The Role of Standards in the National Spatial Data Infrastructure

NSDI

By:  Richard A. Pearsall

       FGDC

       rpearsall@usgs.gov

       Arkansas GIS Users 

             Conference 9/09/1999

What Is the National Spatial Data Infrastructure?
        -  NSDI is the technologies, policies, standards, and human resources necessary to acquire, process, store, distribute, and improve the utilization of geospatial data.
        -  Executive Order 12906 - Coordinating Geographic Data Acquisition and Access: The National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) - April 1994
        -  Managed/Coordinated by the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) 
        -  “Part of” a Global Spatial Data Infrastructure 

NSDI

National Spatial Data Infrastructure

Partnerships

Clearinghouse (catalog)

Metadata

Framework

GEOdata

Standards

Geospatial DataSome Examples

Field Measurements

Maps

Remotely-sensed Images

Spatially-referenced Data

Federal Geographic Data Commitee - Metadata

January 21, 1999

Data

The most expensive investment for an organization

Created by many different organizations

To solve many different problems

Using many different methods and technologies

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Federal Geographic Data Commitee - Metadata

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But  . . .
        -  Data are hard to find
        -  Data are difficult to access
        -  Data are hard to integrate
        -  Data are not current
        -  Data are undocumented
        -  Data are incomplete

Federal Geographic Data Commitee - Metadata

January 21, 1999

NSDI

What is a Standard?

Standards are

documented agreements

containing

to be used

consistently

as

to

ensure that materials, products, processes and services

 are

fit for their purpose.

(as defined by ISO)

                   technical specifications or other precise criteria

                          rules, guidelines, or definitions of characteristics,

What is an “Official Standard”?

DeJure - by right or legal establishment

DeFacto - existing or being such in actual fact though not be legal establishment, official recognition

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How Long have Standardsbeen around?

 Known to exist as early as 7000 BC when Cylindrical Stones defined a Unit of Weight in Egypt

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The Importance of Standards (Some Examples)

Commerce/Manufacturing/Industry

Units of Weights and Measures (basis for most of what we do today)

World War II - created urgency to extend many domestic standards to the international level.  Allied supplies and facilities were severely strained due to the incompatibility of tools, replacements parts, and equipment.  Standards helped to reduced inventories and increase compatibility. 

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The Importance of Standards (Some Examples)

Traffic Signals -

	Imagine being a color blind person

   Prior to 1927 -  Purple, Orange, Green, Yellow, Blue, and Red were common traffic signal colors; color meanings were not consistent nor was placement (the Green signal was popular in the top location in Irish sections of the US).  

   1927 - A National Code of Colors (AASHO, NBS, NSC).

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The Importance of Standards (Some Examples)

Diasters (fire, flood, ...)

Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 - fire engines from different regions responded only to be found useless since they had different hose coupling sizes that did not fit Baltimore hydrants - fire burned over 30 hours, resulted in destruction of 1526 building covering 17 city blocks.

Fire 1923 - Fall River, MA saved when over 20 neighboring fire department responded to a town fire since they had standardized on hydrants and hose couplings sizes.

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So What is Thought To Be TheMost Significant Standard?

 Standard for Railroad track gauge - adopted by US, UK, Canada, and much of Europe. 

 American Civil War

	Australia

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Types of GIS Standards

 Data Classification

 Data Content

 Data Symbology or Presentation

 Data Transfer

 Data Useability

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The Need for Standards in Geographic Information

Reduce the redundancy and duplication of data production

To enable organizations to describe, utilize, and share information and data 

Good Decision making requires we think and work outside “the box”

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Geography Quiz

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Where are we?

Who are the Decision Makers?

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Wyoming

Montana

Idaho

FIRE !

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So Who Makes the Decisions?

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So Who Makes the Decisions?

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Upper Mississippi River Basin

Preflood

Sept. 24, 1992

Peakflood

Aug. 1, 1993

Mississippi Flood

So When is the Best Time to Develop a Standard?

This is not it

So What do Standards Provide the IT Community?

Promotes common understanding through a common set of terminology

Promotes/enables Interoperability

Promotes Data and Information Sharing

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Federal Geographic Data Commitee - Metadata

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So What do Standards Provide to the IT Community?

 Enables Technology Independent Solutions

 Provides a basis for Conformity Assessment

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Federal Geographic Data Commitee - Metadata

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FGDC Standards Activity

 12 Endorsed Standards

		 (Metadata, SDTS, Accuracy,

		 Soils, Vegetation Classification)

 22 Under Development

		(Metadata Profiles, “Other” Data

		Content, “Other” SDTS Profiles

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Federal Geographic Data Commitee - Metadata

January 21, 1999

Find out more . . . 

Federal Geographic Data Committee

USGS 590 National Center

Reston, Virginia 20192

703.648.5514

703.648.5575 (fax)

gdc@usgs.gov

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www.fgdc.gov

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