“Geographic information is critical to promote economic development, improve our stewardship of natural resources, and protect the environment,” as stated in Executive Order 12906 (EO) “Coordinating Geographic Data Acquisition and Access” from 1994. The policies of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure are detailed in the EO and the Geospatial Data Act of 2018 (GDA). These standards outline the Federal Geographic Data Committee’s guidance for acquiring, processing, storing, distributing, and improving the utilization of geospatial data. The goal of the EO and GDA is to allow for agencies to be leveraged in updating data in a non-duplicative way and allow for the data to be in one central location in a cloud known as the GeoPlatform.
Goals of the NSDI:
The current strategic plan for 2021-2024 has four goals:
- Implement the policies and framework defined by the Geospatial Data Act and related orders
- Advance the maturity, acquisition, and expansion of national geospatial data assets to ensure they’re accessible and reusable
- Ensure open interoperability to enable geospatial shared services
- Enable and promote collaborative governance and partnerships to meet national needs, priorities, and circumstances
Impact on Non-Government Agencies:
While the EO and GDA are directives specifically for government agencies to follow, these are procedures for data collection in a non-duplicative way. Not necessarily for specific map development, but for ease of locating data and having that data be the most up-to-date as possible. It opens doors for smaller agencies to collect this data as well as larger corporations to leverage data to enable a better GIS-inclusive world.