Advancing Strategic Science : A Spatial Data Infrastructure Roadmap for the U.S. Geological Survey

Science is increasingly driven by data, and spatial data underpin the science directions laid out in the 2007 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Science Strategy. A robust framework of spatial data, metadata, tools, and a user community that is interactively connected to use spatial data in an efficient and flexible way—known as a spatial data infrastructure (SDI)—must be available for scientists and managers to find, use, and share spatial data both within and beyond the USGS. Over the last decade, the USGS has conducted breakthrough research that has overcome some of the challenges associated with implementing a large SDI. Advancing Strategic Science: A Spatial Data Infrastructure Roadmap for the U.S. Geological Survey is intended to ground those efforts by providing a practical roadmap to full implementation of an SDI to enable the USGS to conduct strategic science. Table of ContentsFront MatterSummary1 Introduction2 Background3 Key Challenges and Lessons Learned4 A Vision for Optimizing the USGS Spatial Data Infrastructure5 A Roadmap for Spatial Data Infrastructure ImplementationAppendixesAppendix A: Committee and Staff BiographiesAppendix B: Presentations to the CommitteeAppendix C: On-Line QuestionnaireAppendix D: Questionnaire Responses