The National Map 2.0 Tactical Plan 

“Toward the (Integrated) National Map” 

By William J. Carswell, Jr. 

Open-File Report 2008–1263 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

U.S. Geological Survey 
U.S. Department of the Interior 

DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary 

U.S. Geological Survey 

Mark D. Myers, Director 

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2008 

For product and ordering information: 

World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod 

Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS 

For more information on the USGS—The Federal source for science about the Earth, 

its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: 

World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov 

Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS 

Suggested citation: 

Carswell, W.J., Jr., 2008, The national map 2.0 tactical plan—“Toward the (integrated) national map: U.S. 

Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1263, 57 p. 

Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply 

endorsement by the U.S. Government. 

Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual 

copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted material contained within this report. 

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Contents 

Contents .............................................................................................................................................................................. iii

Abbreviations and Acronyms ........................................................................................................................................ viii

Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................................ 1

Overview ........................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Integration of Data .......................................................................................................................................................... 2

Products and Services ................................................................................................................................................... 2

Elevation ....................................................................................................................................................................... 2

Geographic Names ..................................................................................................................................................... 2

Hydrography ................................................................................................................................................................ 2

Land Cover (Responsibility of the Geography Discipline) ................................................................................... 3

Orthoimagery ............................................................................................................................................................... 3

Boundaries ................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Structures ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Transportation ............................................................................................................................................................. 3

Scanned 7.5-Minute Topographic Maps ................................................................................................................ 4

7.5-Minute Digital Topographic Maps .................................................................................................................... 4

Image Maps with Selected Overlays ...................................................................................................................... 4

Custom Maps Service On-the-Fly ............................................................................................................................ 4

Data Download ............................................................................................................................................................ 4

Web Services .............................................................................................................................................................. 4

Data Catalogs .............................................................................................................................................................. 4

Marketplace ................................................................................................................................................................. 5

Data Theme Status Graphics .................................................................................................................................... 5

Supporting and Enabling Activities ............................................................................................................................. 5

Partnerships in Support of Products and Services .............................................................................................. 5

Systems in Support of Products and Services ...................................................................................................... 5

Outreach in Support of Products and Services ..................................................................................................... 5

Integration of Data Themes in Support of Products and Services .................................................................... 6

Management ................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Establishing Priorities .................................................................................................................................................... 6

Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Goals ................................................................................................................................................................................. 7

Priorities ........................................................................................................................................................................... 8

Products ........................................................................................................................................................................... 8

Services ............................................................................................................................................................................ 8

Management ................................................................................................................................................................... 8

Enablers ............................................................................................................................................................................ 9

Drivers ............................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Products and Services ................................................................................................................................................... 9

General Information ......................................................................................................................................................... 10

Key Customers and Partners ...................................................................................................................................... 10

Work Breakdown Structure Chart ............................................................................................................................. 11

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Performance Milestone Matrix .................................................................................................................................. 12

General Risks, Dependencies, and Issues ............................................................................................................... 12

Integration of Data: An Overview .................................................................................................................................. 13

Products and Services .................................................................................................................................................... 13

Products ......................................................................................................................................................................... 14

Elevation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 14

Elevation Product Family Description ............................................................................................................... 14

Elevation Product List ........................................................................................................................................... 14

Specifications ........................................................................................................................................................ 15

Integration and Registration ............................................................................................................................... 15

Risks and Consequences ..................................................................................................................................... 15

Geographic Names ................................................................................................................................................... 15

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 15

Geographic Names Product Family Description ............................................................................................. 15

Geographic Names Product List ........................................................................................................................ 15

Specifications ........................................................................................................................................................ 16

Integration and Registration ............................................................................................................................... 16

Risks and Consequences ..................................................................................................................................... 16

Hydrography .............................................................................................................................................................. 16

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 16

Hydrography Product Family Description ......................................................................................................... 16

Hydrography Products List .................................................................................................................................. 17

Specifications ........................................................................................................................................................ 17

Integration and Registration ............................................................................................................................... 17

Risks and Consequences ..................................................................................................................................... 17

Land Cover (Geography) .......................................................................................................................................... 18

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 18

Land Cover Product Family Description ............................................................................................................ 18

Land Cover Product List ....................................................................................................................................... 18

Specifications ........................................................................................................................................................ 18

Risks and Consequences ..................................................................................................................................... 19

Orthoimagery ............................................................................................................................................................. 19

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 19

Orthoimagery Product Family Description ....................................................................................................... 19

Orthoimagery Product List ................................................................................................................................... 19

Specifications ........................................................................................................................................................ 19

Integration and Registration ............................................................................................................................... 20

Risks and Consequences ..................................................................................................................................... 20

Boundaries (Governmental Units) .......................................................................................................................... 20

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 20

Boundaries Product Family Description ........................................................................................................... 20

Product List ............................................................................................................................................................ 20

Specifications ........................................................................................................................................................ 21

Integration and Registration ............................................................................................................................... 21

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Risks and Consequences ..................................................................................................................................... 21

Structures ................................................................................................................................................................... 22

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 22

Structures Product Family Description ............................................................................................................. 22

Product List ............................................................................................................................................................ 22

Location of Product Specifications ................................................................................................................... 22

Integration and Registration ............................................................................................................................... 22

Risks and Consequences ..................................................................................................................................... 23

Transportation ........................................................................................................................................................... 23

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 23

Description ............................................................................................................................................................. 24

Product List ............................................................................................................................................................ 24

Location of Product Specifications ................................................................................................................... 24

Risks and Consequences ..................................................................................................................................... 24

Scanned 7.5-Minute Topographic Maps .............................................................................................................. 25

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 25

Scanned Image Maps Product Family Description ........................................................................................ 25

Scanned Image Maps Product List ................................................................................................................... 25

Specifications ........................................................................................................................................................ 26

Risks and Consequences ..................................................................................................................................... 26

7.5-Minute Digital Topographic Maps .................................................................................................................. 26

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 26

Description ............................................................................................................................................................. 26

Specifications ........................................................................................................................................................ 26

Risks and Consequences ..................................................................................................................................... 26

Image Maps with Selected Overlays .................................................................................................................... 27

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 27

Image Maps Product Family Description ......................................................................................................... 27

Image Maps Product List ..................................................................................................................................... 27

Specifications ........................................................................................................................................................ 27

Integration and Registration Issues .................................................................................................................. 27

Risks and Consequences ..................................................................................................................................... 27

Custom Maps Service On-the-Fly .......................................................................................................................... 28

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 28

Custom Maps Service On-the-Fly Product Family Description .................................................................... 28

Custom Maps Service On-the-Fly Product List ............................................................................................... 28

Specifications ........................................................................................................................................................ 28

Integration and Registration Issues .................................................................................................................. 28

Risks and Consequences ..................................................................................................................................... 28

Services .......................................................................................................................................................................... 29

Data Download Services ......................................................................................................................................... 29

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 29

Data Download Service Family Description ..................................................................................................... 29

Data Download Service Product List ................................................................................................................ 29

Specifications ........................................................................................................................................................ 29

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Integration and Registration Issues .................................................................................................................. 29

Risks and Consequences ..................................................................................................................................... 29

Web Mapping, Feature, and Coverage Services ................................................................................................ 29

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 29

Web Mapping, Feature, and Coverage Services Family Description .......................................................... 29

WMS, WFS, and WCS Services List .................................................................................................................. 30

Specifications ........................................................................................................................................................ 31

Integration and Registration issues ................................................................................................................... 31

Risks and Consequences ..................................................................................................................................... 31

Data Catalogs ............................................................................................................................................................ 31

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 31

Metadata Catalog Service Family Description ................................................................................................ 32

Data Catalog Service List .................................................................................................................................... 32

Specifications .................................................................................................................................................... 32

Integration and Registration Issues ............................................................................................................... 32

Risks and Consequences ................................................................................................................................. 32

Marketplace ............................................................................................................................................................... 32

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 32

Marketplace Service Family Description ......................................................................................................... 33

Marketplace Service List ..................................................................................................................................... 33

Specifications ........................................................................................................................................................ 33

Integration and Registration Issues .................................................................................................................. 33

Risks and Consequences ..................................................................................................................................... 33

Status Graphics ......................................................................................................................................................... 33

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 33

Status Graphics Services Family Description .................................................................................................. 34

Product-Specific Dependencies and Risk List ................................................................................................ 34

Specification .......................................................................................................................................................... 34

Supporting and Enabling Activities ............................................................................................................................... 34

Customer Survey ................................................................................................................................................... 34

Partnerships in Support of Products and Services ................................................................................................ 35

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 35

Dependencies ........................................................................................................................................................ 36

Risks and Issues .................................................................................................................................................... 36

Partnership Strategies by Data Theme ................................................................................................................. 36

Elevation Partnership Strategy ........................................................................................................................... 36

National ............................................................................................................................................................... 36

Statewide ............................................................................................................................................................ 36

Hydrography Partnership Strategy .................................................................................................................... 37

National ............................................................................................................................................................... 37

Statewide ............................................................................................................................................................ 37

Orthoimagery Partnership Strategy ................................................................................................................... 37

National ............................................................................................................................................................... 37

Statewide ............................................................................................................................................................ 38

Geographic Names Partnership Strategy ........................................................................................................ 38

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National ............................................................................................................................................................... 38

Statewide ............................................................................................................................................................ 38

Land Cover Partnership Strategy ....................................................................................................................... 38

National ............................................................................................................................................................... 38

Statewide ............................................................................................................................................................ 38

Boundaries Partnership Strategy ...................................................................................................................... 38

National ............................................................................................................................................................... 38

Statewide ............................................................................................................................................................ 38

Structures Partnership Strategy ........................................................................................................................ 38

National ............................................................................................................................................................... 38

Statewide ............................................................................................................................................................ 39

Transportation Partnership Strategy ................................................................................................................. 39

National ............................................................................................................................................................... 39

Statewide ............................................................................................................................................................ 39

Systems in Support of Products and Services ........................................................................................................ 39

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 39

Legacy Systems that Require Enhancements or Steady-State Support .................................................... 40

Development of new Phase I capabilities ........................................................................................................ 40

Specifications ........................................................................................................................................................ 41

Risks and Consequences ..................................................................................................................................... 41

Outreach in Support of Products and Services ...................................................................................................... 42

Two-Year Deliverables ......................................................................................................................................... 42

Outreach Description ........................................................................................................................................... 42

Outreach List .......................................................................................................................................................... 42

Challenges, Risks, and Dependencies: ............................................................................................................. 42

Outreach Activities in Support of The National Map: .................................................................................... 42

Integration of Data Themes in Support of Products and Services ...................................................................... 43

Justification for Integrating TNM Data ................................................................................................................. 43

Factors to be Considered when Integrating TNM Data: .................................................................................... 43

Potential Issues with Integrating TNM Data ....................................................................................................... 44

Options for Improving the Vertical Integration of The National Map .............................................................. 44

Other Topics of Interest ................................................................................................................................................... 46

Aligning The National Map with the Federal GeoLoB and the DOI Geospatial Blueprint ............................... 46

The National Map Supports the USGS Science Strategy ..................................................................................... 47

NGTOC Reengineering ................................................................................................................................................. 48

Management of the Plan ................................................................................................................................................. 49

Roles, Responsibilities, and Authorities ................................................................................................................... 49

Establishing Priorities .................................................................................................................................................. 50

Execution ........................................................................................................................................................................ 50

Reporting ........................................................................................................................................................................ 51

Controlling (Monitoring and Adjusting) .................................................................................................................... 51

Weekly Performance Reporting Meeting ............................................................................................................. 51

Configuration/Change Management ..................................................................................................................... 51

Customer-Focused Product/Service Full Lifecycle Management ................................................................... 51

Inventory and Capacity Management ................................................................................................................... 52

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Communicating the Plan.............................................................................................................................................. 52

Proposed Internal Communication ........................................................................................................................ 52

Proposed External Communication ....................................................................................................................... 53

Reference Cited ................................................................................................................................................................ 53

Federal ................................................................................................................................................................................ 55

State .................................................................................................................................................................................... 55

Local .................................................................................................................................................................................... 57

Other ................................................................................................................................................................................... 57

Figures 

Figure 1. Relation of plans within the NGP. ................................................................................................................... 9

Figure 2. The National Map work breakdown structure. .......................................................................................... 12

Figure 3. The National Map Management Framework .............................................................................................. 50

Tables 

Table 1. Products and Services of The National Map ............................................................................................... 10

Abbreviations and Acronyms 

ADS Authoritative Data Sources 

ASPRS American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 

AutoCarto Automated Cartography 

BLM Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior 

BGN Board on Geographic Names 

CIDR Classless Inter-Domain Routing 

COTS Commercial off-the-shelf software or hardware products 

CS-W Catalog Service for the Web 

DEMs Digital Elevation Models 

DHS Department of Homeland Security 

DOI U.S. Department of the Interior 

DOQ Digital Orthophoto Quadrangle 

DOQQ Digital Ortho Quarter Quadrangle 

DRG Digital Raster Graphics 

EDNA Elevation Derivatives for National Applications 

EROS Earth Resources Observation and Science, U.S. Geological Survey 

ESIC Earth Science Information Center, U.S. Geological Survey 

ESRI Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. 

ETM Enhanced Thematic Mapper 

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency 

FGDC Federal Geographic Data Committee 

GDA Geospatial Data Architecture 

GeoLoB Geospatial Line of Business 

GIIA Geospatial Information Integration and Analysis 

GIO Geospatial Information Office, U.S. Geological Survey 

GIS Geographic Information Systems 

GML Geography Markup Language 

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GNIS Geographic Names Information System 

GOS Geospatial One-Stop (portal) 

DRG Digital Raster Graphic 

GSA U.S. General Services Administration 

GSD Groundcover Sample Distance 

HAZUS FEMA’s software program for estimating potential losses from disasters 

HHS U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

HSIP Homeland Security Infrastructure Program 

IFSAR Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar 

IFTN Imagery for the Nation 

IT Information technology 

LIDAR Light Detection and Ranging 

MAPPS Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors 

MRLC Multi-Resolution Land Cover Consortium 

MTAIP MAF/TIGER Accuracy Improvement Project 

NAPP National Aerial Photography Program 

NAIP National Agriculture Imagery Program 

NARC National Association of Regional Councils 

NED National Elevation Dataset 

NGA National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency 

NGP National Geospatial Program 

NGPO National Geospatial Program Office 

NGTOC National Geospatial Technical Operations Center 

NHD National Hydrography Dataset 

NLCD National Land Cover Data 

NLC National League of Cities 

NPS National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior 

NSDI National Spatial Data Infrastructure 

NSGIC National States Geographic Information Council 

NSN Natural Science Network 

OGC Open Geospatial Consortium 

OMB Office of Management and Budget 

PPWG Program Partnership Working Group 

RAMONA Random Access Metadata tool for Online National Assessment 

RASCI Responsible, Accountable, Supportive, to be Consulted, to be Informed 

R&D Research and Development 

RFP Request for Proposal 

SDDS Seamless Data Distribution System 

TGS TGS Technology, Inc. 

TNM The National Map 

TNMRP The National Map Reengineering Project 

UTM Universal Transverse Mercator 

USEPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

USFS U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture 

USGS U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior 

WCS Web Coverage Services 

WFS Web Feature Services 

WMS Web Mapping Services 
The National Map 2.0 Tactical Plan— 

“Toward the (Integrated) National Map” 

By William J. Carswell, Jr. 

Executive Summary 

Overview 

The National Map’s 2-year goal, as described in this plan, is to provide a range of geospatial 

products and services that meet the basic goals of the original vision for The National Map while 

furthering the National Spatial Data Infrastructure that underpins U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) science. 

To accomplish this goal, the National Geospatial Program (NGP) will acquire, store, maintain, and 

distribute base map data. The management team for the NGP sets priorities for The National Map in three 

areas: Data and Products, Services, and Management. Priorities for fiscal years 2008 and 2009 (October 1, 

2007 through September 30, 2009), involving the current data inventory, data acquisition, and the 

integration of data, are (1) incorporating current data from Federal, State, and local organizations into The 

National Map to the degree possible, given data availability and program resources; (2) collaborating with 

other USGS programs to incorporate data that support the USGS Science Strategy; (3) supporting the 

Department of the Interior (DOI) high-priority geospatial information needs; (4) emergency response; (5) 

homeland security and natural hazards; and (6) graphics products delivery. 

The management team identified known constraints, enablers, and drivers for the acquisition and 

integration of data. The NGP management team also identified customer-focused products and services of 

The National Map. Ongoing planning and management activities direct the development and delivery of 

these products and services. Management of work flow processes to support The National Map priorities 

are identified and established through a business-driven prioritization process. 

This tactical plan is primarily for use as a document to guide The National Map program for the 

next two fiscal years. The document is available to the public because of widespread interest in The 

National Map. 

The USGS collaborates with a broad range of customers and partners who are essential to the 

success of The National Map, including the science community, State and Federal agencies involved in 

homeland security, planners and emergency responders at the local level, and private companies. Partner 

contributions and data remain a primary input and foundation of The National Map. Partnership strategies 

for each of The National Map’s component data themes are outlined in this plan. Because of the 

importance of The National Map customers, a reassessment of customer needs will be completed during 

2008. Results of the assessment will be incorporated into future decisions and priorities 

A performance milestone matrix has been developed that contains the full list of milestones, major 

deliverables, and major tasks. The matrix forms the basis for reporting on accomplishments and issues. 

However, a number of risks, dependencies, and issues have been identified that could affect meeting 

milestones in the matrix, such as the USGS is not the Circular A–16 (2002) lead for boundaries, 

transportation, and structures; availability of sufficient and sustainable funding; availability of Federal 

workforce and contractors with necessary skills; and numerous competing customer and stakeholder 

requirements. 

1
Integration of Data 

The integration of data is critical to the success of The National Map. The approach used depends 

on the product priorities, available technologies, and available resources. The edited data must be 

preserved and corrections passed back to the authoritative data source. An integration team will be 

established to plan for and coordinate the integration of data and reestablish the capabilities through the 

National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC). 

Products and Services 

The term “Products and Services” is used to describe all business goods and services provided to a 

customer. Products are bundles of attributes (features, functions, benefits, and uses) and can be either 

tangible as in the case of physically delivered goods, or intangible, such as service benefits, or a 

combination of the two. In the context of The National Map (TNM), products are information assets with 

specified characteristics and qualities delivered in electronic (or in some emergency cases, paper) formats 

to consumers. Services are functional capabilities provided to TNM consumers that support a sustained 

interaction with TNM data and computing assets. TNM products and services are designed to satisfy 

consumer-initiated geospatial or mapping requests or inquiries. 

The proposed priority areas are a composite of geographic data themes identified to address the 

needs of top stakeholder groups. The areas will be prioritized based on the highest number of overlapping 

occurrences resulting from an intersection of all stakeholder needs. 

Elevation 

• 10-meter gridded elevation data over 100% of the priority areas by September 30, 2008. 

• Finer than 10-meter, gridded elevation data over the priority areas, where available, by 

September 30, 2009. 

• 10-meter or finer elevation in National Elevation Dataset (NED) from agreements for all areas. 

• Working with the Graphics Program and Common Systems, develop a plan, specifications and 

service for automated contour generation in support of the graphics program. 

• Revise the USGS Elevation Specifications by June 30, 2008. 

Geographic Names 

• Collect names for administrative features along the East Coast by September 30, 2008. 

• Maintain Louisiana, Montana, Missouri, Idaho, and New Mexico data through stewardship 

agreements during the 1-year contract period. 

• Have agreements in place for Google Earth to use and credit USGS Geographic Names by 

December 31, 2007. 

Hydrography 

• 100% national coverage at 1:24,000 scale available by August 31, 2007. 

• 100% of the Nation upgraded to interim design standard by September 30, 2008. 

• 25% of the Nation upgraded to final design standard by December 31, 2008. 

• 50% of the Nation covered by stewardship agreements by December 31, 2008. 

• 25% of the Nation upgraded by maintenance by December 31, 2008. 

2
Land Cover (Responsibility of the Geography Discipline) 

• NLCD 2006 update products including percent canopy and percent impervious surface for 

NGP high priority areas completed by September 30, 2009. 

• NLCD 2006 processed data update beginning in 2009 and completed by March 31, 2010. 

Orthoimagery 

• 10% of the Nation (5,500 quads) acquired/updated from October 1, 2007, to September 30, 

2008 

• 2% high resolution orthoimagery (24-inch, 18-inch, 1-foot, 6-inch, and 3-inch 

orthoimagery) 

• 8% 1-meter resolution orthoimagery 

• 10% of the Nation (5,500 quads) acquired/updated from October 1, 2008, to September 30, 

2009 

• 2% high resolution orthoimagery (24-inch, 18-inch, 1-foot, 6-inch, and 3-inch 

orthoimagery) 

• 8% 1-meter resolution orthoimagery 

Boundaries 

• 80% national coverage at 1:24,000 scale through application of Census 2007 updates by June 

30, 2008. 

• 100% national coverage at 1:24,000 scale through application of Census 2008 updates by 

December 31, 2008. 

• 100% national coverage at 1:24,000 scale of major Federal boundaries by December 31, 2008. 

Structures 

• 100% national coverage at 1:24,000 scale of essential facilities, including hospitals, schools, 

police stations, and fire stations available by December 31, 2008. 

Transportation 

• 80% national coverage at 1:24,000 scale through application of Census 2007 updates by June 

30, 2008. 

• 100% national coverage at 1:24,000 scale through application of Census 2008 updates by 

December 31, 2008. 

• 20% of Nation under active stewardship for roads data by December 31, 2008. 

• Work with providers of other transportation data, including airports, pipelines, trails and 

railroads, to develop nationally maintained and integrated geospatial data inventories. 

• Develop pilots in five States to test and implement data exchange workflows between State 

implementations and The National Map. 

• Incorporate Emergency-911 and evacuation route content in support of disaster response 

capabilities. 

3
Scanned 7.5-Minute Topographic Maps 

• Approximately 3,000 7.5-minute quadrangles covering the East and Gulf Coast States will be 

scanned and converted to high resolution geopdfs by December 31, 2008 

• Approximately 250 additional 7.5-minute high resolution geopdfs will be created across the 

U.S. to support print-on-demand for low-selling, out-of-stock quadrangles. 

• To be determined is the number of high resolution, “geomark enabled” geopdfs from the 

Reston library (early FY08). 

7.5-Minute Digital Topographic Maps 

• Develop standard specifications for the product 

• Acquire customer input on prototype products by March 31, 2008 

• Develop a streamlined production process 

• Produce topographic maps based on quality and currentness of available data 

• Publish maps as digital files and distribute through the USGS store at: http://store.usgs.gov

Image Maps with Selected Overlays 

• Produce 1:24,000-scale image maps with selected overlays two counties deep (50 miles) along 

the Atlantic Coast (Florida to Delaware) and the Gulf Coast (Florida to Texas). 

• Develop full automation of image map production so that image maps can be rapidly produced 

for emergency response needs. 

• Write specifications for image maps. 

Custom Maps Service On-the-Fly 

• Systems Phase II—Evaluation in the second quarter of FY08. 

Data Download 

• Systems Phase II—Evaluation in the second quarter of FY08 

Web Services 

• Includes Web Mapping Services (WMS), Web Feature Services (WFS), and Web Coverage 

Services (WCS). 

• Systems Phase II—Evaluation in the second quarter of FY08. 

Data Catalogs 

• Geospatial One-Stop (GOS) Catalog Version 2.2 released by October 31, 2007. 

• Geospatial One-Stop (GOS) Catalog Version 2.3 released by September 30, 2008. 

• TNM Catalog Alignment with New Business Model Requirements by March 31, 2008. 

• Assessment of integration with TNM Planning functionality—Common Systems Phase 1—

Agreements/Status Development Activity (See Systems Schedule). 

4
Marketplace 

• GOS Marketplace (Version 2.2) released by October 31, 2007. 

• Assessment of integration with TNM Planning functionality—Common Systems Phase 1—

Agreements/Status Development Activity (See Commons Systems Schedule). 

• GOS Marketplace (Version 2.3) released by September 30, 2008. 

Data Theme Status Graphics 

• Development of standards-based inventory metadata around TNM data holdings 

• Development of status map visualization and performance metrics capabilities 

• Development of basic planning queries and reports 

Supporting and Enabling Activities 

During the 2-year period, the following supporting and enabling activities will take place. 

Partnerships in Support of Products and Services 

• USGS Geospatial Liaisons will develop a business plan focused on data discovery and 

acquisition for each State. 

• Data acquisition efforts, footprint, specifications, and work priorities will be aligned with a 

joint schedule and plans for The National Map. 

• Products and services feedback will be collected from partners and customers. 

• USGS Geospatial Liaisons will provide outreach and support to the other USGS Disciplines on 

The National Map Tactical Plan and products and services. 

Systems in Support of Products and Services 

• Agreements Management System by December 31, 2008 

• Performance Management and Status System by September 30, 2008 

• Portal and User Interface Improvements (GOS and TNM) by December 31, 2008 

• Data Integration Strategy and Technical Approaches by September 30, 2008 

• Make improvements to The National Map Architecture by September 30, 2008 

• Business Case Analysis of Hosting Original Partner Data by March 31, 2009 

Outreach in Support of Products and Services 

• Establish criteria for comprehensive and specific training, workshop, focus group, fact sheet, 

and promotional item (giveaway) requirements. 

• Coordinate the theme-driven outreach activities with the broader NGP activities. 

• Ensure outreach efforts, as appropriate, are coordinated with the USGS Office of 

Communications. 

• Gather geospatial data from partners’ current geospatial information. 

• Develop an individual life cycle for all TNM fact sheets. 

5
• Craft specific messages targeted to specific audiences. 

Integration of Data Themes in Support of Products and Services 

• Horizontal integration 

• Vertical integration 

Management 

The National Map Tactical Plan is overseen by a management team comprised of the NGPO 

Director (Chair), Geospatial Information Integration and Analysis (GIIA) Chief, GIIA Deputy, Partnership 

and External Coordination Chief, Emergency Operations Chief, NGTOC Director, and The National Map 

Project Chief. This team has the following responsibilities: 

• Set goals 

• Establish priorities 

• Approve the addition or retirement of products and services 

• Approve significant budgetary changes 

• Provide general oversight of the plan 

• Participate in the configuration and change management processes 

The following activities will be completed by September 2009: 

• Staff the functional roles matrix 

• Compile detailed plans by technical leads 

• Ensure that partnerships are aligned with The National Map priorities 

• Inventory commitments 

• Prepare a directory of products and services 

• Prepare an inventory of services 

• Introduce configuration and change management 

Establishing Priorities 

Priorities for The National Map have been established for those activities most important to the 

short- and long-term success of TNM. These priorities help to focus work, management, and distribution 

of resources within the project. Priorities will be adjusted as necessary to respond to emerging changes in 

the project’s overall environment that may impact resources, constrain time, or change customer needs. 

Priorities are set and adjusted on the basis of a collaborative process involving leadership, management, 

technical leads, customers, partners, and others. That process involves identifying a driver (need for a 

change); an assessment of impact; identification of cost, risk, and requirements; and establishment of 

responsibility and timeframes for deliverables. The collaborative process results in the submission of a 

proposal to a Change Management Board. Any changes require final management approval and are fully 

documented. 

6
Introduction 

The National Map is one of the cornerstones of the National Geospatial Program (NGP). Other 

cornerstones include The National Atlas of the United States, Geospatial One-Stop, and the Federal 

Geographic Data Committee. This planning document focuses on The National Map, which provides base 

geospatial data to the Nation through a portfolio of products and services that focus on eight data themes: 

elevation, geographic names, hydrography, land cover, orthoimagery, boundaries, structures, and 

transportation. This Tactical Plan is primarily for use as a document to guide The National Map program 

develoment, production, and metrics monitoring for Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009. 

The success of The National 

Map (TNM) depends on integrated 

planning, collaboration, and execution 

of this Tactical Plan, which with The 

National Map Reengineering Project 

(TNMRP), bridges the strategic 

National Geospatial Program Office 

Plan for Action (2005) (available at 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1379/) 

and the detailed plans for each project 

and activity, as shown in figure 1. 

At the start of the planning 

process for the Tactical Plan, the NGP 

management team identified goals, set 

priorities, and provided known 

constraints such as assuming FY07 

funding levels and using a 2-year 

timeframe for the plan. The 

management team efforts resulted in 

early successes before completion of the plan; the product and services leads are now working closely 

together and are working with the systems leads; a formal change-control process has been established for 

the plan; and a process for metrics tracking is in place. 

Figure 1. Relation of plans within the NGP. 

Demand for national geospatial data and map products comes from a broad array of customers and 

stakeholders. Demand has been periodically assessed by the Geospatial Information Office (GIO). In 

2007, the NGP commissioned a federal customer/stakeholder survey to determine needs and preferences 

of over 400 entities identified by Partnership Liaisons, Product Leads, management, staff, and 

stakeholders. Several stakeholder groups surveyed their constituencies about The National Map as well. 

While findings will not be complete until November 2008, preliminary results are so compelling that 

management will put them to use immediately in designing graphic products and data acquisition. (See 

Key Customers and Partners, below.) The USGS will continually monitor customer responses and 

preferences to improve products and services of The National Map. A comprehensive Strategic Plan in the 

future will include more on the demand for products and services. 

Goals 

The National Map’s 2-year goal is to provide a range of geospatial products and services that meet 

the basic goals of the original vision for The National Map while furthering the National Spatial Data 

Infrastructure that underpins U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) science. To accomplish this goal, the 

National Geospatial Program (NGP) will acquire, store, maintain, and distribute base map data. 

7
Priorities 

The NGP management team sets priorities for The National Map in three primary areas: Products, 

Services, and Management. Priorities within these areas were established for those activities most 

important to the short- and long-term success of TNM. These priorities help to focus work, management, 

and distribution of resources within the project. Priorities will be adjusted as necessary to respond to 

emerging changes in the project’s overall environment that may impact resources, constrain time, or 

change customer needs. Priorities are affected by budget and operational capacity constraints; thus, they 

will be set and adjusted on the basis of a collaborative process involving leadership, management, 

technical leads, customers, partners, and others. That process involves identifying a driver (need for a 

change), an assessment of impact, identification of cost, risk, and requirements, and establishment of 

responsibility and timeframes for deliverables. The collaborative process results in the submission of a 

proposal to a Change Management Board. Any changes require final management approval and are fully 

documented. 

Priorities for data inventory, acquisition and ingestion are (1) current data for all eight themes to 

the degree possible given data availability and program resources, (2) collaboration with other programs 

and support for the USGS Science Strategy, (3) DOI high priority geospatial information needs, (4) 

emergency response, (5) homeland security and natural hazards, and (6) graphics products delivery. 

Products 

• Data collection and maintenance 

• 7.5-minute quadrangle data on the East Coast and Gulf Coast States, two counties (50 

miles) deep from the coastline; 50 miles on the U.S. side of the international boundaries 

with Canada and Mexico, for the 33 largest cities, DOI lands, and USGS science initiatives. 

• Collaborate on strategic science base data priorities and requirements through deliberations 

with the collaborative science committee. 

• Image map coverage with selected overlays. 

• High resolution scans of the most recent topographic maps. 

• Next generation 7.5-minute digital topographic maps that will evolve over time with 

stakeholder input. 

• Customer-focused requirements for products. 

Services 

• Systems that support priority products and services and that are customer focused 

• Planning for next generation systems that support priority products and services 

• Serving data and products through Web services 

• Customer-focused requirements for services 

• Status graphics 

Management 

• Meet existing commitments 

• Align workforce with priorities 

• Align Partnership and priority TNM activities 

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• Ensure production and management capacity and processes to support TNM activities 

• Revise and develop policy, guidance, standards, protocols, and procedures to support TNM 

priorities 

Enablers 

The NGP management team identified 8 enablers that make it possible and practical for The 

National Map to achieve its desired state: 

• Standards 

• Liaisons/Partnerships (including professional organizations) 

• National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) 

• Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) 

• Systems/Technology 

• Governance 

• Outreach 

• Integration of data themes 

Drivers 

The NGP management team identified 7 drivers that motivate The National Map activities and 

projects: 

• DOI Strategy, Geospatial Blueprint, and Geospatial Line of Business 

• USGS Science Strategy 

• Partner data availability and gaps 

• Matters and places of national importance 

• Common needs and requirements 

• Multiple constituencies 

• Partner and customer needs 

Products and Services 

Finally, the NGP management team identified customer-focused products and services of The 

National Map that are shown in Table 1. The products and services approach embraces branding similar to 

what has been done with The National Atlas and emphasizes satisfying customer needs. Planning and 

management activities direct the development and delivery of these products and services. 

9
Table 1. Products and Services of The National Map. 

Data Products Graphic Products Services 

USGS A–16 Theme Lead 

Elevation 

Geographic Names 

Hydrography 

Land cover (Geography) 

Orthoimagery 

Non-A–16 Lead 

Boundaries 

Structures 

Transportation 

Scanned maps

7.5-minute digital topographic maps 

Image maps with selected overlay 

Custom maps on-the-fly 

Data download 

Web Mapping Services, Web 

Feature Services, Web Coverage 

Services 

Data Catalogs 

Marketplace 

Status Graphics 

General Information 

A diverse writing team developed the Tactical Plan. The team includes the NGP management, the 

products and services leads, system leads, Partnership Office and Partnership Regional Management, and 

NGTOC management. See Appendix A for the complete list of writing team members. These people are 

close to the actual work and have direct contact with those doing the work. At the same time that the 

Tactical Plan was developed, the NGP was changing the way that the organization does business within a 

fiscal year to ensure that fiscal planning will take into consideration variations in Congressional 

appropriations and the likelihood of continuing resolutions. These planning processes and resulting 

budgetary allocations are documented separately by the NGP. The budgetary information is available 

separately. This approach ensures that the plan is practical, realistic, and achievable. 

The purpose of the Tactical Plan is to focus and calibrate NGP’s near-term implementation efforts 

as a requisite step toward the basic goals of the original vision for The National Map. Integration, 

consistency and seamlessness of data are aspects of the vision that the plan aims to make a reality through 

the alignment, direction, and management of NGP’s workforce and resources. The products and services 

leads and geospatial liaisons will work to engage and collaborate with partners to ensure the availability of 

the needed data; the NGTOC will support data integration and stewardship and produce and deliver the 

products and services for the customers. The primary changes represented by the plan are a concentrated 

focus on delivering well-defined products and services as the outputs of The National Map, together with 

a renewed commitment to the needs of USGS science for a reliable geospatial data foundation. 

Information about key customers and partners, a high-level work breakdown structure, and general 

risks, dependencies, and issues that apply to all products and services follow in this section. 

Key Customers and Partners 

The USGS collaborates with a broad range of customers and partners who are essential to the 

success of The National Map, including the science community, State and Federal agencies involved in 

homeland security, planners and emergency responders at the local level, and private companies. Some of 

these groups are customers or users of TNM, others are partners or contributors to TNM, and many of 

them are both. 

State, local, Tribal, and Federal entities produce and maintain a vast array of current, accurate 

geospatial data. In recent years, a significant objective and investment focus of NGP has been the 

development of mutually beneficial partnerships with these organizations to coordinate data acquisition, 

development, integration, maintenance, and stewardship. To illustrate the quantity and variety of TNM 

partnerships, a list of partners for FY07 agreements coordinated by the USGS Geospatial Liaisons is 

10
provided in Appendix B. Partner contributions and data remain a primary input and foundation of TNM. 

Partnership strategies for each of TNM’s component data themes are outlined in this plan. 

NGP also recognizes the critical role of the partners and customers in defining and developing 

TNM products and services. User input and feedback are necessary in identifying existing and potential 

uses of TNM, defining data and software requirements, developing system designs, and testing prototypes 

and deliverables. Prior assessments of customer and stakeholder needs are over 3 years old, and the 

marketplace has seen many new suppliers and technologies that may impact the focus for TNM. Thus, 

NGP will complete a reassessment of its TNM customers’ primary needs by July 2008. A team will be 

formed to oversee the following customer assessment activities: 

• Determine customer segments and primary customers for TNM products and services. 

• Establish a meaningful dialog with these customers via surveys, workshops, focus groups, 

usability studies, and other methods of customer information gathering. 

• Initiate an in-reach program to the other USGS disciplines to asses internal needs. 

• Use results and findings to prioritize product design decision. 

• Use continuous assessment techniques as a primary means to manage product life cycle. 

TNM customer focus will include the following objectives: 

• Create new capabilities to understand and meet or surpass customer requirements and 

expectations. 

• Deploy the geospatial liaisons as key facilitators for both obtaining feedback and developing 

partnerships and gathering data for TNM. 

• Focus priority efforts on satisfying the needs of our customers for access to current framework 

data and map products. 

• Provide information that clearly explains the program focus and activities over the next 2 

years, including representative products and specifications. 

• Develop product and service branding to clearly identify and ensure recognition of TNM. 

Work Breakdown Structure Chart 

The work breakdown structure chart for The National Map, shown in figure 2, uses products and 

services as its organizing principle. It shows the scope of TNM work. 

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Figure 2. The National Map work breakdown structure. 

Performance Milestone Matrix 

The Performance Milestone Matrix contains the full list of the milestones, major deliverables, and 

major tasks for each of the areas shown in the work breakdown structure for the 2-year period covered by 

the Tactical Plan. The matrix forms the basis for reporting on accomplishments and issues. The Tactical 

Plan and matrix are synchronized through the change control process. Each lead will develop detailed 

plans to accomplish these milestones and will report any exceptions to the milestones. The performance 

milestones provide a comprehensive view of the work being done in The National Map. 

General Risks, Dependencies, and Issues 

Because the USGS is not the Circular A–16 (2002) lead for boundaries, transportation, and 

structures, The National Map may not be able to get the information needed for minimal data layer 

requirements. The USGS is not funded to maintain the needed data in these three themes at a level that 

ensures the content and quality necessary for 1:24,000-scale mapping. It is possible that these themes of 

data will continue to be inadequate for USGS data delivery, map products, and GIS for the foreseeable 

future. 

The year-to-year funding model complicates long-term planning, acquisitions leveraging, multiyear projects, and long-term partnerships with State and Federal agencies. 

Risks include: 

• Availability of sufficient and sustainable funding. 

• Incongruent Federal, State, and local government funding timetables. 

• Changing priorities due to natural disasters and other unforeseen events. 

• Numerous and conflicting customer and other stakeholder requirements. 

• Availability of a Federal workforce with subject matter, quality assurance and quality control, 

load, and processing expertise complemented by contracts and industry expertise. 

Mitigation to reduce risks includes: 

12
• Collaboration with State, Federal, and local partners to leverage available funding, assist with 

data collection, and perform data integration to USGS specifications. 

• USGS will work with the Geospatial Line of Business leads throughout government to develop 

or coordinate funding strategies and timetables. 

• The NGP staff will assess risks throughout the nation and prioritize areas to pre-stage map 

products in areas of high probability/vulnerability to natural hazards and emergency operations. 

• Clearly and openly communicate internally and externally (with customers and stakeholders) 

regarding The National Map plan and particularly expectations for product and services. 

Integration of Data: An Overview 

The integration of data is critical to the success of The National Map. The term “data integration,” 

as it presently relates to The National Map, pertains to processes that ensure proper positional registration 

and attribute consistency of spatial features across and within each of TNM’s eight data themes. 

Cross-theme relationships represent another type of data integration. These relationships can be 

defined within a data model using vertical topology or references. For example, the USGS might 

incorporate into its data model a vertical topological link modeling the real world connections between 

roads and waterways at boat ramps or ferry terminals. Scientists could also tie data from other sources to 

The National Map framework through spatial or logical linkages: for example, pollution source 

information spatially linked to streams within the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) or soil chemistry 

data containing references to corresponding watersheds in the NHD. 

Horizontal data integration has typically been addressed during data production, database load, or 

processing of a single theme of data. Vertical data integration has traditionally taken place when 

producing a product consisting of multiple data themes, such as a graphic map. The approach depended in 

the past on product priorities, available technologies, and available resources. 

Successful integration of TNM themes requires, first and foremost, the reestablishment of project 

planning operations for assessing the present state of accuracy and currency for all themes on a project-byproject basis. To be of value for topographic map generation, project assessments need to take place at 

least a year in advance of map production. Automated methods will be investigated and implemented 

where possible to minimize human effort, cost, and delays in the integration process. Strategies, 

procedures, and plans can then be developed to address the most prevalent and severe problems. A 

Graphic Product study has been proposed to define and assess various levels of data integration and to 

determine costs associated with each. 

Finally, an integration team will be established to plan for and coordinate the integration of data. 

The implementation of an acceptable data integration process will require development of efficient 

interactive data editing tools. The edited data must be preserved, and mechanisms must also be established 

to pass corrections made by the USGS back to the authoritative source for any particular dataset. Current 

expectations are that requirements for cartographic offsets will be greatly reduced over past practices and 

these edits will be stored and distributed solely as characteristics of the graphic map file. 

Products and Services 

The term “Products and Services” is used to describe all business goods and services provided to a 

customer. Products are bundles of attributes (features, functions, benefits, and uses) and can be either 

tangible, as in the case of physically delivered goods, or intangible, such as service benefits, or a 

combination of the two. 

In the context of The National Map, products are information assets with specified characteristics 

and qualities delivered in electronic formats to consumers. Services are functional capabilities provided to 

TNM consumers that support a sustained interaction with TNM data and computing assets. 

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TNM products and services are designed to satisfy consumer-initiated geospatial or mapping 

requests or inquiries. The product and service directory can be found at http://www.usgs.gov/ngpo/ (Click 

on “Reading Room”). 

Product and service families group similar products and services together. For each of the product 

and service families, the plan addresses the following: 

• Two-year deliverables. 

• Description of the product/service family. 

• Product/service list (listing the products or services in the family). (Detailed information about 

a specific product or service is held separately from this plan.) 

• Location of the specifications for the products or services. 

• Integration and Registration issues and practices. 

• Risks and consequences. 

The management team intends to put costs and level of effort estimates into the plan during the FY 

2008 planning process and the development of the detailed plans. 

Products 

Elevation 

Two-Year Deliverables 

• 10-meter gridded elevation data over 100% of the priority areas by September 30, 2008. 

• Finer than 10-meter, gridded elevation data over the priority areas, where available, by 

September 30, 2009. 

• 10-meter or finer elevation in NED from agreements for all areas. 

• Working with the Graphics Program and Common Systems, develop a plan, specifications, and 

service for automated contour generation in support of the graphics program. 

• Revise the USGS Elevation Specifications by June 30, 2008. 

Elevation Product Family Description 

Elevation data consists of (1) gridded terrestrial digital elevation data with 10-meter or finer 

resolutions, and (2) raw and processed data that can support 10-meter or finer gridded elevation data. The 

data may be derived photogrammetrically or processed from LIDAR, IFSAR, or other technologies. The 

data may be obtained from any collection sensor platform: aircraft-based, satellite-based, or ground-based. 

Downloads are available at http://ned.usgs.gov

Elevation Product List 

• The National Elevation Database (NED), an online, multi-resolution seamless web service for 

viewing and downloading the available elevation data. 

• 1-arc-second (30-meter Groundcover Saple Distance (GSD)) from the NED for the 

conterminous United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. 

• 2-arc-second (60-meter GSD) from the NED layer for Alaska. 

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• 1/3- arc-second (10-meter GSD) from the NED for the conterminous United States, Hawaii, 

and Puerto Rico, and the island territories. 

• 1/9-arc-second (3-meter GSD) from the NED. 

Specifications 

• USGS Standards for Digital Elevation Models (August 1997). 

• Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Content Standards for Framework Land 

Elevation Data (January 1999). 

• National Digital Elevation Program Elevation Guidelines, Version 1.0 (March 2004). 

• FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998). 

Integration and Registration 

Newer and finer resolution elevation data are rapidly replacing the first generation digital elevation 

data which will impact how new contours generated for topographic, image, and shaded relief graphics 

will register with the other layers of The National Map. The same issue will occur for the integration of 

contours with other data theme layers on the digital version. 

Risks and Consequences 

• New technologies for acquiring high resolution elevation result in higher costs for smaller 

areas. 

• Higher resolution data increase processing and storage costs. 

Geographic Names 

Two-Year Deliverables 

• Collect names for administrative features along the East Coast by September 30, 2008. 

• Maintain Louisiana, Montana, Missouri, Idaho, and New Mexico data through stewardship 

agreements during the 1-year contract period. 

• Have agreements in place for Google Earth to use and credit USGS Geographic Names by 

December 31, 2007. 

Geographic Names Product Family Description 

The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) serves as the name layer for The National 

Map. GNIS functions as the U.S. Board on Geographic Names’ vehicle for promulgating the standard 

form and spelling of geographic feature names to be used on all Federal products. GNIS is designated as 

the A–16 authoritative database for geographic names. Downloads are available at 

http://geonames.usgs.gov. 

Geographic Names Product List 

• State file downloads. 

• Populated Places download—Named features with human habitation: cities, towns, villages, 

etc. 

• Historical Features download—Features that no longer exist on the landscape. 

15
• Concise Features download—Large features that should be labeled on maps with a scale of 

1:250,000. 

• All Names download—All names, both official and nonofficial (variant), for all features in the 

Nation. 

• Antarctica Features download—Features in Antarctica approved for use by the U.S. 

Government. 

• Web Mapping Services and Web Feature Services for feature extraction. 

• State file with FIPS 55 download—FIPS 55 place code to GNIS ID number crosswalk. 

Specifications 

Data are accurate to Phase I and Phase II compilation specifications, and Board on Geographic 

Names (BGN) policies. (These are the base standards.) 

Integration and Registration 

Data are accurate to Phase I and Phase II compilation specifications, and BGN policies. The Phase 

I and II specifications are available in hard copy in the Names office and the BGN policies are available at 

http://geonames.usgs.gov/docs/pro_pol_pro.pdf . When the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) was 

conceived, it was agreed that only the hydronyms that were in GNIS would be stored in NHD. GNIS is 

also integrated with Structures in that before data are loaded into the Best Practices database, they are first 

sent to GNIS to be loaded and given a GNIS ID number which is then stored in the Best Practices 

Database. Improvements in integration with other themes will be through stewardship activities. 

Risks and Consequences 

• Partners and contractors provide some of the data. 

• NGTOC provides personnel to keep The National Map server and processes running. 

• Contractors provide IT support. 

Hydrography 

Two-Year Deliverables 

• 100% national coverage at 1:24,000 scale available by August 31, 2007 

• 100% of the Nation upgraded to interim design standard by September 30, 2008 

• 25% of the Nation upgraded to final design standard by December 31, 2008 

• 50% of the Nation covered by stewardship agreements by December 31, 2008 

• 25% of the Nation upgraded by maintenance by December 31, 2008 

Hydrography Product Family Description 

The National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) is a comprehensive set of digital spatial data that 

represents the surface water of the United States using common features such as streams, rivers, canals, 

ponds, lakes, and oceans. These data are designed to be used in general mapping and in the analysis of 

surface water systems using geographic information systems. In mapping, the NHD is used with other 

themes of data to produce general reference maps. The NHD is also often used by scientists specifically in 

the analysis of surface water using GIS technology. This takes advantage of a rich set of embedded 

16
attributes that can generate specialized information portrayed in specialized maps. These analyses of 

hydrography are largely possible because the NHD contains a flow direction network that traces the water 

downstream or upstream. It also uses an addressing system to link to other water databases such as water 

discharge, water quality, and fish population. Using the basic water features, flow network, linked 

information, and other characteristics, it is possible to study cause-and-effect relationships, such as how a 

source of poor water quality upstream might affect a fish population downstream. The NHD program will 

work in partnership with a broad range of clients in the Federal, State, and local governments, as well as 

industry, academia, and conservation communities. This will include close coordination with USGS 

disciplines with particular emphasis in water resources. Downloads are available at http://nhd.usgs.gov. 

Hydrography Products List 

The National Hydrography Dataset is available as 

• ESRI Geodatabase, (Access and File based) 

• ESRI Shapefile 

• GML in the future 

• Web Mapping Services 

• Web Feature Services in the future. 

The data are also available in two separate datasets 

• derived from 1:24,000-scale sources, and 

• derived from 1:100,000-scale sources. 

The 1:24,000-scale dataset will be increasingly populated with 1:4,800-scale type data as stewards 

upgrade the NHD to better meet their business needs. 

Specifications 

The National Hydrography Dataset is defined by Standards for National Hydrography Dataset—

High Resolution, and Standards for National Hydrography Dataset—Geodatabase Implementation. 

Integration and Registration 

Based on The National Map Accuracy Standard compliance for 1:24,000-scale mapping, 

improvements will be accomplished by (1) resolution upgrades, (2) maintenance upgrades, and (3) map 

product generation. GNIS will be integrated into the NHD from (1) initial production, and (2) maintenance 

upgrades. The Watershed Boundary Dataset will be integrated as part of the Final Design standard TwoYear goal. 

Risks and Consequences 

• Failure to keep pace with technological improvements will cause the product to become 

obsolete and services inadequate. 

• Stewardship may not be widely adopted due to (1) lack of interest in the NHD product, (2) 

State funding limitations, and (3) legislative action required to identify an authoritative steward 

in State government. 

• NHD maintenance processes may be too complex, resulting in a low level of stewardship 

activity. 

17
• States may spin off the NHD and create their own datasets, resulting in fragmentation of the 

national program if the product does not keep pace with customer requirements. 

• Mitigating the above risks largely depends on good management to adequately plan The 

National Map, gain support at all levels, secure funding, manage personnel, control processes, 

and other best management practices. 

Land Cover (Geography) 

Two-Year Deliverables 

• NLCD 2006 update products including percent canopy and percent impervious surface for 

NGP high priority areas completed by September 30, 2009. 

• NLCD 2006 processed data update beginning in 2009 and completed by March 31, 2010. 

Land Cover Product Family Description 

The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) is created and funded by the Multi-Resolution Land 

Characteristics Consortium (MRLC) (consisting of 13 programs across 10 Federal agencies), led by the 

USGS. This consortium has produced land cover data for the conterminous United States based on 

nominal 1992 Landsat data (NLCD 1992). It has completed a land cover database for all 50 States 

centered on nominal 2001 Landsat data called NLCD 2001. Downloads are available at 

http://landcover.usgs.gov. 

Land Cover Product List 

• NLCD 1992—Land cover data for the conterminous United States based on nominal 1992 

Landsat data. 

• NLCD 2001 database—The National Land Cover Database 2001 contains a 19-class land 

cover classification scheme applied consistently over the United States, from Landsat ETM+ 

data at 30-meter resolution. In addition, the NLCD 2001 database includes a percent treecanopy layer, and a percent impervious layer. The percent tree-canopy layer will be the source 

for generating a “woodland tint” for The National Map graphics. The percent impervious 

surface may also be a useful source for urban tint on The National Map graphics. These layers 

are complete for the entire United States (except Alaska, which still has some areas with 

incomplete tree canopy). A minimal amount of processing may be needed to supply the 

graphics program with the data needed to generate The National Map graphics using a map-ondemand technology. 

• NLCD 2006 Update—Beginning in FY09, the Land Cover program will begin production of 

the NLCD 2006 update. Production will take 18 to 24 months, depending on MRLC member 

contributions. To assure timely production of NLCD 2006 data layers over high priority areas, 

production costs may to be covered by the NGP. 

Specifications 

Product specifications come from mutually agreed-upon requirements and land cover parameters 

developed through the MRLC Consortium. All NLCD data products, imagery, descriptions, and 

publications are available for download at http://www.mrlc.gov. 

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Risks and Consequences 

NLCD accomplishments are directly related to (1) the availability of sufficient and sustainable 

funding from the MRLC Federal partners, (2) ensuring future NLCD requirements are compatible with 

available satellite imagery, and (3) maintaining a Federal workforce with the appropriate knowledge base 

to support both production and/or contracting, as well as quality assessments. 

Orthoimagery 

Two-Year Deliverables 

• 10% of the Nation (5,500 quads) acquired/updated from October 1, 2007 to September 30, 

2008 

• 2% high resolution orthoimagery (24-inch, 18-inch, 1-foot, 6-inch, and 3-inch 

orthoimagery) 

• 8% 1-meter resolution orthoimagery 

• 10% of the Nation (5,500 quads) acquired/updated October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2009 

• 2% high resolution orthoimagery (24-inch, 18-inch, 1-foot, 6-inch, and 3-inch 

orthoimagery) 

• 8% 1-meter resolution orthoimagery 

Orthoimagery Product Family Description 

The orthoimagery data theme is digital orthorectified imagery of 1-meter GSD resolution or better, 

acquired in a 5-year cycle for the United States and its territories and possessions, and digital 

orthorectified imagery of 1-foot GSD resolution or better, acquired in a 2- to 4-year cycle for the 133 

urban areas as defined in the HSIP Tiger Team Report, first released in September 2002, for official use 

only. Imagery type may be natural color, color infra-red, or panchromatic. All imagery must be 

accompanied by FGDC-compliant metadata, must be in the public domain, must be served via a WMS in 

The National Map, and must be discoverable through Geospatial One-Stop. Downloads are available at 

http://gisdata.usgs.net/website/Orthoimagery. 

Orthoimagery Product List 

• 1-meter resolution digital orthophoto quad (DOQ) for the conterminous United States, and 

portions of Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico from National Aerial Photography Program 

(NAPP) imagery. 

• 1-meter resolution digital orthophoto quarter quad (DOQQ) for the conterminous United 

States, from first cycle National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) imagery. 

• 1-foot resolution orthoimagery for 133 urban areas in the United States for the HSIP. 

• 24-inch, 18-inch, 1-foot, 6-inch, and 3-inch orthoimagery for select areas of the United States 

from State and local partnerships and vendor purchases. 

Specifications 

• American National Standards Institute, Information Technology—Geographic Information, 

Framework Data Content Standard Part 2: Digital Orthoimagery (September 12, 2005). 

• Digital Orthoimagery Quarter Quadrangle Specification (revised draft January 17, 2007). 

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• High Resolution Imagery Product Specification (April 10, 2003). 

Integration and Registration 

Imagery will be used to produce a graphic Image Map with Selected Overlays, an interim product 

utilized for emergency purposes in lieu of an up-to-date Topographic Map. In addition, much as it was 

used by USGS in the past, orthoimagery will be a quality assurance tool to verify the Integration and 

Registration of other data layers of the 7.5-Minute Digital Topographic Map products or as a means for 

extracting data for other layers for The National Map. An orthoimage may be included as a layer of the 

topographic map as well. 

Risks and Consequences 

• The main challenge for the orthoimagery project is maintaining the acquisition cycle as 

planned. Often the USGS appropriation is not allocated before the flying season (December 

through May) and partnership agreements cannot be completed. 

• Another challenge is the weather over acquisition areas during the flight season. Failing to 

close a partnership or complete acquisition can delay work for an entire year. 

• Accurate orthoimagery is dependent on having a good elevation model available to use during 

processing. 

• A second dependency is having sufficient storage space to store large orthoimagery files for 

archiving and dissemination. Orthoimagery projects’ data acquired one year are usually 

delivered the next year, so in planning for the next year, equipment purchases must match or 

exceed expected deliveries from these projects. 

Boundaries (Governmental Units) 

Two-Year Deliverables 

• 80% national coverage at 1:24,000 scale through application of Census 2007 updates by June 

30, 2008. 

• 100% national coverage at 1:24,000 scale through application of Census 2008 updates by 

December 31, 2008. 

• 100% national coverage at 1:24,000 scale of major Federal boundaries by December 31, 2008. 

Boundaries Product Family Description 

The boundaries data theme depicts administrative and jurisdictional information. The data 

represent the start of a national data inventory of consistent, seamless, integrated data that are 

continuously improved through the incorporation of data updates from the data community. In addition to 

the geospatial characteristics, the data design supports change management, lineage tracking, and featurelevel metadata. The initial data have been built through the best available data from the Census Bureau 

and from other Federal agencies. Downloads are available at http://bpgeo.cr.usgs.gov. 

Product List 

Data available for viewing, application, and download in the USGS Best Practices Database in 

both geodatabase and open interoperability data formats. 

20
Specifications 

Available at http://bpgeo.cr.usgs.gov/model. 

Integration and Registration 

Many sources for boundaries data are not horizontally integrated within the data theme. For 

example, U.S. Forest Service boundaries may overlap those from the National Park Service. Additionally, 

there are issues related to planimetric and topographic registration of data, particularly of parcel data 

which are outside the scope of The National Map. Much of the effort in developing the boundaries data 

theme over the 2-year planning period will not only tie to creating and maintaining a national inventory 

but also to assessing and partially resolving these integration and alignment registration issues. 

Risks and Consequences 

• A–16: The USGS is not designated as a lead agency in Circular A–16 (2002). The Census 

Bureau is designated as the lead for overseeing the representation of Federal, State, local, and 

Tribal governments for the purpose of reporting statistics; the Bureau of Land Management is 

designated as the lead for Federal land ownerships; and the Department of State is designated 

as the lead for both land and maritime international boundaries. Most agencies have limited 

mandates and therefore limited data, whereas the USGS can bridge these differences into a 

unified approach. 

• Partnerships: Data development is heavily dependent on the participation of external partners 

in providing data and in working with the USGS to develop common approaches and data 

improvements. 

• Schedule: Dependent on data deliveries of complete, accurate, and timely data from partner 

organizations. 

• Budget: While familiar with the requirements of maintaining vector National Spatial Data 

Infrastructure (NSDI) datasets, from our experience with the NHD, we are working with new 

data, and with issues that do not allow us to easily estimate costs. 

• Technical: Developing a data model that supports most user requirements usually requires 

some compromise on technical capabilities. 

• Integration: In principal, most boundary data are defined as discrete units that should agree 

with adjacent or overlapping units. However, definitions of adjacent or overlapping units often 

have discrepancies that lead to a best fit solution rather than a resolution of the boundary 

locations. The process of investigating definitions and discrepancies is extremely resource 

intensive and potentially irresolvable outside of the courts. The USGS will focus primarily on 

reconciling the major Federal boundaries and accept the Census Bureau’s determinations for 

other data. 

• Scope: The boundaries data theme potentially encompasses a very broad scope of 

administrative, jurisdictional, and ownership data involving numerous agencies and legal 

concerns. The initial scope is limited, but requirements could increase significantly. 

• Access: Military boundaries can be considered sensitive at the 1:24,000 scale and may not be 

available for incorporation into The National Map. 

21
Structures 

Two-Year Deliverables 

• 100% national coverage at 1:24,000 scale of essential facilities, including hospitals, schools, 

police stations, and fire stations by December 31, 2008. 

Structures Product Family Description 

The structures data theme comprises the geospatial location, classification, and other 

characteristics of manmade facilities. These requirements are primarily driven by the homeland security 

and disaster response communities, but also have application in graphics and in resource planning. Data 

include the form, function, name, reference location, and selected contact and extended detail information 

on the included features. The data represent the start of a national data inventory of consistent, seamless, 

integrated data that is continuously improved through the incorporation of data updates from the data 

community. In addition to the geospatial characteristics, the data design supports change management, 

lineage tracking, and feature-level metadata. The initial data are being built through the best available data 

from public domain data sources of Federal, State, and other cooperating agencies. The USGS role is to 

broker, facilitate, and integrate both the requirements and the data into a sustainable national structures 

dataset and model that meets the needs of the broad community. Most agencies have limited mandates and 

therefore limited data, whereas the USGS can bridge these differences into a unified approach. Downloads 

are available at http://bpgeo.cr.usgs.gov. 

Product List 

Data available for viewing, application, and download in the USGS Best Practices Database in 

both geodatabase and open interoperability data formats. 

Location of Product Specifications 

Available at http://bpgeo.cr.usgs.gov/model/acrodocs/Poster_BPStructures_03_01_2006.pdf 

Integration and Registration 

Many government and commercial organizations are involved in developing structures and 

facilities data. The potential exists to link many of these related datasets in a federated approach. The 

initial data development pass is to link the NGA HSIP, FEMA HAZUS, USGS GNIS, and the State 

geospatial references to a common geospatial base with the USGS structures dataset. Additional 

investigations into formal linkages with external, non-geospatial datasets will also be undertaken. For 

example, the geospatial data may not hold the details of a hospital facility, but the geospatial feature could 

be linked to records at HHS that contain the details. This logical integration of data sources has been 

applied in the NHD and has significant potential in structures data. 

A major vertical data integration concern with structures is the location of features relative to 

roads. If the structures data are not vertically integrated with the roads, the buildings may fall on the roads 

or on the incorrect side of the road. For the essential facilities data that are the primary priority for 

structures data development, the USGS and its cooperators are meeting requirements from both FEMA 

and NGA that the physical location of a structure be placed on the center point of the feature. With 

geospatially accurate roads and geospatially accurate structures, many of these vertical integration issues 

will be addressed. Additional concerns will exist with regard to structure and address attributes relative to 

road address range locations. These concerns will be assessed with some potential quality checks 

submitted to either structures data sources or to transportation data sources. 

22
Risks and Consequences 

• A–16: The USGS is not designated as a lead agency in Circular A–16 (2002), nor does the 

definition of the A–16 match the scope of data being developed. GSA is designated as the lead 

A–16 agency, but only with regard to Federal assets. Homeland Security requirements, as 

defined through HSIP, have vastly expanded this scope of features.

• Partnerships: Data development is heavily dependent on the participation of external partners 

in providing data and in working with the NGP to develop common approaches and data 

improvements. Major data providers include NGA HSIP, FEMA HAZUS, State Emergency 

Operation Centers, and volunteer data efforts. 

• Commercial Data: NGP will explore a Request for Proposal (RFP) for structures data to fill the 

gaps where updates to critical infrastructure are not yet available. This option provides ready 

access to updated data, but with significant restrictions and liabilities with regard to others 

accessing the data. Also, much of the commercial data are developed through geocoding 

methods with a generally high degree of error. 

• Schedule: Largely dependent on NGA’s HSIP contracts and the willingness of States to share 

NGA updates to select critical infrastructure. 

• Budget: While familiar with the requirements of maintaining vector NSDI datasets, from our 

experience with the NHD, we are working with new data and issues that do not allow us to 

easily define costs. 

• Technical: Developing a data model that supports most user requirements usually requires 

some compromise on technical capabilities. 

• Legislative: No known risks. The Census Bureau plans to collect all address points in the 

United States, but is legally prevented from sharing these data due to concerns about the 

willingness of the public to share information that could be used by law enforcement, branding 

companies, and others. 

• Integration: As data improve with the advent of very high-resolution imagery and with 

LIDAR-based elevation data, it is likely that some existing data will be out of registration with 

these sources. It remains to be seen whether this misalignment would be an issue with users 

requiring resources for development or for data updates. 

• Data Security: Structures and facilities data often contain data characteristics that some 

providers consider sensitive. These providers may be unwilling to allow the USGS access to 

the data in either a filtered form or through secure data management at the USGS. 

• Scope: Current data are primarily limited to emergency facilities, a very small scope relative to 

the full definition of government, commercial, banking, industrial, and other facilities. The 

scope of required data will likely expand during the 2-year plan. 

Transportation 

Two-Year Deliverables 

• 80% national coverage at 1:24,000 scale through application of Census 2007 updates by June 

30, 2008. 

• 100% national coverage at 1:24,000 scale through application of Census 2008 updates by 

December 31, 2008. 

• 20% of Nation under active stewardship for roads data by December 31, 2008. 

23
• Work with providers of other transportation data, including airports, pipelines, trails and 

railroads, to develop nationally maintained and integrated geospatial data inventories. 

• Develop pilots in five States to test and implement data exchange workflows between states 

implementations and The National Map. 

• Incorporate Emergency-911 and evacuation route content in support of disaster response 

capabilities. 

Description 

The transportation data theme consists of the geographic locations, interconnectedness, and 

characteristics of roads, railroads, airports, and other associated transportation features. The data represent 

a national data inventory of consistent, seamless, integrated data that is continuously improved through the 

incorporation of data updates from the data community. In addition to the geospatial characteristics, the 

data design supports change management, lineage tracking, and feature-level metadata. The initial data set 

is being built through the best available data from the Census Bureau with the incorporation of 

coordinated updates from Census, the U.S. Forest Service, States, and other cooperating agencies. Basic 

geospatial elements from cooperators will be expanded to include transportation model requirements for 

Emergency-911, routing (including evacuation routes), and linear referencing. Additionally, the NGP 

purchased commercial data in FY07 for image map production to fill gaps in updated data until 

completion of the Census MTAIP improvements in 2008. Downloads are available at 

http://bpgeo.cr.usgs.gov. 

Product List 

Data available for viewing, application, and download in the USGS Best Practices data model in 

both geodatabase and in open interoperability data formats. 

Location of Product Specifications 

Available at http://bpgeo.cr.usgs.gov/model. 

Risks and Consequences 

• A–16: The USGS is not designated as a lead agency in Circular A–16 (2002). The U.S. 

Department of Transportation is the lead agency, although the agency does not consider 

geospatial data as a core capability and does not inventory national data. 

• Partnership: Most data are provided by cooperating agencies. The USGS is leveraging the 

improved Census geospatial roads data used for their enumeration activities while starting 

work on cooperative efforts with States to update the Census data. 

• Commercial Data: Commercial transportation data sources are a potential alternative to the 

content being developed in The National Map. However, the severe licensing restrictions of 

these data are inconsistent with the public domain objectives of The National Map. This issue 

and potential collaboration of private transportation data in the public domain will continue to 

be explored through NSGIC’s Transportation for the Nation initiative. 

• Schedule: Dependent on U.S. Census Bureau for initial completion of updated 1:24,000-scale 

equivalent data by 2008 (as of November 30, 2007, 61% of updates were complete). 

Dependent on State and local partners to provide most updates subsequent to Census 

improvements. 

24
• Budget: While familiar with the requirements for maintaining vector NSDI datasets, from our 

experience with the NHD, working with new data and issues does not allow for easily defining 

the costs. 

• Technical: Developing a data model that supports most user requirements usually requires 

some compromise on technical capabilities. 

Scanned 7.5-Minute Topographic Maps 

Two-Year Deliverables 

• Approximately 3,000 7.5-minute quadrangles covering the East and Gulf Coast States will be 

scanned and converted to high resolution geopdfs by the end of December 31, 2008. The 

project area is being worked on in coordination with the production of TNM products by the 

NGTOC and the Science Information and Education Office. The intent is to provide 

overlapping data that provide both a current and a historical perspective. 

• Approximately 250 additional 7.5-minute high resolution geopdfs will be created across the 

United States to support print-on-demand for low selling quadrangles that are nearing an outof-stock inventory. 

• All replacement high resolution geopdfs will support print-on-demand and also be "geomark 

enabled" to allow users the capability of providing annotation. This is a valuable tool for 

emergency responders as well as for all map users. 

• As high resolution geopdf quadrangles are produced they will be uploaded to the USGS on-line 

store. 

• It is anticipated that the USGS’s Reston library will begin scanning its inventory of historic 

topographic maps in early FY08 and will create high resolution geopdfs that will also be made 

available in the USGS online store. 

Scanned Image Maps Product Family Description 

This product line contains images produced by scanning previously published (printed) versions of 

USGS primary base series topographic maps. The resulting image files are converted to high resolution, 

“geomark-enabled” geopdfs. The scanned maps are available through the USGS Store at 

http://store.usgs.gov/locator/ . 

Scanned Image Maps Product List 

This product line is described as previously published versions of USGS primary base series 

topographic maps produced primarily at the following scales: 

• 1:20,000 

• 1:24,000 

• 1:25,000 

• 1:63,360 (Alaska) 

• 1:100,000 

• 1:250,000 

The scales may vary in some historic maps. 

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Specifications 

The specifications will be contained in the metadata file(s) associated with each map file. 

Integration and Registration issues: Not applicable. 

Risks and Consequences 

The risk is that the project will require an extensive amount of time to complete based on the 

current resource allocation. The consequence is that it will delay transition to a distributed print-ondemand business model and extend the timeframe for achieving a reduced paper warehouse. 

7.5-Minute Digital Topographic Maps 

Two-Year Deliverables 

• Develop standard specifications for the product. 

• Acquire customer input on prototype product using the working specification by March 31, 

2008. 

• Develop a streamlined production process. 

• Produce topographic maps based on quality and currentness of available data. 

• Publish maps as digital files and distribute through the USGS store at http://store.usgs.gov. 

Description 

As presently envisioned, the 1:24,000-scale topographic map product produced from The National 

Map data will portray contours, hydrography, transportation, boundaries, Public Land Survey grids, 

structures, geographic names, and land cover in the customary 7.5-minute by 7.5-minute tile-based format. 

The quality of the map products is directly affected by the accuracy and currentness of the data. 

Specifications 

The map will include full line National Grid, latitude, and longitude ticks, State plane ticks, and all 

customary marginalia. The credit information will explain the data sources and dates. The original source 

metadata will give the most specific information on the data. The topographic product specifications will 

be updated based on customer input and availability of funds. 

Risks and Consequences 

• There are significant gaps in the coverage of suitable data. 

• Data integration processes of the eight data themes are not defined or implemented. 

• Lack of systematic user involvement in the design of prototype products may require additional 

changes to product specifications and timely communication to keep interested parties 

informed. 

• The automated contour generation process has not been finalized. 

• There is no procedure for supplying ”corrections” (corrections as the result of an integration 

process) back to the partner. 

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Image Maps with Selected Overlays 

Two-Year Deliverables 

• Produce 1:24,000-scale image maps two counties deep (50 miles) along the Atlantic (Florida to 

Delaware) and Gulf (Florida to Texas) Coasts in preparation for hurricane and storm response 

needs. 

• Develop full automation of image map production so that image maps can be rapidly produced 

for emergency response needs. 

• Write specifications for image maps. 

Image Maps Product Family Description 

The orthoimage map will be a 1:24,000-scale product based on the best available orthoimage. The 

image will either be natural color or false color infrared. Ground pixel resolution can vary from 6-inch to 

1-meter ground pixel resolution of the source image. The image will be framed with a 7.5-minute by 7.5-

minute projection line. After release to the public, the image maps will be available through the USGS 

Store at http://store.usgs.gov. 

Image Maps Product List 

Currently planned components include 

• Natural color orthoimage; 1-meter or better ground resolution 

• National Grid with UTM labels 

• Roads and road name layer 

• Selected structure symbol and/or name 

• Selected hydrographic names. 

The final file format will be a georeferenced layered PDF file. 

Specifications 

"Image-Based 7.5-Minute Quadrangle Maps" Draft USGS standard, still in work. Version 0.0.6 

(October 2007). 

The image map contains a full line National Grid with UTM labels shown outside the projection 

line at the intersection of every 1,000-meter grid line and the projection. Geographic coordinates are 

shown at every 2.5-minute tick and the map corners. State plane ticks and coordinates are also shown 

along the projection line. Map margin information includes map elements needed to use the image map, 

such as a road legend, bar scale, quadrangle location diagram, adjoining quadrangle diagram, National 

Grid reference box, north arrow, and accuracy statement. Credit notes include metadata about data sources 

(with dates), magnetic and grid declination, and projection. Feature names will be placed for lakes, rivers 

and streams, populated places, and major physical features. Map users will have to refer to the original 

source metadata for the datasets to obtain the most specific source information on the data or to obtain the 

data itself. 

Integration and Registration Issues 

Risks and Consequences 

• Image availability 

27
• Map design with added enhancements—do we really need all the roads and road names? 

• Not being able to automate image map production if complexity is increased 

• Not being able to cover the country due to increased complexity 

• Printing a readable image map 

• Product is still “beta,” not yet vetted to customers 

• Some customers still expect lithographic, low-cost products. 

Custom Maps Service On-the-Fly 

Two-Year Deliverables 

• Systems Phase II—Evaluation in the second quarter of FY08 

Custom Maps Service On-the-Fly Product Family Description 

Custom maps are essentially user customized versions of standard TNM datasets—topographic 

and image maps. They adhere to the same basic product standards and are available in the same formats. 

The customizations available to the user are to recenter, resize, and add layers to the map. This service 

will need to be developed following the successful deployment, proven production methods and rollout of 

the 7.5-Minute Digital Topographic Maps and Image Maps with Selected Overlay products. 

Custom Maps Service On-the-Fly Product List 

Specifications 

The specifications will be developed using the 7.5-Minute Digital Topographic Maps and Image 

Maps with Selected Overlay standards and adjusted with user selectable parameters. Customer 

requirements will provide the basis for the design of the service. These requirements will be evaluated 

during the Common Systems Phase II development cycle and assessed against the existing funding and 

resources and priorities. 

Integration and Registration Issues 

The development of a custom maps creation service is a natural follow-on to TNM initial activities 

to improve the current TNM data inventory, its qualities of currentness and integration, and the internal 

graphics production processes. Completing the systems development for the graphics production processes 

and ensuring successful rollout of the 7.5-Minute Digital Topographic Maps and Image Maps with 

Selected Overlay will provide the basis for the future Maps On-the-Fly service. Core capabilities will be 

developed in the graphics production process that will provide a foundation that can be migrated and 

integrated with an end user driven business model during subsequent phases of TNM development efforts. 

Risks and Consequences 

Developing the Custom Maps Service On-the-Fly prior to a successful deployment of the internal 

graphics production systems for 7.5-Minute Digital Topographic Maps and Image Maps with Selected 

Overlay would introduce numerous risks concerning proven methods, customer support, and data quality. 

Staggering the development of this service to follow the development of proven production functions will 

reduce errors. 

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Services 

Data Download Services 

Two-Year Deliverables 

• Systems Phase II—Evaluation in the second quarter of FY08 

Data Download Service Family Description 

The data downloading services will be standard-based portlets available to TNM and GOS portal 

environments. They will provide the capability to download a variety of user-selected geospatial data 

layers for a user-defined region of interest. The user will be able to reproject, format, and compress the 

selected data to a predetermined set of specifications. These download services will be designed to work 

from TNM national datasets and approved partner datasets that conform to the industry standards. To date, 

a number of existing services are performing this functionality, but not in accord with the full suite of 

vector and raster themes or through standardized methods. 

Data Download Service Product List 

Specifications 

The specifications for downloading services will be developed during phase II of The National 

Map development cycle. 

Integration and Registration Issues 

Numerous integration issues will need to be coordinated prior to the phase II development. There 

are a variety of existing methods from the raster, vector, and names program areas where functionality will 

need to be assessed and potentially reengineered. 

Risks and Consequences 

The program needs to establish the baseline requirements using the results of the customer 

assessment to be done in early FY08. Product and service leads need to drive the re-engineering of 

existing functional capabilities and identification and resolution of the existing download gaps. The 

program needs a concerted plan to reconcile its diverse current approach to an enterprise function. 

Web Mapping, Feature, and Coverage Services 

Two-Year Deliverables 

The National Map will roll out the respective mapping, feature, and coverage services for 

respective data themes and layers—Evaluation in the second quarter of FY08. 

Web Mapping, Feature, and Coverage Services Family Description 

The USGS will offer a series of Web map and data services that will provide system developers 

and Web application users with high-speed access to TNM geographic data content. This migration to a 

standards-based online service provider will mitigate the traditional barriers associated with accessing and 

manipulating geospatial information. This model will provide real-time access to TNM content that will 

enable users to focus on value-added applications and processes. The services will include Web Mapping 

Services (WMS), Web Feature Services (WFS), and Web Coverage Services (WCS). Through these 

services, the USGS will be able to provide its user community with a standards-based interoperability 

29
solution for data access and use. These services will guarantee speed and reliability of data access that will 

eliminate the need for users to make local copies of data to perform mapping and analysis. The Web 

services will be a mixture of open or published proprietary service implementations, thus allowing access 

to data for users building their own applications or using proprietary Web tools. The available resources 

will determine the full suite of service models to be engineered and published. This effort will be 

sequenced following the development of the downloading services. 

WMS, WFS, and WCS Services List 

• Web Mapping Services 

• Elevation 

• 1 arc second NED shaded relief 

• 1/3 arc second NED shaded relief 

• 1/9 arc second NED shaded relief 

• Orthoimagery 

• USGS Urban 

• USGS NAIP 

• USGS DOQQ 

• USGS State and local 

• Land Cover 

• NLCD 1992 

• NLCD 2001 

• Hydrography 

• 1:100,000 

• 1:24,000 

• Transportation 

• Structures 

• Boundaries 

• Graphics 

• 1:100,000 DRG 

• 1:24,000 DRG 

• 1:24,000 Orthophoto 

• 24,000 Topographic 

• Geographic names 

• Web Feature Services 

• Hydrography 

• 1:100,000 

• 1:24,000 

30
• Transportation 

• Structures 

• Boundaries 

• Web Coverage Services 

• Elevation 

• 1 arc second NED 

• 1/3 arc second NED 

• 1/9 arc second NED 

• Orthoimagery 

• USGS Urban 

• USGS NAIP 

• USGS DOQQ 

• USGS State and local 

• Land Cover 

• NLCD 1992 

• NLCD 2001 

Specifications 

We will offer the services using implementations of the Open Geospatial Consortium 

specifications. Some proprietary services will be offered, as appropriate. 

Integration and Registration issues 

Data integration processes will be defined and implemented 

Risks and Consequences 

TNM’s movement towards an online interactive service provider will require a greater degree of 

enterprise planning to include improvements in system redundancy, managed services, performance 

monitoring, capacity planning, managed availability, and stronger customer support. TNM will model its 

services rollout on the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Best Practices for services 

support to ensure a robust mitigation of the risks associated with service delivery. 

Data Catalogs 

Two-Year Deliverables 

• Geospatial One-Stop (GOS) Catalog Version 2.2 released by October 31, 2007. 

• Geospatial One-Stop (GOS) Catalog Version 2.3 released by September 30, 2008. 

• TNM WMS Catalog Alignment with New Business Model Requirements by March 31, 2008. 

• Assessment of integration with TNM Planning functionality—Common Systems Phase 1—

Agreements/Status Development Activity. 

31
Metadata Catalog Service Family Description 

The National Map data acquisition and distribution systems will contain interconnected open 

catalogs of metadata (data about the data) which will be used to track, manage, and publish TNM data 

holdings and services for the program and external consumers of metadata. These data and services will be 

used in conjunction with agreements, partnership inventories (such as Statewide Clearinghouses and the 

State Inventory System “RAMONA”), and status graphics to support TNM production/acquisition 

planning. The catalogs will be exposed using the OGC Catalog Service for the Web (CS-W), and other 

open protocols where appropriate, to provide internal access for documentation on “status” and 

“availability”. TNM data and service holdings will be harvested by the GOS metadata harvester and made 

available through the GOS portals and other applications. The current role of the TNM catalog model is 

being re-evaluated as a part of TNM’s business movement towards creation of map products. The 

proposed solution is to employ GOS to act as the metadata catalog record and service access to “partner” 

data that is available online and relegate the TNM catalog to manage its national layers. Partners will be 

recognized in both systems and their data contributions will be as valuable as ever. This will clarify the 

roles of the GOS and TNM catalogs and elicit efficiencies in data management. 

Data Catalog Service List 

Specifications 

• OGC product specifications are located at http://www.opengeospatial.org/. 

• GOS product specifications are defined in the original statement of work and subsequent 

enhancement tasks developed by the Design Team. These are maintained at the GOS 

Quickplace site. 

• TNM Catalog Specifications are located at http://mcmcweb.er.usgs.gov/catalog/. 

Integration and Registration Issues 

The appropriate integration of TNM data and service catalogs, and serving metadata to the public 

through the GOS catalog, requires a unified production approach to avoid duplication of records and 

overall efforts. Most likely, the interconnection of several production catalogs through harvesting and 

OGC open protocols will be required. The GOS portal and catalog currently depends on The National 

Map Web map service as its primary base map to overlay other services registered in GOS. TNM 

production catalogs and GOS will play a key role in facilitating the discovery and use of selected 

framework ‘Authoritative Data Sources.’ 

Risks and Consequences 

• The content, speed, accuracy, and reliability of TNM Web map service directly impact GOS. 

• The registration, cataloging, and quality control of live map services, and data from partners 

into TNM and GOS need to be streamlined and established as an efficient production process. 

• GOS is also an OMB e-government initiative and has legislative, budget, and schedule risks 

associated with this designation that can pose a challenge to meeting integration requirements. 

Marketplace 

Two-Year Deliverables 

• Integrate Marketplace with Status Graphics Tool by October 30, 2008. 

32
• Data type filter and Publisher filter (Version 2.2) released by October 31, 2007. 

• Download to spreadsheet (Version 2.2) released by October 31, 2007. 

• Enhanced visualization and linkage of plans (Version 2.2) released by October 31, 2007. 

• Assessment of integration with TNM Planning functionality—Common Systems Phase 1—

Agreements/Status Development Activity. 

Marketplace Service Family Description 

The “Data Partnership Marketplace” is an application on the GOS portal that provides the ability 

for intergovernmental notification of planned geospatial data buys and requests for data. An interactive 

map displays areas where government agencies are conducting data-collection activities. The marketplace 

can be used to discover and facilitate a connection between partners in a particular area of interest or for a 

particular data type. 

OMB has mandated that all Federal agencies submit their data acquisition plans to the GOS 

Marketplace to help ensure appropriate efforts are undertaken to leverage funding and avoid duplication of 

efforts. 

The records to the Marketplace are also harvested from the National Digital Orthophoto Program 

and National Digital Elevation Program tracking systems and Geography’s Commercial Remote Sensing 

Data Requirements tool, CIDR. 

Marketplace Service List 

• Data Type Filter—Ability to reduce the number of visible Marketplace entries shown on the 

map by data type or key word. 

• Download to Spreadsheet—Ability for user to download Marketplace search results to a 

spreadsheet. 

Specifications 

OGC product specifications are located at http://www.opengeospatial.org/. GOS product 

specifications are defined in the original statement of work and subsequent enhancement tasks developed 

by the Design Team. These will be maintained at the GOS Quickplace site. 

Integration and Registration Issues 

The marketplace should use the TNM Status Graphics Map as its base map and build on the new 

status graphics functionality. 

Risks and Consequences 

• Primary dependency is for USGS liaisons to encourage publication of planned data buys by 

State and local partners in conjunction with State approaches, including the Random Access 

Metadata tool for Online National Assessment (RAMONA) inventory and status system. 

• In addition, USGS needs to adopt publishing to the Marketplace as a standard business 

procedure. This will need to be coordinated with the reengineered planning business practices. 

Status Graphics 

Two-Year Deliverables 

• Development of standards-based inventory metadata around TNM data holdings 

33
• Development of status map visualization and performance metrics capabilities 

• Development of basic planning queries and reports 

Status Graphics Services Family Description 

Status graphics and reporting depict The National Map’s respective data theme and product 

inventories with supporting metadata that are used to communicate availability and degrees of currency or 

data quality. These views will be used to support the presentation of performance measures to 

management and availability of data content to planners and consumers. These views will be portrayed on 

a variety of base and index maps of the United States and its territories. The suite of status graphics 

includes those produced on a set schedule (annual, quarterly, monthly) and those produced on an ad hoc 

basis. Each primary data and graphic product group produces a standard coverage status graphic that 

shows availability of data and products that conform to the thematic working unit and/or the graphic 

requirements of the 7.5-minute topographic map. Each data and graphic product group will be used in 

conjunction with other theme or product status graphics to drive efficient planning, customer awareness, 

and performance accountability. 

Product-Specific Dependencies and Risk List 

• Each product or data theme needs to maintain sufficient metadata to support status graphics. 

• Varying extract dates of information can make overlay/comparisons inaccurate. 

• Data are collected in a variety of collection or production work units. 

• Status attributes currently have different meanings for different products and services. 

• Databases containing status graphic information have not been consistently updated in the 

recent past. 

• Dates identified in the Performance Milestones Matrix may be too aggressive. 

• Need an analysis of what status information exists, where it exists, and how to bring it all 

together to serve individual themes as well as graphic map production. 

Specification 

Under development. 

Supporting and Enabling Activities 

Supporting and enabling activities make it possible to produce the products and services. These 

activities include partnership activities, systems (previously called common systems), outreach, and 

integration of data themes. 

Customer Survey 

Prior assessments of customer and stakeholder needs are over 3 years old, and the marketplace has 

seen many new suppliers and technologies that may impact the focus for TNM. Thus, NGP will complete 

a reassessment of its TNM customers’ primary needs during 2008. A team has been formed to oversee the 

following customer assessment activities: 

• Determine customer segments and primary customers for TNM products and services. 

• Establish a meaningful dialog with these customers via surveys, workshops, focus groups, 

usability studies, and other methods of customer information gathering. 

34
• Initiate an in-reach program to the other USGS disciplines to asses internal needs, 

• Use results and findings to prioritize product design decisions. 

• Use continuous assessment techniques as a primary means to manage product life cycle. 

TNM customer focus includes the following objectives: 

• Create new capabilities to understand and meet or surpass customer requirements and 

expectations. 

• Deploy the geospatial liaisons as key facilitators for both obtaining feedback and developing 

partnerships and gathering data for TNM. 

• Focus priority efforts on satisfying the needs of our customers for access to current framework 

data and map products. 

• Provide information that clearly explains the program focus and activities over the next 2 

years, including representative products and specifications. 

• Develop product and service branding to clearly identify and ensure recognition of TNM. 

The NGP will evaluate the results of this study to determine how changes in the marketplace, the 

role of government, geospatial data requirements, and technologies should influence the focus of TNM. 

Partnerships in Support of Products and Services 

Two-Year Deliverables 

• USGS Geospatial Liaisons will develop a business plan focused on data discovery and 

acquisition for each State. 

• Data acquisition efforts, footprint, specifications, and work priorities will be aligned with a 

joint schedule and plans for The National Map. 

• Products and services feedback will be collected from partners and customers. 

• USGS Geospatial Liaisons will provide outreach and support to the other USGS disciplines on 

The National Map Tactical Plan and products and services. 

The National Map depends on distributed development and stewardship of geospatial information 

at Federal, State, regional, and local levels. The network of Geospatial Liaisons serves as a conduit to 

discover, document, and provide linkages to partner datasets and partnership opportunities. Liaisons also 

play a role in promoting the implementation of best practices and supporting the development of the NSDI 

in their respective statewide communities. Promoting these best practices among partners will lead to 

long-term improvements to base data and development of long-term solutions to maintaining data between 

the USGS and partner institutions. 

Within this context, the liaisons will define, document, and implement a plan for developing TNM 

in each State. To build the plans, liaisons will rely on as input the FGDC 50 States Initiative Strategic and 

Business Plans where available, and will work with their statewide communities to define a pathway for 

developing TNM products and services. 

In addition to the liaison network, the Partnership Leadership will serve to support The National 

Map Tactical Plan by engaging partners to provide feedback and decision making about the products and 

services. Partnership Leadership will also work with data theme leads to define responsibilities for 

coordination at the Headquarters level with other appropriate Federal agencies and national organizations. 

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Further, USGS Geospatial Liaisons will systematically communicate with and engage the other disciplines 

in each of the regions on the plan, as well as the products and services. 

Dependencies 

• Timely access to detailed TNM plans. 

• Internal coordination between the data theme leads, NGTOC, and Partnership Leadership 

through weekly calls. 

• Consistent message from all parts of the NGP to show a unified, positive approach to our 

partners and customers. 

• Identifying and developing appropriate partner incentives to encourage participation in the 

development of TNM products and services that will be beneficial to both parties. 

• Provide data updates back to the States as appropriate. 

Risks and Issues 

• Ongoing commitments and partner expectations may not be met, opportunities to leverage data 

funding may be missed, and so on, due to incomplete documentation and communication of 

existing commitments and tasks. 

• Changing aspects of projects or procedures without understanding the effects on partners may 

alienate partners or damage long-term relationships. 

• A significant and underlying issue is how to balance the long-term NSDI development activity 

with the near-term priority of serving current data coverage and providing products and 

services. 

• Need to have a systematic, consistent method for liaisons to provide partner feedback to the 

program. 

• Making the incentives and benefits of the products and services worth the effort of Federal, 

State and local participation. 

Partnership Strategies by Data Theme 

Elevation Partnership Strategy 

High resolution data for the National Elevation Database will be obtained through leveraging of 

funds or in-kind work with State, local, and other Federal agencies. 

National 

Participate in the National Digital Elevation Program Steering Committee (current chair). 

Explore “Lidar for the Nation” initiative (in collaboration with the Geography Discipline) as a way 

to develop a systematic, national means to acquire higher resolution elevation data. 

Statewide 

Elevation acquisition from July 2007 through December 2008 will initially focus on 10-meter or 

finer data over the East Coast and Gulf Coast States and then expand to a national scope. 

Support will also be provided for partnerships in Alaska and for selected USGS Hazards and 

Science projects throughout the United States. 

36
Consideration will also be given to emerging projects with high returns for leveraging partner 

funding and/or for significantly increasing coverage; for example, statewide LIDAR acquisitions or 

opportunities to complete statewide 10-meter coverage. 

Hydrography Partnership Strategy 

The high level of success of the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) is in large measure due to a 

significant expenditure of USGS funds and substantial partnership contributions in the development and 

production of the dataset. Roughly, about half the resources necessary to produce the NHD came from 

other agencies partnering with the USGS. Now, partnerships and expansion of stewardship are essential to 

the continued success of the NHD. Training and technical support from NGTOC are required for 

continuing success for stewards. 

National 

• The USGS works closely with the USEPA, USFS, BLM, and NPS to cooperatively manage the 

program and develop technical direction. These agencies use the NHD extensively in their 

scientific work and provide valuable feedback to guide the program. A joint teleconference is 

held weekly. 

• Partnerships are extended in efforts such as the USEPA NHDPlus program that provides valueadded data for scientific analysis projects related to the Clean Water Act. 

• Partnerships are developed within USGS science programs, particularly in surface- water 

resource projects such as StreamStats for streamflow prediction. 

Statewide 

• Liaisons promote and seek to coordinate NHD stewardship on a statewide level through 

coordinating bodies where possible, to ensure that the appropriate partners at all levels are 

plugged in to the process. A partnership goal of 10 States with stewardship agreements was set 

for 2007, with an additional 15 in 2008, and 10 more in 2009 (all States and territories by 

2011). 

• Identify partner interests, such as requirements for higher resolution data. 

• Engage State water agencies to promote the NHD and offer it as a solution to State project 

activities. 

• Incremental improvements to NHD data resulting from the stewardship process are directly 

applied and available through transactional updates to the dataset. 

• Promote use of NHD by USGS science projects on a State and regional basis, and 

• explore the potential to develop NHDPlus on a State-by-State basis. 

Orthoimagery Partnership Strategy 

Maintain refresh cycles as funding opportunities allow. 

National 

• Continue to seek NGA funding for urban area partnerships. 

• Support NAIP projects as outlined in the detailed plans. 

• Continue to help support the concept of Imagery for the Nation (IFTN). 

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Statewide 

• Continue to develop local partnerships for urban areas funded by NGA. 

• Coordinate NAIP projects. 

• Promote IFTN among partners. 

• All data from partnerships will be ingested into Seamless Server and TNM. 

Geographic Names Partnership Strategy 

National 

• Under the Memorandum of Understanding with NGA and the Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS), pursue a partnership with NGA to align their contractors (TGS and others) to 

contribute geographic names to GNIS as they update or create critical infrastructure data. 

• Continue collaboration with Federal agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and others to 

maintain the names under their jurisdiction. 

• Data theme lead will coordinate efforts at the national level. 

Statewide 

• Working with the Headquarters names staff, the partnership leadership group and liaisons 

begin to explore the development of a stewardship activity for geographic names with 

statewide coordination bodies. The goal is to develop one or two examples that can be used as 

a model for development in other States. 

• Enhancements to names resulting from stewardship efforts will be entered into GNIS. 

Land Cover Partnership Strategy 

National 

• The national land cover dataset is NLCD and the partner is the Geography Discipline. 

Statewide 

• A variety of land cover datasets are available at the State and local level; however, for the 2-

year implementation period, partnerships for these data will not be pursued. 

Boundaries Partnership Strategy 

National 

• Continue to obtain the best available data from the Census Bureau and other Federal agencies. 

Statewide 

• Liaisons identify high-return partnership projects for boundaries to the project for potential 

funding in the 2-year implementation period. 

Structures Partnership Strategy 

National 

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• Develop and document a partnership with NGA to obtain updated structures data from its 

contractors and include an agreement to update geographic names. 

• Under the Program Partnership Working Group (PPWG), continue talks with DHS and NGA 

regarding “HSIP Freedom” and the role of the USGS in distributing the data via TNM, with the 

understanding that the PPWG includes the vector theme lead, Emergency Operations, and 

Partnership headquarters lead. 

• Continue working with FEMA to collaborate on structures improvements in the HAZUS 

dataset. 

• Design partnerships to support processes to integrate structure data improvements into GNIS. 

Statewide 

• Work with States that are collaborating with NGA/TGS and other contractors to ensure State 

partner buy-in for including revised data in The National Map. 

• Identify accessible State and local structures data sources for registration in The National Map 

catalog until a systematic process for integrating partners is established and implemented. 

• Identify high-return partnership projects for boundaries to the project for potential funding in 

the 2-year implementation period. 

Transportation Partnership Strategy 

National 

• Continue partnering on best available data from the Census Bureau and the U.S. Forest 

Service. 

Statewide 

• Support and seek statewide transportation datasets and inventories of data that will support 

updated Census data for registration in The National Map catalog until a systematic strategy for 

integrating the data is established and implemented. 

• Work with the theme lead to create partnerships to ingest statewide data into the national data 

set. 

• Liaisons identify high-return partnership projects for potential funding in the 2-year 

implementation period. 

Systems in Support of Products and Services 

Two-Year Deliverables 

Have operational the following: 

• Agreements Management System by December 31, 2008 

• Performance Management and Status System by September 30, 2008 

• Portal and User Interface Improvements (GOS and TNM) by December 31, 2008 

• Data Integration Strategy and Technical Approaches by September 30, 2008 

• Make improvements to TNM Architecture by September 30, 2008 

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• Business Case Analysis of Hosting Original Partner Data by March 31, 2009 

Common Systems priorities have been established through a business-driven prioritization process. 

The National Mapping Program established the following functional areas as the priorities to allocate the 

limited IT resource investment and maintenance resources. 

• Graphics Product Creation 

• Agreements and Planning Capabilities 

• Data Integration 

Working with product and service leads, TNM management, and the operation centers (NGTOC 

and EROS), the Systems Team and Enterprise Architect reviewed over 30 development requests and rated 

them based on relevance to program priorities and support for functional areas. The development requests 

were prioritized, resulting in a phased development strategy aligned with the highest business priorities. 

The Systems Core team will evaluate additional functional requests with the operation centers, product 

and service leads, and the program. These items are identified in the Systems schedule as Phase II and will 

require evaluation of core requirements and issues within a Statement of Need, followed by and approval 

process. 

Even with the prioritization of new development activities by The National Map Reengineering 

Project, systems consist of numerous legacy systems and functions that had been used to produce data and 

distribute products. The Reengineering Project has also funded the enhancements and operation of these 

environments to ensure a continuity of services to the end customers. Common systems will continue in 

this capacity with the goal of identifying efficiencies in the operation and management through data 

normalization, eliminating redundant functionality, identifying best-of-breed solutions and improved 

business processes. 

Legacy Systems that Require Enhancements or Steady-State Support 

There will be a systematic review and evaluation of all legacy systems and capabilities to 

determine whether to keep, retire, or transition each system or capability. 

Legacy systems include: 

• National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) 

• National Elevation Dataset (NED) 

• Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) 

• Seamless Server (data dissemination capabilities) 

• Geospatial Data Architecture (GDA) (serves as a metadata index, storage and retrieval system 

for geospatial data files). 

Development of new Phase I capabilities 

• Improvements to Graphics production processes. 

• Improved management of data and map services. This activity will include providing shared 

capabilities and integration points with GOS and TNM. 

• Agreements System (including ACIS retirement)—System to support the development and 

management of partnership agreements, agreements lifecycle management, use of agreement 

data to support thematic production, partnership status, and overall program performance 

monitoring. 

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• Improvement to the production management and control functionality to include inventory and 

production to support program planning, data acquisition, and product and service availability 

to customers. (Performance status and reporting capabilities are often called status graphics.) 

• A Business Case Analysis for TNM hosting of partner data will be performed. This task will 

provide feasibility study evaluating alternatives, cost estimates, and the impact of hosting 

partner data in their native format as part of the suite of TNM Partner incentives and possible 

enabling services offered by The National Map. 

Contracts have been awarded for gathering requirements for the Agreements System and the 

Performance Status and Reporting Capabilities as well as the Graphics Production. 

The new capabilities will improve the Web user experience through a common, unified, and 

consistent presentation that draws on legacy system and organizational model structures that support the 

user’s interactions. The product generation and dissemination capabilities will be driven by the approved 

product and services catalog. Instead of each data theme and location pursuing its own portfolio of product 

generation and dissemination capabilities, a common Web-based system will provide access to these 

capabilities. This will reduce user confusion and costs associated with maintaining multiple interfaces. 

Similarly, the program will begin the migration to online data and map services to provide efficiencies for 

Web-based customers required to view or access data online. 

Over the next 2 years the common systems activity will complete new work and continue to 

support the existing system components as they all move to steady-state funding. 

Specifications 

Software and performance specifications will be developed (identified in the detailed project plan). 

Requirements and use cases are documented in digital form using IBM Rational Tools, Microsoft Visio, 

and Microsoft Word. 

Risks and Consequences 

• The system reduces risk by capitalizing on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products where 

possible and building on existing services and technology platforms and tools. 

• User requirements are based on 3-year-old research. Requirements must be refreshed for all 

tools that are custom designed and built for this project. 

• COTS software or tools may reduce reliance on updated user requirements. 

• Schedule limits ability to complete R&D and usability tests. 

• System is designed to meet widely varying user communities; therefore, there is an increased 

risk of complexity in the tools and interface as well as the ability of the USGS to involve all 

types of users in design and testing. 

• Past performance issues will require effective branding and communication to rebuild user 

confidence. 

• Steady-state costs for the completed systems may be underestimated because fewer systems 

have been retired than were anticipated. 

• GIIA will develop a detailed project. 

• Resource costs for providing partner data-hosting sources should be carefully weighed against 

the potential incentive to stimulate participation. 

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Outreach in Support of Products and Services 

Two-Year Deliverables 

• Work with each data theme lead to establish criteria for comprehensive and specific training, 

workshop, focus group, fact sheet, and promotional item (giveaway) requirements. 

• Coordinate the theme-driven outreach activities with the broader NGP activities. 

• Ensure outreach efforts, as appropriate, are coordinated with the USGS Office of 

Communications to identify bureau-wide internal communication, congressional updates, and 

external communication with our diverse audiences. 

• Through partnering efforts, USGS Geospatial Liaisons gather timely, accurate, and nationally 

consistent basic geospatial data from partners’ current geospatial information. Key partners are 

States, counties or local governments, Federal partners, and private sector companies. In order 

to support this activity, conduct outreach needs assessments from data theme leads and the 

liaison community to ensure more effective outreach tools. 

• Develop an individual life cycle for all TNM fact sheets. 

• Craft specific messages targeted to specific audiences. 

Outreach Description 

Accurate and clear communication is important so that the geospatial data community will support 

the building, maintenance, and use of The National Map through partnerships. Since message 

communication is imperative to the success of The National Map over the next 2 years, outreach and 

communication activities will run in tandem on several levels. 

Outreach List 

Training sessions, workshops, focus groups, fact sheets, and promotional items (giveaways). 

Challenges, Risks, and Dependencies: 

Lack of an adequate budget will greatly restrict our ability to communicate with existing and 

potential partners. As a result, the benefits of The National Map will be diminished by our inability to 

engage partners. 

Outreach Activities in Support of The National Map: 

Presentations will be made at the following conferences: 

• AAG (Association of American Geographers) 

• AASG (Association of American State Geologists) 

• NSGIC (National States Geographic Information Council) 

• NACo (National Association of Counties) 

• IMTA (International Map Trade Association) 

• ESRI Annual and Federal User Conference 

• URISA (Urban and Regional Information Systems Association) 

• AutoCarto (Automated Cartography) 

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• ASPRS (American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing) 

TNM targeted workshops that are focused on TNM objectives and that support the conference 

themes will be developed for the following conferences: 

• AAG 

• AASG 

• ESRI 

• IMTA 

• NARC 

• NLC 

• NSGIC 

Integration of Data Themes in Support of Products and Services 

The scope of this integration of data section of the Tactical Plan is the integration of data within 

The National Map. Horizontal integration within The National Map is defined as nationwide seamlessness 

and consistency within each data theme. Some examples of horizontal integration are: feature position and 

topology are continuous (no breaks at arbitrary positions, such as source tile boundaries), feature attributes 

are consistent across such boundaries, and relationship to other features within that theme are consistent 

with ground phenomena. Vertical integration is defined as the spatial relationship of features across 

TNM’s data themes having the same relationship that the features have in the real world or on the ground. 

For national data sets to be readily suited for producing integrated data products or for performing sound 

scientific studies, they must be reasonably current and complete, nationally consistent, and properly 

integrated. 

Justification for Integrating TNM Data 

Justification for why the USGS should integrate the data in TNM is (1) the need of data users to 

have geospatial data from TNM integrated as a base for geospatial or geographic analysis with other data, 

and (2) the need for the USGS to produce derivative products from TNM’s data. Examples of derivative 

products are topographic maps, computer displays of data, and downloaded datasets. 

Factors to be Considered when Integrating TNM Data: 

Horizontal integration should take place as new data are loaded into national datasets. It will be the 

responsibility of the individual Product Leads to ensure proper horizontal integration for the data themes 

for which they are responsible across the Nation. Horizontal integration processes are fairly mature 

compared to vertical integration processes; however, additional process and system improvements are 

required over the near term and will be addressed in the normal course of business. 

Because the USGS is just now coming to grips with vertical integration issues brought about by the 

business process of leveraging existing data from many different sources, a substantial amount of 

investigation into vertical integration problems, causes, and efficient solutions must be performed over the 

next 1 to 2 years. Vertical integration of all themes should take place as dictated by geographic priorities 

within the Nation and as expeditiously as resources will allow. Vertical integration should, at a minimum, 

be performed prior to graphic product generation. 

In order to make map products this fiscal year, the graphics project will need to incorporate a level 

1 integration process. Level 1 is defined as a logical vertical and horizontal registration by a qualified 

cartographer or technician using only metadata and historical topographic maps. It is estimated that a level 

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1 process will add approximately 5 to 10 hours per map, depending on the complexity of the data. Until 

the data integration plan is mature, this plan proposes over the next 2 years that a level 1 integration 

process be implemented at the graphic generation stage and the data themes—NED, DOQ, NHD, 

Structures, Transportation, Boundaries (Governmental Units), and GNIS—to address the higher level 

integration process. 

Data integration is easier to implement and manage when USGS controls the data and the data 

reside in centralized data holdings instead of in distributed databases owned and maintained by multiple 

stewards. Thus, the data themes must have a common coordinate system, data model (for vector data), 

projection, horizontal and vertical datums, and scale (spatial resolution) for ease of data integration. This 

approach is not without risk or without a significant commitment by the NGP because it puts greater 

burden on the USGS to maintain data modifications necessary to ensure proper integration, thereby 

complicating data interactions between the USGS and data suppliers/authorities. 

Potential Issues with Integrating TNM Data 

• How must TNM’s data be integrated to accommodate USGS’s use of the data for science 

initiatives and interoperability with other USGS or DOI datasets? 

• What data model characteristics are required to accommodate USGS’s use of the data for 

science initiatives and interoperability with other USGS or DOI datasets? 

• What partners’ data will be included in the centralized database? 

• To what degree will USGS modify data from another agency, covering lands administered by 

that agency, to make integration possible? 

• To what level of effort will the USGS provide its modifications back to the data authority? 

• Once data themes have been integrated, how will integration be maintained as data 

modifications to those themes occur, especially with respect to updates from external data 

authorities? 

• What criteria will be used to determine which feature representation is correct when integrating 

data from multiple sources? 

• How will data of varying spatial resolution be held and integrated by USGS? 

• What are the best approaches, or methods, to integrating TNM data? 

• What are the resources, costs, and amount of time needed to integrate TNM data? 

• What methods will be used to feed modifications back into TNM and other data sources? 

• Once data themes have been integrated, how will integration be maintained as data 

modifications to those themes occur, especially with respect to updates from external data 

authorities? 

• What are the integration problems to overcome? 

• Can integration, or aspects of integration, be automated? 

Options for Improving the Vertical Integration of The National Map 

As stated previously, the most significant integration challenge facing the USGS is the 

understanding and resolution of vertical integration problems. Substantial resources will be required to 

accomplish these tasks. The following approach would gain an understanding of the problems and 

determine how those problems should be prioritized for resolution. 

44
• Form one team for a full-time effort to identify and document the major data integration issues, 

degree of unacceptability, and costs to correct the problems. The team will focus on integration 

issues for priority regions of the United States (assume data integration problems may vary 

from region to region.) The team should consist of employees from Rolla and Denver and 

include representation from the vector team and graphics. 

• First determine, for each theme on a 7.5-minute tile basis, where currency, content, 

consistency, and spatial accuracy are unacceptable for meeting minimum standards. No 

further integration studies are required for these areas. The data must be revised—pursue 

partnerships or data acquisition projects. The team should identify innovative and more 

cost-effective methods/technologies for data acquisition and determine viability through 

data acquisition pilots. 

• For more isolated integration issues, list/describe the major integration issues and probable 

causes. 

• Rank issues by degree of unacceptability 

• Single instance 

• Threshold of occurrences per 7.5-minute tile 

• Rank by current LOE (level of effort) to correct. 

• Combine “unacceptability” and “LOE” rankings to determine “significance” ranking (most 

egregious and most costly to fix = high significance). 

• Determine potential for automated fix and cost/benefit. 

• Initiate a second team to prioritize and document requirements for automation 

• Develop and implement automation process or software 

• Where automation is not feasible, identify partnerships to help correct the problems (focus 

on highest priority regions first). 

• Visit results from USGS research: 

• “Automated Data Integration in Support of The National Map” 2003–2005. 

• Conduct literature search for work and research. 

• Automated feature conflict detection and resolution research—Jill Cress, circa 1998. 

• Benchmark with other organizations. 

• Ensure that USGS quality-assured TNM data will be in a centralized database(s), residing on 

USGS servers. 

• Determine the priority order that the integration problems in TNM will be addressed for 

integration within the next 2 years. Focus on the most egregious problems that can be fixed 

relatively efficiently and cost effectively, rather than focusing only on the least costly or easiest 

fixes. Determine levels of data integration effort based on degree of unacceptability and cost to 

correct (cost/benefit). 

• Ensure that newly developed databases, such as the vector databases, are designed to facilitate 

data integration. 

45
Other Topics of Interest 

Aligning The National Map with the Federal GeoLoB and the DOI Geospatial Blueprint 

The DOI Geospatial Blueprint aligns with the Federal Geospatial Line of Business (GeoLoB) 

architecture framework and conforms to the goals and objectives of the NSDI, Circular A–16 (2002), and 

FGDC metadata and data standards and associated best practices. The Blueprint aligned the DOI system, 

data, and technology assets in the context of the established Federal stewardship responsibilities. As a 

result, the DOI Geospatial Blueprint contains several key recommendations that affect the National 

Geospatial Program Office’s data and infrastructure assets. 

The first DOI recommendation is designed to establish target State Authoritative Data Sources 

(ADS) for DOI-wide use. The Blueprint analysis identified a DOI-wide demand for select thematic 

information that would be more cost effective and efficient to share among organizations and support a 

reduction in maintenance costs and improve data quality and reuse. Currently, there is not a DOI 

mechanism to support this recommended practice. In the DOI target State, the ADS would assume the 

responsibility of data lifecycle management for the thematic data for the DOI. An additional responsibility 

of the ADS is to become a data and Web map service provider of first resort. The Web service provider is 

obligated to provide the managed information to DOI consumers, individuals, applications, systems, and 

exchange partners using standards-based technology, data, map, and exchange services. The newly 

defined products and services of The National Map align very effectively with the objectives of the DOI 

Geospatial Blueprint. The National Map has been recommended as an ADS and service provider for the 

following thematic datasets: 

• High Resolution Orthorectified Imagery (multiple resolutions) 

• Elevation datasets (3 resolutions) 

• National Hydrography Dataset (2 resolutions) 

• Geographic Names 

• Digital Raster Graphic (Seamless Color Balanced DRG data) 

• Transportation Theme - (Commercial Streets Dataset, licensing) 

• Existing Land Cover datasets 

• Boundaries 

• Structures 

The National Map Tactical Plan has identified these themes within its product and service maturity 

framework to implement over the next 2 years. TNM plans to provide the data lifecycle management and 

service provisioning that will align its data and systems infrastructure to the objectives of the DOI. During 

this timeframe, TNM will be focusing its resources on select geographic regions that will support a limited 

number of DOI programs and organizations. Although this is not optimal, it is a practical strategy that will 

position TNM as the service provider while DOI transitions its organizational processes to support TNM 

as the Authoritative Data Source. 

The second DOI Geospatial Blueprint recommendation involves improving the positioning of the 

GOS portal and catalog to improve the access, usefulness, and quality of its metadata catalog. The Tactical 

Plan has identified several key access-type improvements to the GOS and how it will interact with TNM. 

The initial GOS system development plan addresses the upgrades necessary to support the Authoritative 

Data Source concepts. The detailed design will be addressed while executing the Tactical Plan. 

The third DOI Geospatial Blueprint recommendation involves the development product and data 

delivery services. The Tactical Plan will extend TNM data and theme production into a data download or 

46
service delivery model. It is planned that these services will be engineered as standard (OGC) Web 

service-based components. This effort will need to be designed with extensibility in mind to support the 

numerous additional data themes within DOI and support component reuse. 

Lastly, the DOI Geospatial Blueprint requires the participation of the ADS and Service providers 

in a DOI governance and portfolio management model for its enterprise geospatial assets. The DOI 

governance model is still being formed. Once established, it will be critical to have a senior manager 

participate. 

The National Map Supports the USGS Science Strategy 

Today, our growing and expanding society faces many pressing issues that science, information 

and data can and must help address. Many of these issues transcend geographical boundaries; they are 

global in nature. Many of these issues also transcend traditional boundaries of academic disciplines. Such 

multi-faceted challenges can rarely be addressed by a single discipline. A USGS Science Strategy has 

recently been completed that will help the USGS address the data and science required to understand 

many of these pressing issues. The strategy is based on a systems approach to evaluate broad causes and 

consequences of the use and management of natural resources and earth processes. There are six 

interrelated thematic directions in the science strategy. 

• Understanding ecosystems and predicting ecosystem change 

• Climate variability and change 

• A water census of the United States 

• A national program to assess hazards, risk, and resiliency 

• The role of environment and wildlife in human health 

• Energy and minerals for America’s future 

The seventh direction, Data Integration, is a cross-cutting component within the Science Strategy 

that will provide the means to bring the various science disciplines together to create an integrated 

approach to USGS’ science mission. The most fundamental aspect of the Data Integration direction is The 

National Map, which will provide the trusted, base geospatial information for science investigations. 

The National Map will accelerate science investigations resulting from the Science Strategy. We 

can use ecosystem mapping as an example. At USGS, we believe that the starting point to understanding 

the complexity of earth systems is the concept of ecosystems. Ecosystems constitute the Earth’s biosphere 

and support human existence. The plants, animals, microbes, and physical products from ecosystems 

provide people, as well as other ecosystem components, with the energy, water, biomass, medicine, and 

mineral resources needed to sustain human societies. Understanding ecosystems and predicting ecosystem 

change require robust scientific assessments and modeling of ecosystem conditions as climate and humaninduced land changes occur. Ecosystems are inherently “interdisciplinary,” with geographical, biological, 

geological, hydrological, and other components. Ecosystems are also inherently “multi-scalar,” spatially 

and temporally. Geographically standardized ecosystem inventories—such as maps or databases—enable 

scientists to pursue conservation planning (through gap analysis), resource management, and predictive 

forecasting of ecosystem conditions. A vibrant The National Map will promote this type of science—and 

many others—by providing nationally consistent, trusted geospatial data and establishing a consistent 

national geographic context. 

USGS Director Mark Myers recently stated, “The National Map is a vital, essential program to 

provide a trusted, nationally consistent geospatial framework. Its development at USGS continues our 

heritage of national mapping begun by John Wesley Powell. As we improve the way The National Map 

works—through improved data standards, accessibility, and consistency; through improved understanding 

of customer needs; and, perhaps most importantly, through more robust partnerships—these advances will 

47
promote a synergy of geospatial information that will benefit counties, states, and the nation.” This 

Tactical Plan is one of the initial steps in improving “the way The National Map works” and in supporting 

the USGS Science Strategy. 

NGTOC Reengineering 

Reengineering the NGTOC has been necessitated by the results of the Circular A–76 (2003) study 

initiated in 2005, two center closings, loss of government workforce, and subsequent cancellation of the 

A-76 study in June 2007. At that time, there were a total of 188 full-time permanent government 

employees located in Denver, Colo. and Rolla, Mo. After June 13, 2007, when the A–76 study for the 

NGTOC was canceled, the USGS decided, with DOI and OMB concurrence, to embark on a process of 

managed reengineering with the remaining workforce in the two NGTOC locations. 

The process of managed reengineering leverages the work conducted during the A–76 study to 

develop an efficient, world-class organization prepared to meet the challenges of the future. In June 2007 

an NGTOC Reengineering Steering Committee was formed along with numerous sub-teams, including: 

• Workload Analysis Sub-Team—define current and future NGTOC functions and document 

workload (quantity). 

• Staffing Analysis Sub-Team—characterize the existing NGTOC workforce, including both 

government and on-site contract staff; includes a skills assessment and gap analysis study. 

• Technology Analysis Sub-Team—characterize existing systems and recommend both nearterm and long-term optimal configuration. 

• Facilities Analysis Sub-Team—document lease status and cost, as well as current space 

utilization in the Denver and Rolla sites. 

• Synthesis Analysis Sub-Team—review data and information from the above teams and 

develop a report and implementation plan, to include: future organizational structure; identify 

functions to be performed by government employees or on-site contractors, or those to be 

contracted out; define anticipated workload levels; and facility and system configurations. 

The following excerpts from the reengineering steering committee’s timeline fall within the same 

timeframe as The National Map Tactical Plan. 

• October 10–12, 2007—NGTOC Synthesis Team meeting in Denver, Colo., to review SubTeam deliverables and define next steps/milestones. 

• October 25, 2007—NGTOC Synthesis Team training on Business Process Reengineering. 

Training will be provided by Management Analysis Inc., a consultant hired to assist in the 

process of reengineering the NGTOC. 

• November 20, 2007—Initial findings and recommendations presented to USGS/GIO Senior 

leadership. 

• By December 31, 2007—Final report with recommendations on organizational structure, 

workload levels, staffing plan, and timelines for transition. 

• January 2008—Concurrence by the Associate Director, Geospatial Information Office, for 

recommendations in the final report. 

• March-August 2008—Begin implementation of plan, beginning with recruiting to fill key 

technical positions. 

• August 2008—Finalize VSIP/VERA plan and submit to Bureau and DOI officials for approval 

to offer in 2009 to targeted positions. 

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• First quarter, FY09—Start up new organizational structure and fill key NGTOC management 

positions. 

Management of the Plan 

The National Map Tactical Plan is overseen by a TNM management team comprised of the NGPO 

Director (Chair), GIIA Chief, GIIA Deputy, Partnership Office Chief, Emergency Operations Chief, 

NGTOC Chief, and TNM Project Chief. This group has the following responsibilities: 

• Provide general oversight of the plan 

• Set goals 

• Establish priorities 

• Approve the addition or retirement of products and services 

• Approve significant budgetary changes 

• Participate in the configuration and change management processes 

The National Map Strategic Advisor keeps the TNM management team apprised of possible longterm direction and future product and service changes. 

Roles, Responsibilities, and Authorities 

To align the workforce with the established priorities, it is important that key players be identified 

and roles for each be clearly defined. This will enhance communication, establish accountability, and 

identify the scope of duties. Roles and responsibilities are charted on a matrix that crosswalks roles to 

scenarios (functions or activities) and shows the level of responsibility (Responsible, Accountable, 

Supportive, to be Consulted, and to be Informed—RASCI). The RASCI matrix is maintained by NGPO 

management. 

The National Map management framework in figure 3 shows the relationship of the major 

stakeholders in TNM’s value chain. 

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Figure 3. The National Map Management Framework 

Establishing Priorities 

Priorities for The National Map have been established for those activities most important to the 

short- and long-term success of TNM. These priorities help to focus work, management, and distribution 

of resources within the project. Priorities will be adjusted if necessary. These adjustments respond to 

emerging changes in the project’s overall environment that may impact resources, constrain time, or 

change customer needs. Priorities are set and adjusted on the basis of a collaborative process involving 

leadership, management, technical leads, customers, partners, and others. That process involves 

identifying a driver (need for a change), an assessment of impact, identification of cost, risk, and 

requirements, and establishment of responsibility and timeframes for deliverables. The collaborative 

process results in the submission of a proposal to a Change Management Board (see 

“Configuration/Change Management” below in the “Controlling (monitoring and adjusting)” section). 

Any changes require final management approval and are fully documented. 

Execution 

During the execution of the plan, management has the following responsibilities: 

• Ensure operational and management capacity and processes to support TNM activities. 

• Revise and develop policy, guidance, standards, protocols, and procedures to support TNM 

priorities. 

• Provide appropriate training. 

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• Align the NGPO workforce with TNM priorities. 

Contracting out the work is a necessary option for executing parts of the plan. Even with contract 

dollars available, there will be reliance on NGTOC staff for contract negotiation and maintenance, data 

preparation, sustained training of contractors in the USGS graphic production processes, and monitoring 

and quality assurance of the contractors’ work. 

Reporting 

Reporting is the primary means for management and others to understand the status of planned 

work and become aware of issues as soon as possible. Beginning on July 1, 2007, the product and service 

leads, NGTOC leads, and others began reporting according to the following schedule: 

• Weekly exception reporting 

• Monthly status reporting using standardized measures 

• Quarterly status reporting using standardized measures 

• Annual performance reporting (includes updating the appropriation justification to Congress in 

the form of the “Greenbook”) 

The detailed management plan lists the steps that will make the reporting possible. 

Controlling (Monitoring and Adjusting) 

Weekly Performance Reporting Meeting 

Weekly performance reporting meetings of product, service, and system leads are held for these 

leads to report status and progress, and raise issues. This weekly meeting will result in a weekly exception 

report for the management team. 

Configuration/Change Management 

The management team has authorized the establishment of a configuration/change management 

process for the plan in conjunction with configuration management/change management for the NGP. 

Items such as the plan, products, services, systems, and outreach materials will be placed under 

configuration control. 

Customer-Focused Product/Service Full Lifecycle Management 

The NGP Management will fully document the product and service lifecycle management 

practices. This process will be overseen and directed by the Director of the NGP. The product and service 

leads, enterprise architect, and business systems analyst will contribute. 

When the need or requirement for a new or revised product or service emerges, the following 

process will be used: 

1. Identify the need or requirement for a new or revised product or service. 

2. Assign to a lead. 

3. Develop a business case. 

4. Approval/Rejection by The National Map Management Team. 

5. Revision of The National Map Tactical Plan. 

6. Development of a detailed plan for the new or revised product or service. 

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The NGP will develop a product and services directory that describes TNM products and services 

in customer and branding terms. The directory will help with branding of TNM. The catalog will be 

augmented by the technical specifications for each product or service. 

Inventory and Capacity Management 

In order to plan and operate effectively, the NGP will develop and maintain the following: 

• Commitments inventory 

• Services inventory 

• Products inventory 

Communicating the Plan 

Upon approval and endorsement of The National Map Tactical Plan by the following, the 

communication of the planned products, services, and management of the plan will be announced: 

• Acting Chief, Geospatial Information, Integration, and Analysis 

• Deputy Chief, Geospatial Information, Integration, and Analysis 

• Chief, Partnership and External Coordination 

• Chief, Office of Geospatial Information and Coordination 

• Director, National Geospatial Technical Operations Center 

• Lead, Information Solutions Section EROS 

• Director, National Geospatial Program Office 

• Emergency Operations Chief 

• Associate Director for Geospatial Information 

• USGS Director 

Proposed Internal Communication 

• Communications should be provided at a peer-to-peer level throughout the NGPO by January 

30, 2008. 

• Engage the Bureau Office of Communications to develop an initial communication plan for 

congressional and media outreach by December 13, 2007. 

• Work with data theme leads to assess needs and create a plan for materials (fact sheets, 

presentations, and other outreach tools) by March 31, 2008. Begin data theme lead meetings by 

July, 2, 2007. 

• Brief the Director and Regional Geographic Information Officers, to establish clarity, priority, 

cooperation, and support for the plan—task for management team by January 30, 2008. 

• Provide leadership-approved briefing materials to NGPO employees in a timely manner—task 

for management team and outreach staff within 3 weeks of a presentation of briefing. 

• Post leadership-approved briefing materials on NGP internal website—task for outreach staff 

upon approval from management team within 2 weeks of receipt. 

• Outreach staff to work with management, product, service, and project leads in coordination 

with liaisons and others to plan and execute a communications plan. February 29, 2008. 

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• Post meeting notes to the planning team and those tasked in the plan where key decisions are 

being made by leadership. Task for GIIA support within 1 week of decision by leadership. 

• Provide a feedback mechanism for NGPO employees to decide how to best share success 

stories - task for outreach staff by January 30, 2008. 

• Identify and communicate areas in which TNM Tactical Plan crosswalks with The Plan for 

Action, Geospatial Line of Business, DOI Geospatial Blueprint, and other Department of the 

Interior initiatives. Task for management team by January 30, 2008. 

Proposed External Communication 

External communications will focus on accomplishments, progress, and results, not on the plan 

itself. Coordinate, as appropriate, with the Office of Communications to implement the following: 

• Work with the USGS Geospatial Liaison community to identify partners to act as reviewers of 

packaged messages. 

• Work with NGPO management to furnish USGS Congressional Liaison Office 

recommendations on key messages going to the congressional audience on major 

accomplishments. 

• Identify external stakeholders and organizations that would endorse and assist in appropriately 

communicating The National Map message. 

• Engage stakeholders and customers whenever possible. 

• Post press releases on the external NGPO website and link to the NGPO internal website. 

• Provide TNM information at Bureau, regional, and local conferences. 

• Distribute surveys at workshops, conference presentations, and listening sessions to assess the 

effectiveness of communications. 

• Use opportunities to celebrate successes. 

Reference Cited 

Office of Management and Budget, 2002, Circular no. A–16 (revised)—Coordination of geographic 

information and related special data activities: Office of Management and Budget, August 19, available 

online at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/a016/a016_rev.html. 

Office of Management and Budget, 2003, Circular no. A–76 (revised)—Performance of commercial 

activities: Office of Management and Budget, May 29, 63 p., available online at 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/a076/a76_rev2003.pdf. 

Homeland Security Infrastructure Program Tiger Team Report: Department of Homeland Security, 

September 2002, for official use only, available online at 

http://www.eomonline.com/Common/Archives/2004nov/04nov_Geotechnology.html

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Appendix A: Writing Team Members 

Jim Barrett Consultant 

Stafford Binder NGTOC II Chief 

Chris Carlson GIIA Rep 

Bill Carswell NGP Director 

Tom Connelly ER GIO NSDI Partnership Office Chief 

Eric Constance NGTOC Rep. / NGTOC III Chief 

Mike Cooley Graphics Lead 

George Costantino TNMRP Lead 

Kari Craun NGTOC Chief 

Rob Dollison GOS Rep. 

Jay Donnelly National Atlas Lead 

Robin Fegeas Data Standards and Coordination 

Jim Flaherty Common Systems 

Tracy Fuller CR GIO NSDI Partnership Office Chief 

Kevin Gallagher GIIA Chief (Acting) 

Joan Helmrich Names CS Rep 

Pat Hytes Communications Rep. 

George Lee Raster Lead 

Vicki Lukas WR GIO NSDI Partnership Office Chief 

John Mahoney GIC 

Jim Mauck Elevation Lead 

Mark Naftzger GIO Deputy 

Jean Paulson EROS Rep. 

Donna Richey Winkelman Coordinator 

Dave Roberts Orthoimagery Lead 

Jeff Simley NHD Lead 

Jonathan Smith Geography - Land Cover Lead 

Paul Wiese Vector Lead 

Lou Yost Names Lead 

Carl Zulick GIIA Deputy Chief 

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Appendix B: Partners for FY07 Agreements 

Federal 

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

• NGA 

• NPS 

• NRCS 

• BLM State offices 

• USDA FSA 

• USGS Multi-Hazards Science Support 

State 

• Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, Office Of Water Resources 

• Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality 

• Colorado Division of Water Resources 

• Commonwealth of Virginia, VITA 

• Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control 

• Delaware Office of Management and Budget 

• Illinois State Department Of Natural Resources 

• Illinois State Geological Survey 

• Indiana Geographic Information Council 

• Iowa Department of Natural Resources 

• Iowa Geographic Information Council 

• Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality 

• Louisiana State University 

• Michigan State University Institute Of Water Research 

• Missouri Department of Conservation 

• Missouri Department of Natural Resources 

• Missouri Office of Administration 

• Montana Department of Administration 

• Montana State Library 

• New Mexico Emergency Management Office 

• New Mexico Geospatial Information Council 

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• New Mexico Office of the State Engineer 

• New York State Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination 

• North Carolina NC GCIA 

• North Dakota Department of Information Technology 

• Ohio Geographically Referenced Information Program 

• South Dakota Geological Survey 

• South Dakota State University 

• State of California, Department of Water Resources, Division of Technology Services 

• State of Nevada, Department of Transportation 

• State Of New Jersey, Department Of Environmental Protection 

• State of Oregon, Geospatial Enterprise Office 

• State of Utah, Automated Geographic Reference Center 

• State of Washington, Department of Information Services 

• State of Washington, Department of Transportation 

• Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration 

• Texas Natural Resources Information System 

• The Florida Department Of Revenue 

• The Florida Division Of Emergency Management 

• The Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission 

• The Florida Southwest Florida Water Management District 

• The Kentucky Commonwealth Office Of Technology, Division Of Geographic Information 

• The Maine Office Of GIS 

• The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources 

• The State Of Michigan, Center for Geographic Information 

• The Vermont Center For Geographic Information 

• The West Virginia State GIS Technical Center 

• University of Alabama 

• University of Denver 

• University of Idaho, Office of Sponsored Programs 

• University of Missouri 

• University of Montana 

• University of New Mexico 

• University of Wyoming 

• Wyoming Game and Fish Department 

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Local 

• Aiken County, SC 

• Benton County, AR 

• Chisago County, MN 

• City Of Augusta, GA 

• City Of Fort Wayne, IN 

• City of Salem, OR 

• Clark County, WA 

• Contra Costa County, CA 

• County of Kitsap, WA 

• County of Kitsap, WA 

• County of Los Angeles, CA 

• County of Nez Perce, ID 

• Dane County, WI 

• Florence County, SC 

• Indianapolis Mapping And Geographic Infrastructure System (IMAGIS), IN 

• Kent County, MI 

• McLeod County, MN 

• Muskegon County, MI 

• Ottawa County, MI 

• Richland County, SC 

• Sangamon County, IL 

• Shelby County, TN 

• Snohomish County, WA 

• Sumner County, TN 

• The Metropolitan Planning Commission For Nashville And Davidson County, TN 

• The Rutherford County, TN 

• Washoe County, NV 

• Williamson County, TN 

Other 

• Alaska Geographic Data Committee 

• Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments, CA 

• Avista Utilities Corporation, WA 

• Bexar Metro 9-1-1 Network District 

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58

• Coeur d' Alene Tribe, ID 

• Fort Benning Department Of Public Works/Environmental Management Division/Land 

Management Division 

• Hawaii Geographic Information Coordinating Council 

• Houston-Galveston Area Council 

• MDA Geospatial Services Incorporated, MN 

• Metropolitan Council of Minneapolis, MN 

• Mid-America Regional Council 

• Mid-Region Council of Governments 

• North Central Texas Council of Governments 

• Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission 

• Omaha-Council Bluffs Metro Area Planning Commission 

• San Diego Geographic Information Source, CA 

• San Francisco Estuary Institute, CA 

• Southern Nevada Water Authority 

• Squaxin Island Tribe, WA 

• Tri-College University International Water Institute