Geological Survey August 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) has endorsed the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) as the first-ever comprehensive federal data standard for classifying and describing coastal and marine ecosystems. CMECS provides a means of classifying ecological and habitat units using a common terminology. It provides a uniform protocol for identifying, characterizing and naming ecological units in support of monitoring, protection, and restoration of unique biotic assemblages, protected species, critical habitat, and important ecosystem components.

The National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC) will meet on September 18-19, 2012 at the American Institute of Architects Building, 1735 New York Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20006. The meeting will be held in the Gallery Room. The NGAC, which is composed of representatives from governmental, private sector, non-profit, and academic organizations, was established to advise the Federal Geographic Data Committee on management of Federal geospatial programs, the development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, and the implementation of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-16. Topics to be addressed at the meeting include: Leadership Dialogue Geospatial Platform Geolocation Privacy FGDC Report COGO Report Card Subcommittee Reports The meeting will include an opportunity for public comment on September 19. Comments may also be submitted to the NGAC in writing. Members of the public who wish to attend the meeting must register in advance. Please register by contacting Arista Maher at the U.S. Geological Survey (703-648-6283, amaher@usgs.gov). Registrations are due by September 14, 2012. While the meeting will be open to the public, seating may be limited due to room capacity.

We (U.S. Geological Survey) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), and as a part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this IC. As a federal agency, we may not conduct or sponsor, and you are not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.