National Geospatial Advisory Committee has its charter renewed by Dept. of Interior

The Secretary of Interior, Sally Jewell, has renewed the charter of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee, which provides advice and recommendations on the management of federal geospatial programs and the development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).

In April 1994 President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 12906, calling for the establishment of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure. The NSDI is seen as the technology, policies, and people necessary to promote geospatial data sharing throughout all levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors, and academia.

In August 2002, the President’s Office of Management and Budget issued revised Circular A-16, reaffirming the government’s commitment to building the NSDI.

The National Geospatial Advisory Committee, which is composed of up to 30 representatives of various stakeholders in national geospatial activities, meets three or four times per year, according to a Department of Interior notice that was published in the Federal Register on Feb. 13. Committee members serve without compensation, but they receive travel and per diem costs from the U.S. Geological Survey, says the notice.

“The Committee will review and comment on geospatial policy and management issues and will provide a forum to convey views representative of non-Federal partners in the geospatial community,”