National Spatial Data Infrastructure: Concepts and Components Douglas Nebert U.S. Federal Geographic Data Committee Secretariat September 2004

National Spatial Data Infrastructure:

Concepts and Components

Douglas NebertU.S. Federal Geographic

Data Committee Secretariat

September 2004

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What is a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI)?

“The SDI provides a basis for spatial data discovery, evaluation, and application for users and providers within all levels of government, the commercial sector, the non-profit sector, academia and by citizens in general.”

--The SDI Cookbook http://www.gsdi.org

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Who needs access to coordinated geographic information?

Land Records AdjudicationDisaster ResponseTransportation ManagementWater, gas & electric planningPublic ProtectionDefenseNatural Resource ManagementTelecommunications Infrastructure Economic DevelopmentCivic EntrepreneursRegional Stewards

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Components of a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI)

Policies & Institutional Arrangements (governance, data privacy & security, data sharing, cost recovery)People (training, professional development, cooperation, outreach)Data (digital base map, thematic, statistical, place names)Technology (hardware, software, networks, databases, technical implementation plans)

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Why build an SDI?

Build data once and use it many times for many applicationsIntegrate distributed providers of data: Cooperative governance“Place-based management”Share costs of data creation and maintenanceSupport sustainable economic, social, and environmental development

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Benefits of an NSDIDevelopment of a private sector involved with data sales and added valueA chance for communities of all sizes and capabilities to participate in the knowledge economyA more informed voter/citizenIncreased access to distributed geo-information through standards

Creating the motivation Development of an SDI should be a voluntary and have long-term vision Government roles may require both incentives and directives Commercial and non-commercial participants should find SDI appealing as a market The correct solution for NSDI must be defined by the community

Government Role in Infrastructure

National Interstate Highway system built for defense logistics, now baseline for commerce DARPA/ARPA advanced Internet infrastructure design, establishing the backbone Promotes standards to enable compatible solutions We cannot imagine the fullest extent of how the NSDI will be populated or what applications will live upon it!

Here’s one overview of the pieces of the NSDI

The first task is to inventory who has what data of what type and quality A standardized form of metadata was published in June 1994 by the FGDC. An international standard now exists and will be adopted by the US beginning in 2005

MetadataMetadataMetadataMetadata

Metadata...

Provides documentation of existing internal geospatial data resources within an organisation (inventory)Permits structured search and comparison of held spatial data by others (catalog)Provides end-users with adequate information to take the data and use it in an appropriate context (documentation)

Metadata describes existing data holdings for order, retrieval, or local use Metadata should be used to describe all types of data, emphasis on ‘truth in labeling’


Geospatial DataGeospatial DataGeospatial DataGeospatial Data

Special-use thematic layers are built and described as available geospatial dataCommon data layers are being defined in the Framework activity


FrameworkFramework GEOdataGEOdata

Framework supports...Community development of sets of spatial features, feature representation, and attribution to a lowest common denominatorParticipant collecting, converting, or associating information to common Framework data standards with an encoding format to facilitate exchangeMultiple representations of real-world features at different scales and times by feature identifier and generalization

ServicesServicesServicesServices

The NSDI includes the services to help discover and interact with data



This Discovery Service is the core function of the NSDI Clearinghouse for geospatial information and the GOS geodata.gov portal

Services

An important common service in SDI is that of discovering resources through metadata

DiscoveryDiscovery AccessAccess ProcessingProcessing



NSDI Clearinghouse Network and geodata.gov portal

Supports uniform, distributed search through a single user interface to all domestic metadata collections to find data and mapsA free advertising mechanism to provide world access to your holdings under the principle of “truth-in-labeling”Search for spatial data through fields and full-text in the metadata and categorical browsingLinks through to full data access and online web mapping services, where available

ServicesDiscoveryDiscovery AccessAccess ProcessingProcessing

This may be made via static files on ftp or via online data streaming services. These services deliver ‘raw’ data, not maps.

A second class of services provides standardised access to geospatial information



Data Access Concepts

Standardisation of data access implies several things: Definition of model used for the data

to be exchanged Adoption of an exchange or encoding

format Agreement on data access protocol(s)

Organisations should strive to identify the mode(s) of operation to simplify data exchange

ServicesDiscoveryDiscovery AccessAccess ProcessingProcessing

A third class of services provides additional processing on geospatial information



Processing Services These include capabilities that

extend and enhance the delivery of data through processes applied to raw data: Web Mapping Services Symbolization Coordinate Transformation Analysis or topologic overlay services Routing services

Standardization makes SDI work Standards touch every SDI activity

DiscoveryDiscovery

StandardsStandards

AccessAccessServices

ProcessingProcessing

Standards include specifications, formal standards, and documented practices



FGDC Standards...

Created by thematic subcommittees as national standards, representing community consensus view of data theme or common approachSubmitted for 90-day public review Reviewed across disciplines for uniformityPublished as US Federal StandardsStandards by ISO, OGC, W3C and other standardization bodies are used FIRST, if they exist!

Roles of standards bodies

OpenGIS OpenGIS ConsortiumConsortium

Software interfaces(ImplementationSpecifications)

ISO TC 211ISO TC 211

Foundations forimplementation.

(Abstract standards)

NationalNationalStandardsStandards

Content standards,Authority for data

Endorsed practices and specifications

NSDINSDI

OtherNSDIs

Partnerships extend our capabilities

StandardsStandards

PartnershipsPartnerships

DiscoveryDiscovery AccessAccessServices




Partnerships are the glue...

FGDC has recognized 40+ geographic data councils across the country to establish 2-way coordination mechanismsFGDC has funded numerous agencies with “seed” funding to further existing efforts along common linesPartnerships extend local capabilities in technology, skills, logistics, and dataThe National Map is a partnership designed to serve Framework data themes from distributed participating organizations for multiple purposes

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Regional consortia

Locally formed, interdependentInclusive, voluntary, openState, local, federal, tribal, academic, private sectorExpanded from existing collaborations

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Best practices

Treat data as strategic, capital assets and public goodsCollaborate and CoordinateAlign roles, responsibilities and resources for data stewardshipOrganize Effective and Efficient Production and Stewardship of DataPool and Leverage Investments

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Effective regional consortia:

Address Institutional BarriersIdentify most effective ways to collect, maintain and distribute Data Determine business needs, inventory data assets, identify gaps, estimate investment costDesignate data stewardsDevelop Enterprise Plans for Data production and publication by the most appropriate partner at accuracy and scale needed by local jurisdictions

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Effective regional consortia:

Aid State/local participation in Geospatial One-StopWork with OGC on cutting edge of technology (Semantic Translators and exchange schemas, Web Services)Help OMB and agencies in budget processEnable role, responsibility, resource alignmentProvide, steward, and publish America’s Data Assets

Metadata

Treated together this comprises the NSDI

GEOdata

Clearinghouse (catalog)

Framework

Standards



StandardsStandards





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Douglas Nebert

Federal Geographic Data Committee Secretariat

[email protected]://www.fgdc.gov

(703) 648-4151

http://www.fgdc.gov/

CAP Categories and the NSDI

StandardsStandards






1

Metadata Implementation

StandardsStandards






2

Metadata Outreach and Training

StandardsStandards






3

Institution Building and Coordination

StandardsStandards






4

Web Mapping

StandardsStandards






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Web Feature Service and Framework

StandardsStandards






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Participation in The National Map

Documents

National Spatial Data Infrastructure: Concepts and Components Douglas Nebert U.S. Federal Geographic Data Committee Secretariat September 2004