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www.fgdc.gov 1
A Historical PerspectiveNGAC created 88 years
after the 1st AC
J. Milo Robinson
Framework & Partnership Coordinator
Federal Geographic Data Committee
For NGAC March 24, 2010
www.fgdc.gov 2
Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)
• A US Federal interagency committee responsible for facilitating geospatial related activities and implementation of the NSDI across the Federal government
• Cooperate and coordinate with organizations from state, local and tribal governments, the academic community, and the private sector
• Created by revision to OMB Circular A-16
www.fgdc.gov 3
National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI)
The vision of the NSDI: to assure that spatial data from multiple sources (Federal, State, and local governments, academia, and the private sector) are widely available and easily integrated to enhance knowledge and understanding of our physical and cultural world.
www.fgdc.gov 4
Source Year Description
EOT.R.
1906
Created U. S. Geographic Board.
EO3206Wilson
1919
Created a new Board of Surveys and Maps that took over the responsibilities of U.S. Geographic Board.
EO9094FDR
1942
Abolished Board of Surveys and Maps and authorizes Director of OMB to perform the functions of the Board.
OMB(BOB) A-16
1953
Describes responsibilities of Federal agencies with regard to the coordination of surveying and mapping activities.
Historical Roots of FGDC
www.fgdc.gov 5
Executive orders
• Avoid duplication of work and improve the standardization of maps (1906)
• A central information office that was to furnish all map and survey data information within the government as well as from other sources (1919)
• Invite the ”map using public” to meetings for ”conference and advice” (1919)
www.fgdc.gov 6
How did the Board of Survey and Maps get Advice?
• Created an Advisory Committee• Major focus was the need for
– Topographic Map of the U.S.
• Held first public conference March 1920“..great possibilities, if we can do our work in
harmony within the organizations and in full cooperation with agencies from the outside.”
www.fgdc.gov 7
by Board Chair to the Advisory Committee
“we hope that you will be able to organize in the outside agencies, states, municipalities, technical societies and universities a method by which their work may be correlated. It is not enough that government alone should correlate its activities and establish its own standards, but it is necessary that other organizations public and private engaged in mapping and surveying work come into sufficiently close contact with the government that we may be operating under common standards”
www.fgdc.gov 8
Who was on the Advisory Committee?
• American Automobile Association• American Forestry Association• American Institute of Electrical Engineers• Amer. Inst. Of Mining & Metallurgical Eng.• Amer. Railway Eng. Association• Association of State Geologists • Engineering Council• Geologic Society of America• Map Publishers• National Research Council• Society of Automotive Eng.• Later on: American Society of Photogrammetry• Later on: Rand McNally
www.fgdc.gov 9
How was Advisory Committee (AC) Organized?
• Chairman• Secretary • Executive Committee• 22 members• AC will disseminate information so that everyone
interested can write to the AC• Board would always be glad to receive
suggestions from AC
www.fgdc.gov 10
Advisory Committee aligned with Board’s Standing Committees
• Coordination• Cooperation• Technical Standards• Topographic Maps• Highway Maps• General Maps• Control• Photographic Surveying• Information
www.fgdc.gov 11
Minutes of Meeting March 1921…there were not 12 Federal agencies which
were making topographic maps … careful investigation had shown that only 5 or 6 Federal agencies were actually engaged…
www.fgdc.gov 12
From the minutes (1921)
• The Advisory Council could help in expediting the mapping of the United States, particularly by urging congress to recognize it as a major engineering activity
• Congress would pay more attention to non-official presentations then to bureau chiefs
www.fgdc.gov 13
Undated Report circa 1941
“One reason for the creation of the Advisory Council was to serve as a watch dog over the Board and to prevent it going to extremes. The Board is please that ‘disciplinary action’ has not been necessary. Instead it seeks a more active and a larger participation by the Advisory Committee in Board and Committee meetings”
www.fgdc.gov 14
Advisory Committee• Continued participation at Board meetings
through 1942• Generally 2-4 members attend public
meeting• Little separate information about the AC• Six EO (1920-1936) amending EO 3206• 1942 Board & AC abolished and Bureau of
Budget (OMB) took over responsibilities (EO 9094)
www.fgdc.gov 16
OMB Rules• Bureau of the Budget, began its program of geospatial
coordination in 1940 when it hired Robert Randal, an engineer, to perform this task.
• He became responsible for all the mapping production programs of the Federal Government. He held this position until he retired in 1960.
• He was the first President of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping and played a vital role in improving geospatial coordination.
• OMB Circular A-16, first issued in 1953 and since revised, mostly recent in 2002, remains the leading policy document for geospatial coordination in United States.
www.fgdc.gov 17
Conclusions• Coordination policies have well-established roots• Policy goals are the same as in the past
– standards– authoritative information source– broad participation in the coordination process.
• Coordination of geographic data is important.• Ways to improve the organizational effectiveness of often stove-
piped organizational structures within the Federal Government are needed.
• Need to stimulate cross agency coordination and collaboration• History has shown that improving coordination and fostering
organizational change that will benefit the development of the NSDI is difficult. If it was easy it would have been done 100 years ago.
