Virginia Natural Resources Geospatial Clearinghouse: Many data layers have become available to natural resource agencies, institutions, and businesses in Virginia in recent years. These data layers are widely available, but are poorly documented and difficult to retrieve, reformat, and use. The difficulty and expense of acquiring these data limit the growth potential for geospatial data applications in the Commonwealth. The Virginia Tech Office of Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing (OGIS) was established in 1997, to coordinate data management, projects, software and hardware sharing, and other activities among the various faculty and staff groups involved in geospatial data activities at Virginia Tech. This organization has already established a state-of-the-art laboratory, coordinated data purchases and software agreements, and held software training for participants. In February 99, we held the first Virginia Tech GIS and Remote Sensing Research Symposium attracting over 100 participants from throughout Virginia. We have established a data server for 1:24k DEMs, packaged and edge-matched by our Dept. Of Geography. We host and manage the Virginia GIS User's Group listserv. We have met with and plan to fully support and participate with the newly reorganized Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN), and we have high hopes that, if funded, our NSDI clearinghouse will become a part of a larger network of clearinghouses planned under VGIN. At a recent OGIS planning session, needs for a data clearinghouse were ranked highest of all needs among geographic information system users in Virginia.

One participant in OGIS is the Fish and Wildlife Information Exchange (FWIE) in the Dept. Of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences. The FWIE has established an ftp server for landcover, roads, hydrography, wetlands, public lands, and other data layers that includes metadata. In 1998, the FWIE assisted the FGDC (under an NSDI grant) and the USGS/Biological Resources Division in evaluating the proposed standards for non-spatial metadata development, and assisted with a metadata training session. FWIE developed the metadata section of the 1998 National Freshwater Fisheries Database Summit.

Funding this proposal should greatly improve the availability of metadata, data, training, and technical assistance in Virginia. Our organization is well-placed and experienced in providing these sorts of services.

Plans to Maintain Effort:

The Virginia Geographic Information Network has been mandated by the Virginia Legislature to establish a network of data clearinghouses in the Commonwealth. We anticipate that this clearinghouse will become one node in VGIN. Establishing clearinghouses and developing metadata will be a need for some time to come. Virginia Tech is well-established through it's existing infrastructure for continuing education to develop and deliver courses and technical assistance. This can be done on a cost-recovery basis as is typical with other courses. The FWIE has been in existence since 1984 serving as a clearinghouse and technical assistance center. This new activity fits well with the FWIE mission and should continue indefinitely. Costs for serving data are low and should continue after initial set up with minimal effort. Technical assistance can be provided at cost as it is now provided to many agencies and institutions in North America. OGIS should continue to serve as the coordination body for GIS and Remote Sensing at Virginia Tech until a more formal Center is established. Discussions are underway to establish the Center for Applications of Geographic Information Systems (CAGIS) that would serve as a more formal coordination body.

Timeframe: September 99-August 00

Funding: $22,821