I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6294 

To improve the coordination and use of geospatial data. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 

Mr. WESTERMAN (for himself, Mr. HILL, and Mr. CRAWFORD) 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 2016’’. 

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, lines (for example a road), polygons 

23 (for example a forest), or other complex geo24 graphic features or phenomena (for example a 


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1 forest fire, the spread of West Nile virus, or the 

2 infestation of pine-bark beetles); 

3 (B) may be derived from, among other 

4 things, remote sensing, mapping, and surveying 

5 technologies; 

6 (C) includes— 

7 (i) images and raster datasets, aerial 

8 photographs, and other forms of geospatial 

9 data or datasets in digitized or non10 digitized form; 

11 (ii) data collected through the provi12 sion of services performed by professionals 

13 such as surveyors, photogrammetrists, hy14 drographers, geodesists, or cartographers 

15 in the creation, collection, or application 

16 of— 

17 (I) georeferenced graphical or 

18 digital data to depict natural or man19 made physical features, phenomena, 

20 or boundaries of the Earth and real 

21 property thereon; 

22 (II) geospatial intelligence; or 

23 (III) geometric measurements 

24 and related information pertaining to 

25 the physical or legal features of the 


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1 Earth, improvements on the Earth, 

2 the space above, on, or below the 

3 Earth; and 

4 (iii) any information relating to data 

5 described in clause (ii), including any such 

6 data that comprises a survey, map, chart, 

7 geographic information system, remotely 

8 sensed image or data, or an aerial photo9 graph through— 

10 (I) determining by measurement 

11 the configuration or contour of the 

12 Earth’s surface or the position of 

13 fixed objects thereon; 

14 (II) determining by performing 

15 geodetic surveys the size and shape of 

16 the Earth or the position of any point 

17 on the Earth; 

18 (III) locating, relocating, estab19 lishing, reestablishing, or retracing 

20 property lines or boundaries of any 

21 tract of land, road, right of way, or 

22 easement; 

23 (IV) making any survey for the 

24 division, subdivision, or consolidation 

25 of 1 or more tracts of land; 


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1 (V) locating or laying out align2 ments, positions, or elevations for the 

3 construction of fixed works; 

4 (VI) determining, by the use of 

5 principles of surveying, the position 

6 for any survey monument (boundary 

7 or non-boundary) or reference point 

8 or establishing or replacing any such 

9 monument or reference point; or 

10 (VII) creating, preparing, or 

11 modifying electronic or computerized 

12 or other data, relative to the perform13 ance of the activities described in this 

14 clause or clause (ii); and 

15 (D) does not include— 

16 (i) geospatial data activities of an In17 dian tribe not carried out, in whole or in 

18 part, using Federal funds, as determined 

19 by the tribal government; 

20 (ii) classified national security-related 

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

23 Executive Order 12951, as determined by 

24 the Secretary of Defense; 


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1 (iii) classified national security-related 

2 geospatial data activities of the Depart3 ment of Energy, unless declassified under 

4 Executive Order 12951, as determined by 

5 the Secretary of Energy; or 

6 (iv) intelligence geospatial data activi7 ties, as determined by the Director of Na8 tional Intelligence; 

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

10 given that term under section 4 of the Indian Self11 Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 

12 U.S.C. 450b); 

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

14 has the meaning given that term under section 102 

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

16 1002); 

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

18 lead covered agency for an NGDA data theme des19 ignated under section 6(b)(1); 

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

21 city, county, township, town, borough, parish, vil22 lage, or other general purpose political subdivision of 

23 a State; 

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

25 means information about geospatial data, including 


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1 the content, source, vintage, accuracy, condition, 

2 projection, responsible party, contact phone number, 

3 method of collection, and other characteristics or de4 scriptions of the geospatial data; 

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

6 National Geospatial Data Asset core geospatial 

7 datasets (including electronic records and coordi8 nates) relating to a topic or subject designated 

9 under section 6; 

10 (12) the term ‘‘National Spatial Data Infra11 structure’’ means the technology, policies, criteria, 

12 standards, and employees necessary to promote 

13 geospatial data sharing throughout the Federal Gov14 ernment, State, tribal, and local governments, and 

15 the private sector (including nonprofit organizations 

16 and institutions of higher education); and 

17 (13) the term ‘‘proven practices’’ means meth18 ods and activities that advance the use of geospatial 

19 data for the benefit of society. 

20 SEC. 3. FEDERAL GEOGRAPHIC DATA COMMITTEE. 

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

22 of Management and Budget an interagency committee to 

23 be known as the Federal Geographic Data Committee, 

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


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1 for the development, implementation, and review of poli2 cies, practices, and standards relating to geospatial data. 

3 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

4 (1) CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON.— 

5 The Director of the Office of Management and 

6 Budget and the Secretary of the Interior shall serve 

7 as Chairperson of the Committee and Vice Chair8 person of the Committee, respectively. 

9 (2) OTHER MEMBERS.—The President shall ap10 point the other members of the Committee from 

11 among the officers and employees of covered agen12 cies. 

13 (c) DUTIES.—The Committee shall— 

14 (1) lead the development and management of 

15 and operational decisionmaking for the National 

16 Spatial Data Infrastructure strategic plan and 

17 geospatial data policy in accordance with section 5; 

18 (2) designate NGDA data themes and oversee 

19 the coordinated management of the NGDA data 

20 themes in accordance with section 6; 

21 (3) establish and maintain geospatial data 

22 standards in accordance with section 7; 

23 (4) periodically review and determine the extent 

24 to which covered agencies comply with geospatial 

25 data standards; 


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1 (5) ensure that the GeoPlatform operates in ac2 cordance with section 8; 

3 (6) direct and facilitate national implementation 

4 of the system of NGDA data themes; 

5 (7) communicate with and foster communica6 tion among covered agencies and others entities and 

7 individuals relating to geospatial data technology de8 velopment, transfer, and exchange in order to— 

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

10 geospatial data; 

11 (B) promote cost-effective data collection, 

12 documentation, maintenance, distribution, and 

13 preservation strategies; and 

14 (C) leverage Federal and non-Federal re15 sources; 

16 (8) define roles and responsibilities and pro17 mote and guide cooperation and coordination among 

18 agencies of the Federal Government, State, tribal, 

19 and local governments, institutions of higher edu20 cation, and the private sector in the collection, pro21 duction, sharing, and use of geospatial information, 

22 the implementation of the National Spatial Data In23 frastructure, and the identification of proven prac24 tices; 


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1 (9) coordinate with international organizations 

2 having an interest in the National Spatial Data In3 frastructure or global spatial data infrastructures; 

4 (10) make available online and update at least 

5 annually— 

6 (A) a summary of the status for each 

7 NGDA data theme, based on the report sub8 mitted by the applicable lead covered agency 

9 under section 6(b)(3)(E)(ii)(I), which shall in10 clude— 

11 (i) an evaluation of the progress of 

12 each lead covered agency in achieving the 

13 requirements under subparagraphs (A), 

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

15 (ii) a determination of whether, for 

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

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

18 agency meets expectations, has made 

19 progress toward expectations, or fails to 

20 meet expectations; 

21 (B) a summary and evaluation of the 

22 achievements of each covered agency, based on 

23 the annual report submitted by the covered 

24 agency under section 9(b)(1), which shall in25 clude a determination of whether the covered 


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1 agency meets expectations, has made progress 

2 toward expectations, or fails to meet expecta3 tions for each of paragraphs (1) through (14) 

4 of section 9(a); 

5 (C) a collection of periodic technical publi6 cations, management articles, and reports re7 lated to the National Spatial Data Infrastruc8 ture; and 

9 (D) a membership directory for the Com10 mittee, including identifying members of any 

11 subcommittee or working group of the Com12 mittee; 

13 (11)(A) make available to and request com14 ments from the Advisory Committee regarding the 

15 summaries and evaluations required under subpara16 graphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (10); 

17 (B) if requested by the Advisory Committee, re18 spond to any comments by the Advisory Committee; 

19 and 

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

21 Congress a report that includes the summaries and 

22 evaluations required under subparagraphs (A) and 

23 (B) of paragraph (10), the comments of the Advi24 sory Committee, and the responses of the Committee 

25 to the comments; 


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1 (12)(A) make available to and request com2 ments from covered agencies regarding the sum3 maries and evaluations required under subpara4 graphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (10); and 

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

6 Congress a report that includes the comments of the 

7 covered agencies and the responses of the Committee 

8 to the comments; and 

9 (13) support and promote the infrastructure of 

10 networks, systems, services, and standards that pro11 vide a digital representation of the Earth to users 

12 for many applications. 

13 SEC. 4. NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 

14 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the ex15 ecutive branch the National Geospatial Advisory Com16 mittee to provide advice and recommendations to the 

17 Chairperson of the Committee. 

18 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

19 (1) COMPOSITION.—The Advisory Committee 

20 shall be composed of 30 members who shall be— 

21 (A) appointed by the Chairperson of the 

22 Committee; 

23 (B) selected— 

24 (i) to generally achieve a balanced 

25 representation of the viewpoints of various 


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1 interested parties involved in national 

2 geospatial activities and the development of 

3 the National Spatial Data Infrastructure; 

4 and 

5 (ii) with consideration of a geographic 

6 balance of residence of the members; and 

7 (C) selected from among groups involved 

8 in the geospatial community, including— 

9 (i) States; 

10 (ii) local governments; 

11 (iii) regional governments; 

12 (iv) tribal governments; 

13 (v) private sector entities; 

14 (vi) geospatial information user indus15 tries; 

16 (vii) professional associations; 

17 (viii) scholarly associations; 

18 (ix) nonprofit organizations; 

19 (x) academia; and 

20 (xi) the Federal Government. 

21 (2) CHAIRPERSON.—The Chairperson of the 

22 Committee shall appoint the Chairperson of the Ad23 visory Committee. 

24 (3) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—Members shall be ap2 pointed for a term of 3 years, with the term of 

1 3 ⁄3 of the members expiring each year. 

4 (B) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the Ad5 visory Committee shall not affect its powers, 

6 but shall be filled in the same manner as the 

7 original appointment. 

8 (4) LIMIT ON TERMS.—An individual— 

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

10 consecutive terms as a member of the Advisory 

11 Committee; and 

12 (B) after serving for 2 consecutive terms, 

13 is eligible to be appointed as a member of the 

14 Advisory Committee on and after the date that 

15 is 2 years after the end of the second consecu16 tive term of the individual as a member of the 

17 Advisory Committee. 

18 (5) ETHICAL REQUIREMENTS.—A member of 

19 the Advisory Committee may not participate in any 

20 specific-party matter (including a lease, license, per21 mit, contract, claim, agreement, or related litigation) 

22 with the Department of the Interior in which the 

23 member has a direct financial interest. 

24 (6) INCUMBENTS.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—An individual serving 

2 on the day before the date of enactment of this 

3 Act as a member of the National Geospatial 

4 Advisory Committee established by the Sec5 retary of the Interior may serve as a member 

6 of the Advisory Committee until the end of the 

7 term of the individual under the appointment. 

8 (B) LIMIT ON TERMS.—Any period of serv9 ice as a member of the National Geospatial Ad10 visory Committee established by the Secretary 

11 of the Interior shall be considered a period of 

12 service as a member of the Advisory Committee 

13 for purposes of paragraph (4). 

14 (c) SUBCOMMITTEES.—A subcommittee of the Advi15 sory Committee— 

16 (1) may be formed for the purposes of com17 piling information or conducting research; 

18 (2) shall be composed of members appointed by 

19 the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee; 

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

21 Chairperson of the Advisory Committee; 

22 (4) shall report the recommendations of the 

23 subcommittee to the Advisory Committee for consid24 eration; and 


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1 (5) shall meet as necessary to accomplish the 

2 objectives of the subcommittee, subject to the ap3 proval of the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee 

4 and the availability of resources. 

5 (d) MEETINGS.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Committee 

7 shall meet at the call of the Chairman, not less than 

8 1 time each year and not more than 4 times each 

9 year. 

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

11 the Advisory Committee shall constitute a quorum, 

12 but a lesser number of members may hold hearings. 

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

14 Advisory Committee shall— 

15 (1) provide advice and recommendations relat16 ing to— 

17 (A) the management of Federal and na18 tional geospatial programs; 

19 (B) the development of the National Spa20 tial Data Infrastructure; and 

21 (C) implementation of this Act; 

22 (2) review and comment on geospatial policy 

23 and management issues; and 


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1 (3) ensure the views of representatives of non2 Federal interested parties involved in national 

3 geospatial activities are conveyed to the Committee. 

4 (f) POWERS OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE.— 

5 (1) HEARINGS.—The Advisory Committee may 

6 hold such hearings, sit and act at such times and 

7 places, take such testimony, and receive such evi8 dence as the Advisory Committee considers advisable 

9 to carry out this Act. 

10 (2) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 

11 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Com12 mittee may secure directly from any Federal 

13 agency such information as the Advisory Com14 mittee considers necessary to carry out this Act. 

15 Upon request of the Chairperson of the Advi16 sory Committee, the head of such agency shall 

17 furnish such information to the Advisory Com18 mittee. 

19 (B) NONCOOPERATION.—The Advisory 

20 Committee shall include in the comments of the 

21 Advisory Committee submitted under section 

22 3(c)(11) a discussion of any failure by a Fed23 eral agency to furnish information in response 

24 to a request under subparagraph (A) of this 

25 paragraph. 


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1 (3) POSTAL SERVICES.—The Advisory Com2 mittee may use the United States mails in the same 

3 manner and under the same conditions as other 

4 agencies of the Federal Government. 

5 (4) GIFTS.—The Advisory Committee— 

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

7 or donations of services or property; and 

8 (B) shall establish rules for the acceptance, 

9 use, and disposition of gifts and donations that 

10 avoid any conflict of interest or appearance of 

11 a conflict of interest. 

12 (g) ADVISORY COMMITTEE PERSONNEL MATTERS.— 

13 (1) NO COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.— 

14 (A) NON-FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—A mem15 ber of the Advisory Committee who is not an 

16 officer or employee of the Federal Government 

17 shall serve without compensation. 

18 (B) FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—A member of 

19 the Advisory Committee who is an officer or 

20 employee of the Federal Government shall serve 

21 without compensation in addition to the com22 pensation received for the services of the mem23 ber as an officer or employee of the Federal 

24 Government. 


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

2 Advisory Committee shall be allowed travel expenses, 

3 including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates 

4 authorized for employees of agencies under sub5 chapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 

6 Code, while away from their homes or regular places 

7 of business in the performance of services for the 

8 Advisory Committee. 

9 (3) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.— 

10 Any Federal Government employee may be detailed 

11 to the Advisory Committee without reimbursement, 

12 and such detail shall be without interruption or loss 

13 of civil service status or privilege. 

14 (h) APPLICABILITY OF FACA.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para16 graph (2), the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 

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

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

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

20 shall not apply to the Advisory Committee. 

21 (i) TERMINATION.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para23 graph (2), the Advisory Committee shall terminate 

24 10 years after the date of enactment of this Act. 


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1 (2) CONTINUATION.—The Advisory Committee 

2 may be continued for successive 10-year periods by 

3 action taken by the Director of the Office of Man4 agement and Budget to renew the Advisory Com5 mittee before the date on which the Advisory Com6 mittee would otherwise terminate. 

7 SEC. 5. NATIONAL SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURE. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The National Spatial Data Infra9 structure shall ensure that geospatial data from multiple 

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

11 and tribal governments, the private sector, and institu12 tions of higher education) is available and easily inte13 grated to enhance the understanding of the physical and 

14 cultural world. 

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

16 Infrastructure are to— 

17 (1) ensure— 

18 (A) the privacy and security of the per19 sonal data of individuals and accuracy of statis20 tical information on individuals, both in raw 

21 form and in derived information products; 

22 (B) free access for the public to geospatial 

23 data, information, and interpretive products, in 

24 accordance with Office of Management and 


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1 Budget Circular A–130, or any successor there2 to; 

3 (C) the protection of proprietary interests 

4 related to licensed information and data; and 

5 (D) the interoperability of Federal infor6 mation systems to enable the drawing of re7 sources from covered agencies and partners of 

8 covered agencies; and 

9 (2) support and advance the establishment of a 

10 Global Spatial Data Infrastructure, consistent with 

11 national security, national defense, national intel12 ligence, and international trade requirements, in13 cluding insuring that covered agencies develop inter14 national geospatial data in accordance with inter15 national voluntary consensus standards, as defined 

16 in Office of Management and Budget Circular A– 

17 119, or any successor thereto. 

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

19 and maintain a strategic plan for the development and im20 plementation of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure 

21 in a manner consistent with national security, national de22 fense, and emergency preparedness program policies re23 garding data accessibility. 

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

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


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1 responsibilities relating to implementation of the National 

2 Spatial Data Infrastructure. 

3 SEC. 6. NGDA DATA THEMES. 

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

5 NGDA data themes the primary topics and subjects for 

6 which the coordinated development, maintenance, and dis7 semination of geospatial data will benefit the Federal Gov8 ernment and the interests of the people of the United 

9 States, which shall— 

10 (1) be representations of conceptual topics de11 scribing digital spatial information for the Nation; 

12 and 

13 (2) contain associated datasets (with attribute 

14 records and coordinates)— 

15 (A) that are documented, verifiable, and 

16 officially designated to meet recognized stand17 ards; 

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

19 (C) from which other datasets may be de20 rived. 

21 (b) LEAD COVERED AGENCIES.— 

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

23 theme, the Committee shall designate 1 or more cov24 ered agencies as the lead covered agencies for the 

25 NGDA data theme. 


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1 (2) GENERAL RESPONSIBILITY.—The lead cov2 ered agencies for an NGDA data theme shall be re3 sponsible for ensuring the coordinated management 

4 of the data, supporting resources (including tech5 nology and personnel), and related services and 

6 products of the NGDA data theme. 

7 (3) SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES.—To assist in 

8 fulfilling the responsibilities under paragraph (2) 

9 with respect to an NGDA data theme, the lead cov10 ered agencies shall— 

11 (A) provide leadership and facilitate the 

12 development and implementation of geospatial 

13 data standards for the NGDA data theme, with 

14 a particular emphasis on a data content stand15 ard for the NGDA data theme, including by— 

16 (i) assessing existing standards; 

17 (ii) identifying anticipated or needed 

18 data standards; and 

19 (iii) developing a plan to originate and 

20 implement needed standards with relevant 

21 community and international practices— 

22 (I) in accordance with Office of 

23 Management and Budget Circular A– 

24 119, or any successor thereto; and 


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1 (II) consistent with or as a part 

2 of the plan described in subparagraph 

3 (B); 

4 (B) provide leadership and facilitate the 

5 development and implementation of a plan for 

6 nationwide population of the NGDA data 

7 theme, which shall— 

8 (i) include developing partnership pro9 grams with States, Indian tribes, institu10 tions of higher education, private sector 

11 entities, other Federal agencies, and local 

12 governments; 

13 (ii) meet the needs of users of 

14 geospatial data; 

15 (iii) address human and financial re16 source needs; 

17 (iv) identify needs relating to stand18 ards, metadata for geospatial data within 

19 the NGDA data theme, and the 

20 GeoPlatform; and 

21 (v) expedite the development of nec22 essary NGDA data themes; 

23 (C) establish goals that support the stra24 tegic plan for the National Spatial Data Infra25 structure prepared under section 5(c); 


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1 (D) as necessary, collect and analyze infor2 mation from users of geospatial data within the 

3 NGDA data theme regarding the needs of the 

4 users for geospatial data and incorporate the 

5 needs of users in strategies relating to the 

6 NGDA data theme; and 

7 (E) as part of administering the NGDA 

8 data theme— 

9 (i) designate a point of contact within 

10 the lead covered agency who shall be re11 sponsible for developing, maintaining, co12 ordination relating to, and disseminating 

13 data using the GeoPlatform; 

14 (ii) submit to the Committee— 

15 (I) a performance report, at least 

16 annually, that documents the activi17 ties relating to and implementation of 

18 the NGDA data theme, including 

19 progress in achieving the requirements 

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

21 and (D); and 

22 (II) comments, as appropriate, 

23 regarding the summary and evalua24 tion of the performance report proVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:01 Oct 06, 2016 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6294.IH H6294

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1 vided by the Committee under section 

2 3(c)(12); 

3 (iii) publish maps or comparable 

4 graphics online (in accordance with the 

5 mapping conventions specified by the Com6 mittee) showing the extent and status of 

7 the NGDA data themes for which the cov8 ered agency is a lead covered agency; 

9 (iv) encourage individuals and entities 

10 that are a source of geospatial data or 

11 metadata for geospatial data for the 

12 NGDA data theme to provide access to 

13 such data through the GeoPlatform; 

14 (v) coordinate with the GeoPlatform; 

15 and 

16 (vi) identify and publish proven prac17 tices for the use and application of 

18 geospatial data of the lead covered agency. 

19 SEC. 7. GEOSPATIAL DATA STANDARDS. 

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

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

22 the Committee shall establish standards for each NGDA 

23 data theme, which— 

24 (1) shall include— 


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1 (A) rules, conditions, guidelines, and char2 acteristics for the geospatial data within the 

3 NGDA data theme and related processes, tech4 nology, and organization; and 

5 (B) content standards for metadata for 

6 geospatial data within the NGDA data theme; 

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

8 consistent international standards and protocols; and 

9 (3) the Committee shall periodically review and 

10 update as necessary for the standards to remain cur11 rent, relevant, and effective. 

12 (b) DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARDS.—The Committee 

13 shall— 

14 (1) develop and promulgate standards under 

15 this section— 

16 (A) in accordance with Office of Manage17 ment and Budget Circular A–119, or any suc18 cessor thereto; and 

19 (B) after consultation with a broad range 

20 of data users and providers; 

21 (2) to the maximum extent possible, use na22 tional and international standards adopted by vol23 untary standards consensus bodies; and 

24 (3) establish new standards only to the extent 

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


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1 (c) EXCLUSION.—The Director of the Office of Man2 agement and Budget shall withhold from public disclosure 

3 any information the disclosure of which reasonably could 

4 be expected to cause damage to the national interest, secu5 rity, or defense of the United States. 

6 SEC. 8. GEOPLATFORM. 

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

8 electronic service that provides access to geospatial data 

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

10 GeoPlatform. 

11 (b) IMPLEMENTATION.—The GeoPlatform— 

12 (1) shall— 

13 (A) be available through the Internet and 

14 other communications means; 

15 (B) be accessible through a common inter16 face; and 

17 (C) include all geospatial data collected by 

18 covered agencies, directly or indirectly; and 

19 (2) may include geospatial data from a source 

20 other than a covered agency, if determined appro21 priate by the Committee. 

22 SEC. 9. COVERED AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES. 

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

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

25 strategy for advancing geographic information and 


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1 related geospatial data activities appropriate to the 

2 mission of the covered agency, in support of the 

3 strategic plan for the National Spatial Data Infra4 structure prepared under section 5(c); 

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

6 geospatial data such that the resulting data, infor7 mation, or products can be readily shared with other 

8 Federal agencies and non-Federal users; 

9 (3) promote the integration of geospatial data 

10 from all sources; 

11 (4) ensure that data information products and 

12 other records created in geospatial data activities are 

13 included on agency record schedules that have been 

14 approved by the National Archives and Records Ad15 ministration; 

16 (5) allocate resources to fulfill the responsibil17 ities of effective geospatial data collection, produc18 tion, and stewardship with regard to related activi19 ties of the covered agency, and as necessary to sup20 port the activities of the Committee; 

21 (6) use the geospatial data standards, including 

22 the standards for metadata for geospatial data, and 

23 other appropriate standards, including documenting 

24 geospatial data with the relevant metadata and mak25 ing metadata available through the GeoPlatform; 


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1 (7) coordinate and work in partnership with 

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

3 local governments, institutions of higher education, 

4 and the private sector to efficiently and cost-effec5 tively collect, integrate, maintain, disseminate, and 

6 preserve geospatial data, building upon existing non7 Federal geospatial data to the extent possible; 

8 (8) use geospatial information to— 

9 (A) make Federal geospatial information 

10 and services more useful to the public; 

11 (B) enhance operations; 

12 (C) support decisionmaking; and 

13 (D) enhance reporting to the public and to 

14 Congress; 

15 (9) protect personal privacy and maintain con16 fidentiality in accordance with Federal policy and 

17 law; 

18 (10) support emergency response activities re19 quiring geospatial data in accordance with the Rob20 ert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency As21 sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) and other gov22 erning law; 

23 (11) participate in determining, when applica24 ble, whether data declassified pursuant to Executive 


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1 Order 12951 can contribute to and become a part 

2 of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure; 

3 (12) search all sources, including the 

4 GeoPlatform, to determine if existing Federal, State, 

5 local, or private geospatial data meets the needs of 

6 the covered agency before expending funds for 

7 geospatial data collection; 

8 (13) to the maximum extent practicable, ensure 

9 that a person receiving Federal funds for geospatial 

10 data collection provides high-quality data; and 

11 (14) appoint a contact to coordinate with the 

12 lead covered agencies for collection, acquisition, 

13 maintenance, and dissemination of the NGDA data 

14 themes used by the covered agency. 

15 (b) REPORTING.— 

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

17 submit to the Committee an annual report regarding 

18 the achievements of the covered agency in preparing 

19 and implementing the strategy described in sub20 section (a)(1) and complying with the other require21 ments under subsection (a). 

22 (2) BUDGET SUBMISSION.—Each covered agen23 cy shall include geospatial data as a capital asset for 

24 purposes of preparing the budget submission of the 

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


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1 States Code (including for purposes of the informa2 tion required under submissions under exhibits 53 

3 and 300 of Office of Management and Budget Cir4 cular A–11, relating to planning, budgeting, acquisi5 tion, and management of major information tech6 nology capital investments, or any successor there7 to). 

8 (3) DISCLOSURE.—Each covered agency shall 

9 disclose each contract, cooperative agreement, grant, 

10 or other transaction that deals with geospatial data, 

11 which may include posting information relating to 

12 the contract, cooperative agreement, grant, or other 

13 transaction on www.USAspending.gov, or any suc14 cessor thereto. 

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

16 budget justifications submitted by covered agencies, 

17 the Office of Management and Budget shall take 

18 into consideration the summary and evaluations re19 quired under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 

20 3(c)(10), comments, and replies to comments as re21 quired under paragraphs (11) and (12) of section 

22 3(c), in its annual evaluation of the budget justifica23 tion of each covered agency. 

24 (5) REPORTING.—The Office of Management 

25 and Budget shall include a discussion of the sumVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:01 Oct 06, 2016 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6294.IH H6294

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1 maries and evaluation of the progress in establishing 

2 the National Spatial Data Infrastructure in each E3 Government status report submitted under section 

4 3606 of title 44, United States Code. 

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

6 Inspector General or another senior ethics official of a cov7 ered agency shall submit to Congress an audit of the col8 lection, production, acquisition, maintenance, distribution, 

9 use, and preservation of geospatial data by the covered 

10 agency, which shall include a review of— 

11 (1) the compliance of the covered agency with 

12 the standards for geospatial data, including 

13 metadata for geospatial data, established under sec14 tion 7; 

15 (2) the compliance of the covered agency with 

16 the requirements under subsection (a); and 

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

18 limitation on the use of Federal funds under section 

19 10. 

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

21 On and after the date that is 4 years after the date 

22 of enactment of this Act, Federal funds shall not be avail23 able for the collection, production, acquisition, mainte24 nance, or dissemination of geospatial data that does not 


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1 comply with applicable standards established under sec2 tion 7, as determined by the Committee. 

3 SEC. 11. USE OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Committee and each covered 

5 agency shall, to the maximum extent practical, rely upon 

6 and use private individuals and entities in the United 

7 States for the acquisition of commercially available sur8 veying and mapping and the provision of geospatial serv9 ices. The Federal Government shall not commence or con10 tinue any surveying and mapping activity to provide, du11 plicate, or compete with a commercial product or service 

12 if the product or service is available on a more economical 

13 basis from a commercial source. 

14 (b) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘sur15 veying and mapping’’ has the meaning given that term by 

16 the General Services Administration for purposes of sec17 tion 1102 of title 40, United States Code. 

18 SEC. 12. RELATIONSHIP TO STATE LAW. 

19 Nothing in this Act shall preempt the laws of any 

20 State relating to the performance of services of a sur21 veying, mapping, or geospatial nature which, to any ex22 tent, are required to be performed or approved by a person 

23 licensed, registered, or certified to provide such services 

24 under such State law. 

Æ 


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