Organization of the FGDC
The FGDC Steering Committee sets high-level strategic
direction for the FGDC as a whole. The Executive Committee of
officials from agencies with a major geospatial component in their
mission and a subset of the Steering Committee, provides additional
guidance to the Steering Committee. The Coordination Group advises on the day-to day
business of the FGDC. The Committee structure is composed of agency-led
Subcommittees and Working Groups. The Subcommittees are organized by
data themes, e.g. “Cadastral.” Working Groups play a crosscutting role,
dealing with issues that span many subcommittees, e.g. “Standards.” The
FGDC committees and working groups provide the basic structure for
institutions and individuals to interact regarding all aspects of NSDI
implementation. Collectively they establish and implement strategic
guidance and specific actions that support improved collection,
sharing, dissemination and use of geospatial data, contributing to the
development of the NSDI. Public interest groups participate within the
committee structure to ensure that their needs are included in
developing the national infrastructure. Building an effective NSDI
requires a well-coordinated effort among Federal, Tribal, State, local
government, and academic institutions, as well as a broad array of
private sector geographic, statistical, demographic, and other business
information providers and users. Involving these stakeholders in the
development of the NSDI addresses nationwide data needs of
end-users.
The National Geospatial Advisory
Committee (NGAC) is a Federal Advisory Committee sponsored by the
Department of the Interior. The NGAC, which reports to the FGDC Chair,
provides advice and recommendations on the management of Federal
geospatial programs and provides a forum to convey views representative
of non-federal stakeholders in the geospatial community. The NGAC
includes representatives from all levels of government, academia, and
the private sector.