EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT 

 OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503 

 

March 3, 2006 

M-06-07 

MEMORANDUM FOR HEADS OF SELECTED EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND 

AGENCIES 

FROM: Clay Johnson III 

 Deputy Director for Management 

SUBJECT: Designation of a Senior Agency Official for Geospatial Information 

To assist agencies and ensure consistency across the government, OMB is asking 

selected executive departments and agencies (see Attachment A for selected departments and 

agencies) to designate a senior agency official who has agency-wide responsibility, 

accountability, and authority for geospatial information issues. Over the past several years, 

Federal agencies have better coordinated the government’s geospatial investments across 

agencies and with State, local, and tribal governments. However, much work remains to identify 

and optimize Federal government investments. Through further coordination, we will maximize 

our buying and maintaining of geospatial investments instead of independently investing in 

potentially duplicative and costly data and capabilities. 

Geospatial information (information associated with a specific geographic location) 

supports many missions including national security, law enforcement, health care, the 

environment, and natural resources conservation. Examples of geospatial information include 

maps, satellite imagery, and census and housing data as well as information identified by a 

region or jurisdiction an agency may make available to other agencies, the public, or Congress. 

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has issued several policies relating to 

geospatial data, standards, and investments, including OMB Circulars A-11, A-16, A-119, and 

A-130. In addition, Executive Order 12906 and the E-Government Act of 2002, section 216 

(Common Protocols for Geographic Information Systems), contain geospatial-related 

requirements. Some agencies have successfully implemented these policies by designating one 

agency official to be responsible and accountable for geospatial activities and investments. The 

Chief Information Officer may already perform this role in your agency. Alternatively, you may 

designate another senior official (at the Assistant Secretary or equivalent level) for this role. 

The senior agency official will oversee, coordinate, and facilitate the agency’s 

implementation of the geospatial-related requirements, policies, and activities noted above. 

While these activities may be undertaken by various components of an agency, OMB will look 

to the senior agency official for information regarding the agency’s coordination of these 

activities. 
Agencies responsible for spatial data themes are already required to be members of the 

Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) pursuant to OMB Circular A-16.1 As a result of 

the senior agency official’s responsibility for internal coordination and implementation of 

geospatial-related initiatives and activities, the senior agency official will also serve as the 

policy-level official to represent each selected agency on the FGDC Steering Committee. 

Please send your designations for the senior agency official within 45 days of the date of 

this memorandum to Stacie Boyd, Government-to-Government Portfolio Manager, Office of 

E-Government and Information Technology, at Stacie_Boyd@omb.eop.gov or (202) 395-0342 

(fax). Please provide the official’s name, title, and contact information (phone number and email 

address). Ms. Boyd can also answer any questions your agency may have about this 

memorandum at (202) 395-0346. 

Attachment 

 

1

Data themes are defined in OMB Circular A-16, Coordination of Geographic Information and Related Spatial Data 

Activities, as electronic records and coordinates for a topic or subject. Examples of data themes include cultural and 

demographic statistics, housing, and transportation. 
Attachment A – Selected Executive Departments and Agencies that Produce, Maintain, or 

Use Geospatial Information 

Department of Agriculture 

Department of Commerce 

Department of Defense 

Department of Education 

Department of Energy 

Department of Health and Human Services 

Department of Homeland Security 

Department of Housing and Urban Development 

Department of the Interior 

Department of Justice 

Department of Labor 

Department of State 

Department of Transportation 

Department of Treasury 

Department of Veterans Affairs 

Environmental Protection Agency 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

Social Security Administration 

Agency for International Development 

General Services Administration 

National Archives and Records Administration 

National Science Foundation 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

Office of Personnel Management 

Small Business Administration 

Smithsonian Institution 

Tennessee Valley Authority