[emergency] GIS Standards (was EM TC 3/11/03 Meeting Minutes)

[Eliot Christian <echristi@usgs.gov>]

At 08:19 PM 3/13/2003 -0500, Allen Wyke wrote:
>[...]
><snip>
>* GIS?  - there are already standards.  How applicable is it?  Should we
>provide a layer on top of standard?
>* Art - nothing that is for GIS data per se as a methodology for
>managing and interpreting the data.  Everything will touch the GIS
>space.  Is this OCG's space?
>* Bill - How does OCG fit in?
>* Gary - the point reference in any geospatial space system is latitude
>and longitude
>* Art - only provide a point of reference information
>* Allen - Is infrastructure in place or up to implementer?  Should there
>be a subgroup?  Needs to be hashed out to see if it fits
>* Art - may be a horizontal function - geospatial advisory and liaison
>to OCG.  Ask for review of spatial elements from other subcommittees or
>do we need a subcommittee?
>* Bill - GIS data folks trying to integrate.  Prevalent in all local
>communities in terms of interoperability.  What is it that an EM Group
>believes need to interoperate with common reference model?  Points and
>shapes?  COTS and client functions use maps.  Maybe a definition is
>required
>* Rick - supports this notion
>* Rex - Probably rises to the level of needed a subcommittee.  Better to
>have them coordinated
>* Bill - think of interfaces rather than shapes and models.
>* All agreed.  Put a group aside to look at GIS and continue a GIS
>discussion at our face-to-face meeting
></snip>

I would like to be involved with this work on GIS issues and I would be
pleased to lead such a subgroup within the scope of the EM TC.

>Nailing this down is big for the TC. Would like to see one of the GIS
>experts step up and start an active dialog in this area, so consider
>this the prodding :)

The point about "interfaces" is very relevant as the GIS community
has long advocated a "services-orieneted architecture" based on
international standards. International standards supporting discovery
of and access to geospatial data and services are agreed upon through
the various Spatial Data Infrastructure initiatives. These include
ISO 23950 for the "catalog service" interface. Among the geospatial
interfaces developed and prototyped by the OpenGIS Consortium are a
"Web Mapping Service" that specifies how to use HTTP GET to obtain
rendered maps (e.g., GIF and JPG images) with specific layers at
particular places.

In an Emergency Management context, my sense is that the ISO 23950
catalog service and the OGC Web Mapping Service are the most critical
services to advocate for immediate and widespread deployment.

>Also, references to OCG should actually be OGC (www.opengis.org)

Another reference is the "Clearinghouse" of the National Spatial Data
Infrastructure (NSDI)  http://www.fgdc.gov/clearinghouse/clearinghouse.html.
Although coordinated by a Federal interagency group, the NSDI includes
participants at all levels of government and other sectors as well.
Vendor-led initiatives such as ESRI's Geography Net are also
interoperable with NSDI through support of the standard services.



Eliot Christian echristian@usgs.gov 703-648-7245 FAX 703-648-7112
US Geological Survey, 802 National Center, Reston VA 20192












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EM-TC Meeting Minutes - 3/18/03

ATTENDEES:
Allen Wyke - Blue 292
Rick Carlton - E Team
Cathy M Subatch - E Team
Dave Robinson - Wells Fargo
Art Botterell - Partnership for Public Warning
Michael C. Wilson - TransState Media
Gary Ham - DHS
Eliot Christian - DOI
Bill Schroeder - ESRI
Joyce Kern - SunGard
Karl Kotalik - NC4
Mark Benemerito - SunGard
Steve Siegel - RamSafe
David Hall - Federal Support Systems
Jay Clark - Ship Analytics
John Silva - Silva Consulting
Rex Brooks - Starbourne
Nasseam Elkarra (Observer)
Steve DeWeese - x.Systems (Observer)
Jerry Weltman - Innovative Emergency Management (Observer)

MEETING MINUTES:
Many thanks to Gary Ham who helped summarize the meeting -  since I wasn't 
feeling 100%!  Many of these notes are his.

Allen started the meeting by noting that OASIS is in the midst of 
switching to a new collaboration system and there may be problems 
accessing stored information on the emergency list.  If you are still 
having trouble when you receive this email, please email Allen 
(awyke@blue292.com) and he will address the issue.
The subjects of interest then discussed at the meeting included:
1. Requirements Document and Organization of Requirements. 
2. Chosen areas of subcommittee concentration. 
3. Standards discussion 
4. Liaison with apparent duplications of effort. 
Requirements Document. 
Allen had updated the document with edits from the last meeting and any 
emails since the last meeting. 
Gary brought up the idea that we need to organize our documentation around the 
incident command system structure as that would likely be the structure 
for NIMS and NIMS-related artifacts was presented (see notes from last 
week's meeting for more detail on NIMS).  There was some discussion and 
general agreement, but based upon a suggestion from several of the TC 
members that we try to avoid the "process wars" the committee agreed to 
weaken the explicitness of support for ICS, while still using it as a 
general framework.  In other words we would support other frameworks as 
well, when needed.  Gary will bring more detail about NIMS and ICS to the 
face-to-face meeting.  In summary Allen stated that the group should 
identify which of the areas noted in the Requirements Document support the 
ICS framework - planning, operations, logistics and financial 
administration - and organize our components to support that structure. 
Several minor changes to the Requirements document will be made and a 
"final" copy posted for next week.
Gary also addressed the meeting he, Allen, and Matt Walton (Chairperson, EM-XML 
Executive Committee) and Mark Zimmerman (DHS) attended with Steve Cooper 
(DHS CIO) on Monday.  They had twenty minutes of his time.  Matt Walton 
gave an explanation of the EM-XML consortium and how it related to 
Homeland Security Presidential Directive #5 (see last week's meeting notes 
for detail).  Mr. Cooper promised to put someone from his shop on both the 
EM-XML Executive Committee and the EM TC.
Subcommittee Concentration.