National Spatial Data Infrastructure
Consistent means to share geographic data among all users could produce significant savings for data collection and use and enhance decision making. Executive Order 12906 calls for the establishment of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure defined as the technologies, policies, and people necessary to promote sharing of geospatial data throughout all levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors, and the academic community.
The goal of this Infrastructure is to reduce duplication of effort among agencies, improve quality and reduce costs related to geographic information, to make geographic data more accessible to the public, to increase the benefits of using available data, and to establish key partnerships with states, counties, cities, tribal nations, academia and the private sector to increase data availability.
The NSDI has come to be seen as the technology, policies,
criteria, standards and people necessary to promote geospatial data sharing
throughout all levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors,
and academia. It provides a base or structure of practices and relationships
among data producers and users that facilitates data sharing and use.
It is a set of actions and new ways of accessing, sharing and using geographic
data that enables far more comprehensive analysis of data to help decision-makers
choose the best course(s) of action. Much has been accomplished in recent
years to further the implementation of the NSDI, but there is still much
to be done to achieve the vision of current and accurate geographic data
being readily available across the country.
Related Information
- NSDI Strategic Plans
- Factsheets
- Read about the planning activities of the FGDC to support the development of the NSDI