On Feb. 4, the Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO), of which USGIF is a member, released the second Report Card in its ongoing review of the U.S. National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). This Report Card serves as a periodic assessment of the nation’s geospatial data infrastructure, which, like other forms of public works, is essential for the country’s economy, health, safety, and activities of daily life.

The Report Card, completed in December 2018, leveraged the input of subject matter experts from the public and private sectors with knowledge in each of the eight national framework data themes: addresses, cadastres, elevation, geodetic controls, governmental units, hydrography, orthoimagery, and transportation. USGIF Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Camelia Kantor serves as the Foundation’s COGO delegate and contributed to the report as a reviewer in the area of transportation.

Each team assessed the developments and advances within their respective themes since the original Report Card was published in 2015, and engaged with the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) as they determined new individual scores. The NSDI as a whole received a grade of B-, reflecting some improvements from its 2015 grade of a C.

“Our country relies on these systems and data every day,” said Shelby Johnson, the 2019 COGO Chair. “It helps us in so many ways. It makes us more efficient and prosperous. The challenge is maintaining the themes where we are doing well, then finding the will and the means to improve on the rest. Our hope is this will assist government agencies in collaboratively completing and maintaining the NSDI. We still have a long way to go.”

COGO members are leaders in the geospatial field. Collectively they represent more than 170,000 individual members and speak with a unified voice on national geospatial policy initiatives. COGO’s first NSDI Report Card contributed in part to the Geospatial Data Act of 2017. This new assessment is intended to encourage continued and critical improvements to U.S. national geospatial infrastructure.

Click here to review the Report Card, including an executive summary, video, and presentation.