The Office of Management and Budget has issued a memo
calling on selected agencies to designate a senior
official to have agency-wide responsibility,
accountability, and authority for geospatial information
— maps, satellite imagery, and census and housing data, etc.
It said that despite better coordination of the government’s
geospatial investments across agencies and with state and
local governments, more needs to be done to leverage buying
potential and maintain investments rather than continuing to
invest in potentially duplicative and costly data capabilities.
Some agencies have successfully implemented the government’s
several policies relating to geospatial data, standards, and
investments by designating one agency official to be
responsible for them, such as chief information officers,
according to M-06-07.
It said agencies may alternatively designate another senior
official at the assistant secretary level or equivalent for
this role, and that those officials would also be required
to serve as the policy-level official to represent their
agencies on the Federal Geographic Data Committee.
Designations including the official’s name, title, and contact
information are due on or before April 10 to OMB’s e-gov and
IT government-to-government portfolio manager, Stacie Boyd,
