U.s. Geological Survey August 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) is soliciting public comments on the draft strategic plan for the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). The draft strategic plan, along with instructions for submitting comments, is posted at: www.fgdc.gov/nsdi- plan. Comments should be submitted by August 21, 2013. The FGDC is the interagency committee that promotes the coordinated use, sharing and dissemination of geospatial data in the United States. The FGDC operates under the authority of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-16 and Executive Order 12906. One of the FGDC's responsibilities under Circular A-16 is to ``prepare and maintain a strategic plan for the development and implementation of the NSDI.'' Executive Order 12906 describes the NSDI as ``the technology, policies, standards, and human resources necessary to acquire, process, store, distribute, and improve utilization of geospatial data.'' The draft NSDI strategic plan has been developed with inputs from a variety of sources, including FGDC member agencies, the National Geospatial Advisory Committee, and geospatial partner organizations. The plan describes a broad national vision for the NSDI, and includes goals and objectives for the Federal government's role in continued sustainable development of the NSDI. Following the public comment period, a revised draft of the plan will be prepared for final review and adoption by the FGDC Steering Committee. Following adoption of the strategic plan, the FGDC will develop more detailed project plans for the goals and objectives in the strategic plan.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is inviting comments on an information collection request (ICR) that we have sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The ICR concerns the paperwork requirements for the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR) USGS Competitive Grant Program. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, and as 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 ICR. This collection is scheduled to expire on July 31, 2013.