[CALMAP:153] getting map libraries represented on this new USGS committee on geospatial data

From: Mary Larsgaard (mary@library.ucsb.edu)
Date: Fri May 18 2007 - 10:08:01 PDT

  • Next message: Julie Sweetkind-Singer: "[CALMAP:154] Re: getting map libraries represented on this new USGS committee on geospatial data"

    Seems to me we need to have
    map libraries represented on this,
    and more specifically one of the UC/S
    group:-)
    Has anyone already applied?
    Or hasn't done so but is thinking
    about it?
    I'd be more than happy to write
    a letter of recommendation.
    Only catch is that the deadline is
    June 28 and I'm at ALA or on
    vacation June 22-29 - so
    I'd sure like to get application
    one done on this by the end of
    May - things always get considerably
    more rushed those 2 weeks before
    ALA.

    Mary

    -------- Original Message --------
    Subject: USGS News Release: Interior Department Seeks Nominations
    for
    National Geospatial Advisory Committee
    Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 10:31:52 -0400
    From: Karen Renee Wood <kwood@usgs.gov>
    To: maps-l

    * News Release*

    * U.S. Department of the Interior*
    * U.S. Geological Survey*

    *For release: May 14, 2007*

    *Contacts: Karen Wood, USGS (703-648-4447)*
    * John Mahoney, USGS (206-220-4621)*

    *Interior Department Seeks Nominations for National Geospatial Advisory
    Committee*

    Interior Deputy Secretary P. Lynn Scarlett announced today the formation
    of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC). The Interior
    Department is currently seeking nominations for membership on the new
    advisory group.

    The NGAC is being created to advise the Federal government on the
    management of national geospatial programs and the development of the
    National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). The NSDI promotes sharing
    of geospatial data throughout all levels of government, the private and
    non-profit sectors, and the academic community. The Committee will
    provide advice and recommendations on Federal geospatial policy and
    management issues and provide a forum to convey views representative of
    our partners in the geospatial community. The Committee is being formed
    by the Department of the Interior on behalf of the Federal Geographic
    Data Committee (FGDC) under the authority of the Federal Advisory
    Committee Act (FACA).

    Geospatial data has become a critical element in many agencies
    abilities to achieve their goals, said Scarlett, who serves as chair of
    the FGDC. The Department of the Interior and the FGDC are committed to
    working with partners to develop an inclusive geospatial governance
    process. We believe that the NGAC will provide an excellent forum for
    our partners to participate in the further development of the NSDI.

    The FGDC Steering Committee is the interagency executive group
    responsible for providing leadership and direction in Federal geospatial
    programs. The effort to establish the NGAC was initiated as a result of
    the FGDC Future Directions strategic planning effort, which was
    completed in 2005. The Future Directions governance report, which was
    developed by an intergovernmental team, included a recommendation to
    establish a new national geospatial coordination body to be comprised of
    representatives of federal, state, local, and tribal governments, as
    well as representatives from the private and non-profit sectors. In
    addition, the Presidents Geospatial Line of Business initiative, which
    was established in 2006 to develop better management practices for
    Federal geospatial programs, recognized the importance of involving
    non-federal partners in the NSDI development process.

    The NGAC will include approximately 2025 members, who will be selected
    to generally achieve a balanced representation of the viewpoints of the
    various partners involved in national geospatial activities. The
    Secretary of the Interior will appoint Committee members and their
    alternates to the Committee to serve 2-year terms.

    Nominations for Committee membership should be submitted electronically
    to /ngacnominations@fgdc.gov/ by June 28, 2007. Nominations should include:

    1. A statement summarizing the nominees qualifications and interest in
    Committee membership and describing the nominees ability to represent a
    stakeholder group.
    2. A biographical sketch, resume, or vita.
    3. A list of three references or endorsements.
    4. Contact information for the nominee.

    Final selection and appointment of Committee members will be made by the
    Secretary of the Interior. Members of the Committee serve without
    compensation. However, members may be reimbursed for per diem and travel
    expenses incurred while attending Committee meetings in accordance with
    the Federal travel regulations as implemented by the Department of the
    Interior.

    The Committee will operate under the requirements of the Federal
    Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The purpose of FACA, which was enacted by
    the Congress in 1972, is to ensure that advice rendered to the executive
    branch by the various advisory committees, task forces, boards and
    commissions formed over the years by Congress and the President, be both
    objective and accessible to the public. The Act formalized a process for
    establishing, operating, overseeing, and terminating these advisory
    bodies. The U.S. General Services Administration is responsible for
    implementing the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Additional information
    about FACA may be found at <www.gsa.gov/faca>.

    A draft charter for the NGAC is available at
    <www.fgdc.gov/participation/steering-committee/meeting-minutes/feb07-sc/faca-charter-draft>.

    To learn more about the Federal Geographic Data Committee, please visit
    <www.fgdc.gov>. To learn more about the Geospatial Line of Business
    initiative, please visit
    <http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/c-6-8-glob.html>.

    -USGS-

    Karen Wood
    Public Affairs Specialist
    U.S. Geological Survey, Office of Communications
    703-648-4447
    Fax: 703-648-4466
    Email: kwood@usgs.gov

    -- 
    Mary Lynette Larsgaard
    Director, Map Library
    Assistant Head, Map and Imagery Laboratory
    Davidson Library
    University of California, Santa Barbara
    Santa Barbara CA 93106-9010
    USA
    mary@library.ucsb.edu
    voice: 805/893-4049; 2779, reference desk
    fax: 805/893-8799
    



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