|  |  | Federal Geographic Data CommitteeFor immediate release
September 3, 1998
Vice President Gore announces new smart growth  initiatives to expand theuse of geographic information technologies in communitiesVice President Gore yesterday called for stronger efforts nationwide toenhance the livability and economic competitiveness of American communities.In a major address  at the Brookings Insitution in Washington , D.C., theVice President  highlighted smart sustainable growth in cities, suburbs, andrural areas saying "In the future livable communities will be the basis forour competitiveness and economic strength."
Geographic information technologies will help communities help themselves byputting "more control, more information, more decision-making power into thehands of families, communities, and regions-to give them all the freedom andflexibility they need to reclaim their own unique place in the world."
The federal government will expand its support for communities with tools,information, and new computer software to enable them to makeeasy-to-understand maps that show the different aspects of their region --from farmlands to parks to  buildings -- and even provide predictions forfuture growth. These geographic information technologies will make itdramatically easier for communities to come together to envision and adoptland growth that suits them.
The Vice President announced several  Administration  initiatives targeted atthe use of geographic information technologies in communities.
Community-Federal Information Partnerships. The Vice President announced thatthe President's 2000 budget would significantly expand grants for communitiesto gain access to the National  Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI)clearinghouse -- a public-private resource that the Vice President conceivedas part of his reinventing government initiative in 1993 -- and itsimplementing body, the Federal Data Geographic Data Committee(FGDC), chairedby  Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit.
Demonstration Projects in Six Communities. The Vice President announced thelaunch of six demonstration projects in communities across the country toprovide technical support for locally-drive efforts to address issues such asland-use and crime prevention.  The following communities receiveddemonstration status:  Dane County, WI; Gallatin County, Montana; TillamookCounty, Oregon; Tijuana River Watershed, California; the UpperSusquehanna/Lackawanna River area; and the City of Baltimore.
New Regional Efforts to Combat Crime.  A new  regional pilot program will bestarted,  in conjunction with the Justice Department, to apply regionalmapping software to fighting crime in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area.Communities in the region will be able to easily share crime data and engagein a cooperative regional crime reduction plan.
Location-Efficient Mortgages. Fannie May, working with three federal agenciesand several non-profit groups will pilot locatioin efficient mortgages toencourage families to live near and use mass transit.
$17.2 Million to Help Preserve Farmland. The Vice President announced newfederal, state and local partnerships to help preserve our most vulnerablefarmland. Department of Agriculture funds will be leveraged with state andlocal funds to provide approximately $105 million to protect 53,000 acres offarmland on 217 farms in 19 states.
The National Spatial Data Infrastructure is an initiative that allowsstakeholders in state, local and tribal governments, the private sector,non-profit organizations, and the academinc community under the leadership ofthe Federal Geographic Data Committee,  to make geographic data easier to useand more readily available for solving community problems. For moreinformation about the NSDI, the Clearinghouse,  and the Vice President'sinitiative dealing with geographic information, contact John Moeller at theFederal Geographic Data Committee, U.S. Geological Survey, 590 NationalCenter, Reston, VA 20192; 703-648-5752; [email protected]. Visit the FGDC web pageat URL: http://www.fgdc.gov |
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