[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 149 (Monday, August 4, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41972-41973]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-20462]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. Geological Survey


Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC); Public Comment on the 
Proposal to Develop the ``Content Standard for Remote Sensing Swath 
Data'' as a Federal Geographic Data Committee Standard

ACTION: Notice; Request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The FGDC is soliciting public comments on the proposal to 
develop a ``Content Standard for Remote Sensing Swath Data.'' If the 
proposal is approved, the standard will be developed following the FGDC 
standards development and approval process. If the standard is adopted 
by the FGDC, it must be followed by all Federal agencies collecting 
remotely sensed swath data directly or indirectly, through grants, 
partnerships, or contracts.
    In its assigned leadership role for developing the National Spatial 
Data Infrastructure (NSDI), the FGDC recognizes that the standards must 
also meet the needs and recognize the views of State and local 
governments, academia, industry, and the public. The purpose of this 
notice is to solicit such views. The FGDC invites the community to 
review the proposal and comment on the objectives, scope, approach, and 
usability of the proposed standard; identify existing related 
standards; and indicate their interest in participating in the 
development of the standard.
    Title: Remote Sensing Swath Data Content Standard.
    Date of Proposal: July 3, 1997.
    Type of Standard: Content standard for remote sensing swath data.
    Submitting Organization: National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration (NASA).
    Point of Contact: Candace Carlisle, NASA Goddard Space Flight 
Center, Code 505, Greenbelt, MD 20771. Phone: (301) 614-5186.

Objectives

    The primary objective of this proposed standard is to define the 
content for remote sensing swath data (subsequently called the swath 
data model), thereby providing a solid basis from which to develop 
interoperable data formats for this common form of remote sensing data. 
The data model shall define the minimal content requirements for a 
swath and the relationships among its individual components. It shall 
also discuss the treatment of optional supporting information within 
the swath model.

Project Scope

    As stated in Executive Order 12906, dated April 13, 1994, the FGDC 
shall coordinate the Federal Government's development of the National 
Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). The Executive Order is intended to 
strengthen and enhance the general policies described in OMB Circulars 
A-16 and A-119. The swath data model for remote sensing supports the 
development of the NSDI by providing a common framework for the 
organization of a wide range of remotely sensed data. The model will be 
particularly useful for data from scanning, profiling, staring, or 
push-broom type remote sensing instruments, whether they be ground 
based, shipboard, airborn, or spaceborne.
    The Committee on Earth Observing Satellites (CEOS), an 
international standards body, has endorsed the development of data 
models for remotely sensed swath through its Working Group on 
Information Systems and Services (WGISS) Data Subgroup.

Justification/Benefit

    In order to facilitate interoperability among agencies with remote 
sensing data holdings and member agencies of international remote 
sensing groups, participants must first be able to exchange 
information. Ideally, data from one organization should be easily 
useable by other organizations performing similar work. In practice, 
however, each organization has developed its own methods of encoding 
data that are generally not particularly compatible with those 
developed by other organizations. The unfortunate results are that data 
are generally not easily shared among these groups and that researchers 
who wish to use data from multiple sources find the task of reconciling 
the data particularly daunting. Clearly, it is in the interest of the 
entire remote sensing community that there be a common data encoding 
mechanism in use by many organizations. Before such an encoding 
mechanism can become widely accepted, however, each party must share a 
common conceptual model of the data in question. This is exactly the 
purpose of the swath data model or content standard. It will provide a 
common conceptual framework, within which the sharing of remote sensing 
swath data will become possible.

Development Approach

    The data standardization and modeling are major research issues 
within the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS). 
The Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project is 
responsible for EOSDIS and has already sponsored much preliminary 
research into these issues for remote sensing applications. Some early 
results of the research are presented in EOSDIS Version 0 FY92 Data 
Structures Report, an internal ESDIS report. Those early results have 
been further developed into data standards for the EOSDIS Core System 
(ECS) through soliciting input and comments from scientists around the 
world and from EOSDIS's Data Model Working Group. As one of the efforts 
to publicize the EOSDIS data standards and solicit comments, NASA plans 
to have a software vendor workshop on EOSDIS data standards during this 
year. The proposed FGDC content standard for remotely sensed swath data 
will based on the ECS swath data standard.

Related Standards

    The proposed standard will be based on the NASA EOSDIS standards 
for remote sensing swath data. The NASA standard specifies the minimal 
content requirements for a swath and the relationships among its 
individual components. Based on the standard, ESDIS project has 
developed an encoding mechanism and a set of software tools for EOSDIS.

[[Page 41973]]

    The Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS) deals with transferring 
geospatial data among computer systems. The Raster Profile of SDTS is 
remotely related to the proposed swath standard because the Raster 
Profile can also be used to deal with remote sensing data. However, two 
important factors distinct them. First SDTS Raster Profile is a 
transfer standard while the proposed swath standard is a content 
standard. Second, SDTS Raster Profile only deals with two-dimensional 
geocoded raster data while the swath standard handles one, two, or 
higher dimensional data in raw sensor geometry. No other current FGDC, 
national, or international standard addresses this important facet of 
sharing remote sensing swath data.

Development and Completion Schedule

    Execution of the timeline below will begin immediately following 
approval of this proposal.
    1. Set up review committee--within 4 weeks after approval of 
proposal.
    2. Produce working draft of standard--within 6-8 weeks after 
committee impaneled.
    3. Conduct committee review--during 4-6 weeks after completion of 
working draft.
    4. Revise working draft--within 2 weeks after receipt of committee 
comments.
    5. Submit draft to SWG--within 2 weeks of final committee approval.
    The following steps will take place according to the timing 
specified by the FGDC review process.
    6. Review revised draft (SWG).
    7. Produce revised draft for public review (NASDA/ESDIS).
    8. Conduct pubic review (FGDC).
    9. Respond to public comments (NASDA/ESDIS).
    10. Evaluate response to public comments (SWG).
    11. Approve standard for endorsement (SWG).
    12. Endorse standard (FGDC).

Resources Required

    NASA/GSFC ESDIS Project will fund this project to develop the 
content standard for swath data.

Potential Participants

    NASA, through its Mission to Planet Earth, is already bringing 
together many diverse groups within the remote sensing community. 
Through the continuing data standards work done for ESDIS, NASA has 
gained considerable insight into the requirements of these various 
groups. Other Federal agencies who produce a large amount of remote 
sensing data, such as NOAA, NIMA, and USGS, can also participate in the 
standard development. Participation of the commercial remote sensing 
community in the standard development is also welcomed. In addition, 
under the auspices of the CEOS WGISS, many national and international 
space agencies will have the opportunity to participate in the 
development of the swath data model. These agencies play major roles 
within the remote sensing community.

Other Target Authorization Bodies

    This proposed standard is not currently targeted for consideration 
by any other authorizing bodies. FGDC will serve as the target 
authorization body. As the FDGC content data standard for remotely 
sensed swath data, it is expected that this proposed standard could be 
subsequently authorized by ANSI, ISO, CEOS, or other groups.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 1, 1997.

CONTACT AND ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted via Internet mail or 
by submitting an electronic copy on diskette. Send comments via 
Internet to: www.fgdc.gov">gdc-swth@www.fgdc.gov. Comments e-mailed as attachments 
must be in ASCII format.
    A soft copy version may be submitted on a 3.5  x  3.5 diskette in 
WordPerfect 5.0 or 6.0/6.1 format, along with one hardcopy version of 
the comments, to the FGDC Secretariat (attn: Jennifer Fox) at U.S. 
Geological Survey, 590 National Center, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, 
Reston, Virginia, 20192.

    Dated: July 25, 1997.
Richard E. Witmer,
Chief, National Mapping Division.
[FR Doc. 97-20462 Filed 8-1-97; 8:45 am]
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