I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4395 

To improve the coordination and use of geospatial data. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 15, 2017 

Mr. WESTERMAN (for himself and Mr. MOULTON) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government 

Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To improve the coordination and use of geospatial data. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Geospatial Data Act 

5 of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act— 

8 (1) the term ‘‘Advisory Committee’’ means the 

9 National Geospatial Advisory Committee described 

10 in section 4(a); 


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1 (2) the term ‘‘Committee’’ means the Federal 

2 Geographic Data Committee established under sec3 tion 3(a); 

4 (3) the term ‘‘covered agency’’ means an agen5 cy, as defined in section 551 of title 5, United States 

6 Code, that collects, produces, acquires, maintains, 

7 distributes, uses, or preserves geospatial data on 

8 paper or in electronic form to fulfill the mission of 

9 the agency, either directly or through a relationship 

10 with another organization, including a State, local 

11 government, Indian tribe, institution of higher edu12 cation, business partner or contractor of the Federal 

13 Government, and the public; 

14 (4) the term ‘‘GeoPlatform’’ means the 

15 GeoPlatform described in section 8(a); 

16 (5) the term ‘‘geospatial data’’— 

17 (A) means information that is tied to a lo18 cation on the Earth, including by identifying 

19 the geographic location and characteristics of 

20 natural or constructed features and boundaries 

21 on the Earth, and that is generally represented 

22 by points (for example a well), lines (for exam23 ple a road), polygons (for example a forest), or 

24 other complex geographic features or phe25 nomena (for example a forest fire, the spread of 


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1 West Nile virus, or the infestation of pine-bark 

2 beetles); 

3 (B) may be derived from, among other 

4 things, remote sensing, mapping, and surveying 

5 technologies; 

6 (C) includes images and raster datasets, 

7 aerial photographs, and other forms of 

8 geospatial data or datasets in digitized or non9 digitized form; and 

10 (D) does not include— 

11 (i) geospatial data activities of an In12 dian tribe not carried out, in whole or in 

13 part, using Federal funds, as determined 

14 by the tribal government; 

15 (ii) classified national security-related 

16 geospatial data activities of the Depart17 ment of Defense, unless declassified under 

18 Executive Order 12951, as determined by 

19 the Secretary of Defense; 

20 (iii) classified national security-related 

21 geospatial data activities of the Depart22 ment of Energy, unless declassified under 

23 Executive Order 12951, as determined by 

24 the Secretary of Energy; or 


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1 (iv) intelligence geospatial data activi2 ties, as determined by the Director of Na3 tional Intelligence; 

4 (6) the term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ has the meaning 

5 given that term under section 4 of the Indian Self6 Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 

7 U.S.C. 450b); 

8 (7) the term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ 

9 has the meaning given that term under section 102 

10 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

11 1002); 

12 (8) the term ‘‘lead covered agency’’ means a 

13 lead covered agency for an NGDA data theme des14 ignated under section 6(b)(1); 

15 (9) the term ‘‘local government’’ means any 

16 city, county, township, town, borough, parish, vil17 lage, or other general purpose political subdivision of 

18 a State; 

19 (10) the term ‘‘metadata for geospatial data’’ 

20 means information about geospatial data, including 

21 the content, source, vintage, accuracy, condition, 

22 projection, responsible party, contact phone number, 

23 method of collection, and other characteristics or de24 scriptions of the geospatial data; 


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1 (11) the term ‘‘NGDA data theme’’ means the 

2 National Geospatial Data Asset core geospatial 

3 datasets (including electronic records and coordi4 nates) relating to a topic or subject designated 

5 under section 6; 

6 (12) the term ‘‘National Spatial Data Infra7 structure’’ means the technology, policies, criteria, 

8 standards, and employees necessary to promote 

9 geospatial data sharing throughout the Federal Gov10 ernment, State, tribal, and local governments, and 

11 the private sector (including nonprofit organizations 

12 and institutions of higher education); and 

13 (13) the term ‘‘proven practices’’ means meth14 ods and activities that advance the use of geospatial 

15 data for the benefit of society. 

16 SEC. 3. FEDERAL GEOGRAPHIC DATA COMMITTEE. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the Office 

18 of Management and Budget an interagency committee to 

19 be known as the Federal Geographic Data Committee, 

20 which shall act as the lead entity in the executive branch 

21 for the development, implementation, and review of poli22 cies, practices, and standards relating to geospatial data. 

23 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

24 (1) CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON.— 

25 The Director of the Office of Management and 


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1 Budget and the Secretary of the Interior shall serve 

2 as Chairperson of the Committee and Vice Chair3 person of the Committee, respectively. 

4 (2) OTHER MEMBERS.—The President shall ap5 point the other members of the Committee from 

6 among the officers and employees of covered agen7 cies. 

8 (c) DUTIES.—The Committee shall— 

9 (1) lead the development and management of 

10 and operational decision making for the National 

11 Spatial Data Infrastructure strategic plan and 

12 geospatial data policy in accordance with section 5; 

13 (2) designate NGDA data themes and oversee 

14 the coordinated management of the NGDA data 

15 themes in accordance with section 6; 

16 (3) establish and maintain geospatial data 

17 standards in accordance with section 7; 

18 (4) periodically review and determine the extent 

19 to which covered agencies comply with geospatial 

20 data standards; 

21 (5) ensure that the GeoPlatform operates in ac22 cordance with section 8; 

23 (6) direct and facilitate national implementation 

24 of the system of NGDA data themes; 


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1 (7) communicate with and foster communica2 tion among covered agencies and other entities and 

3 individuals relating to geospatial data technology de4 velopment, transfer, and exchange in order to— 

5 (A) identify and meet the needs of users of 

6 geospatial data; 

7 (B) promote cost-effective data collection, 

8 documentation, maintenance, distribution, and 

9 preservation strategies; and 

10 (C) leverage Federal and non-Federal re11 sources; 

12 (8) define roles and responsibilities and pro13 mote and guide cooperation and coordination among 

14 agencies of the Federal Government, State, tribal, 

15 and local governments, institutions of higher edu16 cation, and the private sector in the collection, pro17 duction, sharing, and use of geospatial information, 

18 the implementation of the National Spatial Data In19 frastructure, and the identification of proven prac20 tices; 

21 (9) coordinate with international organizations 

22 having an interest in the National Spatial Data In23 frastructure or global spatial data infrastructures; 

24 (10) make available online and update at least 

25 annually— 


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1 (A) a summary of the status for each 

2 NGDA data theme, based on the report sub3 mitted by the applicable lead covered agency 

4 under section 6(b)(3)(E)(ii)(I), which shall in5 clude— 

6 (i) an evaluation of the progress of 

7 each lead covered agency in achieving the 

8 requirements under subparagraphs (A), 

9 (B), (C), and (D) of section 6(b)(3); and 

10 (ii) a determination of whether, for 

11 each of subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and 

12 (D) of section 6(b)(3), each lead covered 

13 agency meets expectations, has made 

14 progress toward expectations, or fails to 

15 meet expectations; 

16 (B) a summary and evaluation of the 

17 achievements of each covered agency, based on 

18 the annual report submitted by the covered 

19 agency under section 9(b)(1), which shall in20 clude a determination of whether the covered 

21 agency meets expectations, has made progress 

22 toward expectations, or fails to meet expecta23 tions for each of paragraphs (1) through (14) 

24 of section 9(a); 


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1 (C) a collection of periodic technical publi2 cations, management articles, and reports re3 lated to the National Spatial Data Infrastruc4 ture; and 

5 (D) a membership directory for the Com6 mittee, including identifying members of any 

7 subcommittee or working group of the Com8 mittee; 

9 (11)(A) make available to and request com10 ments from the Advisory Committee regarding the 

11 summaries and evaluations required under subpara12 graphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (10); 

13 (B) if requested by the Advisory Committee, re14 spond to any comments by the Advisory Committee; 

15 and 

16 (C) not less than once every 2 years, submit to 

17 Congress a report that includes the summaries and 

18 evaluations required under subparagraphs (A) and 

19 (B) of paragraph (10), the comments of the Advi20 sory Committee, and the responses of the Committee 

21 to the comments; 

22 (12)(A) make available to and request com23 ments from covered agencies regarding the sum24 maries and evaluations required under subpara25 graphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (10); and 


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1 (B) not less than once every 2 years, submit to 

2 Congress a report that includes the comments of the 

3 covered agencies and the responses of the Committee 

4 to the comments; and 

5 (13) support and promote the infrastructure of 

6 networks, systems, services, and standards that pro7 vide a digital representation of the Earth to users 

8 for many applications. 

9 SEC. 4. NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 

10 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is in the Department 

11 of the Interior the National Geospatial Advisory Com12 mittee to provide advice and recommendations to the 

13 Chairperson of the Committee. 

14 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

15 (1) COMPOSITION.—The Advisory Committee 

16 shall be composed of 30 members who shall be— 

17 (A) appointed by the Chairperson of the 

18 Committee; 

19 (B) selected— 

20 (i) to generally achieve a balanced 

21 representation of the viewpoints of various 

22 interested parties involved in national 

23 geospatial activities and the development of 

24 the National Spatial Data Infrastructure; 

25 and 


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1 (ii) with consideration of a geographic 

2 balance of residence of the members; and 

3 (C) selected from among groups involved 

4 in the geospatial community, including— 

5 (i) States; 

6 (ii) local governments; 

7 (iii) regional governments; 

8 (iv) tribal governments; 

9 (v) private sector entities; 

10 (vi) geospatial information user indus11 tries; 

12 (vii) professional associations; 

13 (viii) scholarly associations; 

14 (ix) nonprofit organizations; 

15 (x) academia; and 

16 (xi) the Federal Government. 

17 (2) CHAIRPERSON.—The Chairperson of the 

18 Committee shall appoint the Chairperson of the Ad19 visory Committee. 

20 (3) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—Members shall be ap22 pointed for a term of 3 years, with the term of 

1 23 ⁄3 of the members expiring each year. 

24 (B) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the Ad25 visory Committee shall not affect its powers, 


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1 but shall be filled in the same manner as the 

2 original appointment. 

3 (4) LIMIT ON TERMS.—An individual— 

4 (A) may not be appointed to more than 2 

5 consecutive terms as a member of the Advisory 

6 Committee; and 

7 (B) after serving for 2 consecutive terms, 

8 is eligible to be appointed as a member of the 

9 Advisory Committee on and after the date that 

10 is 2 years after the end of the second consecu11 tive term of the individual as a member of the 

12 Advisory Committee. 

13 (5) ETHICAL REQUIREMENTS.—A member of 

14 the Advisory Committee may not participate in any 

15 specific-party matter (including a lease, license, per16 mit, contract, claim, agreement, or related litigation) 

17 with the Department of the Interior in which the 

18 member has a direct financial interest. 

19 (6) INCUMBENTS.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—An individual serving 

21 on the day before the date of enactment of this 

22 Act as a member of the National Geospatial 

23 Advisory Committee established by the Sec24 retary of the Interior may serve as a member 


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1 of the Advisory Committee until the end of the 

2 term of the individual under the appointment. 

3 (B) LIMIT ON TERMS.—Any period of serv4 ice as a member of the National Geospatial Ad5 visory Committee established by the Secretary 

6 of the Interior shall be considered a period of 

7 service as a member of the Advisory Committee 

8 for purposes of paragraph (4). 

9 (c) SUBCOMMITTEES.—A subcommittee of the Advi10 sory Committee— 

11 (1) may be formed for the purposes of com12 piling information or conducting research; 

13 (2) shall be composed of members appointed by 

14 the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee; 

15 (3) shall act only under the direction of the 

16 Chairperson of the Advisory Committee; 

17 (4) shall report the recommendations of the 

18 subcommittee to the Advisory Committee for consid19 eration; and 

20 (5) shall meet as necessary to accomplish the 

21 objectives of the subcommittee, subject to the ap22 proval of the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee 

23 and the availability of resources. 

24 (d) MEETINGS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Committee 

2 shall meet at the call of the Chairperson, not less 

3 than 1 time each year and not more than 4 times 

4 each year. 

5 (2) QUORUM.—A majority of the members of 

6 the Advisory Committee shall constitute a quorum, 

7 but a lesser number of members may hold meetings 

8 or hearings. 

9 (e) DUTIES OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—The 

10 Advisory Committee shall— 

11 (1) provide advice and recommendations relat12 ing to— 

13 (A) the management of Federal and na14 tional geospatial programs; 

15 (B) the development of the National Spa16 tial Data Infrastructure; and 

17 (C) implementation of this Act; 

18 (2) review and comment on geospatial policy 

19 and management issues; and 

20 (3) ensure the views of representatives of non21 Federal interested parties involved in national 

22 geospatial activities are conveyed to the Committee. 

23 (f) POWERS OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE.— 

24 (1) HEARINGS.—The Advisory Committee may 

25 hold such meetings or hearings, sit and act at such 


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1 times and places, take such testimony, and receive 

2 such evidence as the Advisory Committee considers 

3 advisable to carry out this Act. 

4 (2) INFORMATION FROM COVERED AGENCIES.— 

5 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Com6 mittee may secure directly from any covered 

7 agency such information as the Advisory Com8 mittee considers necessary to carry out this Act. 

9 Upon request of the Chairperson of the Advi10 sory Committee, the head of such agency shall 

11 furnish such information to the Advisory Com12 mittee. 

13 (B) NONCOOPERATION.—The Advisory 

14 Committee shall include in the comments of the 

15 Advisory Committee submitted under section 

16 3(c)(11) a discussion of any failure by a cov17 ered agency to furnish information in response 

18 to a request under subparagraph (A) of this 

19 paragraph. 

20 (3) POSTAL SERVICES.—The Advisory Com21 mittee may use the United States mails in the same 

22 manner and under the same conditions as other 

23 agencies of the Federal Government. 

24 (4) GIFTS.—The Advisory Committee— 


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1 (A) may accept, use, and dispose of gifts 

2 or donations of services or property; and 

3 (B) shall establish rules for the acceptance, 

4 use, and disposition of gifts and donations that 

5 avoid any conflict of interest or appearance of 

6 a conflict of interest. 

7 (g) ADVISORY COMMITTEE PERSONNEL MATTERS.— 

8 (1) NO COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.— 

9 (A) NON-FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—A mem10 ber of the Advisory Committee who is not an 

11 officer or employee of the Federal Government 

12 shall serve without compensation. 

13 (B) FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—A member of 

14 the Advisory Committee who is an officer or 

15 employee of the Federal Government shall serve 

16 without compensation in addition to the com17 pensation received for the services of the mem18 ber as an officer or employee of the Federal 

19 Government. 

20 (2) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The members of the 

21 Advisory Committee shall be allowed travel expenses, 

22 including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates 

23 authorized for employees of agencies under sub24 chapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 

25 Code, while away from their homes or regular places 


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1 of business in the performance of services for the 

2 Advisory Committee. 

3 (3) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.— 

4 Any Federal Government employee may be detailed 

5 to the Advisory Committee without reimbursement, 

6 and such detail shall be without interruption or loss 

7 of civil service status or privilege. 

8 (h) APPLICABILITY OF FACA.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para10 graph (2), the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 

11 U.S.C. App.) shall apply to the Advisory Committee. 

12 (2) NO TERMINATION.—Section 14(a)(2) of the 

13 Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) 

14 shall not apply to the Advisory Committee. 

15 (i) TERMINATION.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para17 graph (2), the Advisory Committee shall terminate 

18 10 years after the date of enactment of this Act. 

19 (2) CONTINUATION.—The Advisory Committee 

20 may be continued for successive 10-year periods by 

21 action taken by the Director of the Office of Man22 agement and Budget to renew the Advisory Com23 mittee before the date on which the Advisory Com24 mittee would otherwise terminate. 


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1 SEC. 5. NATIONAL SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURE. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The National Spatial Data Infra3 structure shall ensure that geospatial data from multiple 

4 sources (including the Federal Government, State, local, 

5 and tribal governments, the private sector, and institu6 tions of higher education) is available and easily inte7 grated to enhance the understanding of the physical and 

8 cultural world. 

9 (b) GOALS.—The goals of the National Spatial Data 

10 Infrastructure are to— 

11 (1) ensure— 

12 (A) the privacy and security of the per13 sonal data of individuals and accuracy of statis14 tical information on individuals, both in raw 

15 form and in derived information products; 

16 (B) free access for the public to geospatial 

17 data, information, and interpretive products, in 

18 accordance with Office of Management and 

19 Budget Circular A–130, or any successor there20 to; 

21 (C) the protection of proprietary interests 

22 related to licensed information and data; and 

23 (D) the interoperability of Federal infor24 mation systems to enable the drawing of re25 sources from covered agencies and partners of 

26 covered agencies; and 


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1 (2) support and advance the establishment of a 

2 Global Spatial Data Infrastructure, consistent with 

3 national security, national defense, national intel4 ligence, and international trade requirements, in5 cluding ensuring that covered agencies develop inter6 national geospatial data in accordance with inter7 national voluntary consensus standards, as defined 

8 in Office of Management and Budget Circular A– 

9 119, or any successor thereto. 

10 (c) STRATEGIC PLAN.—The Committee shall prepare 

11 and maintain a strategic plan for the development and im12 plementation of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure 

13 in a manner consistent with national security, national de14 fense, and emergency preparedness program policies re15 garding data accessibility. 

16 (d) ADVISORY ROLE.—The Committee shall advise 

17 Federal and non-Federal users of geospatial data on their 

18 responsibilities relating to implementation of the National 

19 Spatial Data Infrastructure. 

20 SEC. 6. NGDA DATA THEMES. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Committee shall designate as 

22 NGDA data themes the primary topics and subjects for 

23 which the coordinated development, maintenance, and dis24 semination of geospatial data will benefit the Federal GovVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:28 Nov 20, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4395.IH H4395

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1 ernment and the interests of the people of the United 

2 States, which shall— 

3 (1) be representations of conceptual topics de4 scribing digital spatial information for the Nation; 

5 and 

6 (2) contain associated datasets (with attribute 

7 records and coordinates)— 

8 (A) that are documented, verifiable, and 

9 officially designated to meet recognized stand10 ards; 

11 (B) that may be used in common; and 

12 (C) from which other datasets may be de13 rived. 

14 (b) LEAD COVERED AGENCIES.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—For each NGDA data 

16 theme, the Committee shall designate one or more 

17 covered agencies as the lead covered agencies for the 

18 NGDA data theme. 

19 (2) GENERAL RESPONSIBILITY.—The lead cov20 ered agencies for an NGDA data theme shall be re21 sponsible for ensuring the coordinated management 

22 of the data, supporting resources (including tech23 nology and personnel), and related services and 

24 products of the NGDA data theme. 


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1 (3) SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES.—To assist in 

2 fulfilling the responsibilities under paragraph (2) 

3 with respect to an NGDA data theme, the lead cov4 ered agencies shall— 

5 (A) provide leadership and facilitate the 

6 development and implementation of geospatial 

7 data standards for the NGDA data theme, with 

8 a particular emphasis on a data content stand9 ard for the NGDA data theme, including by— 

10 (i) assessing existing standards; 

11 (ii) identifying anticipated or needed 

12 data standards; and 

13 (iii) developing a plan to originate and 

14 implement needed standards with relevant 

15 community and international practices— 

16 (I) in accordance with Office of 

17 Management and Budget Circular A– 

18 119, or any successor thereto; and 

19 (II) consistent with or as a part 

20 of the plan described in subparagraph 

21 (B); 

22 (B) provide leadership and facilitate the 

23 development and implementation of a plan for 

24 nationwide population of the NGDA data 

25 theme, which shall— 


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1 (i) include developing partnership pro2 grams with States, Indian tribes, institu3 tions of higher education, private sector 

4 entities, other Federal agencies, and local 

5 governments; 

6 (ii) meet the needs of users of 

7 geospatial data; 

8 (iii) address human and financial re9 source needs; 

10 (iv) identify needs relating to stand11 ards, metadata for geospatial data within 

12 the NGDA data theme, and the 

13 GeoPlatform; and 

14 (v) expedite the development of nec15 essary NGDA data themes; 

16 (C) establish goals that support the stra17 tegic plan for the National Spatial Data Infra18 structure prepared under section 5(c); 

19 (D) as necessary, collect and analyze infor20 mation from users of geospatial data within the 

21 NGDA data theme regarding the needs of the 

22 users for geospatial data and incorporate the 

23 needs of users in strategies relating to the 

24 NGDA data theme; and 


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1 (E) as part of administering the NGDA 

2 data theme— 

3 (i) designate a point of contact within 

4 the lead covered agency who shall be re5 sponsible for developing, maintaining, co6 ordination relating to, and disseminating 

7 data using the GeoPlatform; 

8 (ii) submit to the Committee— 

9 (I) a performance report, at least 

10 annually, that documents the activi11 ties relating to and implementation of 

12 the NGDA data theme, including 

13 progress in achieving the requirements 

14 under subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), 

15 and (D); and 

16 (II) comments, as appropriate, 

17 regarding the summary and evalua18 tion of the performance report pro19 vided by the Committee under section 

20 3(c)(12); 

21 (iii) publish maps or comparable 

22 graphics online (in accordance with the 

23 mapping conventions specified by the Com24 mittee) showing the extent and status of 


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1 the NGDA data themes for which the cov2 ered agency is a lead covered agency; 

3 (iv) encourage individuals and entities 

4 that are a source of geospatial data or 

5 metadata for geospatial data for the 

6 NGDA data theme to provide access to 

7 such data through the GeoPlatform; 

8 (v) coordinate with the GeoPlatform; 

9 and 

10 (vi) identify and publish proven prac11 tices for the use and application of 

12 geospatial data of the lead covered agency. 

13 SEC. 7. GEOSPATIAL DATA STANDARDS. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—In accordance with section 216 of 

15 the E-Government Act of 2002 (44 U.S.C. 3501 note), 

16 the Committee shall establish standards for each NGDA 

17 data theme, which— 

18 (1) shall include— 

19 (A) rules, conditions, guidelines, and char20 acteristics for the geospatial data within the 

21 NGDA data theme and related processes, tech22 nology, and organization; and 

23 (B) content standards for metadata for 

24 geospatial data within the NGDA data theme; 


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1 (2) to the maximum extent practicable, shall be 

2 consistent international standards and protocols; and 

3 (3) the Committee shall periodically review and 

4 update as necessary for the standards to remain cur5 rent, relevant, and effective. 

6 (b) DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARDS.—The Committee 

7 shall— 

8 (1) develop and promulgate standards under 

9 this section— 

10 (A) in accordance with Office of Manage11 ment and Budget Circular A–119, or any suc12 cessor thereto; and 

13 (B) after consultation with a broad range 

14 of data users and providers; 

15 (2) to the maximum extent possible, use na16 tional and international standards adopted by vol17 untary standards consensus bodies; and 

18 (3) establish new standards only to the extent 

19 standards described in paragraph (2) do not exist. 

20 (c) EXCLUSION.—The Director of the Office of Man21 agement and Budget shall withhold from public disclosure 

22 any information the disclosure of which reasonably could 

23 be expected to cause damage to the national interest, secu24 rity, or defense of the United States, including informa25 tion relating to geospatial intelligence data activities, as 


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1 determined in consultation with the Director of National 

2 Intelligence. 

3 SEC. 8. GEOPLATFORM. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Committee shall operate an 

5 electronic service that provides access to geospatial data 

6 and metadata for geospatial data, to be known as the 

7 GeoPlatform. 

8 (b) IMPLEMENTATION.—The GeoPlatform— 

9 (1) shall— 

10 (A) be available through the internet and 

11 other communications means; 

12 (B) be accessible through a common inter13 face; 

14 (C) include all geospatial data collected by 

15 covered agencies, directly or indirectly; and 

16 (D) include a set of programming instruc17 tions and standards providing an automated 

18 means of accessing available geospatial data, 

19 which— 

20 (i) harmonize sources and data stand21 ards associated with geospatial data, in22 cluding metadata; and 

23 (ii) to the maximum extent prac24 ticable, as determined by the Chairperson 


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1 of the Committee, shall be made publicly 

2 available; 

3 (2) may include geospatial data from a source 

4 other than a covered agency, if determined appro5 priate by the Committee; and 

6 (3) shall not include proprietary data acquired 

7 under a license by the Federal Government. 

8 (c) CLARIFICATION.—Although the GeoPlatform is 

9 intended to include all National Geospatial Data Asset 

10 and other Federal datasets, nothing in this Act shall be 

11 construed to prevent a covered agency from also pre12 senting, providing, or disseminating data that is— 

13 (1) specific to the functions of the covered 

14 agency; or 

15 (2) targeted to information consumers that di16 rectly interface with the services, portals, or other 

17 mechanisms of the covered agency. 

18 SEC. 9. COVERED AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Each covered agency shall— 

20 (1) prepare, maintain, publish, and implement a 

21 strategy for advancing geographic information and 

22 related geospatial data activities appropriate to the 

23 mission of the covered agency, in support of the 

24 strategic plan for the National Spatial Data Infra25 structure prepared under section 5(c); 


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1 (2) collect, maintain, disseminate, and preserve 

2 geospatial data such that the resulting data, infor3 mation, or products can be readily shared with other 

4 Federal agencies and non-Federal users; 

5 (3) promote the integration of geospatial data 

6 from all sources; 

7 (4) ensure that data information products and 

8 other records created in geospatial data activities are 

9 included on agency record schedules that have been 

10 approved by the National Archives and Records Ad11 ministration; 

12 (5) allocate resources to fulfill the responsibil13 ities of effective geospatial data collection, produc14 tion, and stewardship with regard to related activi15 ties of the covered agency, and as necessary to sup16 port the activities of the Committee; 

17 (6) use the geospatial data standards, including 

18 the standards for metadata for geospatial data, and 

19 other appropriate standards, including documenting 

20 geospatial data with the relevant metadata and mak21 ing metadata available through the GeoPlatform; 

22 (7) coordinate and work in partnership with 

23 other Federal agencies, agencies of State, tribal, and 

24 local governments, institutions of higher education, 

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1 tively collect, integrate, maintain, disseminate, and 

2 preserve geospatial data, building upon existing non3 Federal geospatial data to the extent possible; 

4 (8) use geospatial information to— 

5 (A) make Federal geospatial information 

6 and services more useful to the public; 

7 (B) enhance operations; 

8 (C) support decision making; and 

9 (D) enhance reporting to the public and to 

10 Congress; 

11 (9) protect personal privacy and maintain con12 fidentiality in accordance with Federal policy and 

13 law; 

14 (10) support emergency response activities re15 quiring geospatial data in accordance with the Rob16 ert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency As17 sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) and other gov18 erning law; 

19 (11) participate in determining, when applica20 ble, whether data declassified pursuant to Executive 

21 Order 12951 can contribute to and become a part 

22 of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure; 

23 (12) search all sources, including the 

24 GeoPlatform, to determine if existing Federal, State, 

25 local, or private geospatial data meets the needs of 


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1 the covered agency before expending funds for 

2 geospatial data collection; 

3 (13) to the maximum extent practicable, ensure 

4 that a person receiving Federal funds for geospatial 

5 data collection provides high-quality data; and 

6 (14) appoint a contact to coordinate with the 

7 lead covered agencies for collection, acquisition, 

8 maintenance, and dissemination of the NGDA data 

9 themes used by the covered agency. 

10 (b) REPORTING.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each covered agency shall 

12 submit to the Committee an annual report regarding 

13 the achievements of the covered agency in preparing 

14 and implementing the strategy described in sub15 section (a)(1) and complying with the other require16 ments under subsection (a). 

17 (2) BUDGET SUBMISSION.—Each covered agen18 cy shall include geospatial data as a capital asset for 

19 purposes of preparing the budget submission of the 

20 President under section 1105(a) of title 31, United 

21 States Code (including for purposes of the informa22 tion required under submissions under exhibits 53 

23 and 300 of Office of Management and Budget Cir24 cular A–11, relating to planning, budgeting, acquisi25 tion, and management of major information techVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:28 Nov 20, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4395.IH H4395

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1 nology capital investments, or any successor there2 to). 

3 (3) DISCLOSURE.—Each covered agency shall 

4 disclose each contract, cooperative agreement, grant, 

5 or other transaction that deals with geospatial data, 

6 which may include posting information relating to 

7 the contract, cooperative agreement, grant, or other 

8 transaction on www.USAspending.gov, or any suc9 cessor thereto. 

10 (4) OMB REVIEW.—In reviewing the annual 

11 budget justifications submitted by covered agencies, 

12 the Office of Management and Budget shall take 

13 into consideration the summary and evaluations re14 quired under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 

15 3(c)(10), comments, and replies to comments as re16 quired under paragraphs (11) and (12) of section 

17 3(c), in its annual evaluation of the budget justifica18 tion of each covered agency. 

19 (5) REPORTING.—The Office of Management 

20 and Budget shall include a discussion of the sum21 maries and evaluation of the progress in establishing 

22 the National Spatial Data Infrastructure in each E23 Government status report submitted under section 

24 3606 of title 44, United States Code. 


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1 (c) AUDITS.—Not less than once every 2 years, the 

2 Inspector General of a covered agency (or senior ethics 

3 official of the covered agency for a covered agency without 

4 an Inspector General) shall submit to Congress an audit 

5 of the collection, production, acquisition, maintenance, dis6 tribution, use, and preservation of geospatial data by the 

7 covered agency, which shall include a review of— 

8 (1) the compliance of the covered agency with 

9 the standards for geospatial data, including 

10 metadata for geospatial data, established under sec11 tion 7; 

12 (2) the compliance of the covered agency with 

13 the requirements under subsection (a); and 

14 (3) the compliance of the covered agency on the 

15 limitation on the use of Federal funds under section 

16 10. 

17 SEC. 10. LIMITATION ON USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS. 

18 On and after the date that is 5 years after the date 

19 of enactment of this Act, Federal funds shall not be avail20 able for the collection, production, acquisition, mainte21 nance, or dissemination of geospatial data that does not 

22 comply with applicable standards established under sec23 tion 7, as determined by the Committee. 

Æ 


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