[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25521-25523]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-10295]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Notice for Data and Information Distribution Policy

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Proposed Policy for distribution of FAA data & 
Information; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: This document is the FAA's proposal and the FAA's invitation 
to the public to comment on its data and information distribution 
policy. This notice is in accordance with the presidential directive 
for Open Government issued on January 21, 2009; this directive 
instructed agencies to make information available in open formats, and 
presume openness to the extent permitted by law and subject to valid 
privacy, confidentiality, security, and other restrictions. The scope 
of this policy does not include requests for historical FAA data or 
information whose availability will continue to be determined under the 
existing Freedom of Information Act process. FAA data and information 
published via FAA Web sites is not within the scope of this policy.

DATES: Any written information that responds to the FAA's proposes 
procedures must be submitted by May 31, 2013.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written information, identified by docket 
number FAA-2013-0392, by any of the following methods:
     Mail: send comments by mail to Docket Operations, U.S. 
Department of Transportation, M-30, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001. Persons wishing to receive 
confirmation of receipt of their written submission should include a 
self-addressed stamped postcard.
     Hand Deliver: Deliver comments to Docket Operations in 
Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the West Building at 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington DC, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Facsimile: Fax comments to the docket operations personnel 
at 202-493-2251.
    Privacy: We will post all comments that we receive at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information that you 
provide. Using the search function of the docket Web site, anyone can 
find and read the electronic form of all comments in any of our 
dockets, including the name of the individual sending the comment or 
signing the comment or signing the comment on behalf of an association, 
business, labor union, or other entity or organization. You may review 
the DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register at 65 
FR 19477-78 (April 11, 2000), or you may find at http://docketsinfo.dot.gov. Reviewing

[[Page 25522]]

the docket: To read background documents or comments received, go to 
http://www.regulations.gov at any time and follow the online 
instructions for accessing the docket, or go to Docket Operations in 
Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the West building at 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington DC, between 9:00 a.m., and 5:00 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: You may direct any questions on data/
information policy to the NAS Data Management staff by telephone at 
(202) 385-8022 or by electronic mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  E-Government & Information Technology Act 
of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-347, 116 stat, 2899, 44 U.S.C. &101, H.R. 2458/S. 
803).
    Open Government Directive, OMB Memorandum for the Heads of 
Executive Departments and Agencies, M-10-06, issued December 8, 2009.
    Delivering an Efficient, Effective, and Accountable Government, 
Executive Order 13576, issued July 13, 2011.
    Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service, 
Executive Order 13571, issued April 27, 2011.
    Digital Government Strategy, Building A 21st Century Platform to 
Better Serve the American People, issued May 23, 2012.
    Management of Federal Information Resources, Office of Management 
and Budget Circular A-130, issued November 28, 2000.
    Background: The FAA has enacted policy to ensure that the majority 
of data from its systems is exchanged through approved external 
protected boundaries. This transition away from multiple direct 
connections to FAA systems will provide for the security and 
operational effectiveness of FAA systems and reduce the cost of 
developing and maintaining multiple interfaces needed to distribute 
data and information. To provide for the security and operational 
effectiveness of FAA systems and to reduce the cost of developing and 
maintaining multiple interfaces needed to distribute data and 
information, FAA is moving away from direct connections to systems for 
external users to an approved external protected boundary such as NAS 
Enterprise Secure Gateway (NESG). This transition will help FAA protect 
the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data/information, 
services, and to manage the cost of maintaining data and information 
services in the future. This policy supports the streamlining of the 
approval process for distribution of data/information to external 
entities and gives the FAA the ability to manage and secure its data 
and information assets more effectively.
    Proposed Policy: To conform to current U.S. Government practices 
and policies and enhance information security, FAA is proposing to 
establish a policy for the distribution of data and information to 
external entities including the FAA's contractors and other 
governmental entities. The FAA will:
    1. Not allow external users to connect (physically/logically) to 
authoritative sources of data/information. FAA data/information 
distribution will only be distributed externally from FAA approved 
replicated sources.
    2. Make electronic data/information available on a non-exclusive 
basis to external users, subject to the limits imposed by the need to 
protect national/homeland security, individual privacy, safety, 
confidentiality, and other government requirements.
    3. Limit distribution to only that data/information products 
created for FAA purposes.
    4. Distribute readily available data/information without 
intentional delay, subject only to the limits imposed by resources 
(both current and prospective), contracts, technology, authority, 
regulation and data quality while protecting security, privacy, and 
confidentiality.
    5. Provide access to data/information over secure and controlled 
connections (logical) and in accordance with the most recent federal 
systems security standards including those issued by the National 
Security Agency, Department of Defense, and the National Institute of 
Standard and Technology (NIST) standards.
    6. Consider cost and cost recovery in making FAA data/information 
available to external users.
    7. Consider requests for data and information that is not readily 
available if external users can and do bear the full cost of 
development, connection, transmission, processing, and maintenance.
    8. Not be responsible for the quality, accuracy or continued 
availability of the data and information once released. While the data 
distributed is accurate and timely for use by the FAA, we are not 
responsible for quality, continuity, or intended use of data for third 
parties.
    9. Define the extent to which FAA contractors can reuse FAA data in 
their custody or control.
    10. Apply this proposed policy requirement consistently and 
transparently.

Glossary of Terms

    Data: A representation of fact, concept, or instruction represented 
in a formalized form suitable for communication, interpretation or 
processing either by human and/or by automated systems. This is the 
lowest level of abstraction, compared to information.
    Information: Data in context. The meaning given to data or the 
interpretation of data based on its context. The finished product as a 
result of the interpretation of data. Data processed in such a way that 
it can increase the knowledge of the person who receives it. Data that:
    (1) Is specific and organized for a purpose,
    (2) is presented within a context that gives it meaning and 
relevance, and which
    (3) leads to an increase in understanding and decrease in 
uncertainty. The value of information lies solely in its ability to 
affect a behavior, decision, or outcome.
    Information Steward: A person or organization delegated with the 
responsibility for managing the creation and maintenance of a specific 
information resource. These stewards have the statutory or operational 
authority for specified information products and are responsible for 
defining metadata associated with the information.
    Approved Replicated Source: A duplicated set of information, 
fulfilling a specific business requirement provided by the Information 
Steward to be an approved source for that information service. This 
information source may be the functional combination of multiple, 
separate authoritative sources. (e.g. Aircraft Situation Display to 
Industry (ASDI), National Airspace System Status Information (NASSI))
    Authoritative Source: The origin or creation of data or information 
that is recognized by an FAA Lines Of Business/Staff Offices or by 
members of a Community of Interest (COI) or Community of Practice (COP) 
to be of high quality and being highest precedence of source because it 
is considered to be highly reliable or accurate, or is from an official 
publication or reference. (e.g. En Route Automation Modernization 
(ERAM) for active Flight data)


[[Page 25523]]


    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 24, 2013.
Nancy Kalinowski,
FAA Vice President, System Operations Services, AJR-0.
[FR Doc. 2013-10295 Filed 4-30-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P