| I. OFFICIAL DESIGNATION:
Subcommittee on Spatial Water Data (hereafter called the
Subcommittee). The Advisory Committee on Water Information
(ACWI) and the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)
jointly sponsor this Subcommittee. |
| II. PURPOSE: The purpose
of the Subcommittee is to coordinate spatial water data
and information activities among all levels of government
and the private sector. |
| III. AUTHORITY: |
A. Office of Management and Budget Memorandum No.
92-01 (M-92-01). dated December 10, 1991, defines
the responsibilities of Federal agencies for coordinating
water resources information programs and activities.
The ACWI is a Federal advisory committee chartered
by the Secretary of the Interior as the primary mechanism
for carrying out the Water Information Coordination
Program (WICP) at the national level. The Department
of the Interior, through the U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS), is the lead agency for implementing the WICP.
More specifically, M-92-01 designates objectives for
the WICP that include:
- To collaborate, as appropriate, with other groups
that are coordinating related categories of information
such as spatial data and meteorological information.
Regarding spatial data, the [Advisory] Committee
should plan and implement actions to establish water
resources components of the national spatial data
infrastructure.
- To develop uniform standards, guidelines, and
procedures for the collection, analysis, management,
and dissemination of water information in order
to improve quality, consistency, and accessibility
nationwide.
- To establish a National Water Information Clearinghouse
that should index and disseminate information so
as to improve the awareness of, availability of
and access to existing water information holdings
of Federal agencies and the non-Federal sector.
|
| B. The Federal Advisory Committee Act is the authority
for establishing and operating the ACWI. The Charter
of the ACWI authorizes the creation of subordinate groups
to assist the ACWI in fulfilling its functions. The
Subcommittee is such a group. |
| C. Office of Management and Budget Circular A-16 establishes
the Federal Geographic Data Committee and designates
lead agency responsibility for the (FGDC) program to
the Department of the Interior, through the USGS. In
addition A-16 designates lead agencies for specific
categories of spatial data. Executive Order 12906, Coordinating
geographic data acquisition and access: The National
Spatial Data Infrastructure, strengthens and enhances
the general policies described in Circular A-16. |
| D. Circular A-16 does not include all categories of
spatial data that fall within Federal Government missions.
In particular, Circular A-16 does not include the range
of coordination responsibilities addressed by the WICP
under M-92-01. However, some categories of spatial data
that are the responsibility of the FGDC member organizations
support major water information requirements for decision
making. Further, the nationwide water resources community
needs data provided by other FGDC organizations. Therefore,
the ACWI and the FGDC collaborate on activities of mutual
interest to ensure that shared requirements are met
and that available resources are used effectively. The
ACWI and the FGDC jointly sponsor and support the Subcommittee
to ensure proper communication and collaboration. |
| IV. SCOPE |
| A. As defined in Executive Order 12906, "geospatial
data" means information that identifies the geographic
location and characteristics of natural or constructed
features and boundaries on the Earth. This information
may be derived from, among other things, remote sensing,
mapping, and surveying technologies. Statistical data
may be included in this definition at the discretion
of the collecting agency. |
| B. Spatial water data includes information about streams,
lakes, reservoirs, ground water, estuaries, coastal
areas, marine environments precipitation and other hydrometeoro-logical
information related to water resources management, and
other aquatic habitats such as wetlands. |
| V. SUBCOMMITTEE PURPOSE |
| The ACWI and FGDC created the Subcommittee to assist
the ACWI and FGDC to coordinate Federal and non-Federal
interests in spatial water data, including: (1) facilitating
the exchange of information and transfer of data; (2)
establishing and implementing standards for quality,
content, and transferability; and (3) coordinating the
identification of requirements and the collection of
spatial data to minimize duplication of effort where
practicable and economical. |
| VI. RESPONSIBILITIES |
| Responsibilities of the Subcommittee include the following: |
| A. Facilitate the coordination of organizations' activities
related to spatial water data and the exchange of spatial
water data, by formal and informal means. |
| B. Facilitate the collection and compilation of information
for spatial water data activities. |
| C. Participate in consensus standards development
and evaluation efforts of the private sector in the
United States, by United Nations and by other international
organizations, as appropriate. |
| D. Identify ways in which the National Spatial Data
Infrastructure can include scientifically sound and
well documented spatial water data from many sources. |
| E. Recommend any changes in the definition of spatial
water data to more accurately describe its scope. |
| F. Assist the ACWI and FGDC in establishing and publishing
consensus standards and specifications for spatial water
data, and recommend priorities for producing data sets. |
| G. Assist in the development and adoption of common
standards and definitions for data elements, data content,
format, and accuracy for spatial water data for use
by all Federal agencies and to encourage use by non-Federal
organizations. |
| H. Promote wide use of defined and published spatial
data transfer standards for spatial water data. |
| I. Facilitate technology transfer for the economic
and efficient application of spatial water data for
decision making and scientific understanding. |
| J. Support higher-order or crosscutting activities
established or recognized by the ACWI or FGDC. |
| K. Encourage organizations to provide for the permanent
preservation of historically valuable data. |
| VII. MEMBERSHIP AND PARTICIPANTS |
| A. The members of the Subcommittee will include Federal,
interstate, State, Tribal, and local government agencies
and private organizations. A representative of the U.S.
Geological Survey, Water Resources Division, will chair
the Subcommittee. |
| B. An organization that pledges actively to support
the functions of the Subcommittee may become a member
by informing the chair in writing of it's desire to
participate and by providing information needed to communicate
with it. |
| C. Active support includes attending meetings, drafting
documents, reviewing and commenting on documents, making
presentations, and other contributions of staff time,
funding or other resources. |
| D. The chair of the Subcommittee will announce membership
applications received up to two weeks before a meeting.
Organizations that apply will become members at the
following meeting. |
| E. Each member organization of the Subcommittee will
designate its representative, an alternate if necessary,
and changes thereto, to the Subcommittee chair. |
| F. Other interested individuals may participate in
the meetings and activities of the Subcommittee, but
may not vote. |
| G. At his/her discretion in consultation with the
other member organizations, the chair can remove as
a voting member any organization that fails to attend
three consecutive meetings or to actively support the
Subcommittee. The chair will consult with the organization
before taking and such action and will announce such
actions at the meeting of the Subcommittee following
the action. |
| VIII. PROCEDURES |
| A. The meetings of the Subcommittee will be open to
the public, and the chair will announce meetings on
the Subcommittee homepage at least 10 working days in
advance of the meeting. |
| B. All costs for attending meetings and participating
in activities of the Subcommittee shall be the responsibility
of the member organizations and the participants. |
| C. The chair will hold meetings at least quarterly
at times and places decided in consultation with the
members. Normally, the chair will notify members of
meetings and distribute agendas to members of the Subcommittee
and to the Executive Secretaries of the ACWI and the
FGDC at least 10 Federal working days in advance of
a meeting. |
| D. The Subcommittee will conduct business in an open
fashion by fully discussing and attempting to resolve
all issues through consensus and by recognizing the
legitimate interests and diverse views of the Subcommittee
members and participants. When agreement may not be
possible, the following procedures apply:
-
A consensus exists when the chair announces a
decision by agreement unless one or more member
organizations requests a vote.
-
The Subcommittee will decide issues by a vote
among the member organizations using Robert's
Rules of Order.
-
Each member organization will have one vote,
and a majority will be required to approve a motion.
In cases of a tie, the chair will cast the deciding
vote.
-
Two-thirds of the member organizations will constitute
the quorum necessary to decide an issue by voting.
|
| E. Prior to implementing Subcommittee recommendations
or decisions that involve advice to the Federal Government,
the Subcommittee chair will submit the recommendations
in writing to the ACWI, through the Executive Secretary,
for deliberation and approval. |
| F. The Subcommittee chair will coordinate the Subcommittee's
activities with other ACWI and FGDC subcommittees, working
groups, and other components by participating in the
FGDC's Coordination Group and consulting with the Executive
Secretaries of the ACWI and FGDC. |
| G.The Subcommittee may establish additional rules
and procedures as needed to conduct its business. |
| IX. SUBGROUPS |
| A. As needed to carry out its activities and meet
its responsibilities, the Subcommittee may create temporary
work groups, task groups, or other subgroups.
|
| B. The establishment of subgroups for more than a
year or the abolishment of such a subgroup requires
the advance approval of the ACWI.
|
| C. The chair of the Subcommittee will designate members
of subgroups in consultation with the members. The chair
may designate participants in subgroups from Subcommittee
member organizations and from other organizations, as
appropriate. |
| X COORDINATING MECHANISMS |
| The Subcommittee will employ subcommittee meetings,
national user forums, annual solicitations to define
requirements, user surveys and analyses, spatial data
user workshops, study initiatives, cooperative ventures,
or other approaches that suit its responsibilities.
|
| XI. REPORTS |
| A. The Subcommittee chair will report in writing to
the ACWI and the FGDC annually, by December 31, describing
the requirements for, production of, and availability
of spatial water data. The chair will submit this annual
status report to the Executive Secretaries, and the
report will contain:
- Accomplishments of the past calendar year,
- An operating plan for activities during the upcoming
year,
- Photographs, diagrams, and other materials that
may be of value for inclusion in FGDC reports,
- A brief discussion of problems encountered and
other matters of interest.
|
| B. The Subcommittee chair will submit the operating
plan for the upcoming year for ACWI and FGDC review
and concurrence.
|
| C. During the reporting period the ACWI or the FGDC
may request special reports or technical papers that
describe special projects, coordination with other subcommittees,
or the development of status graphics, catalogs, or
brochures on the use and availability of spatial water
data.
|
| D.The Subcommittee chair will provide a draft report
of Subcommittee meetings, including Subcommittee recommendations
and action items, to all Subcommittee members for review
prior to approval.
|
| E. The Subcommittee chair will provide the final report
of Subcommittee meetings to all Subcommittee members,
the ACWI and FGDC Executive Secretaries, and the FGDC
Standards Working Group chair.
|
| XII. TERMINATION |
| The Subcommittee will exist until the ACWI, in consultation
with the FGDC and the member organizations of the Subcommittee,
terminate it. The ACWI must announce an intent to terminate
60 days in advance of termination.
|
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