‘Why Don’t We Own This’ Site Maps Detroit’s Housing Crisis

By Ashley Woods and Kate Abbey-Lambertz, HuffPost Detroit, January 28, 2013

Alsup and Paffendorf said there are many possible uses for their improved site. Detroiters could visualize the privately created Detroit Future City framework, which provides a road map for city development over the next four decades, using WDWOT’s data. Community organizations could build private maps to keep track of abandoned lots in their neighborhood. Organizations working on foreclosure prevention may find the data to be more proactive.

But not everyone sees the open access to information as a good thing. When WDWOT first made information from the massive county foreclosure auction readily available online, some wondered if the site would just help out-of-state speculators to buy up property on the cheap — with no intention of ever improving it.

via ‘Why Don’t We Own This’ Site Maps Detroit’s Housing Crisis With New Tools To Battle Back.

Related articles

• Mapping The Destruction Of Detroit (huffingtonpost.com)
• What can be done with Detroit’s thousands of empty properties? (mlive.com)

Data Philanthropy: Public & Private Sector Data Sharing for Global Resilience | Global Pulse

Robert Kirkpatrick, UN Global Pulse Blog, September 16, 2011

Learning to Live with Volatility. The digital revolution of the first decade of this new century has brought many wonders, yet it has also has ushered in a bewildering array of unanticipated consequences. We now find ourselves in a volatile and hyperconnected world where risk has been globalized. … However, the same technologies that connect us to one another have also turned all of us into prolific producers of data, and this new data may hold the keys to mitigating much of the volatility and uncert ainty that now confronts us. …One of the defining challenges of the second decade of this century will be for the public sector to learn how to tap into this new “unnatural resource” to understand the changing needs of citizens and respond with agility.

For full text of the article, visit: Data Philanthropy: Public & Private Sector Data Sharing for Global Resilience | Global Pulse.

Developing a New Zealand Spatial Data Infrastructure

Developing a National Spatial Data Infrastructure

Author: Hon Maurice Williamson, 16 December 2010, New Zealand Geospatial Strategy

On Monday, Cabinet agreed to the development of a national spatial data infrastructure for New Zealand, and directed Government agencies to get involved now – at the development stage. Cabinet also mandated LINZ, through the NZGO, to assume a leadership role in driving the development of this infrastructure. …

Full text of the article via Developing a National Spatial Data Infrastructure // New Zealand Geospatial Strategy.

Related Articles

• Australian Spatial Council Releases Online Map Guidelines (geodatapolicy.wordpress.com)

Public Sector Information Policies and their Economic Impacts

Borders in Cyberspace: Conflicting Public Sector Information Policies and their Economic Impacts

This summary report by Peter Weiss (February 2002) offers a comparison between the PSI re-use market within the US and Europe and how the impact that the different policy approaches on access, copyright and re-use related to PSI has impacted the PSI re-use market. The report seeks to demonstrate the economic and social benefits of open access and dissemination policies for public sector information, particularly as opposed to the limitations of the “cost recovery ” or  “government commercialisation” approach. The report offers good coverage of conclusions of recent economic and public policy research, as well as examples of failed or limited cost recovery experiments in the US and Europe.

Building a National Spatial Data Infrastructure 2.0

In the United States, a lively discussion is emerging on the next generation of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, with a  focus on its governance and coordination. Below are links to articles, reports and editorials on this topic:

National Geospatial Advisory Council Reports

• NGAC Report: The Changing Geospatial Landscape [PDF 4.38 MB]
• NGAC Transition Recommendations [PDF]
• Recommendations Summary [July 2011, PDF]
• Proposal to Measure Progress Toward Realizing the NSDI Vision [PDF]

Federal Geographic Data Committee Reports and Presentations

• NSDI 2.0: Implementing Change, Challenges and Opportunities [Ivan Deloatch, October 2009]
• A History of Spatial Data Coordination [Milo Robinson, May 2008]
• National Spatial Data Infrastructure Webpage

2009 Proposals for a “National GIS”

• A Proposal for National Economic Recovery: An Investment in Geospatial Information Infrastructure Building a National GIS [Jack Dangermond, ESRI]
• A Concept for American Recovery and Reinvestment - NSDI 2.0: Powering our National Economy, Renewing our Infrastructure, Protecting our Environment [Jeff Harrison, John Moeller, Julia Harvell and others]
• A Proposal for Reinvigorating the American Economy Through Investment in the US National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) [Autodesk, Microsoft, Oracle, Google, Intergraph]
• Stimulus Proposal #4 – Funding the National Map [John Palatiello]
• A Strategic Framework for a National Spatial Data Infrastructure [NSGIC]
• Governance of the NSDI [Will Craig, President of NSGIC]

Commentary

• Mapping and Spatial Data: Infrastructures and Imagination (John Moeller, Communia Blog, Sept 6, 2011)
• Obama Should Finish What Nixon Failed to Do (Christopher Tucker, Directions Magazine, Oct 2, 2009)
• Is a National GIS on the map? (GCN, July 13, 2009)
• Update 9: ESRI Invites Support for GIS for the Nation as Part of Stimulus Bill
• Three Geospatial Proposals and U.S. Economic Stimulus: Background and Status (Directions Magazine, Feb 5, 2009)
• Landscape of National GIS (David G. Smith, February 1, 2009)
• A Second Proposal Regarding Geo and the Stimulus: NSDI 2.0 (All Points Blog, Directions Magazine, Jan 24, 2009)
• Grassroots Group Releases NSDI 2.0 Concept Paper (GISCafe, January 23, 2009)
• A Rebuttal to “Building a National GIS” (Sean Gorman, January 13, 2009)

 

NSDI Related Legislation and Hearings

Legislation:

• E-Government Act of 2002 (PL 107-347) See Section 216 – Common Protocols for Geographic Information Systems, as well as Hearing Transcript, House Report No. 107-787 , Part 1 (H.R. 2458), and Senate Reports No. 107-174 (S. 803)

Congressional Oversight Hearings:

• House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Oversight Hearing “Federal Geospatial Data Management and Legislative Hearing on H.R. 2489″ (July 23, 2009)
•  House Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census (June 23, 2004) See GAO Testimony – “Geospatial Information: Better Coordination and Oversight Could Help Reduce Duplicative Investments“
• House Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census  (June 10, 2003) See GAO Testimony – “Geographic Information Systems: Challenges to Effective Data Sharing“

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports to Congress:

• Geospatial Information and Geographic Information Systems (GIS): An Overview for Congress (CRS, May 18, 2011)
• Issues and Challenges for Federal Geospatial Information” (CRS, May 18, 201)
• Geospatial Information and Geograpahic Information Systems (GIS): Current Issues and Future Challenges (CRS, June 2009)
• Issues Regarding a National Land Parcel Database (CRS, July 2009)

Government Accountability Office (GAO) Reports to Congress and Testimony:

• Geographic Information Systems : Challenges to Effective Data Sharing (GAO-03-874T, June 2003) [Testimony]
• Geospatial Information: Better Coordination Needed To Identify and Reduce Duplicative Investments (GAO-04-743, June 2004) [Testimony]
• Geospatial Informaiton: Better Coordination Needed to Identify and Reduce Duplicative Investments (GAO-04-703, June 2004) [Report to Congressional Requesters]

Executive Orders, Regulations and Guidelines

Executive Orders:

• Executive Order 12906: Coordinating Geographic Data Acquisition and Access: The National Spatial Data Infrastructure
• Executive Order 13286, published in the March 5, 2003, edition of the Federal Register, Volume 68, Number 43, pp. 10619-10633 amended Executive Order 12906

OMB Circulars and Memos:

• OMB Circular A-16 Revised Coordination of Geographic Information and Related Spatial Data Activities
• OMB Circular A-130: Management of Federal Information Resources
• OMB Circular A-119: Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities 
• OMB Memo M-09-28: Developing Effective Place-Based Policies for the FY2011 Budget
• OMB Memo M-06-07: Designation of a Senior Agency Official for Geospatial Information (President Bush)

FGDC Policies and Guidelines

The Geospatial Platform

NSDI-related Reports and Publications

National Academy of Public Administration Reports:

• Geographic Information for the 21st Century: Building a Strategy for the Nation (NAPA 98-01, January 1998)
• Legal Limits on Access to and Disclosure of Disaster Information (NAPA 99-09S, May 1999)
• Enabling Collaboration: Three Priorities for the New Administration (NAPA Jan 2009)
• Conversations with Leaders: Place-Based Public Management: A National Academy of Public Administration Initiative (NAPA 2011)
• Forum on Place-Based Public Management (May 2011)

National Academy of Sciences Reports (PDFs are now free; for full list of Mapping Science Committee reports click here):

• Land Parcel Data: A Vision for the Future (NAS 2007)
• Weaving a National Map: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey Concept of the National Map (NAS 2003)
• National Spatial Data Infrastructure Partnership Programs: Rethinking the Focus (NAS 2001)
• A Data Foundation for the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NAS 1995)
• Promoting the National Spatial Data Infrastructure Through Partnerships (NAS 1994)
• Toward a Coordinated  Spatial Data Infrastructure for the Nation (NAS 1993)
• Spatial Data Needs: The Future of the National Mapping Program (NAS 1990)
• Federal Surveying and Mapping: An Organizational Review (NAS 1981), including a summary of the Federal Mapping Task Force Report (OMB 1973).

Academic Studies:

• A Policy Appraisal of the National Map, A Federal Program to Provide Basic Geospatial Data For the Nation (Maeve A. Boland, PhD Dissertation, 2005) 

Earth Observation Governance, Priorities and Benefit to Society:

• Earth Observations and Global Change: Why? Where are we? What Next? (CSIS 2008)
• Earth Observation, Risk Assessment and Global Change (CSIS 2008)
• A Plan for a U.S. National Land Imaging Program (OSTP 2007)
• Dr. Holdren, Director of OSTP, Remarks to the Plenary Session of GEO-VI
• U.S. Group on Earth Observations (US GEO) Website

If you know of additional related documents or commentaries, please email us the links!

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in the links and resources listed above are not necessarily those of this blog site.

U.S. Presidential Candidates’ Technology and Innovation Policies Compared

A new report, published by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation on September 11, 2008, compares John McCain’s and Barack Obama’s technology and innovation positions, which “increasingly recognize the central role that science, technology and innovation play in economic growth…” For the full text of the report, visit http://www.itif.org/index.php?id=176. For more on the candidates’ technology and innovation positions, also check out the following:

Obama and McCain Have Now Responded to Science Debate 2008 Questions. Science Debate 2008 has released Republican Presidential nominee John McCain’s responses to its “top 14 science questions facing America.” Democrat Barack Obama’s responses appeared earlier and are accessible from the same link. The questions cover topics such as innovation, climate change, energy, health, and research, among others.

Source: AAAS Policy Alert, September 17, 2008