Coastal Services Center

Marine & Coastal Spatial Data Subcommittee
Annual Report

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Federal Geographic Data Committee
Subcommittee on Bathymetric and Nautical Charting Data

1999 Annual Accomplishment Report

The Federal Geographic Data Committee's Subcommittee on Bathymetric and Nautical Charting Data’s primary mission is to develop and promote that aspect of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) that supports the marine navigation and coastal zone geographic information system (GIS) community. Support will be accomplished through the development of data, metadata, standards, and data exchange agreements. The subcommittee supports the overall goals and missions of the FGDC by serving on several working groups and subcommittees that have an interest in coastal and marine geographic data issues. The subcommittee is an active member of the Standards Working Group and the Framework Working Group.

The subcommittee will meet approximately three times a year in the Washington, D.C. area. Additionally, the subcommittee sponsors a number of community meetings and outreach workshops throughout the country during the year. To enhance communications, the subcommittee has a home page on the World Wide Web at the following URL: http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/ocs/text/bathy.htm. The homepage is in the process of being updated and will be housed at the NOAA Coastal Services Center (CSC) starting in April of 2000.

The accomplishments listed below are led and funded by the agencies serving on the subcommittee.

 

Significant 1999 Accomplishments:
(in the format of the NSDI Strategic Plan)

Goal One: Increase the awareness and understanding of the vision, concept, and benefits of the NSDI through outreach and education

Members of the Bathymetric Subcommittee, and their member agencies, hosted, conducted, or participated in outreach meetings and workshops with the coastal and ocean community. This has taken various forms including teaching hands-on metadata classes targeted at this community, presenting workshops and seminars on metadata, publishing papers on coastal data within the NSDI, and facilitating community involvement in the NSDI.

A few selected highlights of subcommittee participation are:

1. Held four, two-day metadata workshops. Participants included staff from the National Estuarine Research Reserve program, the National Marine Sanctuary program, the National Association of Marine Laboratories, and participants in the NSDI National Demonstration Project. Approximately 60 individuals were trained.
2. Presented an FGDC metadata overview at the Coastal GeoTools Conference in April 1999.
3. Presented an FGDC metadata overview to the National Ocean Service (NOS) Senior Management Council.
4. Conducted a quarterly Bathymetric Subcommittee meeting on November 30, 1999.
5. Updated Shore and Sea Boundaries by Aaron L. Shalowitz.
6. Updated the Coastal Mapping Handbook, which is a primer about mapping along the coast.
7. Organized a program session at the March 1999 CZM Program Managers Meeting on the Coastal and Ocean components of the NSDI.
8. Organized a workshop at the 1999 CZM Program Managers Meeting on spatial information management for coastal agency executives.

 

Goal Two: Develop common solutions for discovery, access, and use of geographic data in response to the needs of diverse communities

1. Received periodic updates from agencies involved in data conversion, digitizing, formatting, and data quality efforts for coastal zone GIS data—especially shoreline and bathymetric data.
2. Continued to work on a "Shoreline Profile" for the FGDC metadata standard to support information necessary shoreline and related data sets (standard is now in public review).
3. Continued to develop the Hydrographic Data Content Standard for Inland and Coastal Waterways.
4. Continued to develop Part 5 of the NSDI Data Accuracy Standard: Hydrographic Data Accuracy Standard.
5. Provided technical assistance to affected agencies and offices to implement the FGDC metadata standard.
6. Supported state efforts to develop coastal and ocean data within the NSDI.
7. Assisted state and local FGDC Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP), Clearinghouse, and Framework grant recipients with data issues relative to the coastal zone.
8. Sent out a Broad Area Announcement (BAA), targeted at states, to cost share in developing hydrographic data.

 

Goal Three: Use community-based approaches to develop and maintain common collections of geospatial data for sound decision making

1. Continued to develop the Ocean Planning Information System (OPIS). OPIS provides easy access to comprehensive ocean-related data, metadata, and other information in the Southeast.
2. NOAA and the USGS initiated the Topo/Bathy project designed to produce a high-resolution, seamless digital database, from elevation down to bathymetry, including the shoreline.
3. The FGDC Cadastral Data Content Standard was extended to include marine cadastral data.

 

Goal Four: Build relationships among organizations to support the continuing development of the NSDI

1. Continued to maintain an Email directory of over 200 GIS experts working in the coastal zone.
2. Worked with members of the private sector on issues relating to shoreline and bathymetric data.
3. Worked with state, county, and local organizations that are developing NSDI coastal framework data and implementing standards.
4. Participated in interagency collaboration between the Department of the Interior, Department of Commerce, and the State Department on marine cadastral data issues.