Geospatial Leaders in the U.S. Assign New Grades on the Nation’s Spatial Data Infrastructure

The Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO) is pleased to release a second Report Card from its ongoing review of the U.S. National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). This Report Card serves as a periodic assessment of the condition of the nation’s geospatial data infrastructure, which, like other forms of public works, is essential for our economy, health, safety, and activities of daily life.

This 2018 report leveraged the expertise of selected subject matter experts from the public and private sectors with knowledge in each of the eight national framework data themes: addresses, cadastres, elevation, geodetic controls, governmental units, hydrography, orthoimagery, and transportation. Each team assessed the developments and advances within their respective themes since the 2015 Report Card and engaged with the Federal Geographic Data Committee for guidance and feedback as they determined new individual scores. The whole NSDI also received its own grade, a B-, reflecting some improvements over its 2015 grade of a C.

Shelby Johnson, State Geographic Information Officer of Arkansas and 2019 COGO Chair, notes “Our country relies on these systems and data every day. It helps us in so many ways. It makes us more efficient and prosperous. The challenge is maintaining the themes where we are doing well, and then finding the will and the means to improve on the rest. Our hope is this will assist government agencies in collaboratively completing and maintaining the NSDI. We still have a long way to go.”

The organizations comprising COGO are leaders in the geospatial field. Collectively they represent over 170,000 individual members and speak with a unified voice on national geospatial policy initiatives. COGO’s first NSDI Report Card was a wake-up call for Congress to take action in this important area, and contributed in part to the Geospatial Data Act of 2017. This new assessment follows the same arc and is intended to encourage continued and critical improvements in our national geospatial infrastructure.

The full 2018 Report Card on the U.S. National Spatial Data Infrastructure and its Executive Summary can be found at the COGO website. http://cogo.pro/Report_Card.html

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS)

American Association of Geographers (AAG)

Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CaGIS)

Geographic Information Systems Certification Institute (GISCI)

International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO)

Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS)

National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS)

National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC)

United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF)

University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS)

Urban Regional Information Systems Association (URISA)