- From: Eliot Christian <echristi@usgs.gov>
- Date: Thu, 07 Nov 2002 04:37:19 -0500
- To: gils@cni.org, state-gils@yahoogroups.com
- Cc: clear-l@inet.ed.gov, DC-ENVIRONMENT@JISCMAIL.AC.UK, dm_arch@roemg2.er.usgs.gov, sc32wg2-news@nist.gov, www-zig@w3.org, xml-gov-reg@nist.gov
I am forwarding the e-mail letter below in view of the deep connections between the geosptial data infrastructure and the Global Information Locator Service. Since its inception, the geospatial data catalog has required a search interface that is GILS-compliant. The respective new Web Services and UDDI mechanisms will also be interoperable. (FYI, see the e-Gov project "Agreement on Certain Information Architecture Principles" http://www.gils.net/disasterhelp/principles.rtf adopted in July.) Please reply to the Call if you work with geospatial information, or forward to other people or lists that may be involved in such. (And please excuse multiple receipt due to the cross-posting !) Eliot Christian, USGS --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Colleague, This letter is an introduction and invitation to participate in the development of the Geospatial One Stop Portal. I hope you will engage with this opportunity to help define the functional requirements for the Portal and help improve accessibility to geospatial data for all levels of government. I invite you also to forward this Call within your organization and to interested colleagues for the broadest possible distribution. First, let me introduce the Geospatial One Stop initiative. Geospatial One-Stop is one of 24 federal E-Government initiatives to improve effectiveness, efficiency, and customer service throughout all layers of government. Geospatial One-Stop builds upon National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) objectives to enhance interoperability among geographic components of government activities and to maintain a common inventory of geospatial content and services. The implementation of the Geospatial One-Stop in the near-term will: * Build consensus on and publish standard content models for several basic themes of geospatial data, known as Framework data, with specifications as needed to ensure interoperability; * Ensure that existing content at Federal and non-Federal levels in Framework data themes has been documented and published; * Publish descriptions of planned spatial data collection activities to minimize redundant data gathering; * Establish interoperable data access and visualization services for at least the Framework data themes; and * Provide an online information discovery, data access and mapping Portal. That Portal is the main subject of this letter. The Geospatial One-Stop Portal will operate as a general user interface to distributed geospatial data and services, with maximum participation among all levels of government. Furthermore, applications such as desktop GIS software, Decision Support Systems, and other portal-type services will be able to utilize the One-Stop Portal through published open software interfaces. The Geospatial One-Stop Portal Team includes state, local, and federal representatives working together to define the requirements of the Portal and to guide the implementation of the first version. We are addressing such questions as: What will this portal provide? What will it look like? How will it function across many different interfaces? We are identifying the requirements that users have and we are developing an architecture for a portal that will access validated Framework data and other data using open-standard interface specifications. This is where you come in. We are seeking input on the Portal requirements from local, state, tribal and federal organizations that either provide or use geospatial data. The Portal Team has already identified some requirements for the Portal--that is, some of the functions it must be able to perform--but we are seeking comments on those requirements and new requirements not yet identified. This Call for Additional Requirements is your opportunity to participate in the process. The One-Stop activity is designed to improve the ability of peer organizations to discover and access digital geospatial data over the web in real time. For example, this could mean the exchange of local data across county lines within a watershed, or across state boundaries for emergency management purposes. We think of the One-Stop as the newest infrastructure in our country, increasing information access, strengthening partnerships among governmental entities, and implementing standards, access and opportunities for multiple sectors and interests. What's in it for you? Benefits of participating in this project include the ability to advertise and publish data sets with standard content, to gain early access to discovery, mapping, and data delivery solutions, and to have your requirements as a user incorporated into the functional definition of the access portal--in short, to more easily exchange common information content within a broad, diverse community. Please visit http://www.geo-one-stop.gov/cfar/, where you will find a document describing the Geospatial One-Stop Portal and existing requirements, and instructions for providing input, including a template for submitting additional requirements. Responses received by November 22, 2002 will receive the fullest consideration in version 1 of the Geospatial One-Stop Portal. Later responses will be retained for consideration in the continuing One-Stop initiative. Again, I invite you to forward this message to other interested parties. I thank you for you time and look forward to your participation. For questions about this Call for Additional Requirements please contact the Portal Manager, Dr. Jeff de La Beaujardiere, at 301-286-1569 or portal-cfar-comments@sunrise.gsfc.nasa.gov. To respond to this Call, please see the instructions at the web page above. Sincerely, Myra Bambacus Executive Director (acting), Geospatial One-Stop -- Myra J. Bambacus Program Manager NASA's Geospatial Interoperability Office 301-286-3215 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Received on Thursday, 7 November 2002 06:03:27 UTC