NDSA:Draft Mission Statement

Return to the Geospatial Content Team main page.

Draft mission statement V3, updated May 30, 2012.

File:At-Risk-Content-Geospatial 3.doc

Comments to this document are still being accepted. Please use "track changes" and send your comments to John Faundeen at faundeen [at] usgs.gov.

Here is the wiki text version:

At Risk Content: Geospatial Records

Establish Value: Locational information is becoming integrated into all elements of our life. Place-based news stories, GPS navigation for our turn-by-turn driving systems, 3-D landscapes of our cities are now assumed to be available by the general population. These data having a spatial connotation are collectively known as geospatial records.

Recognize Opportunities: Traditionally, geospatial records have included paper maps and aerial photographs, but today include digital elevation models, orthorectified air photos, vector layers representing transportation networks as well as hydrologic drainage basins and countless other location-based collections.

Target Audiences: These audiences share multiple levels of local, state, national, and international interest. Some examples include:

• Local municipalities: county and local government, planning offices, emergency response teams
• State: Academic researchers, regional planners, environmental agencies
• Commercial entities: energy exploration, legal disputes
• Non-Governmental Organizations: Environmental monitoring
• National and International elements: Global change researchers, biological health

Educating Stakeholders: The Geospatial Records Content Team can educate and interact with the following user groups to relay the importance of preserving our geospatial heritage:

• National States Geographic Information Council
• Geospatial Information and Technology Association
• American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
• Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveys
• Urban and Regional Information Systems Association
• U.S. Department of Agriculture Aerial Photography Field Office
• U.S. Geological Survey
• Library of Congress
• National Archives and Records Administration

Obstacles and Risk Factors: Possible risk factors and obstacles in geospatial preservation.

• Analog data is difficult to convert to digital because of the volumes, costs, and decay challenges.
• The obsolescence of digital media is a real problem because of the pace of technology change and the difficulty of maintaining a knowledge base of older equipment.
• The increasing number of formats geospatial data is created and saved in, along with the potential for hardware or software dependencies coupled with possible proprietary constraints are all concerns.
• Determining what geospatial data needs to preserved and made accessible are critical so that resources are spent in the best way possible.
• Metadata of the data, preservation metadata, and all accompanying guidebooks or logs, including provenance metadata must be created and maintained as long as the records are retained.

Outcomes: The Geospatial Subgroup hopes to:

• Solicit participant’s views on the most pressing issues we face.
• Provide invited presentations addressing the identified issues.
• Document through the Subgroup wiki the information we gather.