ROCKET CITY GEOSPATIAL CONFERENCE 2009

November 17, 2009

SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURES and GEOSPATIAL INTEROBERABILITY

John J MoellerSenior Principal Engineer

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Geospatial – Tools for Specialists and Citizens

• Until recently mass market geospatial capabilities were essentially limited to hard copy maps

• Radical changes in use of geospatial capabilities have been spurred by the internet explosion, distributed networks, wireless communications, and other new tools

• Geospatial information and technology now use the techniques and cultures of the internet

• Geospatial approaches had focused on single disciplines or technologies, now they are multi-disciplinary

• A significant benefit of this technology revolution is that geospatial information is now being understood by most people and SDI’s are increasingly viable

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Background - Federal Spatial Policy

• The current framework of federal guidance for spatial data has evolved from an Executive Order by President Roosevelt in 1906

• Over the years consistent themes of federal directives for coordination has been: avoiding duplication of effort; standardized maps; information readily available regardless of its source; and engagement of the non-government sector

• Primary Spatial Policy directives are:– OMB Circular A-16 (revised 2002)– Executive Order 12906 ( April 11, 1994)– eGov Act of 2002 regarding common protocols for geographic information (see

Section 216)

• Other Law and Policy directives influence spatial activities. Some examples:

– National Technology and Transfer Act of 1995– OMB Circulars A-119 and A-130– Privacy and Freedom of Information Laws– Procurement Laws– Agency Specific Laws and Policy directives – State law and policy

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What is a Spatial Data Infrastructure ?

• A Spatial Data Infrastructure is the “Dial-Tone” of the geospatial web

• “the means to assemble geographic information that describes the arrangement and attributes of features and phenomena on the Earth” (US National Research Council)

• ‘the technology, policies, standards, and human resources necessary to acquire, process, store, distribute and improve utilization of geospatial data” (US NSDI EO 12906)

• “The NSG is the combination of technology, policies, capabilities, doctrine, activities, people, data and communities necessary to produce GEOINT in an integrated multi-intelligence, multi-domain environment.” (NGA Statement of Strategic Intent for the NSG)

• “infrastructure for spatial information’ means metadata, spatial data sets and spatial data services; network services and technologies; agreements on sharing, access and use; and coordination and monitoring mechanisms, processes and procedures” (DIRECTIVE 2007/2/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community)

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The U.S. National Spatial Data InfrastructureComponents (From FGDC Presentation www.fgdc.gov)

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A Framework of Standards for Geospatial Interoperability

• ISO TC211, Open Geospatial Consortium, National, and Governmental standards organizations provide a Framework of Geospatial Standards for interoperability

• Standards compliant products are available in geospatial marketplace for use in architectures and spatial infrastructures

• Standards Baselines which are built on ISO and OGC standards have been adopted for many Spatial Data Infrastructures and Architectures such as: – US National Spatial Data Infrastructure (Geospatial Profile of FEA)– Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure– National System for Geospatial Intelligence– Australian Spatial Data Infrastructure– Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe

• Geospatial Metadata Standards are critical for geospatial interoperability

State and Local

• All Sectors are critical in building SDI’s as part of completing the NSDI. For example:– Private Sector owns or manages 85% of the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure– Local level governments collect and maintain a large percentage of nation’s

geospatial data – most of the cadastral data– State governments collect and maintain much geospatial data and serve key

policy and coordination/facilitation roles

• There are many effective state and local coordination/SDI efforts and indications of increasing maturity of geospatial capabilities:– Large percent of States have Coordination Councils with most having defined

authorities, mission statements and broad stakeholder participation– Many local governments use geospatial data and technology for every day

business applications– Most states have a clearinghouse node with many able to be harvested by GOS

Portal– Most State Councils endorse OCG, ISO, National and FGDC standards – 50 States Initiative provides a good foundation for coordination and planning as

well as a Score Card to measure implementation

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• Even with the good history of cooperation there still is a way to go in SDI implementation:– Lack of communication– Difference in policies for data access and redistribution– Lack of documentation (Metadata)– Lack of data sharing agreements– Data standards – Implementation of interoperability standards – Funding/financing

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State and Local

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Think About Spatial Data Infrastructure in terms of Organizational Maturity

• Geospatial information is now an integral part of information networks

• Successful implementation and use requires balancing individual needs with needs of the enterprise

• Implementation of a Spatial Infrastructure is part of the maturation of an organization and its ability to integrate systems and business processes across the enterprise– Consistent methods, architectures , policy and standards– Capable of transitioning institutional culture and processes to integrate

with other systems – Geospatial technology used as integral element of enterprise

business/mission rather than as a separate discipline

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PROCESSES POLICY

DATA

TECHNOLOGY

LEGAL

PEOPLE

STRATEGY

Management of the Enterprise

Components of Organizational Management

                    

Level 1Unstructured

Level 2Initial

Level 3Managed

Level 4Defined

Level 5Optimized

•Processes and policies ad hoc and chaotic•Data Managed on an application basis•Data quality handles on an ad hoc basis•No spatial data infrastructure

•Processes and policies defined for individual projects•Little cross-process or cross-project planning•Master data identified•Requirements for spatial data infrastructure recognized and planned•Data quality consists of essential metadata for a limited # of data sets

•Processes for high priority projects tracked and managed•Cross-process and cross-project coordination instituted•Master data managed on a process basis•Data quality managed across individual processes•Spatial data infrastructure maintained for processes

•Policies and processes defined across organization•Processes consistently described in policy, standards and practice across organization•Master data managed and controlled across organization•Enterprise spatial data infrastructure maintained

•Quantitative objectives used as criteria in managing and improving processes•Master data managed and improved using internal, adjacent and external resources•Extra-enterprise spatial data infrastructure maintained

A Geospatial Integration Maturity Model – Five Levels  

Each level in the model builds upon the previous level. There are costs and benefitsbut there is a positive return for reaching higher maturity levels

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Summary

• The NSDI should be viewed as dynamic, growing and evolving

• From local to federal levels, geospatial is increasingly viewed as a way to provide not only a “common operating picture” but “a common view of the enterprise”

• An SDI should be recognized as a critical enterprise asset. As organizational SDIs mature they will evolve in their ability to integrate with State Spatial Data Infrastructures (SSDIs) and the NSDI

• The use of open, standards-based, services-oriented architectures helps tie together the growing number of creative applications to meet the needs of business and personal activities

• More mature organizations are better able to implement enterprise architectures, best practices and spatial information infrastructures that support the needs of society and business

Thank You !!

John Moeller

–john.moeller@ngc.com

–Office: 703-961-5328

–Cell: 202-494-2671