[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 120 (Wednesday, June 23, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35057-35058]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-14128]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey


Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC); Public Review of 
Framework Data Standards

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The FGDC will conduct a public review of draft framework data 
standards developed through the Geospatial One-Stop initiative. The 
public review is scheduled to begin in July 2004. Framework data 
standards establish common requirements to facilitate data exchange for 
seven themes of geospatial data fundamental to many different 
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications. The seven geospatial 
data themes are: geodetic control, elevation, orthoimagery, 
hydrography, transportation, cadastral, and governmental unit 
boundaries. The standard for each of the seven framework themes 
specifies a minimal level of data content that data producers, 
consumers, and vendors should use for the interchange of data.
    The intended users of the framework data standards are data 
producers and collectors, system architects, database designers, and 
software developers who will implement these standards in different GIS 
applications. The FGDC will solicit comment on the draft standards from 
the geospatial community in public and private sectors to ensure that 
the broadset set of needs are met. Comments that address specific 
issues/changes/additions may result in revisions to the draft framework 
data standards.
    After the end of the FGDC public review period, the comments will 
be evaluated and reviewers will receive notification of how their 
comments were addressed. Revised draft framework data standards will be 
submitted for further processing for approval by the American National 
Standards Institute (ANSI), including a second public review that will 
be announced in ANSI's Standards Action bulletin. After ANSI approval 
and formal endorsement by the FGDC, which is expected in the second 
half of calendar year 2005, the published framework data standards and 
a summary analysis of the changes will be made available to the public.

DATES: FGDC public review is scheduled to begin in July 2004. The 
actual start date will be published on the FGDC and Geospatial One-Stop 
web sites.

CONTACT AND ADDRESSES: Inquiries about the framework data standards and 
the FGDC public review should be addressed to Ms. Julie Binder Maitra, 
FGDC Standards Coordinator c/o U.S. Geological Survey, 590 National 
Center, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, Virginia 20192 or by phone 
703-648-4627 or by facsimile 703-648-5755 or Internet at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Following is information about the framework 
data standards:
    The standard for each framework theme will specify a minimal level 
of data content that data producers, consumers, and vendors should use 
for the interchange of data by various means, including Web services. 
The standards do not specify a particular structure for the interchange 
of data. Data producers and users may structure thematic data in any 
format for their own internal use. The standards do not modify business 
processes or modify how organizations hold data.
    The framework data standards establish the content requirements for 
the collection and interchange of data pertaining to the seven 
framework themes. The standards identify terminology, encoding schema, 
data components, and metadata needed for data exchange.
    The seven framework themes covered by these standards are described 
below:
    1. Geodetic Control: Geodetic control provides a common consistent, 
and accurate reference system for establishing coordinates for all 
geographic data. All framework data and users' applications data 
require geodetic control to accurately register spatial data. The 
fundamental geodetic control for the United States is provided through 
the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) managed by the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
    2. Elevation Bathymetric: The bathymetric data for near coastal 
marine, Inland, and inter-coastal waterways is highly accurate 
bathymetric information collected to ensure that Federal navigation 
channels are maintained to their authorized depths. Bathymetric survey 
activities support the Nation's critical nautical charting program. 
This data is also used to create Electronic Navigational Charts. The 
bathymetric data supports the elevation layer of the geospatial data 
framework.
    3. Elevation Terrestrial: Land elevation data contains 
georeferenced digital representations of terrestrial surfaces, natural 
or manmade, which describe vertical position above or below a datum. As 
with bathymetric data, terrestrial data may be modeled in various 
forms, such as in an evenly spaced grid or as irregularly spaced points 
(triangulated irregular network, contour lines, mass points). The 
terrestrial data, in its various forms, can contribute to the elevation 
layer of the geospatial data framework.
    4. Orthoimagery: This dataset contains georeferenced images of the 
Earth's surface, collected by a sensor in which image object 
displacement has been removed for sensor distortions and orientation 
and for terrain relief. For very large surface areas, an Earth 
curvature correction may be applied. Digital orthoimages encode the 
visible and near visible portions of the electromagnetic spectrum as 
discrete values modeled in an array of georeferenced pixels. Digital 
orthoimages have the geometric characteristics of a map and image 
qualities of a photograph.
    5. Hydrography: This data theme includes surface water features 
such as lakes, ponds, streams and rivers, canals, oceans, and 
coastlines. Each hydrography feature is assigned a permanent feature 
identification code and may also be identified by a feature name. 
Spatial positions of features are encoded as flowlines and polygons. 
Network connectivity, direction of flow, and a linear referencing 
system are also encoded.
    6. Transportation: Transportation data are used to model the 
geographic locations, interconnectedness, and characteristics of the 
transportation system within the United States. The transportation 
system includes both physical and non-physical components representing 
all modes of travel that allow the movement of goods and people between 
locations.
    Sub-themes representing the physical components of the 
transportation infrastructure include the road, railroad, transit, and 
waterway networks and airport facilities.
    7. Cadastral: Cadastral data describe the geographic extent of 
past, current, and future right, title, and interest in

[[Page 35058]]

real property, including above, surface, and below ground and water, 
and the foundation to support the description of that geographic 
extent.
    8. Cadastral (Marine): The marine cadastre includes, but is not 
limited to: Marine Managed Areas and their boundaries; parcels of ocean 
uses and their boundaries, including the submerged land management 
system used by the United States; and the rights, restrictions, 
responsibilities, and legal authority applied to marine spaces.
    9. Governmental Unit Boundaries: Governmental units are legally 
bounded geographic entities that have the authority of a government. A 
legal government is one established under Federal, Tribal, State or 
local law with the authority to elect or appoint officials and raise 
revenues through taxes.
    The Governmental Unit Boundary standard accommodates other legal 
entities and adopts the ANSI X3.31 (FIPS Publication 55-3) description 
for such entities and also applies to entities that are statistically 
equivalent to a legal entity for data reporting purposes, e.g., 
incorporated places that are independent of counties and serve as 
equivalent to a county.
    The framework data standards were initially developed through the 
Geospatial One-Stop e-government initiative (see http://www.geo-one-stop.gov); however, the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) 
organization will complete this intergovernmental geospatial standards 
development on behalf of Geospatial One-Stop and subsequently maintain 
the standards.
    Framework data standards will be submitted for approval by the 
American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ANSI is a private, non-
profit organization (501(c)3) that administers and coordinates the U.S. 
voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. ANSI has 
accredited the InterNational Committee for Information Technology 
Standards (INCITS) to develop standards for information and 
Communications Technologies (ICT). The INCITS Secretariat is 
administered by the Information Technology Industry (ITI) Council, a 
trade association representing leading U.S. providers of information 
technology products and services. The project for development of 
framework data standards is registered as INCITS 1574-D, Geographic 
Information Framework Data Content Standard.
    As the framework data standards were developed using public funds, 
Geospatial One-Stop and the FGDC shall be able to freely publish and 
distribute the contents, including the framework models to the public, 
as provided through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Upon 
adoption of the framework data standards as American National 
Standards, the Information Technology Information (ITI) Council will 
copyright the American National Standards version of these standards on 
behalf of INCITS and provide free of charge to the FGDC a non-exclusive 
license to these standards.

    Dated: June 17, 2004.
Ivan DeLoatch,
FGDC Staff Director.
[FR Doc. 04-14128 Filed 6-22-04; 8:45 am]
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