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May/June
2002
Internet
Watch
by
Keri Funderburg
One-stop
Shopping for Geospatial Data
New
E-Gov Initiative Promises to Make Finding Geospatial Data Easier
Maybe
you’re planning a transit route or rehabilitation of an existing road?
For performing many tasks in the public and private sectors of the
transportation industry, geospatial data are crucial. Each year, the
Federal Government spends millions of dollars on geographic data,
which are used by hundreds of government agencies, private sector
groups, and citizens. According to 1993 estimates by the Office of
Management and Budget, the Federal Government shells out $4.1 billion
annually to collect and manage geographic data. State and local governments
are estimated to be spending twice that amount.
In 1994,
then-President Clinton issued Executive Order 12906, creating the
National Spatial Data Infrastructure to promote the use of geospatial
information in the public and private sectors. Since then, the use
of geographic and geospatial data has become increasingly widespread,
including applications within the transportation industry.
Despite
the importance of geospatial information, the task of collecting and
sharing it has not been easy or cost-efficient. Without a central
location from which to access geospatial data, researchers often have
to visit multiple sites. Lacking a single resource that provides a
list of sites where data are available, transportation professionals
are left with the daunting task of trying to identify whether certain
data even exist. In addition, much of the information currently collected
does not follow uniform standards that would minimize redundancy and
ensure consistency across data sets. Geospatial One-Stop, a new Federal
e-government initiative, is about to change all that.
Geospatial
One-Stop
This
Internet site, as its name implies, is a one-stop-shop for a variety
of geospatial data and information. Accessible through the web, the
site enables users from around the country— in Federal, State, and
local govern- ment agencies and the private sector— to locate geospatial
data quickly and efficiently. When complete, Geospatial One-Stop will:
- Provide
access to existing geospatial data classified as
digital orthoimagery or categorized into six data sets: transportation,
hydrographic, cadastral (property), elevation (terrestrial and bathymetric),
government boundary, and geodetic control;
- List
planned and upcoming geographic data that will
be accessible through Geospatial One-Stop;
- Launch
new types of geographic data and mapping services;
and
- Implement
geographic data standards developed under
the National Spatial Data Infrastructure to ensure data consistency,
minimize collection redundancy,
and improve data compatibility.
Who’s
Behind It?
Development
of the site is led by the U.S. Department of Interior, with assistance
from the U.S. Department of Transportation and several other agencies.
The Geospatial One-Stop site is one of 23 components of the Federal
Government’s e-gov initiative. The geospatial one-stop-shop will help
support government-to-government operations at all levels and also
will be useful to private citizens and professionals seeking geospatial
information. The Geospatial One-Stop data will be collected by multiple
government agencies at all levels, thereby establishing partnerships
among the Federal Government and several State and local governments.
Within
DOT, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) is responsible
for the transportation data that will be accessible through Geospatial
One-Stop. To help ensure the accuracy and uniformity of the data,
BTS is developing its own set of data standards. Geospatial One- Stop
will contain information on all modes of transportation, including
both physical and nonphysical elements of the transportation system.
In addition to accuracy and uniformity, BTS also is concerned with
the usefulness of the transportation data. The bureau solicited the
help of various stakeholder groups to participate in the develop-
ment process. Participation ranges from simply observing the process
to participating on the Model Advisory Team, which is one of the groups
responsible for making key data decisions.
Externally
to DOT, the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) is leading the
overall data collection efforts. The FGDC is composed of 17 executive-level
Federal agencies (including DOT) and several nongovernmental organizations.
Once
complete, the benefits from Geospatial One-Stop will be immeasurable.
Its implementation will help make government more cost-efficient and
responsive. Other benefits will include:
- Higher
quality, more reliable, and more consistent geospatial
data;
- Greater
access to standard data sets for governments, private
industry, and the public;
- Improved
decision-making regarding Federal and State programs
due to greater availability of information;
- Enhanced
partnerships among Federal, State, local, private, tribal, and academic
groups, all of whom will have access to the Geospatial One-Stop; and
- Increased
intergovernmental efficiency because all parties will have access
to the same data. The Geospatial One-Stop is currently under development,
and developers hope to launch the site by the end of 2002. PUBLIC
ROADS will provide the web address once the site becomes active.
Keri
Funderburg is a contributing editor for PUBLIC ROADS and is employed
by ICF Consulting of Fairfax, VA.
Other
Articles in this issue:
Arizona
Tackles Work Zone Delays
A
Hallmark of Context-Sensitive Design
Safer
Roads Thanks to ITS
Do
Better Roads Mean More Jobs?
Exciting
Opportunity for ITS Work
See
It Before It's Built
Roadway
Lighting Revisited
The
Man Who Loved Roads
Benefitting
from LTPP—A State's Perspective
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