- From: Eliot Christian <echristi@usgs.gov>
- Date: Thu, 28 Nov 2002 08:40:23 -0500
- To: gils@cni.org, state-gils@yahoogroups.com
The E-Government Act of 2002, enrolled as HR 2458, contains a variety of specific provisions relevant to information discovery and interoperability. The thrust of the law is clearly meant to accelerate the ongoing work that many of you pioneered, and meshes nicely with recent developments in standards arenas. Although the U.S. Federal GILS law in Title 44 Section 3511 is not directly affected, I see many opportunities to promote common interoperability solutions along the lines of what we've been pursuing. Here are some specific highlights, as I read the law: Section 207 calls for the establishment of an "Interagency Committee on Government Information". Within two years, the Committee is to recommend standards for the categorization of Government information in a way that is searchable electronically and interoperable across agencies. At the same time, the Committee is recommend policies and procedures regarding public access to Government information on the Internet and other electronic records. Within a year after Committee recommendations are made, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Archivist of the United States are to issue Federal policy requiring compliance and laying out specific schedules for initial implementation. Section 207 also requires OMB, within two years, to provide guidance for agency websites in several specific respects. Agencies are required to determine which Government information will be accessible to the public on the Internet and by other means and when such accessibility will occur. The determinations and schedules are to be posted for public comment on the Internet as well as being submitted to OMB. In the same two years, OMB and the agencies are to collaborate on a public domain directory of public Federal Government websites, including a public domain taxonomy of subject categories. This directory building effort is to include input from librarians, information technology managers, program managers, records managers, and other interested parties. Also, Sub-section 207(g) requires OMB and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to establish a government-wide repository that compiles information about Federally funded research and development. Section 212 directs OMB, within three years and in consultation with agencies, the regulated community, public interest organizations, and the public, to study and report to Congress on progress toward integrating Federal information systems across agencies. The study is to address the integration of data elements used in the electronic collection of information and the feasibility of software tools for assembling, documenting, and validating the information. It is also to address the feasibility of a distributed information system that provides public access to information integrated across participating agencies. This data integration study effort is to be informed by a series of no more than 5 pilot projects. Section 214 requires a research and implementation strategy on using information technology to enhance crisis preparedness, response, and consequence management of natural and manmade disasters. Section 216 codifies under law the long-standing and on-going work of the Federal Geographic Data Committee in facilitating the development of common protocols for the development, acquisition, maintenance, distribution, and application of geographic information. Eliot Christian echristi@usgs.gov 1-703-648-7245 FAX 1-703-648-7112 US Geological Survey, 802 National Center, Reston VA 20192
Received on Thursday, 28 November 2002 08:56:03 UTC