|  |   | FGDC Newsletter Spring 19991999 National GeoData Forum**Making Livable Communities a Reality**
The 1999 National GeoData Forum, June 7-9, 1999, at the Marriott  at MetroCenter in Washington, DC,  will focus on the role geographic data play increating livable communities.   It will examine how these data can best beorganized and used in policy and decision making to address the social,economic, and environmental aspects of communities.
The forum will also address how the National Spatial Data Infrastructure(NSDI) furthers these goals, and how the private sector can contribute to theNSDI initiative.  "This initiative is poised to take off because we can nowprovide decision makers with concrete examples of how geographic informationtechnologies are being used every day to solve real world problems," said MarkSchaefer, deputy assistant secretary for water and science, Department ofInterior.  "This will be an exciting and timely meeting.  We invite citizensand leaders in the public and private sectors to participate."
*"This will be an exciting and timely meeting."*
The meeting will bring together leaders from all levels of government, privateindustry, academia, and nonprofit institutions to discuss geographicinformation technology, data access, financing, research and education, andorganizational and leadership methods and models.  Vice President Al Gore,Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and several other top government and privatesector representatives are scheduled to speak.  The forum will conclude with apolicy roundtable.
*"This is a great opportunity to get involved in setting the direction         for this important national initiative."*
Forum participants will discuss how geographic data can be used in decisionmaking; meet political, government, and industry representatives; and have theopportunity to communicate directly with them and provide input.  "Usingcommon solutions and sharing data will dramatically improve the way we makedecisions," said U.S. Representative Paul Kanjorski (D-PA), a member of theSteering Committee.  "This is a great opportunity to get involved in settingthe direction for this important national initiative."
Registration Information for 1999 National GeoData Forum**Registration fees (per person)**** ****Before May 17**** ****On-site**Full Registration (June7-9) $325  $545 Monday, June 7 only $165  $175 Tuesday, June 8 only $165  $175 Wednesday, June 9 only $95  $95 
- Registration fee includes:    All sessions   
  - Continental breakfast each day        Lunch on Tuesday   
    - Reception on Monday evening          All refreshment breaks   
      - A program, participant roster, and printed final report ***For further information, visit the forum website atwww.fgdc.gov/99Forum/.***
Don't Duck Metadata**1999 CAP Focuses on Documenting Data**
The 1999 NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP) is devoted to projects thatwill further framework data documentation and clearinghouse development.  TheDon't Duck Metadata Program will make awards to scores of federal, state, andlocal organizations nationwide.  Up to $1,400,000 is available for the grantprogram this year.  Awardees will be announced at the 1999 National GeoDataForum in June.
*"This program will rally the geospatial data community behind a clear         and elevating goal that increases awareness and use of framework data         and quickly populates the clearinghouse."*
The purpose of the Don't Duck Metadata Program is to provide grant funding tohelp organizations create descriptive information about digital geospatialdata and to make those descriptions available for search and retrieval througha distributed electronically connected network of public, Internet-basedclearinghouses.  The long-range goal is to document and serve descriptions ofall existing framework data sets, including, but not limited to, those datasets identified through the National States Geographic Information Council'sFramework Data Survey (see article under framework initiative later in thisnewsletter).  The framework data themes are geodetic control, orthoimagery,elevation, transportation, hydrography, governmental units, and cadastralinformation.  The participants in this metadata program will developdescriptions or metadata for existing framework data sets, collect frameworkmetadata, and serve these metadata through new or existing clearinghouse nodes.The program will develop searchable metadata, reach new geographic areas andorganizations, and strengthen the framework and GIS coordination network.
The program is funding three types of efforts:
- assisting organizations in their efforts to create metadata descriptions for their framework data sets and serving the metadata on NSDI clearinghouses,    providing training and other technical assistance, and   coordinating the provision of training and technical assistance to organizations in a region.
"This program will rally the geospatial data community behind a clear andelevating goal that increases awareness and use of framework data, and quicklypopulates the clearinghouse,"  said John Moeller, FGDC staff director.  Formore information, visit the FGDC website or attend the GeoData Forum.
Community-Federal Information PartnershipIn a January press conference, Vice President Gore made several announcementsconcerning the administration's initiatives related to improving communitylivability and urban sprawl.  One of the featured initiatives is theCommunity-Federal Information Partnership, a competitive grant programdeveloped by the FGDC.  These grants and cooperative agreements will supportcommunities' efforts to advance their capabilities to use geographicinformation systems in their planning efforts.  To fund this initiative, theFY2000 budget proposes to distribute $39.5M among six federal agencies--theEnvironmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture, Department of theInterior, Department of Transportation, Department of Commerce, and Departmentof Housing and Urban Development.  The bulk of the funding will be directed togrants to communities, and the remaining funds will be used to help federalagencies organize information and make it available to communities.  For moreinformation, contact Norman Gunderson at 703-648-4648 or [email protected].
NEWS ABOUT NSDI INITIATIVESFramework**Framework Survey Data Now Available Online**
The data collection and initial quality control phases of the Framework DataSurvey, conducted by the National States Geographic Information Council(NSGIC),  have been completed.  The preliminary survey data are now availableonline.   They can be accessed through the FGDC website atwww.fgdc.gov/framework/survey_results/readme.html.
The survey was conducted in 1997-98 and includes results from more than 5,000respondents in state, local, and federal government agencies; private industry;nonprofit organizations; and others who produce and use geographic data.  Itprovides a snapshot of the characteristics of the framework data beingdeveloped and the organizations developing them.  Framework data themesinclude geodetic control, orthoimagery, elevation, transportation, hydrography,governmental units, and cadastral information.
The survey data may be viewed and analyzed in a variety of forms. The simplestform is a dBase table that contains the preliminary results.  A supplementalfile contains the write-in answers for certain questions.  Two spatial mappingfiles have been created to allow users to map the results.  To supplement thebasic survey data and spatial shape files, you can download an ArcView 3.1project file, provided to the project by the Environmental Systems ResearchInstitute.
Those using the survey data should familiarize themselves with the surveyapproach and questions.  Information about the survey method and a copy of theoriginal survey can also be downloaded.
All of these resources are available on the FGDC website.
Reports on the survey findings will also be published this year.  The firstreport, providing preliminary results, will be distributed as a supplement toGeo Info Systems in the spring and the full results will be reported in anFGDC-published document later in the year.
**Developing a Standard for Sharing Transportation Data**
The FGDC Ground Transportation Subcommittee is sponsoring the development of aFramework Transportation Identification Standard for describing road segmentsas unique geographic features, independent of cartographic and analyticnetwork representation.  These road segments will form the basis for sharingand transactional updating of framework road databases.
Creation of the framework will depend on the contribution of transportationdatabases developed for specific geographic areas and applications by manyfederal, state, and local transportation agencies. These databases aredeveloped at different scales, with different levels of positional accuracy,detail, currency, and completeness of coverage.  They must be "stitchedtogether" to provide the network connectivity required for many transportationapplications.  When new databases are added to the framework or when specificattributes are updated, users of framework data must be able tocost-effectively incorporate this new information into their applications.
Bruce Spear, of the U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of TransportationStatistics, chairs the FGDC Ground Transportation Subcommittee.   Spearcommented on the pressing need for a new standard:  "Successful integration ofthe 'best available' transportation databases into a national framework willsupport many applications-commercial and public, large-scale and small.However, success depends upon the production of transportation data for eachgeographic area according to standards that allow users to share data andallow spatial databases to be connected topologically to transportation datafor adjacent areas."
Spear also pointed out that this FGDC standards development effort is intendedto allow the greatest possible opportunity for public discussion of the goalsand methods proposed.  First, the subcommittee has assembled a technicalreview team to apply a range of knowledgeable viewpoints in the early stagesof development.  The team includes representatives of other federal agencies(U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highways; U.S. Department ofCommerce, Census Bureau; and the Department of the Interior, USGS NationalMapping Division), the Intelligent Transportation Systems community, and NSDIpartner organizations (the National States Geographic Information Council andthe National Association of Counties).
Second, BTS has created a website(http://www.bts.gov/gis/fgdc/web_intr.html)on behalf of the subcommittee.  This website encourages open discussion of theFramework Transportation Identification Standard among potential stakeholdersin both the transportation and the spatial data communities.  The site is hostto the Road Data Forum, a combined newsgroup and e-mail listserver fordiscussing the Framework Transportation Identification Standard.   The siteprovides the most current version of the draft standard and links to technicalreference documents relating to linear referencing systems and other topics.
Readers are encouraged to visit the website, join the forum, participate inthe discussions, and make suggestions for improving the proposed standard.For further information, see the website or contact Bruce Spear at 202-366-8870.
Clearinghouse**More than 100 Clearinghouses and Growing**
A total of 109 clearinghouses are now listed in the search pages for theNational Geospatial Data Clearinghouse.  New additions included 14 serversfrom Australia that represent most Australian states, the Commonwealthgovernment, and a private data node.  U.S. clearinghouse additions sinceDecember include:
- Princeton University    U.S. Minerals Management Service   Southwest Data Center   
- Alaska State Geospatial Data Clearinghouse Welcome!
**Clearinghouse Search Access**
The Natural Resources Conservation Service, the EROS Data Center, and the FGDCare now hosting  clearinghouse gateways, each with a copy of the Blue AngelMeta Star Gateway software.  This configuration allows greater regional accessfor searching the growing distributed clearinghouse holdings and providesredundancy in case of network or system troubles.
The clearinghouse can be searched at the following URLs;
- http://clearinghouse1.fgdc.gov  http://clearinghouse2.fgdc.govhttp://clearinghouse3.fgdc.gov
and, as always, via the FGDC website.
These gateways and others will be viewable through hardware as a single URL,thanks to a router enhancement known as a distributed director.  Moreinformation about clearinghouse access will be provided as it becomesavailable.
**Tell Your Users About the Clearinghouse**
Now that the clearinghouse has several hundred thousand online metadataentries, we encourage you to link your data-search web pages to the genericclearinghouse search pages.   Local information searches can be supplementedwith clearinghouse searches by pasting the following linking text into an HTMLpage:
Search the NSDI Clearinghouse for Spatial Data
**Interface Development**
A provisional search interface that allows users to specify the searchparameters they would like to see in a form has been developed.   Through thisinterface, a user can select search criteria using a map, search full text,and search all servers without seeing a list of servers.  This simplified userinterface will let users do more custom searches in a less cluttered formstyle.  The service uses a perl script on an external webserver to interactwith the user, then post the search to an existing gateway. After being tested,the software will be made available for external sites to build their owncustom interfaces to current holdings of clearinghouses using their ownwebservers.  The interface was tested in February and March and is nowavailable for use athttp://130.11.52.178/customsearch.html.
**Map Search Server**
The clearinghouse will be hosting Internet map server software to serveedition 3 (edition 4 for North America) of the Digital Chart of the World(DCW).  These map data will be used as backdrop reference "search" maps forclearinghouse searches by the Naval Research Laboratory's Master EnvironmentalLibrary and FGDC Java map applets.  The map searches will enable zoom andredraw capabilities not presently available in the applet used by the customsearch interface discussed above.  The DCW maps will be served from the FGDCSun server using Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI)Spatial Data Engine on Oracle 8.  Data loading is scheduled to be completedfor the full DCW in March.
**ESRI Provides ArcData Online**
The NSDI clearinghouse now includes a node for ArcData Online from ESRI.ArcData Online provides minimum FGDC metadata entries for free and brokeredspatial data available online from ESRI.  Through its data partnerships withseveral U.S. federal agencies, the ArcData Online node also provides access toversions of the U.S. Bureau of the Census TIGER files, National Imagery andMapping Agency Digital Chart of the World, and Federal Emergency ManagementAgency Flood Insurance Rate Maps.  The node also contains metadata for suchonline commercial data sets as U.S. streets, topographic maps, andenvironmental hazards.
"ESRI is very excited to establish the ArcData Online NSDI clearinghouse node,"said Jack Dangermond, president of ESRI.  "We see this as yet another step tothe increasing widespread availability of distributed geospatial databases.Spatial information within the NSDI is becoming more easily accessible andavailable to everyone."
Doug Nebert, FGDC clearinghouse coordinator, commented on the benefits ofcommercial involvement:  "Commercial implementations of metadata andclearinghouses provide interested parties with free advertising for theirspatial data and services.  These activities also raise the potential thatsoftware vendors could someday make metadata management an integrated andsimpler task than now-eventually enabling software users to become data andmetadata publishers using community standards."
Deane Kensok, of ESRI, manages the ArcData Online site and has beencoordinating the clearinghouse node.  For further information, contact him at909-793-2853 or [email protected].
Metadata**FGDC/ISO Metadata Standard Harmonization**
The process to harmonize the Metatdata standard progressed in 1998.  Theregistered review of the  International Organization for Standardization (ISO)Metadata Standard Committee Draft resulted in 450 adjudicated comments thatwere processed and submitted to the American National Standards Institute(ANSI) L1 Committee by the FGDC in October.  The FGDC comments were furtheradjudicated and ANSI L1 delivered a position that was incorporated in theUnited States comments on the ISO Technical Committee 211-15 Metadata StandardCommittee Draft at the U.S. TAG meeting.
In December, the TC211-15 Metadata Standards Committee Draft Editing Committeemet to review and adjudicate the more than 960 comments received from allnations on the ISO draft.  The meeting included attendees from more than 10countries and ISO liaison groups. The FGDC and ANSI L1 comments were very wellreceived by the editing committee which generally agreed on the comment andproposed resolutions.  The results of the editing committee meeting includedagreement to develop a list of "essential metatdata" to be required for everymetadata record, develop a metadata dictionary/repository from which ISOmetadata profiles could be derived, and restructure the document to make iteasier to understand, use, and model.  The draft is being modified to includeall approved national comments.  It is anticipated that the ISO MetadataStandard will be reissued this summer as a committee draft. The new scheduleddate for ISO TC211 Metadata Standard approval is spring 2000.
Future harmonization activities will include developing an FGDC registeredprofile of the ISO Metadata Standard, coordination of ISO Metadata tooldevelopment (both metadata record migration software and new collectionsoftware), and developing educational training materials and factsheets.
Standards**Orthoimagery and SDTS Raster Profile Standards Endorsed**
The final draft of the NSDI Content Standard for Digital Orthoimagery wasapproved by the FGDC Standards Working Group (SWG) and endorsed by the FGDCSteering Committee in February.  This standard defines the orthoimagery themeof the digital geospatial data framework.  It sets a common baseline that willensure the widest use of digital orthoimagery.  The standard describesprocessing, accuracy, reporting, and applications considerations for digitalorthoimagery.
The final draft version of the Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS), Part 5:Raster Profile with Extensions was submitted in October 1998 to the FGDC SWGand received final endorsement in February 1999.   This raster profile andextension provide a common transfer format to be used for interchanging rasterimage and raster grid data among all members of the data producer and usercommunities.  It expands the applicability of the SDTS raster profile tobroaden the utility of the SDTS transfer format, providing a vehicle toenhance data sharing and reduce redundant data production.  The standardcontains specifications of a profile for use with geo-referencedtwo-dimensional raster data and excludes vector data and three- andhigher-dimension raster data.  This profile combines the Draft FIPS Part 5Raster Profile of SDTS, the ISO/IEC Committee Draft 12087-5 Basic ImageInterchange Format raster transmission standards, and the GeoTIFF Version 1.0specification.  It replaces the existing Draft FIPS SDTS Part 5:  RasterProfile, and falls into the "transfer standard" type as defined by the FGDCSWG Standards Reference Model.
Both of these standards were sponsored by the FGDC Subcommittee on BaseCartographic Data, headed by acting chair Ken Osborn.   For furtherinformation, contact John Crowe at 703-648-5596 or [email protected].
**FGDC/ISO Standard Harmonization Activities**
The FGDC SWG continues to develop a strategy for harmonizing FGDC standardsand the FGDC standards process with standards developed by the AmericanNational Standards Institute (ANSI), the International Organization forStandardization (ISO), and the Open GIS Consortium (OGC).  Several informationexchange meetings were held this quarter with the National Center forInformation Technology Standards (NCITS) to better understand the NCITSstandards development process.  Similar informational meetings are beingplanned with ISO and OGC.   For further information, contact Richard Pearsall,chair of the FGDC Standards Working Group, at 703-648-4532 or[email protected].
**How to get standards documents**
The distribution policy for FGDC endorsed standards has changed.  You canobtain standards documents in two ways.
- By mail:      Request  endorsed standards from the Earth Science Information Center,       U.S. Geological Survey, Attn: D. Szarzi, PO Box 25286, Denver, CO;       FAX: 303-202-4693.
  Online:   
- Download documents from the FGDC website at       www.fgdc.gov/publications/publications.html . A listing of the status of all FGDC standards, including endorsed standards,can be found atwww.fgdc.gov/standards/status/textstatus.html.
Stakeholders**Open GIS Consortium**
Over the past few years, the Open GIS Consortium, Inc. (OGC) has increasedits cooperation with the FGDC to further standards development and the growthof the NSDI.  OGC brings private sector technology and data providers togetherwith universities and government technology users to work on interfacestandards.  OGC has become a forum for private sector geospatial concerns andis supporting the FGDC's interest in working with the private sector.  Thereis a natural basis for collaboration between FGDC and OGC and they arebeginning to work together in several ways:
- Demos and testbeds.  FGDC and OGC have cooperated in a successful       multivendor demonstration of interoperability, and FGDC is a sponsor of       OGC's new web-mapping testbed.   FGDC can bring major technology users       into such initiatives to ensure that these initiatives address the real       problems faced by customers. New programs.  Many new federal programs and policy initiatives share       a need for geospatial interoperability in both FGDC's data domain and       OGC's processing domain. In addition, these programs and initiatives       must find the best ways to work with the private sector.
Private sector support for FGDC.  Private businesses in the geospatial       data industry have much to gain from data coordination, and they can       contribute to the cause by implementing FGDC standards and promoting       FGDC's programs in public forums and in their dealings with public       agencies.
Standards.  FGDC has provided valuable input into OGC's OpenGIS       Catalogs Specification, which is positioned to be a useful standard for       the geospatial data community.
"OGC and FGDC share an objective: the building of the NSDI," explained LanceMcKee, vice president of corporate communications for OGC.  "OGC, by itsmembership, mission, and history of cooperation with FGDC, is a natural linkfor FGDC to connect with the private sector.  There are many ways to worktogether.   NSDI stakeholders will benefit from the ongoing dialog andcooperation between FGDC and OGC."
For further information, contact Lance McKee at Open GIS Consortium, Inc., 35Main Street, Suite 5, Wayland, MA  01778-5037;  phone 508-655-5858; fax508-655-2237; e-mail [email protected]; or visit the OGC website atwww.opengis.org.
**TVA Parcel-Level GIS Project**
The Tennessee Statewide Digital Basemapping Project  is designed  to developa consistent, statewide framework of parcel-level information to support GISdevelopment.  The second pilot project, which included five counties, has justbeen completed, and statewide implementation plans are expected soon.  TheTennessee Valley Authority (TVA) had a cooperative agreement with the state ofTennessee through which the pilot projects were conducted.  TVA wasresponsible for managing the production of all data products.  The state isproviding 90 to 96 percent of the funding.  The project is managed for thestate by the Office for Information Resources in the Department of Finance andAdministration and is very closely tied to the property assessment function.It addresses at least part of all the framework data themes, including:
- geodetic control and aerotriangulation,    orthophotography,   planimetric features,   
- roads,    streams,   governmental units, and   
- cadastral information. All parcels are linked to an attribute database that provides detailedassessment information.  "One thing that is unique about Tennessee is that thestate maintains a single database which holds all the assessment informationfor 90 of the 95 counties in the state, and there is a uniform tax map for theentire state," explained Alan Voss, manager of the Tennessee Parcel GISProject at TVA.  "This state-level coordination and primacy make uniform GISdevelopment at the local level possible across the state."
For further information, contact Mark Tuttle, Director of GIS Services, Stateof Tennessee, 16th Floor, Tennessee Tower, 312 Eighth Avenue N., Nashville, TN37243; phone 615-741-9356; e-mail [email protected], or Alan W. Voss,Project Manager, Tennessee Valley Authority, 1101 Market St.  HB-2A,Chattanooga, TN  37402;  phone 423-751-24425; e-mail [email protected].
FGDC Secretariat**Gene Thorley Moves to New Position**
Gene Thorley has left his position as the National Mapping Division (NMD)senior program advisor for external affairs to take on new duties as the USGSNMD liaison for Washington state.   He is the senior representative in thisarea, providing liaison for NMD mapping activities as well as for informationrelated to  geology, biology, and water sciences.
Gene has had a long and distinguished career in the mapping sciences. Heearned a BS and Ph.D. in forestry from the University of California atBerkeley and has worked in private industry, government, and universityresearch programs. In 1988 he received the Department of the Interior'sDistinguished Service Award for his contributions as a research scientist,principal advisor, and executive administrator.  Since 1996, as the chief ofthe Office of External Affairs, Gene provided oversight, policy guidance,strategic planning, and coordination for the division in the areas of federalgeographic data coordination, the NSDI, customer information, andinternational activities.
He has been a driving force behind NSDI and FGDC activities.  He initiatedmuch of the strategic vision for a national digital spatial informationresource involving federal, state, and local governments and the privatesector that would enable sharing and efficient transfer of spatial data amongproducers and users.  This vision evolved into what is now known as the NSDI.To implement this vision, he guided efforts to better coordinate geographicdata collection and use activities among federal agencies and advocatedchanges in the National Mapping Program that resulted in a goal to ensure thepublic availability-not just the production-of digital geographic data.
"Gene will be sorely missed in his role of 'wise man' behind the scenes of theFederal Geographic Data Committee," commented Nancy Tosta, director offorecasting and growth strategy for the Puget Sound Regional Council, and FGDCstaff director from 1992 through 1995.  "He never sought recognition for hismany contributions to the concepts of the NSDI and the creation of the FGDC,always selflessly allowing others to take credit.  Reston and Washington, DCwill be much poorer places without him.  However, selfishly, I welcome hismove to the Pacific Northwest as, besides his many other attributes, he isalso a good friend."
**Moeller Heads Coordination Group**
John Moeller, FGDC staff director, has assumed the chairmanship of the FGDCCoordination Group.  He can be reached at the FGDC secretariat at 703-648-5752and at [email protected].
**New FGDC Staff**
The FGDC secretariat has added three new staff members.
Bonnie Gallahan is the new outreach and tribal coordinator.  She will work tobuild stakeholder relationships with tribal organizations such as theIntertribal GIS Council.  She will also focus on the broader stakeholderrelationship activities.  Bonnie was previously with the Coast Guard and theBureau of Land Management.
Eric Goods joins the staff as a framework coordinator and  will work onframework activities.  He is from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, BaltimoreDistrict, and is assigned to the FGDC secretariat's office for a one-yeardetail.
Milo Robinson is the new team leader for the framework initiative. He waspreviously with the National Geodetic Survey, where he served as the stategeodetic advisor for Vermont.
OTHER NEWS**National Research Council Study on Proprietary Rights Options forScientific and Technical Databases**
On January 14-15, 1999, the National Research Council (NRC) held a workshop on"Promoting Access to Scientific and Technical (S&T) Data for the PublicInterest" in Washington, DC. The workshop was part of an NRC study supportedby USGS and FGDC, as well as by the National Science Foundation, the NationalInstitutes of Health, the Department of Energy, the National Aeronautics andSpace Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, andthe National Institute for Standards and Technology of the Department ofCommerce.
The objective of this activity is to develop a better understanding of theexisting and proposed technical, legal, and policy options for protectingproprietary rights and promoting access to and use of S&T data, particularlyfor public interest uses such as research, education, and libraries. The studyis intended to assist Congress as it develops new database protectionlegislation this session, and to help the federal agency sponsors respond toincreased proprietary protection of databases in the United States and abroad.The proceedings of the meeting and the report of the study committee will bepublished by the NRC in June 1999.
For further information about this activity or the issues it addresses, pleasecontact Paul F. Uhlir, the study director at the NRC at [email protected].
Publications Available**Integrating Surveys of Terrestrial Natural Resources**
The Sample Inventory and Monitoring of Natural Resources and Environment, aworking group of the FGDC, has published the results of its study onintegrating federal terrestrial natural resources surveys.  A Study onIntegrating Surveys of Terrestrial Natural Resources: The Oregon DemonstrationProject describes an interagency project that demonstrated the feasibility ofintegrating federal surveys of terrestrial natural resources and offers avision for that integration.  At locations selected from Forest Inventory andAnalysis (FIA), National Forest System (NFS) Region 6, and National ResourcesInventory (NRI) surveys in a six-county area in Northern Oregon, experiencedteams interpreted and made measurements on aerial photographs and measuredon-site a range of soil, vegetation, and animal attributes.  The projectdemonstrated the feasibility of conducting a combined FIA/NFS/NRI survey atthe sub-state level and suggested an approach that will preserve the utilityof the critical historical information from these surveys.  The authorssuggest a framework for estimating the extent of forest and range land thatexplains FIA/NRI differences and provides a common basis for both surveys.They suggest indicator and protocol criteria that will allow compatiblenational and regional estimates for all vegetation types and stress theimportance of including measurement repeatability in the design of thecombined survey.  The authors envision a program that integrates andcoordinates inventory efforts measuring status and trends of terrestrialecosystems under a combined structure supported by probability-based sampling.
The report was authored by  Jeff Goebel of the Natural Resources ConservationService, Hans Schreuder of the U.S. Forest Service, Carol House of theNational Agricultural Statistics Service, Paul Geissler of the U.S. GeologicalSurvey, Tony Olsen  of the Environmental Protection Service, and Bill Williamsof the Bureau of Land Management.  An FGDC publication, the report is namedForest Service Inventory and Monitoring Institute Report #2 and is availablefrom the FGDC office and on its website.
**Minnestoa Develops Data Accuracy Standard Handbook**
The Minnesota Governor's Council on Geographic Information Standards Committeerecently released  Implementing the National Standard for Spatial DataAccuracy, a draft handbook that explains the new federal standard and guidesdata developers in evaluating the accuracy of their spatial databases.  Thehandbook describes how positional accuracy can be measured and reported fordatabases that contain geographic features such as  roads, rivers, andproperty lines.  Five practical examples walk the reader through the processusing databases developed at the Minnesota Departments of Transportation andNatural Resources; the city of Minneapolis; Washington Count; and The LawrenceGroup, a private mapping firm.
The handbook, with practical examples and formatted spreadsheets calculatingthe accuracy statistics, can be downloaded in PDF and Excel formats from thecommittee's website(www.mnplan.state.mn.us/press/accurate.html).A printed version of the handbook can be ordered through the website or bycontacting the Land Management Information Center (LMIC) at Minnesota Planning,658 Cedar Street, St. Paul, MN 55155.
For more information, contact Christopher Cialek at LMI;  phone 651-297-2488;fax 651-296-1212; or e-mail [email protected]. |
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