[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 149 (Monday, August 4, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41972-41973]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-20462]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
U.S. Geological Survey
Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC); Public Comment on the
Proposal to Develop the ``Content Standard for Remote Sensing Swath
Data'' as a Federal Geographic Data Committee Standard
ACTION: Notice; Request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The FGDC is soliciting public comments on the proposal to
develop a ``Content Standard for Remote Sensing Swath Data.'' If the
proposal is approved, the standard will be developed following the FGDC
standards development and approval process. If the standard is adopted
by the FGDC, it must be followed by all Federal agencies collecting
remotely sensed swath data directly or indirectly, through grants,
partnerships, or contracts.
In its assigned leadership role for developing the National Spatial
Data Infrastructure (NSDI), the FGDC recognizes that the standards must
also meet the needs and recognize the views of State and local
governments, academia, industry, and the public. The purpose of this
notice is to solicit such views. The FGDC invites the community to
review the proposal and comment on the objectives, scope, approach, and
usability of the proposed standard; identify existing related
standards; and indicate their interest in participating in the
development of the standard.
Title: Remote Sensing Swath Data Content Standard.
Date of Proposal: July 3, 1997.
Type of Standard: Content standard for remote sensing swath data.
Submitting Organization: National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA).
Point of Contact: Candace Carlisle, NASA Goddard Space Flight
Center, Code 505, Greenbelt, MD 20771. Phone: (301) 614-5186.
Objectives
The primary objective of this proposed standard is to define the
content for remote sensing swath data (subsequently called the swath
data model), thereby providing a solid basis from which to develop
interoperable data formats for this common form of remote sensing data.
The data model shall define the minimal content requirements for a
swath and the relationships among its individual components. It shall
also discuss the treatment of optional supporting information within
the swath model.
Project Scope
As stated in Executive Order 12906, dated April 13, 1994, the FGDC
shall coordinate the Federal Government's development of the National
Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). The Executive Order is intended to
strengthen and enhance the general policies described in OMB Circulars
A-16 and A-119. The swath data model for remote sensing supports the
development of the NSDI by providing a common framework for the
organization of a wide range of remotely sensed data. The model will be
particularly useful for data from scanning, profiling, staring, or
push-broom type remote sensing instruments, whether they be ground
based, shipboard, airborn, or spaceborne.
The Committee on Earth Observing Satellites (CEOS), an
international standards body, has endorsed the development of data
models for remotely sensed swath through its Working Group on
Information Systems and Services (WGISS) Data Subgroup.
Justification/Benefit
In order to facilitate interoperability among agencies with remote
sensing data holdings and member agencies of international remote
sensing groups, participants must first be able to exchange
information. Ideally, data from one organization should be easily
useable by other organizations performing similar work. In practice,
however, each organization has developed its own methods of encoding
data that are generally not particularly compatible with those
developed by other organizations. The unfortunate results are that data
are generally not easily shared among these groups and that researchers
who wish to use data from multiple sources find the task of reconciling
the data particularly daunting. Clearly, it is in the interest of the
entire remote sensing community that there be a common data encoding
mechanism in use by many organizations. Before such an encoding
mechanism can become widely accepted, however, each party must share a
common conceptual model of the data in question. This is exactly the
purpose of the swath data model or content standard. It will provide a
common conceptual framework, within which the sharing of remote sensing
swath data will become possible.
Development Approach
The data standardization and modeling are major research issues
within the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS).
The Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project is
responsible for EOSDIS and has already sponsored much preliminary
research into these issues for remote sensing applications. Some early
results of the research are presented in EOSDIS Version 0 FY92 Data
Structures Report, an internal ESDIS report. Those early results have
been further developed into data standards for the EOSDIS Core System
(ECS) through soliciting input and comments from scientists around the
world and from EOSDIS's Data Model Working Group. As one of the efforts
to publicize the EOSDIS data standards and solicit comments, NASA plans
to have a software vendor workshop on EOSDIS data standards during this
year. The proposed FGDC content standard for remotely sensed swath data
will based on the ECS swath data standard.
Related Standards
The proposed standard will be based on the NASA EOSDIS standards
for remote sensing swath data. The NASA standard specifies the minimal
content requirements for a swath and the relationships among its
individual components. Based on the standard, ESDIS project has
developed an encoding mechanism and a set of software tools for EOSDIS.
[[Page 41973]]
The Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS) deals with transferring
geospatial data among computer systems. The Raster Profile of SDTS is
remotely related to the proposed swath standard because the Raster
Profile can also be used to deal with remote sensing data. However, two
important factors distinct them. First SDTS Raster Profile is a
transfer standard while the proposed swath standard is a content
standard. Second, SDTS Raster Profile only deals with two-dimensional
geocoded raster data while the swath standard handles one, two, or
higher dimensional data in raw sensor geometry. No other current FGDC,
national, or international standard addresses this important facet of
sharing remote sensing swath data.
Development and Completion Schedule
Execution of the timeline below will begin immediately following
approval of this proposal.
1. Set up review committee--within 4 weeks after approval of
proposal.
2. Produce working draft of standard--within 6-8 weeks after
committee impaneled.
3. Conduct committee review--during 4-6 weeks after completion of
working draft.
4. Revise working draft--within 2 weeks after receipt of committee
comments.
5. Submit draft to SWG--within 2 weeks of final committee approval.
The following steps will take place according to the timing
specified by the FGDC review process.
6. Review revised draft (SWG).
7. Produce revised draft for public review (NASDA/ESDIS).
8. Conduct pubic review (FGDC).
9. Respond to public comments (NASDA/ESDIS).
10. Evaluate response to public comments (SWG).
11. Approve standard for endorsement (SWG).
12. Endorse standard (FGDC).
Resources Required
NASA/GSFC ESDIS Project will fund this project to develop the
content standard for swath data.
Potential Participants
NASA, through its Mission to Planet Earth, is already bringing
together many diverse groups within the remote sensing community.
Through the continuing data standards work done for ESDIS, NASA has
gained considerable insight into the requirements of these various
groups. Other Federal agencies who produce a large amount of remote
sensing data, such as NOAA, NIMA, and USGS, can also participate in the
standard development. Participation of the commercial remote sensing
community in the standard development is also welcomed. In addition,
under the auspices of the CEOS WGISS, many national and international
space agencies will have the opportunity to participate in the
development of the swath data model. These agencies play major roles
within the remote sensing community.
Other Target Authorization Bodies
This proposed standard is not currently targeted for consideration
by any other authorizing bodies. FGDC will serve as the target
authorization body. As the FDGC content data standard for remotely
sensed swath data, it is expected that this proposed standard could be
subsequently authorized by ANSI, ISO, CEOS, or other groups.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 1, 1997.
CONTACT AND ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted via Internet mail or
by submitting an electronic copy on diskette. Send comments via
Internet to: ">[email protected]www.fgdc.gov. Comments e-mailed as attachments
must be in ASCII format.
A soft copy version may be submitted on a 3.5 x 3.5 diskette in
WordPerfect 5.0 or 6.0/6.1 format, along with one hardcopy version of
the comments, to the FGDC Secretariat (attn: Jennifer Fox) at U.S.
Geological Survey, 590 National Center, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive,
Reston, Virginia, 20192.
Dated: July 25, 1997.
Richard E. Witmer,
Chief, National Mapping Division.
[FR Doc. 97-20462 Filed 8-1-97; 8:45 am]
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