[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 225 (Friday, November 21, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62337-62338]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-30580]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Geological Survey
Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC); Application Notice
Announcing the Opening Date for Transmittal of Applications Under Three
FGDC National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Partnership Funding
Programs for Fiscal Year (FY) 1998 Under the Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance No. 15.809 National Spatial Data Infrastructure
Competitive Cooperative Agreements Program
AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, Interior.
ACTION: Notice inviting applications for the NSDI Cooperative
Agreements Program awards, the NSDI Benefits Program awards, and the
NSDI Framework Demonstration Projects Program awards, for fiscal year
1998, with performance to begin in September 1998.
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SUMMARY: The purpose of the FGDC National Spatial Data Infrastructure
(NSDI) Partnership Funding Programs is to facilitate and foster
partnerships and alliances within and among various public and private
entities to assist in building the NSDI. The NSDI consists of policies,
standards, agreements, and partnerships among a variety of sectors and
disciplines that promotes more cost-effective production, ready
availability, and greater use of high quality geospatial data. Three
separate but related programs constitute the FGDC Partnership Funding
Programs: the NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program, the NSDI Benefits
Program, and the NSDI Framework Demonstration Projects Program.
The Cooperative Agreements Program funds projects focused on
promoting metadata collection and creating clearinghouses of geographic
data linked to the Internet, developing NSDI standards, advancing the
NSDI through education, and organizing and strengthening State-wide or
regional programs for geographic data sharing.
The Benefits Program funds projects that assess the qualitative or
quantitative benefits of using a shared data resource to solve
particular problems over a given geographic area.
The Framework Demonstration Projects Program funds projects that
demonstrate technical, operational and business capabilities to
collaboratively create and maintain certain categories of commonly
needed ``Framework'' data. Activities initiated under each of the three
mentioned programs will promote development and maintenance of and
access to data sets that are needed for national, regional, State, and
local analyses.
Applications must involve partnering between two or more
organizations. Applications may be submitted by Federal agencies, State
and local government agencies, educational institutions, private firms,
private foundations, and Federally acknowledged or State-recognized
Native American tribes or groups. Applications from Federal agencies
will not be competed against applications from other sources.
Participants are expected to cost share in the project. Authority for
this program is contained in the Organic Act of March 3, 1879, 43
U.S.C. 31 and Executive Order 12906.
DATES: The program announcements and application forms for each of the
three aforementioned programs are expected to be available on or about
November 29, 1997. Applications must be received on or before February
28, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Copies of Program Announcement #1434-HQ-98-PA-00044 for the
NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program, Program Announcement #1434-HQ-98-
PA-00046 for the NSDI Benefits Program, and Program Announcement #1434-
HQ-98-PA-00045 for the NSDI Framework Demonstration Projects Program
may be obtained by writing to Ms. Karen Staubs, U.S. Geological Survey,
Office of Acquisition and Federal Assistance, Mail Stop 205B, 12201
Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, Virginia 20192, (703) 648-7372, fax (703)
648-7901. Also, copies of each Program Announcement will be available
through the Internet at <www.usgs.gov\contracts\index.html>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For the NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program contact Ms. Kathleen Craig,
U.S. Geological Survey, Office of Acquisition and Federal Assistance,
Mail Stop 205B, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, Virginia 20192;
(703) 648-7357, fax (703) 648-7901.
For the NSDI Benefits Program contact Ms. Deborah Walsh, U.S.
Geological Survey, Office of Acquisition and Federal Assistance, Mail
Stop 205B, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, Virginia 20192; (703)
648-7384, fax (703) 648-7901.
For the NSDI Framework Demonstration Projects Program contact Ms.
Tammy Fanning, U.S. Geological Survey, Office of Acquisition and
Federal Assistance, Mail Stop 205B, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston,
Virginia 20192; (703) 648-7363, fax (703) 648-7901.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the NSDI Cooperative Agreements
Program proposals are to be directed towards any of four components of
the NSDI. The first is the establishment of a National Geospatial Data
Clearinghouse for finding and accessing geospatial data. Second is the
development and promulgation of standards in data collection,
documentation, transfer, and search and query. Third is the development
and implementation of educational outreach programs to increase the
awareness and understanding of the NSDI vision and concepts. Fourth is
the building and strengthening of relationships among organizations to
support digital geographic data coordination.
Under the NSDI Benefits Program, proposals are to be directed
towards projects that assess the benefits of using shared geographic
data, or spatially referenced information, to aid a public decision-
making process within a particular geographic area. Assessment of the
benefits of data sharing can be by quantitative or qualitative
measures. No restriction is placed on the primary issue or problem
being addressed. The problem may be environmental, economic, social, or
cultural. Defined
[[Page 62338]]
geographic areas might include watersheds, ecosystems, counties,
municipalities, regions, and so forth.
Under the NSDI Framework Demonstration Projects Program, proposals
are to be directed towards projects that demonstrate or operationalize
the framework concept. Projects can address initial or advanced
technical, operational, and business aspects/capabilities to
collaboratively create and maintain certain categories of commonly
needed ``Framework'' data, or deal with specific framework topics such
as coding permanent feature identifiers, data integration,
generalization, transactions and feature maintenance, feature level
metadata, and data certification. Framework data are defined as
geodetic control, cadastral, digital orthoimagery, elevation,
bathymetry, transportation, hydrography, and governmental units.
Dated: November 12, 1997.
Jack Fischer,
Associate Chief, Operations.
[FR Doc. 97-30580 Filed 11-20-97; 8:45 am]
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