Until August 21, 2013, the public is invited to comment on the Federal Geographic Data Committee’s (FGDC) draft strategic plan for the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).  In 1994, Executive Order 12906 called for the establishment of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure which it defined as the “technologies, policies, and people necessary to promote sharing of geospatial data throughout all levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors, and the academic community”. The goals of NSDI are to reduce GIS data duplication among public agencies, improve geospatial data quality and accuracy, and make data availability more widespread through partnerships with public and private agencies as well as the general public.
According to Anne J. Castle who is the Chair of the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC):
The draft plan, which has been developed through collaboration with partners and stakeholders in the geospatial community, describes a broad national vision for the NSDI and includes goals and objectives for the Federal government’s role in continued sustainable development of the NSDI.
I encourage you to review the plan and offer any comments for improvement.  The strategic plan, along with instructions for providing comments, is posted at the following address:  www.fgdc.gov/nsdi-plan.  Comments may be submitted electronically to: nsdicomments@fgdc.gov.  Comments are due by August 21, 2013.
The draft strategic plan was created with input from FGDC member agencies, the National Geospatial Advisory Committee, and geospatial partner organizations.  Following the public comment period, a final draft will be developed by the FGDC Steering Committee.
