The U.S. Government’s NGAC outlined the benefits of creating “mission critical” NSDI in its recommendations to the new Administration in October 2008. Early this year, Autodesk, Microsoft, ORACLE-USA, Google, and Integraph produced “A Proposal for Reinvigorating the American Economy through Investment in the U.S. National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI),” which called for the realization of NSDI as a “system of widely distributed systems based on openness and interoperability.”
Detailed recommendations have been developed by NGAC, in consultation with the Department of the Interior and other stakeholders, on the geospatial data collection and processing efforts necessary to implement a foundational NSDI. Part of these efforts is implementing Imagery for the Nation (IFTN), Elevation for the Nation (EFTN), and National Parcel Data (NLPD). Also identified as crucial is provision of mapping ecosystem data (e.g., wildlife corridors and crucial habitats) to support decisions on community growth, alternative energy expansion, biodiversity preservation, and resolving water resources issues. And, industry has identified as a priority the development of rich urban 3D datasets that will enable new industrial, homeland security, and public planning applications.
The proposal submits that while government capacity is close to adequate for an immediate execution of IFTN and EFTN, data standards and guidelines for contracting ecosystem mapping and 3D urban collection are yet to be developed and appropriate program offices established. The proposal can be read in its entirety at www.cast.uark.edu/nsdi/nsdiplan.pdf.