Toward a Coordinated Spatial Data Infrastructure for the Nation

The National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) is the means to assemble geographic information that describes the arrangement and attributes of features and phenomena on the Earth. This book advocates the need to make the NSDI more robust. The infrastructure includes the materials, technology, and people necessary to acquire, process, store, and distribute such information to meet a wide variety of needs. The NSDI is more than hardware, software, and data; it is the public foundation on which a marketplace for spatial products will evolve.Table of ContentsFront Matter1 Executive Summary2 Introduction3 National Spatial Data Infrastructure4 Current Situation5 Spatial Data and the Urban Fabric6 Spatial Data and Wetlands7 Sharing of Spatial Data8 Conclusions9 RecommendationsAppendix A: Spatial Data and WetlandsAcronyms