New Jersey Discharger - Vol. The process of creating environmental data can be very complicated and expensive. Imagine your frustration when you realize the data you just spent hours and money creating were available for free from another agency. Unfortunately, you didn't know how and where to acquire the data to avoid this duplication. The FGDC has developed a standard to guide the public through the documentation of spatial data, otherwise known as metadata.
Metadata contain descriptive information such as who, what, where, why, and how data was created.
The FGDC requires a specific content and format for metadata to make it compliant with their standards and searchable over the internet. Utilizing the power of the internet, an FGDC clearinghouse node provides a forum for users to post, view and search compliant metadata as well as acquire the data set. One stop shopping through an internet Clearinghouse solves the problem of obtaining well-documented data in a timely and cost effective way. The DEP recognized the benefits of having a data clearinghouse for the New Jersey community. Accurate and reliable New Jersey information will be at the fingertips of DEP employees and other outside organizations.