Geospatial One-Stop

The Geospatial One-Stop (GOS) is a Federal E-Gov initiative begun in 2002.  Briefly, the goals of the GOS are to:

• Develop a data exchange standard and models for geospatial data;
• Create an interactive index and access to geospatial data held by the Federal Government and non-Federal organizations through a web portal; and
• Encourage greater interaction between and among Federal, state, and local agencies plus academia and the private sector. 

Implementing the data exchange goals of the Geospatial One-Stop is being accomplished through the development of a framework data content standard for the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Framework themes.  This single standard contains all seven Framework themes.  Federal, state and local governments plus private sector and academia have cooperated to develop this standard.

The portal components are based on standards developed for the NSDI Themes and the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) web services.

Access to the standard and improving access to geospatial data should act as the catalyst for greater interaction and cooperation between all levels of government, the private sector, and academia.

Within the NSDI, and as defined in OMB Circular A-16, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) is responsible for coordinating the development of the Transportation Framework Theme.  The USDOT / Research and Innovative Technology Administration / Bureau of Transportation Statistics has been leading the transportation effort since the inception of this initiative.

Transportation is unique within the NSDI framework themes because it is multi modal (highways, railways, air, and transit).  Each mode of transportation behaves differently and needed to be treated separately within the standard.  That is, rail has different characteristics than roads, and transit is different from air.  To that end, the USDOT worked with the transportation geospatial community to address the unique qualities of each mode.  The USDOT used the following process to develop these standards:

• Identify interested organizations and individuals within each modal community to participate in the standards development process;
• Gather requirements from each mode-specific group;
• Conduct meetings to develop consensus; and
• Work with the Open Geospatial Consortium and State and local governments to create an open, interoperable prototype portal for transportation data. This portal will provide an Internet access point to transportation geospatial data and web mapping services.

Current Status — Summer 2005

All transportation components of the Geospatial One Stop standard have completed the initial public review process.  Comments received through this review have been adjudicated, edited, and the comprehensive standard document, including all seven NSDI Framework Themes, will be submitted to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) by the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) for its review and eventual adoption.

Additional information is available through the Geospatial One-Stop web site, the Geospatial One Stop Portal, and the FGDC standards web site.