Social, Political, and Financial Issues of

Connecting Geodatain and between

Governmental AgenciesOh Myyy!

Dr. Robert S. ChenDirector and Senior Research ScientistCIESIN, The Earth Institute

Which Governmental Agencies? Federal State Local Regional Tribal

Other national, provincial, local governments

UN agencies Other intergovernmental

entities

The U.S. Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) has ~32 agency members◦ Agriculture, Commerce◦ DOD, US Army Corps◦ Education, Energy◦ Health & Human Services◦ Homeland Security◦ Housing & Urban Development◦ Interior, Justice, Labor◦ OMB, State, Transportation◦ Treasury, VA, EPA, FCC (non-voting)◦ GSA, Library of Congress◦ NASA*, NARA, NCPC*, NSF*◦ NRC, OPM*, SBA, Smithsonian*◦ Social Security, TVA, USAID

* Currently no representative listed!

NGA? NRO? CIA?

(Aren’t some missing?)

http://xkcd.com/1358/

What Topics?

Old stuff & New Stuff Little stuff & BIG STUFF Simple stuff & cOmpLeX StUff Static stuff & Dynamic Stuff Current stuff & Uncertain

Future Prediction and

Scenario Stuff Public stuff & Private stuff Local stuff & CLOUD STUFF My stuff & Everyone Else’s

Stuff!

What Do We Need to Connect?

http://xkcd.com/1360/

Integration – Small-Area Output

Aggregate data for administrative districts with tabulated population data and environmental characteristics

County IDMean Ann. Temp.

Max. Ann. Precip.

Rent, Rural

Rent, Urban

Own, Rural

Own, Urban

Vacant, Rural

Vacant, Urban

G17003100001 21.2 768 3129 1063 637 365 34 33G17003100002 23.4 589 2949 1075 1469 717 0 0G17003100003 24.3 867 3418 1589 1108 617 0 0G17003100004 21.5 943 1882 425 202 142 123 0G17003100005 24.1 867 2416 572 426 197 189 0G17003100006 24.4 697 2560 934 950 563 220 14G17003100007 25.6 701 2126 653 321 215 209 46

Social Issues: Given the number of players, it is easy for standards and initiatives to proliferate

http://xkcd.com/927/

Here are some of the players I know about…

(That doesn’t mean we should only have one solution!)

http://xkcd.com/1179/

Political Issues: Open access isn’t consistently defined, accepted, or implemented

Example: Although the U.S. Federal government recognizes the “public domain” status of much Federal data, that status isn’t necessarily recognized in other jurisdictions or known to users

Mixing of public and private sources of data and support becoming more common, leading to uncertainties about IP rights

Difficult policy (and technical) issues related to privacy, confidentiality, security, indigenous rights, cultural heritage, ecological protection, long-term rights, etc.

But there is progress…

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/memoranda/2013/m-13-13.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-data-charter/g8-open-data-charter-and-technical-annex

http://www.earthobservations.org/documents/dsp/201310_full_and_open_principle_interpretation_living_paper.pdf

Being unknown doesn’t cut it when competing for funding, promotion, long-term support, etc.

Financial Issues: All of us, even agencies, need recognition

NASA invests heavily in both access and use metrics

User statistics American Consumer

Satisfaction Index (ACSI)

SEDAC is working to assess the value of integrating social science and remote sensing data

Cited but not used

Used as background or context -- Used in figure only

Used in study design -- Hypothesis/theory development -- Sample selection -- Other 

Used in trend or spatial analysis 

Used in statistical model -- Statistically significant? -- Total number of variables 

Used in simulation model -- Key component or variable -- Minor variable or parameter -- Baseline or boundary condition 

Used for validation purposes 

Used in research translation -- Making results relevant to policy -- Enabling use in applications -- Cited in conclusion/discussion

Both used as background or context

Both used in study design

Both used in trend or spatial analysis

Both used in statistical model

Both used in simulation model

Both used for validation purposes

Both used in research translation

SEDAC data used in research translation

Mixed uses

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

No. of Papers*

* Includes multiple dual uses in some papers

• Fall AGU paper analyzed 49 papers from 2012 citing both SEDAC and remote sensing data

• More than half of the papers (26) reported simultaneous use of SEDAC and RS data in a trend/spatial analysis or a statistical or simulation model

• Four papers used SEDAC data mainly for research translation (RT)

The U.S. National Climate Assessment provides a problem-focused interagency framework for linking geodata

The NCADAC recommends that the U.S. Global Change Research Program develop and implement a system of indicators to provide decision-relevant information on physical, natural, and social climate changes, impacts, vulnerabilities, and preparedness and to contribute to a sustained assessment process. NCADAC adopts the proposal developed by the Indicator Work Group, which includes recommendations for the implementation of a pilot set of indicators as the first steptowards a sustained indicator system.

Figure 1. Conceptual Model for the National Climate Indicator System.

But perhaps we still need some new strategies!

Thanks for your attention!