[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 225 (Friday, November 21, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62337-62338]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-30580]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey


Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC); Application Notice 
Announcing the Opening Date for Transmittal of Applications Under Three 
FGDC National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Partnership Funding 
Programs for Fiscal Year (FY) 1998 Under the Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance No. 15.809 National Spatial Data Infrastructure 
Competitive Cooperative Agreements Program

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, Interior.

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for the NSDI Cooperative 
Agreements Program awards, the NSDI Benefits Program awards, and the 
NSDI Framework Demonstration Projects Program awards, for fiscal year 
1998, with performance to begin in September 1998.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of the FGDC National Spatial Data Infrastructure 
(NSDI) Partnership Funding Programs is to facilitate and foster 
partnerships and alliances within and among various public and private 
entities to assist in building the NSDI. The NSDI consists of policies, 
standards, agreements, and partnerships among a variety of sectors and 
disciplines that promotes more cost-effective production, ready 
availability, and greater use of high quality geospatial data. Three 
separate but related programs constitute the FGDC Partnership Funding 
Programs: the NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program, the NSDI Benefits 
Program, and the NSDI Framework Demonstration Projects Program.
    The Cooperative Agreements Program funds projects focused on 
promoting metadata collection and creating clearinghouses of geographic 
data linked to the Internet, developing NSDI standards, advancing the 
NSDI through education, and organizing and strengthening State-wide or 
regional programs for geographic data sharing.
    The Benefits Program funds projects that assess the qualitative or 
quantitative benefits of using a shared data resource to solve 
particular problems over a given geographic area.
    The Framework Demonstration Projects Program funds projects that 
demonstrate technical, operational and business capabilities to 
collaboratively create and maintain certain categories of commonly 
needed ``Framework'' data. Activities initiated under each of the three 
mentioned programs will promote development and maintenance of and 
access to data sets that are needed for national, regional, State, and 
local analyses.
    Applications must involve partnering between two or more 
organizations. Applications may be submitted by Federal agencies, State 
and local government agencies, educational institutions, private firms, 
private foundations, and Federally acknowledged or State-recognized 
Native American tribes or groups. Applications from Federal agencies 
will not be competed against applications from other sources. 
Participants are expected to cost share in the project. Authority for 
this program is contained in the Organic Act of March 3, 1879, 43 
U.S.C. 31 and Executive Order 12906.

DATES: The program announcements and application forms for each of the 
three aforementioned programs are expected to be available on or about 
November 29, 1997. Applications must be received on or before February 
28, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Copies of Program Announcement #1434-HQ-98-PA-00044 for the 
NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program, Program Announcement #1434-HQ-98-
PA-00046 for the NSDI Benefits Program, and Program Announcement #1434-
HQ-98-PA-00045 for the NSDI Framework Demonstration Projects Program 
may be obtained by writing to Ms. Karen Staubs, U.S. Geological Survey, 
Office of Acquisition and Federal Assistance, Mail Stop 205B, 12201 
Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, Virginia 20192, (703) 648-7372, fax (703) 
648-7901. Also, copies of each Program Announcement will be available 
through the Internet at <www.usgs.gov\contracts\index.html>.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For the NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program contact Ms. Kathleen Craig, 
U.S. Geological Survey, Office of Acquisition and Federal Assistance, 
Mail Stop 205B, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, Virginia 20192; 
(703) 648-7357, fax (703) 648-7901.
    For the NSDI Benefits Program contact Ms. Deborah Walsh, U.S. 
Geological Survey, Office of Acquisition and Federal Assistance, Mail 
Stop 205B, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, Virginia 20192; (703) 
648-7384, fax (703) 648-7901.
    For the NSDI Framework Demonstration Projects Program contact Ms. 
Tammy Fanning, U.S. Geological Survey, Office of Acquisition and 
Federal Assistance, Mail Stop 205B, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, 
Virginia 20192; (703) 648-7363, fax (703) 648-7901.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the NSDI Cooperative Agreements 
Program proposals are to be directed towards any of four components of 
the NSDI. The first is the establishment of a National Geospatial Data 
Clearinghouse for finding and accessing geospatial data. Second is the 
development and promulgation of standards in data collection, 
documentation, transfer, and search and query. Third is the development 
and implementation of educational outreach programs to increase the 
awareness and understanding of the NSDI vision and concepts. Fourth is 
the building and strengthening of relationships among organizations to 
support digital geographic data coordination.
    Under the NSDI Benefits Program, proposals are to be directed 
towards projects that assess the benefits of using shared geographic 
data, or spatially referenced information, to aid a public decision-
making process within a particular geographic area. Assessment of the 
benefits of data sharing can be by quantitative or qualitative 
measures. No restriction is placed on the primary issue or problem 
being addressed. The problem may be environmental, economic, social, or 
cultural. Defined

[[Page 62338]]

geographic areas might include watersheds, ecosystems, counties, 
municipalities, regions, and so forth.
    Under the NSDI Framework Demonstration Projects Program, proposals 
are to be directed towards projects that demonstrate or operationalize 
the framework concept. Projects can address initial or advanced 
technical, operational, and business aspects/capabilities to 
collaboratively create and maintain certain categories of commonly 
needed ``Framework'' data, or deal with specific framework topics such 
as coding permanent feature identifiers, data integration, 
generalization, transactions and feature maintenance, feature level 
metadata, and data certification. Framework data are defined as 
geodetic control, cadastral, digital orthoimagery, elevation, 
bathymetry, transportation, hydrography, and governmental units.

    Dated: November 12, 1997.
Jack Fischer,
Associate Chief, Operations.
[FR Doc. 97-30580 Filed 11-20-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-31-M