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Draft mission statement.

Edits are being taken to this document by March 15. 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:

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 difficult to convert to digital
- Volume
- Cost
- Decay
  - Example: Nitrate or acetate-base film records
Obsolescence of digital media
- Technology pace of change
- Knowledge base of older equipment