United States Department of the Interior

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
Washington, D.C. 20240

Sent via email

MEMORANDUM

To: President’s Management Council

/ y AUG 1 - 90)
From: Anne J. Castle Vn C Cobh)

Chair, Federal Geographic Data Committee
Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, U.S. Department of the Interior

Subject: Federal Geographic Data Committee -- Designation of Senior Agency Official for
Geospatial Information

I am writing to you in my capacity as Chair of the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC).
The FGDC is an interagency committee that promotes the coordinated development, use,
sharing, and dissemination of geospatial data on a national basis. The FGDC provides leadership
and facilitates coordination between agencies, governments, academia, industry and professional
organizations in developing geographic information and technology critical to managing the
nation. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) established the FGDC through OMB
Circular A-16, “Coordination of Geographic Information and Related Spatial Data Activities.”
Executive Order 12906 (Clinton, 1994) assigns responsibility for the implementation of the
National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) to the FGDC. These coordination activities are
facilitated by the FGDC Secretariat, hosted within the U.S. Geological Survey. The work of the
FGDC is particularly important in today’s era of difficult budgets to ensure that geospatial data
systems and efforts are well coordinated and non-duplicative.

FGDC Steering Committee Meeting

The FGDC Steering Committee held its initial 2011 meeting on Tuesday, June 7 in Washington,
D.C. Information about the meeting is posted at: http://www. fgdc.gov/participation/steering-
committee/meeting-minutes/june-2011/index_html. The next Steering Committee meeting is
being planned for October 2011.

FGDC Steering Committee Membership — Response Requested

OMB Memorandum M-06-07, “Designation of a Senior Agency Official for Geospatial
Information,” asks agencies to designate a Senior Agency Official for Geospatial Information
(SAOGI) to oversee, coordinate, and facilitate the agency’s implementation of the geospatial-
related requirements, policies, and activities. Generally, the SAOGI should be at the Assistant
Secretary or Chief Information Officer level. The SAOGI serves as the agency’s representative
on the FGDC Steering Committee.


Please identify the official who will serve as Senior Agency Official for Geospatial
Information and represent your organization on the FGDC Steering Committee.
Please send your responses to Ivan DeLoatch, FGDC Executive Director, at
ideloatch@fgdc.gov by July 15, 2011. Mr. DeLoatch can be reached at
703-648-5752.

Geospatial data and technology will play a key role in addressing a variety of Administration
priorities. The Steering Committee will play a critical role in addressing several important
geospatially-oriented policy issues, including Information Technology Reform, Place-based
Policies, Open Government, Data.gov, the Geospatial Platform, and other shared services
initiatives.

I will provide an agenda and additional information prior to the next Steering Committee
meeting which will be held in early October. Please let me or Mr. DeLoatch know if you have
additional issues or topics to be addressed through the FGDC Steering Committee. I look
forward to working with you to advance the Administration’s geospatial agenda.