Environmental Conservation,

Alaska Dept of Community and Regional

Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau

of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, U.S.

Geological Survey, U.S. Forest Service, U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service

Principal Contact: Richard McMahon, Alaska

Department of Natural Resources, Land

Records Information Section, 3601 C Street,

Suite 916, Anchorage, Alaska 99503; telephone

907-269-8836; facsimile 907-563-1497;

Internet richm@dnr.state.ak.us

Scale and Accuracy Issues in

the Use of Orthoimagery

within NSDI

This project will develop methods to extend the

use of orthoimagery within NSDI in four ways:

1) outlining a methodology to generalize

orthoimagery to coarser scales, 2) characterizing variation in accuracy, scale and resolution

across orthoimages, 3) structuring metadata to

compare and select orthoimagery from a

collection of orthoimagery of various scales and

resolutions, and 4) structuring metadata to

better integrate orthoimagery and vector

overlays.

Conservation Service, Central Maine Power,

Maine 04469; telephone 207-581-2180;

peggy@spatial.maine.edu

Oregon Framework

This is a cooperative venture with all

jurisdictions of government in Oregon to begin

building framework like data for the state. This

project will examine organizational barriers,

data stewardship issues, core standards,

database structures, and provide administrative

and technical support to pilot projects that are

attempting to implement framework concepts.

Successful pilot studies strategies will be

implemented statewide.

Collaborating Organizations: State Service

Center for GIS, Oregon Department of

Administrative Services, Oregon Geographic

Information Council, Interorganization

Resource Information Coordinating Committee,

Oregon GIS Association

Principal Contact: Theresa J. Valentine, State

Service Center for GIS, Oregon Dept of

Administrative Services, 155 Cottage Street,

Salem, Oregon 97310; telephone 503-378-

4163; facsimile 503-986-3242; Internet

theresa.j.valentine@state.or.us

California’s Geospatial

Metadata Repository Project

This project will develop World Wide Web

tools that support the input and continued

maintenance of geospatial metadata compliant

with FGDC Content Standards for Geospatial

Metadata. The metadata will be accessible

through the National Geospatial Data

Clearinghouse. The collaborative project will

include the development and implementation of

an extensive outreach program aimed at 130

cities, 50 counties, and many special district

agencies throughout California. The outreach

efforts will include detailed training and

education to increase awareness of the major

NSDI components, the purpose and value of 
Standards Development

The 1997 Program

An explanation of the 1997 NSDI

Competitive Cooperative Agreements

program and application materials will

be available this fall. The open period

for proposals will be 90 days. As with

the previous programs, proposals must

involve two or more organizations with

participants providing matching funds

or resources. Formal announcement of

the program will be published in the

Commerce Business Daily and the

Federal Register, and also will be

available through the FGDC homepage

at http://www.fgdc.gov.

metadata, and the use of the Internet for Software to Support Indexing

metadata documentation and query.

Collaborating Organizations: California

Geographic Information Association,

Alexandria Digital Library/UC Santa Barbara,

Bay Area Automated Mapping Association

(BAAMA), City of Oakland, Gatekeeper

Systems, Modesto Irrigation District, Psomas

and Associates, San Diego Association of

Governments (SANDAG), Southern California

Association of Governments (SCAG), State of

California Teale Data Center

Principal Contact: Craig H. Gooch, California

Geographic Information Association, P.O. Box

15424, Sacramento, California 95851-0424;

telephone 909-787-8421; facsimile 909-623-

3813; Internet cgooch@psomas.com

Implementing a Graphical

Metadata Viewer on a National

Geospatial Data Clearinghouse

Node in Illinois

This project will result in the creation of an

innovative HTML-based graphical metadata

viewer for implementation on a new National

Geospatial Data Clearinghouse node at the

Illinois State Geological Survey. The viewer

will be based on the ImageMap Version of the

FGDC Metadata Standard, with enhancements

added for the display of ASCII metadata files

by element, section and full file. To support

future expanded inter-agency clearinghouse

efforts in Illinois, a standardized approach for

the format of metadata will be developed and

adopted by the participating agencies.

Collaborating Organizations: Illinois State

Geological Survey, Hazardous Waste Research

Information Center, Illinois Natural History

Survey, Illinois State Water Survey, Illinois

State Museum, Illinois Office of Mines and

Minerals, Illinois Office of Realty and

Environmental Planning

Principal Contact: Dan Nelson, IL State

Geological Survey, Geospatial Analysis and

Modeling Section, 615 East Peabody Drive,

Champaign, Illinois 61820; telephone 217-244-

2513; facsimile 217-333-2830; Internet

nelson@muck.isgs.uiuc.edu

and Accessing Geospatial Data

This project will the extend the National

Science Foundation-sponsored Ecosystem

Information System to meet FGDC guidelines

for dataset indexing, metadata specification and

indexing, and access to both datasets and

metadata through standard Internet access

tools.

Collaborating Organizations: The University

of Montana, Montana State Library, USDA

U.S. Forest Service

Principal Contact: Dr. Ray Ford, The

University of Montana, Department of

Computer Science, Missoula, Montana 59812-

1008; telephone 406-243-2964; facsimile 406-

243-4076; Internet ford@cs.umt.edu

Development and

Dissemination of

Standards and Tools for

Collecting and Managing 

 Cave

Survey Data

The collaborators will develop standards for the

collection, documentation, evaluation,

archiving, cataloging, report generation and

transfer of cave survey data. Also, they will

evaluate biological data from the same cave,

and biological thematic data sets for correlation

with the geospatial cave data for presentation in

a GIS format, the final interface of which will

also be developed.

Collaborating Organizations: Cave Research

Foundation, American Cave Conservation

Association, Mammoth Cave National Park,

Barren River Area Development District

Principal Contact: Philip J. DiBlasi, Cave

Research Foundation, 1244 South Brook Street,

Louisville, Kentucky 40203-2718; telephone

502-852-6724; Internet

pjdibl01@ulkyvm.louisville.edu