OMB Circular A-16
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OMB Circular A-16, revised August 19, 2002, was created by the Office of Management and Budget(OMB) to provide guidance for federal agencies that create, maintain, or use spatial data directly or indirectly through the establishment of the National Spacial Data Infrastructure(NSDI) and the Federal Geographic Data Committee(FGDC).
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[edit] Purpose
This circular establishes guidelines for the management of digital spatial data and the use of those assets. It also appoints the FGDC to the interagency coordinating body for NSDI-related activities. The Secretary of the Interior is established as chair, with the Deputy Director for Management, OMB as Vice-Chair.
[edit] NSDI
The NSDI ensures that spatial information is accurate and available to state, local, and tribal governments as well as to academia and the private sector. The NSDI obeys four primary values:
- Privacy and Security of raw and processed citizens' personal data and accuracy of statistical data
- Access to this data per guidelines subject to OMB Circular A-130
- Protection of proprietary interests to this data
- Interoperability between various federal agencies' information systems within this data
The NSDI supports the advancement for a Global Spatial Data Infrastructure that coincides with National Security interests. Any Federal system that develops international data in accordance with these systems must follow international voluntary standards as outlined by Circular A-119.
The NSDI is comprised of five parts:
- data themes
- metadata
- the National Spatial Data Clearinghouse
- standards
- partnerships
[edit] Spatial Data
Spatial Data is considered a national capital asset. The NSDI manages the distribution of these assets across all interconnected systems, federal and private sector, and analyzes it to determine the impact of the world economically, physically, and socially upon the United States.
Part of NSDI's mission is to help avoid duplication, or erroneous modification of this spatial data. Accurate and dependable spatial data allows NSDI to analyze current situational trends such as weather patterns, traffic congestions, and other various infrastructures to create a national snapshot in order to make predictions or projections based on this data.
[edit] FGDC
The FGDC is an interagency committee relegated to manage OMB Circular A-16 related activities and implementation of NSDI policy and procedures in accordance with existing federal law and policy. The Department of the Interior provides administrative support to the FGDC when necessary in the event of enforcement of the structure and bylaws mentioned in this circular.
[edit] Circular Policy
Any agency that collects, produces, acquires, mantains, distributes, uses, or preserves any form of spatial data either directly or indirectly with any other agency or organization must follow the policies set forth by this circular.
The following exemplary list is representative of the kinds of systems that this circular applies, but is not limited to:
- the National Mapping Program
- the National Spatial Reference System
- the National Geologic Mapping Program
- the National Wetlands Inventory
- the National Cooperative Soil Survey Program
- the National Public Land Survey System
- Geographic Coordinate Database
- the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) nautical charting and nautical data collection and information programs
- the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) inland waterway charting program
- the Offshore Minerals Program
- the NASA's Earth Science Enterprise
- FEMA's Flood Plain Mapping program and other federal activities that involve national surveying, mapping, remote sensing, spatially referenced statistical data
- Global Positioning System (GPS)
There are few exemptions to adherence to the policy described in this circular. They are as follows:
- spatial data related to tribal governments not paid for with federal funds
- classified national-security related activities of the Department of Defense(DOD), unless declassified by Executive Order 12951 (under direction of the Secretary of Defense)
- those activities of the Department of Energy under determination of the Secretary of Energy
- intelligence spatial data activities, under determination of the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
[edit] Agency Responsibility
Every agency that uses NSDI information must adhere to a set of responsibilities as outlined by this circular.
