Solutions

sion. It may enter the system via a telephone, hard

Storage schedules, platforms, and media for USACE

copy, email, or person-to-person contact, or it may

geospatial data and metadata are organized and imple-

be part of a long-term understanding that the product

mented by the USACE elements creating the prod-

will be produced. It may be work to be done by

ucts. GD&S products paid for by non-USACE agen-

USACE employees or to be contracted out.

cies are the responsibility of those agencies. During

Resource data used to produce GD&S products

site visits, we found that USACE GD&S data produc-

comes from field surveys, remote field data collec-

ers are aware that they have a responsibility to make

tion platforms, remote-sensing platforms that are in

data that is created with public funding available to

place or that need to be scheduled, or currently avail-

the public. Indeed, this is widely seen as a good public

able GD&S products including map or database mate-

relations tool and is looked on favorably by both man-

rials from federal, state, local, or commercial groups.

agers and staff.

Data may come in as raw data products in electronic

files, massaged data in electronic files, maps in elec-

Solutions

tronic files or hard copy, or textual information in

Work and document flow in the various USACE

electronic files or on hard copy, all in various file

GD&S work environments varies according to the

formats.

reason for the GD&S work, data collection schedules,

GD&S products created in USACE include maps

products required, customers, offices involved, and

in electronic or hard-copy format (produced from

available funding sources. There is no one formula

electronic format files). An electronic map often con-

that will work for every scenario if we are to keep

sists of multiple data files. Sometimes correspond-

the GD&S work environments optimally efficient. A

ing metadata is produced with map data. While

document management system that is not specifically

Federal Executive Order 12906 and USACE ER

designed for geospatial data flow could not be appro-

1110-1-8156 require that metadata must be created

priate.

for any new geospatial datasets created by USACE

Vice President Al Gore wrote about the U.S. gov-

organizations, metadata may or may not be created,

ernment (Gore, 1995),

depending on the organization, individual knowledge

of metadata, funding, and workload. Textual reports

...we have created a system that

demands that one size fit all, and in

may accompany GD&S products in electronic or hard-

the pursuit of certainty we have created

copy format.

a system that attempts to cover every

GD&S products may be distributed directly to the

eventuality, spelling everything out in

requester, made available to the public, or both. Prod-

excruciating detail. ... In the words of

ucts that are paid for by a particular funding agency

Philip Howard, we have "exiled human

judgment." But the world is neither all

are supplied only to that agency. Responsibilities for

one size nor all that certain. Things

further distribution lie with the owning agency. Often

change constantly, conditions vary, and

further refinements or updates to the original prod-

human judgment is crucial to making

ucts are requested--the work is not necessarily over

things work. Or, as Howard puts it,

after the first product is complete.

"Decision making must be transferred

from words on a page to people on the

GD&S electronic map products are usually large

spot."

electronic files, up to hundreds of megabytes in size.

In some cases, storage of a collection of related prod-

ucts requires terabytes of computer memory. (This

Nowhere are change and varying conditions more

does not include the working drafts required to get to

apparent than in the area of geospatial data produc-

a finished product.)

tion, which depicts the changing world and uses con-

Products may be archived off-line, stored on-line

stantly changing computer tools to do so. GD&S prod-

for real-time or near real-time downloading by in-

ucts have innumerable preliminary iterations, each of

house personnel or the public, or provided to the pub-

which can have huge storage requirements. GD&S

lic using non-electronic media (CDs, various tape for-

employees, the "people on the spot," must continue

mats, or hard copy). Geospatial data can be stored and

to be aware of their responsibility to publish data

made public on the USACE Geospatial Data Server,

needed by the public on-line and to store archival

which is accessible to USACE and the public via the

data. They must be given the time and resources to

internet (http://corpsgeo1.usace.army.mil), and has

do so. It is the responsibility of data creators and

been created specifically for this purpose. The Server

their managers to archive final versions of the data

will have access to the CEAP tape farm when storage

and metadata in GD&S storage systems that ade-

needs require that interface.

quately support file sizes and file formats specific