[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 236 (Monday, December 9, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73880-73881]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-28624]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

[GX14EE000101800]


Proposal To Withdraw Spatial Data Transfer Standard, Parts 1-7

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of request for comments on proposal to withdraw Spatial 
Data Transfer Standard, Parts 1-7.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) proposes to 
withdraw the Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS), Parts 1-7, http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/projects/FGDC-standards-projects/SDTS/index_html, as an FGDC-endorsed standard. FGDC maintenance authority agencies 
were asked to review the relevance of the SDTS, and they responded that 
the SDTS is no longer used by their agencies.
    The SDTS had provided a common mechanism for transferring digital 
geospatial data among different systems and for sharing and integrating 
data from many diverse sources. For more information about the SDTS, 
refer to the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.
    The FGDC seeks comment from any organization that continues to 
provide data in the SDTS format and would prefer to retain the SDTS as 
an FGDC-endorsed standard. Alternatively, it seeks comment from any 
organization that supports withdrawal of the SDTS Parts 1-7 as an FGDC-
endorsed standard. FGDC Standards Directive 9, Maintenance, 
http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/process/standards-directives/directive-09, requires a 90-day public comment period for proposals to withdraw 
FGDC-endorsed standards.

DATES: Comments on the FGDC proposal to withdraw the Spatial Data 
Transfer Standard, Parts 1-7, shall be submitted to Ms. Julie Binder 
Maitra, FGDC Standards Coordinator, [email protected], by Friday, 
February 21, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Julie Binder Maitra, U.S. 
Geological Survey, Federal Geographic Data Committee, [email protected], 
703-648-4627.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Part 1, Logical Specifications, consists of 
three main sections that explain the SDTS conceptual model and SDTS 
spatial object types, components of a data quality report, and the 
layout of all SDTS modules. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is the 
maintenance authority for Part 1.
    Part 2, Spatial Features, contains a catalogue of spatial features 
and associated attributes. It addresses a need for definition of common 
spatial feature terms to ensure greater compatibility in data 
transfers. It is limited to small- and medium-scale spatial features 
commonly used on topographic quadrangle maps and hydrographic charts. 
The USGS is the maintenance authority for Part 2.
    Part 3, ISO 8211 Encoding, explains the use of ISO/IEC 8211:1994, 
Information technology--Specification for a data descriptive file for 
information interchange, to create SDTS file sets (i.e., transfers). 
Geography Markup Language (GML), which the FGDC has endorsed, now 
satisfies the encoding requirements that SDTS once provided. The USGS 
is the maintenance authority for Part 3.
    Part 4, Topological Vector Profile (TVP), is an SDTS profile that 
limits options and identifies specific requirements for SDTS transfers 
of data sets consisting of topologically structured area and linear 
spatial features. The USGS is the maintenance authority for Part 4.
    For more information about Parts 1-4 and links to Parts 1-4, visit 
http://mcmcweb.er.usgs.gov/sdts/standard.html.
    Part 5, Raster Profile and Extensions, is a profile for 2-
dimensional image and gridded raster data. It permits alternate image 
file formats using the ISO Basic Image Interchange Format (BIIF) or 
Georeferenced Tagged Information File Format (GeoTIFF). The USGS is the 
maintenance authority for Part 5. For more information about and a link 
to SDTS Part 5, visit http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/projects/FGDC-standards-projects/SDTS/sdts_pt5/index_html.
    Part 6, Point Profile, is designed to transfer and archive digital 
geospatial point data that can have very precise locations. High 
precision National Geodetic Survey (NGS) geodetic network control point 
data and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) survey point data can use this 
profile. The NGS is the maintenance authority for Part 6. The NGS no 
longer supports download of NGS datasheets in SDTS format. The NGS now 
offers users the ability to download geodetic control datasheets in 
plain ASCII text and Shapefiles instead. For more information about and 
a link to SDTS Part 6, visit http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/projects/FGDC-standards-projects/SDTS/sdts_point/index_html.
    Part 7, Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) Profile, contains 
specifications for an SDTS profile for use with vector-based geographic 
data as represented in CADD software. This profile facilitates the 
translation of data between CADD packages without loss of data and 
between CADD and mainstream GIS packages. CADD software allows for 
several types of elements, in particular, three-dimensional elements 
and complex curves that are not commonly used by GIS. The U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers is the maintenance authority for Part 7. It is no 
longer using the standard. For more information about and a link to 
SDTS Part 7, visit http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/projects/FGDC-standards-projects/SDTS/sdts_cadd/index_html.
    Following the 90-day public comment period, the FGDC Standards 
Coordinator will collate comments into a report. The report and a 
recommendation based on the report will be forwarded to the FGDC 
Coordination Group (CG) for approval. The report and CG recommendation 
will then be forwarded to the FGDC Steering Committee for final 
decision. Following the FGDC Steering Committee decision, the decision 
will be announced on the FGDC Web site, http://www.fgdc.gov, and the 
Federal Register.
    The FGDC coordinates the development of the National Spatial Data 
Infrastructure (NSDI), which encompasses the policies, standards, and 
procedures for organizations to cooperatively produce and share 
geospatial data. Federal agencies that make up the FGDC develop the 
NSDI in

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cooperation with organizations from State, local and tribal 
governments, the academic community, and the private sector. The 
authority for the FGDC is OMB Circular No. A-16 Revised on Coordination 
of Geographic Information and Related Spatial Data Activities (Revised 
August 19, 2002). More information on the FGDC and the NSDI is 
available at http://www.fgdc.gov.

Ivan DeLoatch,
Executive Director, Federal Geographic Data Committee.
[FR Doc. 2013-28624 Filed 12-6-13; 8:45 am]
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