Advancing the NationalGeospatial Platform

Jerry Johnston

US Department of the Interior

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Brief History of FGDCOMB Circular A-16 (rev. 2002, Supplemental Guidance 2010)• Provides for improvements in coordination and use of

spatial data• Establishes vision for the National Spatial Data

Infrastructure• Establishes FGDC as coordinating body for NSDI

activities within federal government• Exemptions include:

• Classified NSI-related activities of DoD unless declassified by EO 12951

• Intelligence spatial data activities

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FGDC Structure and Participants

Steering Committee

Interior * DOT

OMB * Treasury

USDA VA

DOC EPA

DoD (NGA) GSA

NSF LoC

DOE NASA

HHS NARA

DHS NRC

HUD SSA

State TVA

USAID Education

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FGDC Recent Accomplishments

FY 2011 Migration of Geospatial One-Stop to

Data.gov Beginning implementation of A-16

Supplemental Guidance / Portfolio Management

Endorsement of 64 non-Federally authored standards (partnership with DoD / IC)

Continued design, planning, implementation for Geospatial Platform

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Open Government

“Information

maintained by the

Federal Government is

a national asset.”

President Obama January 21, 2009

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Open GovernmentJanuary 21, 2009 Memo for Heads of Federal Agencies and Departments

Government should be Transparent Government should be Participatory Government should be Collaborative

CTO Directed to issue Open Government Directive Instructions for Executive Branch on required actions for

implementing these principles How data will be released to the public How agencies will engage the public in policy making How to leverage emerging platforms “Hardwiring Executive Branch Accountability”

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Open GovernmentDecember 8, 2009 Release of OGD

Numerous key deadlines and deliverables established, including:

1/22/2010: Each Department to publish 3 high value datasets to Data.gov

1/22/2010: Each Department to designate high-level senior official to be accountable for open government data quality, objectivity, etc.

2/6/2010: Each Department to create open government webpage at http://www.[agency].gov

4/7/2010: Each Department to publish its Open Government Plan that describes how it will improve transparency and integrate public participation and collaboration into its activities

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Data.gov

There are over 24,000 .gov web sites – difficult to navigate

Public must understand the federal organizational structure to find datasets on key topics

Data exists in portals – are not “raw” machine downloadableor data locked in legacy systems

Web sites not designed for new generation of technologies on the web

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Data.govBeyond Transparency: Driving InnovationThe Federal Government does not have a monopoly on good ideas• Access to Information unleashes creativity

• Innovation drives sustainability

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Data.gov

When GPS

was made available

(w/o Selective Availability)

markets were created

innovation happened!

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Data.gov Break down stovepipes to increase access to data

Encouraging development of innovative applications

Instant access: Downloadable data only one click away

Data that can be manipulated and mashed-up (“machine readable”)

Tools that provide access to complex datastores

Widgets

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History and ChallengesGreat success in making data available through metadata catalogs (Geospatial One Stop, Data.gov)

Products in these catalogs still not easily accessed and understood by key decision makers and “non-experts”

A proliferation of portals – no single place to develop and publish geospatial information products across USG

Adoption of standards and publishing of open data / services has been widespread across USG agencies

Some agencies have difficulty in getting through the technical hurdles and effort / cost required to publish

Opportunities for moving data, services and applications to cloud computing

Limited adoption and uptake to date

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Call to Action – Geospatial Platform Background "In 2010 and 2011, Federal data managers for geospatial data will

move to a portfolio management approach, creating a Geospatial

Platform to support Geospatial One-Stop, place-based

initiatives, and other potential future programs. This

transformation will be facilitated by improving the governance

framework to address the requirements of State, local and tribal

agencies, Administration policy, and agency mission objectives.

Investments will be prioritized based on business needs. The

Geospatial Platform will explore opportunities for increased

collaboration with Data.gov, with an emphasis on reuse of

architectural standards and technology, ultimately increasing

access to geospatial data."

President’s Budget, Fiscal Year 2011

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Supporting Decision Making

The Geospatial Platform will enable decision makers to work more effectively through:

Putting issues and events in the context of location, the surrounding environment, and the people affected

Understanding complex issues and integrate multiple data elements through one map

Recognizing trends and relationships that might otherwise be missed

Communicating clearly and effectively – a picture is worth 1000 words

Integrating disparate types of data from multiple organizations into quickly and easily understood formats

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Target Technical Architecture

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“Phase One”

http://geo.data.gov

Data.gov “Map Gallery”and http://geoplatform.gov

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http://www.geoplatform.gov/

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Open StandardsCurrent support for and reliance upon: WMS, CS-W (and metadata content standards)Near term needs: WFS, OGC GeoServices RESTLonger term: WCS, WPSOpen service standards are what will make this successful

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High Priority Work in Progress

Shared Hosting InfrastructureCommunities of Practice / InterestFederation and Sharing among multiple “Platforms”Building the user experience that leverages ArcGIS Portal / ArcGIS Online

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Conclusions & Road AheadThe Geospatial Platform is evolving to a policy and technology layer that will help:

Enable access to information products that support timely policy decisions

Support easy and inexpensive data publishing and sharing

Facilitate collaboration with partners to produce information products

Promote better understanding of cross-government issues

Present users with a “consumer mapping” experience for non-experts

Empower government agencies and their partners to more effectively use geography to tell their stories to a wide variety of stakeholders

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Supplemental Links

* General Services Administration (organization responsible for buildingData.gov and parts of Geoplatform.gov): www.gsa.gov

* Open Government Initiative:  www.whitehouse.gov/open

* White House Office of e-Government:  http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov