Eo 12906

Federal Register, Volume 59 Issue 71 (Wednesday, April 13, 1994)
[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 71 (Wednesday, April 13, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-9117]

[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: April 13, 1994]

_______________________________________________________________________

Part VI

The President

_______________________________________________________________________

Executive Order 12906--
Coordinating Geographic Data Acquisition and
Access: The National Spatial Data Infrastructure

Presidential Documents

Federal Register
Vol. 59, No. 71
Wednesday, April 13, 1994

____________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President
Executive Order 12906 of April 11, 1994

Coordinating Geographic Data Acquisition and
Access: The National Spatial Data Infrastructure

Geographic information is critical to promote economic
development, improve our stewardship of natural
resources, and protect the environment. Modern
technology now permits improved acquisition,
distribution, and utilization of geographic (or
geospatial) data and mapping. The National Performance
Review has recommended that the executive branch
develop, in cooperation with State, local, and tribal
governments, and the private sector, a coordinated
National Spatial Data Infrastructure to support public
and private sector applications of geospatial data in
such areas as transportation, community development,
agriculture, emergency response, environmental
management, and information technology.

NOW, THEREFORE, by the authority vested in me as
President by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States of America; and to implement the
recommendations of the National Performance Review; to
advance the goals of the National Information
Infrastructure; and to avoid wasteful duplication of
effort and promote effective and economical management
of resources by Federal, State, local, and tribal
governments, it is ordered as follows:

Section 1. Definitions. (a) ``National Spatial Data
Infrastructure'' (``NSDI'') means the technology,
policies, standards, and human resources necessary to
acquire, process, store, distribute, and improve
utilization of geospatial data.

(b) ``Geospatial data'' means information that
identifies the geographic location and characteristics
of natural or constructed features and boundaries on
the earth. This information may be derived from, among
other things, remote sensing, mapping, and surveying
technologies. Statistical data may be included in this
definition at the discretion of the collecting agency.
(c) The ``National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse''
means a distributed network of geospatial data
producers, managers, and users linked electronically.

Sec. 2. Executive Branch Leadership for Development of
the Coordinated National Spatial Data Infrastructure.
(a) The Federal Geographic Data Committee (``FGDC''),
established by the Office of Management and Budget
(``OMB'') Circular No. A-16 (``Coordination of
Surveying, Mapping, and Related Spatial Data
Activities'') and chaired by the Secretary of the
Department of the Interior (``Secretary'') or the
Secretary's designee, shall coordinate the Federal
Government's development of the NSDI.

(b) Each member agency shall ensure that its
representative on the FGDC holds a policy-level
position.
(c) Executive branch departments and agencies
(``agencies'') that have an interest in the development
of the NSDI are encouraged to join the FGDC.
(d) This Executive order is intended to strengthen
and enhance the general policies described in OMB
Circular No. A-16. Each agency shall meet its
respective responsibilities under OMB Circular No. A-
16.
(e) The FGDC shall seek to involve State, local,
and tribal governments in the development and
implementation of the initiatives contained in this
order. The FGDC shall utilize the expertise of
academia, the private sector, professional societies,
and others as necessary to aid in the development and
implementation of the objectives of this order.

Sec. 3. Development of a National Geospatial Data
Clearinghouse. (a) Establishing a National Geospatial
Data Clearinghouse. The Secretary, through the FGDC,
and in consultation with, as appropriate, State, local,
and tribal governments and other affected parties,
shall take steps within 6 months of the date of this
order, to establish an electronic National Geospatial
Data Clearinghouse (``Clearinghouse'') for the NSDI.
The Clearinghouse shall be compatible with the National
Information Infrastructure to enable integration with
that effort.

(b) Standardized Documentation of Data. Beginning 9
months from the date of this order, each agency shall
document all new geospatial data it collects or
produces, either directly or indirectly, using the
standard under development by the FGDC, and make that
standardized documentation electronically accessible to
the Clearinghouse network. Within 1 year of the date of
this order, agencies shall adopt a schedule, developed
in consultation with the FGDC, for documenting, to the
extent practicable, geospatial data previously
collected or produced, either directly or indirectly,
and making that data documentation electronically
accessible to the Clearinghouse network.
(c) Public Access to Geospatial Data. Within 1 year
of the date of this order, each agency shall adopt a
plan, in consultation with the FGDC, establishing
procedures to make geospatial data available to the
public, to the extent permitted by law, current
policies, and relevant OMB circulars, including OMB
Circular No. A-130 (``Management of Federal Information
Resources'') and any implementing bulletins.
(d) Agency Utilization of the Clearinghouse. Within
1 year of the date of this order, each agency shall
adopt internal procedures to ensure that the agency
accesses the Clearinghouse before it expends Federal
funds to collect or produce new geospatial data, to
determine whether the information has already been
collected by others, or whether cooperative efforts to
obtain the data are possible.
(e) Funding. The Department of the Interior shall
provide funding for the Clearinghouse to cover the
initial prototype testing, standards development, and
monitoring of the performance of the Clearinghouse.
Agencies shall continue to fund their respective
programs that collect and produce geospatial data; such
data is then to be made part of the Clearinghouse for
wider accessibility.

Sec. 4. Data Standards Activities. (a) General FGDC
Responsibility. The FGDC shall develop standards for
implementing the NSDI, in consultation and cooperation
with State, local, and tribal governments, the private
and academic sectors, and, to the extent feasible, the
international community, consistent with OMB Circular
No. A-119 (``Federal Participation in the Development
and Use of Voluntary Standards''), and other applicable
law and policies.

(b) Standards for Which Agencies Have Specific
Responsibilities. Agencies assigned responsibilities
for data categories by OMB Circular No. A-16 shall
develop, through the FGDC, standards for those data
categories, so as to ensure that the data produced by
all agencies are compatible.
(c) Other Standards. The FGDC may from time to time
identify and develop, through its member agencies, and
to the extent permitted by law, other standards
necessary to achieve the objectives of this order. The
FGDC will promote the use of such standards and, as
appropriate, such standards shall be submitted to the
Department of Commerce for consideration as Federal
Information Processing Standards. Those standards shall
apply to geospatial data as defined in section 1 of
this order.
(d) Agency Adherence to Standards. Federal agencies
collecting or producing geospatial data, either
directly or indirectly (e.g. through grants,
partnerships, or contracts with other entities), shall
ensure, prior to obligating funds for such activities,
that data will be collected in a manner that meets all
relevant standards adopted through the FGDC process.

Sec. 5. National Digital Geospatial Data Framework. In
consultation with State, local, and tribal governments
and within 9 months of the date of this order, the FGDC
shall submit a plan and schedule to OMB for completing
the initial implementation of a national digital
geospatial data framework (``framework'') by January
2000 and for establishing a process of ongoing data
maintenance. The framework shall include geospatial
data that are significant, in the determination of the
FGDC, to a broad variety of users within any geographic
area or nationwide. At a minimum, the plan shall
address how the initial transportation, hydrology, and
boundary elements of the framework might be completed
by January 1998 in order to support the decennial
census of 2000.

Sec. 6. Partnerships for Data Acquisition. The
Secretary, under the auspices of the FGDC, and within 9
months of the date of this order, shall develop, to the
extent permitted by law, strategies for maximizing
cooperative participatory efforts with State, local,
and tribal governments, the private sector, and other
nonfederal organizations to share costs and improve
efficiencies of acquiring geospatial data consistent
with this order.

Sec. 7. Scope. (a) For the purposes of this order, the
term ``agency'' shall have the same meaning as the term
``Executive agency'' in 5 U.S.C. 105, and shall include
the military departments and components of the
Department of Defense.

(b) The following activities are exempt from
compliance with this order:
(i) national security-related activities of the
Department of Defense as determined by the Secretary of
Defense;

(ii) national defense-related activities of the
Department of Energy as determined by the Secretary of
Energy; and

(iii) intelligence activities as determined by the
Director of Central Intelligence.

(c) The NSDI may involve the mapping, charting, and
geodesy activities of the Department of Defense
relating to foreign areas, as determined by the
Secretary of Defense.
(d) This order does not impose any requirements on
tribal governments.
(e) Nothing in the order shall be construed to
contravene the development of Federal Information
Processing Standards and Guidelines adopted and
promulgated under the provisions of section 111(d) of
the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of
1949, as amended by the Computer Security Act of 1987
(Public Law 100-235), or any other United States law,
regulation, or international agreement.

Sec. 8. Judicial Review. This order is intended only to
improve the internal management of the executive branch
and is not intended to, and does not, create any right
to administrative or judicial review, or any other
right or benefit or trust responsibility, substantive
or procedural, enforceable by a party against the
United States, its agencies or instrumentalities, its
officers or employees, or any other person.

(Presidential Sig.)>

THE WHITE HOUSE,

April 11, 1994.

[FR Doc. 94-9117
Filed 4-12-94; 11:32 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P