Minutes of July 11, 2002 Nebraska GIS Str. Cmte. Meeting

Alan Beiermann	*	Nebraska Public Power District
Jim Brown	*	State Surveyor
Steve Cacioppo		Lower Platte North NRD
Matthew Cast		Natural Resources Conservation
Lash Chaffin	*	League of Municipalities
John Erickson	*	Gov. Policy Research Office
Ray Fox		United States Geologic Survey
Steve Fredrick	*	Health and Human Services
Abu Gadem	*	Nebraska Game and Parks
Dick Genrich	*	Nebraska Department of Roads
Lance Hedquist		City of South Sioux City
Erik Hubl		Lancaster County Assessors Office
Dan Kahm		A & D Technical Supply
Ed Kelley		Department of Roads
Gail Knapp		City of Omaha
Jim Langtry	*	Lancaster County
Scott McIntyre	*	City of Omaha
Kim Menke		Department of Natural Resources
John Miyoshi	*	Lower Platte North NRD
Ming Qu		Health and Human Services
Jim Richardson		National Geodetic Survey
Scott Richert		Lancaster County Assessors Office
Steve Schafer	*	Chief Information Officer
Sonja Sebree	*	United States Geological Survey
Dana Snyder		Natural Resources Conservation Services
Gayle Starr		Department of Natural Resources
Duane Stott	*	Scottsbluff County
Mike Thompson	*	Department of Natural Resources
Doug Wagner		Natural Resources Conservation
Philip Webb		Natural Resources Conservation
Cliff Welsh	*	Nebraska Association of County Officials
Paul Yamamoto	*	Department of Environmental Quality

NOTICE OF MEETING: A public notice of the meeting, pursuant to Section 84-1411 R.R. S. 1943, was published in the Lincoln Journal-Star on Thursday, August 29, 2002.

ROLL CALL: Vice Chairperson Duane Stott called the meeting to order at 1:05. Fifteen duly authorized representatives were present therefore a quorum was present to conduct business.

MINUTES: Steve Schafer moved to approve the minutes from the July meeting. Dick Genrich seconded the motion. The motion passed. (see vote #1 on Voting Record sheet)

NEBRASKA HYDROLOGIC UNIT CODE BOUNDARY DATABASES:   Dana Snyder of the NRCS explained that in the 1970's the USGS developed a four level division of watersheds based on size.  The smallest of these were 448 acre blocks and were assigned eight digit codes.   Recently the Federal Geographic Data Committee has decided to move forward on an initiative to further refine the watersheds into a fifth and sixth level.   The fifth level will include watersheds from 40,000 acres to 250,000 acres and will be assigned 10 digit codes.   The sixth level will included watersheds from 10,000 to 40,000 acres.

The ultimate goal of this effort is to have a seamless, hydrologically correct, accurate and consistent hydrologic database.

This effort is well underway in many areas of the United States but the State of Nebraska is only 25% complete.   In order to more effectively accomplish the goal, the FGDC standards recommend the formation of a committee called the Interagency Hydrologic Group.   The NRCS is requesting participation from Steering Committee agencies as well as assistance with the coordinating efforts.

Mike Thompson commented that for the sake of consistency, a cooperative effort is critical, especially as there is potential conflict in splitting and categorizing the watersheds.

Larry clarified that funding was not the main issue, that it is more an issue of coordination. Dana said that funding was also an issue. John asked how this effort has been funded in other states, particularly the ones mostly completed. Dana explained that the USGS will be coming in from Utah to share how they completed their project.

Steve Schafer asked what the priority of this project is, if there is a specific date by which it must be done. Mike said that the big push now is that the NRCS will be doing this project with or without assistance. The question is will the Steering Committee be a part of making it happen. John Miyoshi added that much of the EPA grant money is based on watersheds.

Mike moved to pass the draft resolution referenced in the agenda, "Water Resources Database Advisory (WRDAC) should be re-activated and charged with studying the current sub-watershed delineations (8-digit HUCs), along with the new proposed Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) [otherwise known as 5th (10 digit) and 6th (12 digit) level hydrologic units or Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUCs)]. NRCS, USGS, DEQ, DAg, NDNR, NGPC, NRDs and other interested local, state and federal interested parties will be invited to participate in this effort and they will choose a lead agency to convene and chair the Advisory Committee. The WRDAC will study the merits of the proposed WBD program and report back to the Steering Committee with recommendations. If the program finds support by the participating agencies, the Steering Committee will be asked to endorse the project." Sonja Sebree seconded. The motion passed. (see vote #2 on Voting Record sheet)

Larry said that though there is a set of obvious key agency players, he will issue an invitation to anyone who might be interested. Mike said the earlier Water Resources Advisory Committee committee started with a fairly large group but that it narrowed down quickly to the most critical agencies.

LAND RECORDS MODERNIZATION STUDY: Larry reported that the project is beginning. The final contract with GeoAnalytics has been signed and they are in the process of drafting a local government survey designed to document current cadastral mapping activity. They will then proceed to work on creating the business case.

The Committee working on this project is comprised of Larry Dix, Jim Brown, Duane Stott, Steve Schafer, Cathy Lang, John Erickson, and Larry Zink.

Steve Schafer suggested that a city representative is needed on the Committee. Lash agreed to server as that representative.

Larry said they are trying to do a lot of the survey web based and requested a county surveyor mailing list, should any of the Steering Committee members have one available.

ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON FACILITATING GEOSPATIAL DATA SHARING: Steve Schafer reported that among the decisions made by this committee was the one to single out NDNR as the home for a combined and enhance Nebraska geospatial clearinghouse and data center. Accepting that responsibility will require additional responsibilities and increase expectations, but the committee is well aware that it is unlikely that additional funding will be forthcoming in the near future. As a result, NDNR will need to utilize existing resources and will not be able to deliver in the short-term the kind of results that we might want. The success of this venture depends on other agencies getting involved and assisting NDNR in this endeavor.

Larry Zink summarized the remainder of the recommendations made by the Advisory Committee.

Steve added that the Advisory Committee will revisit and refine these later as needed.

HOMELAND SECURITY: Larry Zink reported that a survey was emailed to state agencies asking what data would be most necessary to facilitate homeland security. The response received was that basically "that is a very important question, but we really haven't thought about it enough to give you an answer.

Larry noted that the next step will be for he and Steve Schafer to schedule one-o-one meetings with key agencies to attempt to get a clearer answer to the question of what data is needed and what are their other needs related to GIS and Homeland Security.

Larry and Steve have already met with NEMA to discuss their needs. The initial draft findings are as follows:

Steve Schafer agreed that pursuing individual agency interviews is a good direction to take this. A strawman document could be created and refined by the committee later. However, due to the short timeline involved with this issue, it maynot be possible for the subcommittee to review it before handing it off to NEMA to use in making their case for further federal funding. The final document would be brought to the Steering Committee after it had been presented to NEMA

Cliff Welsh acknowledged the need to have information but expressed concern about relative security. Steve said that NEMA is very conscious of security but are only in the first stages of development right now, exploring the value of GIS.

Scott McIntyre said that within his agency, GIS applications are created in response to emergency situations as they arise because it is impossible to predict what will come up. Larry acknowledged that as a valid technique but reminded the Committee that NEMA is at a very basic level of GIS capability at the moment. GIS is an area they have not been active in before and they lack much the expertise and resources to develop applications spontaneously. Dick agreed that developing applications on the fly makes sense because of the nature of emergencies. Steve said that the potential exists for the development of a GIS specialist team, available at any time to assist during times of emergency.

Lash expressed concern that a clearly defined lead agency would eventually become a directive. Steve clarified that no database would be assigned to a specific agency without that agency's expressed approval. Assigned databases would allow NEMA to know exactly which agency to go to in order to obtain specific information.

UPDATE ON DEPARTMENT OF ROADS INITIATIVES: Dick reported that they are a little behind schedule but are currently working on completing the road vectors for the remaining two counties, Saunders and Cass.

A center line/street address survey was issued to local government. Dick has received 1/3 back and discovered that many entities are exploring the possibility of using GIS.

With respect to the personnel classification, Deb Weber was to contact Dick but has apparently been busy lately. She is interested in getting more information about GIS, what it does and how it works. There is no hurry at the moment however.

The NHD project has completed two watersheds. All digitizing is complete. The DEQ has helped quite a bit. Larry added that this project is a good example of agency collaboration. NDNR has taken the lead and both the DEQ and NRDs have provided assistance and funding.

ANNUAL REPORT: It is now Annual Report time and as a part of the agreement with the USGS, the Steering Committee has committed to creating a Nebraska I-Team Plan. Larry Zink proposed merging those documents into a single report. The main difference from previous reports would be the addition of estimated dollar figures, something that has traditionally been omitted.

The I-Team will require the addition of missing information within each priority database discussion, namely:

The idea again is that this would be a cross government plan to be shared across all levels of government.

Larry proposed taking last year's document and updating it. The Steering Committee's Strategic Direction would remain largely the same. Last years Strategic Directions included

Priority Geospatial Databases that were previously identified by the Steering Committee as being critical components of IT infrastructure include

Ray Fox asked if any thought had been given to adding any datasets that are required for Homeland Security efforts. Larry said that was a possibility to the extent that they have been identified by then. If any emerge during the scoping process, that would be a consideration.

The question was raised of what constitutes Critical Infrastructure. That would include places like hospitals and police stations. Lash suggested this might be a good time to assess what priority homeland security has for the Committee.

Larry asked if the Committee was comfortable identifying which agencies will act as stewards of which datasets. Some will not have a logical lead agency and there will be some orphan datasets but this is a good time to begin making those assessments. Lash added it will be easier to handle as long as the acknowledgement is made that there will be orphan datasets and that there is no additional money to support the maintenance of these databases.

Other non-database initiatives that may or may not logically be included into the I-Team plan:

The most significant work involved in completing this document will be soliciting and compiling cost estimates. A draft of the combined document will be ready by the next I-Team meeting. A committee appointed by the Chair will review the document and then brought to the Steering Committee for final approval.

USGS NATIONAL MAP: Ray Fox, USGS liaison to Nebraska provided a briefing to the Steering Committee on the USGS plans for the National Map. At the direction of Barbara Ryan, USGS Associate Director for Geography, the USGS is currently in the beginning stages of establishing a National Map designed to replace current paper maps to improve the value of available resources.

Some of the reasons behind the initiative included eliminating outdated information, removing divergence between base data and topographic maps, reducing duplication of effort among and between geographic sectors.

The National Map vision is to create a seamless, continually maintained, nationally consistent set of base geographic data. To accomplish this goal, the USGS intends to establish data steward partnerships with state and local agencies. Another part of the process will be to re-link the topographic map with the underlying base geographic data.

The USGS would like to invite the Steering Committee to participate in this effort. As a partner, the state, regional and local role would be to coordinate consortia, identify changes and provide updates and collaborate on data.

Private industry would provide tools, opens standards and data as well as conducting research.

Steve Schafer observed that the USGS effort seems closely related to many of the ongoing Steering Committee initiatives and asked what the next step would be if the Committee wanted to get involved. Ray said eventually something would have to be presented in writing expressing the desire to be a part of the National Map effort.

There was some discussion about the Mid American Geographic Information Consortium and their interest in developing a regional group to work on sections of the country rather than splitting the land out by state. If a regional group were not created, then eventually a partnership office would be needed in every state.

GIS/LIS ASSOCIATION: Gail Knapp reported that they have started planning for the 2003 Symposium. It will be held at the Cornhusker hotel, May 15-18.

Lori Becker moved out of state and has stepped down from the board and Jim Langtry has replaced her Symposium Chair.

There is also work being done to plan a Midwest Arc Users Group conference. It will be held in Omaha September 21-24. The Association would appreciate Steering Committee support.

Mike Thompson reported that flood plane mappers have started sending CD's along with their printed quad sized maps with a new product designed as a sort of PDF maker for maps. A publisher and reader are included and it allows for layers to be added while controlling size issues.

Dick Genrich reported that they have started a pilot project for an Internet mapping portal. It is coming along nicely. Some of the DRG's hooked up along with some videos. The project should be complete by the end of the year.

Scott reported they are just getting their 2001 data in. There was a problem as the data was not geographically adjusted correctly but that has been corrected. They have begun looking at a 2004 flight including Pottawattamie County, Douglas, Sarpy, and Washington Counties. This represents over 1000 square miles and a larger mapping area. Scott is looking forward to seeing what sort of interest is out there. LIDAR technology is not yet cost effective.

Ray asked what resolution they are using for the orthophotos. Scott said they are using 1/8 meter. For urban applications 1/16 is much better. Ray added that Omaha is on the list of 120 cities for Homeland Security. USGS has been working with the mapping element of the Department of Defense and would be interested in talking to the City of Omaha about acquiring their data and possibly coordinating on flights.

John Miyoshi introduced the latest member of his team, Steve Cacioppo. He is a GIS specialist and a valuable addition to their team. They are planning to add a new IMS server in the near future that will house the Lower Elkhorn and Lewis and Clark NRD's.

Hydrologic Unit Code Boundary Database	Land Records Modernization Study
Facilitating Geospatial Data Sharing	Homeland Security
Roads Initiatives	Natural Resources Data Initiatives
Annual Report	National Map
GIS/LIS Association	Agency Reports
Voting Record

Vote Tallies for 9/5/02 GIS Str. Cmte. Meeting
.	Roll Call	Min. #1	Water Resources Adv. Cmte. #2	Facilitating Data Sharing Recmd #3	#4	#5	#6	#7	#8
DAS - Steve Schafer (Lori McClurg)	P	+	+	+	.	.	.	.	.
DEQ - Paul Yamamoto (Mike Linder)	P	+	+.	+	.	.	.	.	.
CSD - Mark Kuzila Les Howard	A	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
NGPC - Bruce Sackett . Abu Gadem	P	+	+	+	.	.	.	.	.
NRC - Mike Thompson (Roger Patterson)	P	-	+	+	.	.	.	.	.
PTD - Cathy Lang Bob Martin	A	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
PRO - John Erickson (Lauren Hill )	P	+	+	+	.	.	.	.	.
DOR - Dick Genrich (John Craig)	P	+	+	+	.	.	.	.	.
St.Surv - Jim Brown .	A/P	.	+	+	.	.	.	.	.
Leg. - Judy Backhaus (Patrick O'Donnell)	A	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
Sonia Sebree, USGS .	P	+	+	+	.	.	.	.	.
John Miyoshi Steve Cacioppo.	P	+	+	+	.	.	.	.	.
Alan J. Beierman .	P	+	+	+	.	.	.	.	.
Cliff Welsh .	P	+	+	+	.	.	.	.	.
Larry Worrell Jim Langtry	P	+	+	+	.	.	.	.	.
Lash Chaffin .	P	+	+	+	.	.	.	.	.
Duane Stott.	P	+	+	+	.	.	.	.	.
Scott McIntyre.	P	+	+	+	.	.	.	.	.
HHS - Steve Frederick (Dick Nelson)	P	+	+	+	.	.	.	.	.
TOTALS .	15/16 - P	14 + 1 -	16 +	16 +	.	.	.	.	.

Nebraska GIS Steering Committee

Meeting Minutes -- September 5, 2002