(1)
the term Advisory Committee means the National Geospatial Advisory Committee described in section 4(a);
(2)
the term Committee means the Federal Geographic Data Committee established under section 3(a);
(3)
the term covered agency means an agency, as defined in section 551 of title 5, United States Code, that collects, produces, acquires, maintains, distributes, uses, or preserves geospatial data on paper or in electronic form to fulfill the mission of the agency, either directly or through a relationship with another organization, including a State, local government, Indian tribe, institution of higher education, business partner or contractor of the Federal Government, and the public;
(4)
the term GeoPlatform means the GeoPlatform described in section 8(a);
(5)
the term geospatial data—
(A)
means information that is tied to a location on the Earth, including by identifying the geographic location and characteristics of natural or constructed features and boundaries on the Earth, and that is generally represented by points, lines (for example a road), polygons (for example a forest), or other complex geographic features or phenomena (for example a forest fire, the spread of West Nile virus, or the infestation of pine-bark beetles);
(B)
may be derived from, among other things, remote sensing, mapping, and surveying technologies;
(C)
includes—
(i)
images and raster datasets, aerial photographs, and other forms of geospatial data or datasets in digitized or non-digitized form, specifically—
(I)
georeferenced data transcribed into a Geographic Information System or Land Information System format by manual or electronic means, and the maintenance of that data;
(II)
tax parcel maps, zoning maps, and other public data records transcribed into Geographic Information System or Land Information System formatted cadastres, and the maintenance of those cadastres if the data are not modified for other than graphical purposes;
(III)
data depicting the distribution of natural or cultural resources, features, or phenomena;
(IV)
data used by a Federal agency (including contractors of a Federal agency) in the preparation of military maps, quadrangle topographic maps, satellite imagery, or other maps or images that do not define real property boundaries;
(V)
data used by a Federal agency (including contractors of a Federal agency) in the preparation or transcription of documents or databases into a Geographical Information System or Land Information System format in the preparation or transcription of Federal census or other demographic data;
(VI)
data used by a law enforcement agency (including contractors of a law enforcement agency) in the preparation of documents or maps for traffic accidents, crime scenes, or similar purposes depicting physical features or events, or generating or using georeferenced data involving crime statistics or criminal activities;
(VII)
data used by a public safety official conducting, reporting on, or testifying about or otherwise performing duties regarding an official investigation; and
(VIII)
data used to create general maps prepared for private firms or government agencies for—
(aa)
use as guides to motorists, boaters, aviators, or pedestrians;
(bb)
publication in a gazetteer or an atlas as an educational tool or reference publication;
(cc)
use in the curriculum of any course of study;
(dd)
use as an illustrative guide to the geographic location of any event, produced in any electronic or print media; or
(ee)
conversational or illustrative purposes, including use as advertising material or user guides;
(ii)
data collected through the provision of services performed by professionals such as surveyors, photogrammetrists, hydrographers, geodesists, or cartographers in the creation, collection, or application of—
(I)
georeferenced graphical or digital data to depict natural or manmade physical features, phenomena, or boundaries of the Earth and real property thereon;
(II)
geospatial intelligence; or
(III)
geometric measurements and related information pertaining to the physical or legal features of the Earth, improvements on the Earth, the space above, on, or below the Earth; and
(iii)
any information relating to data described in clause (ii), including any such data that comprises a survey, map, chart, geographic information system, remotely sensed image or data, or an aerial photograph through—
(I)
determining by measurement the configuration or contour of the Earth’s surface or the position of fixed objects thereon;
(II)
determining by performing geodetic surveys the size and shape of the Earth or the position of any point on the Earth;
(III)
locating, relocating, establishing, reestablishing, or retracing property lines or boundaries of any tract of land, road, right of way, or easement;
(IV)
making any survey for the division, subdivision, or consolidation of one or more tracts of land;
(V)
locating or laying out alignments, positions, or elevations for the construction of fixed works;
(VI)
determining, by the use of principles of surveying, the position for any survey monument (boundary or non-boundary) or reference point or establishing or replacing any such monument or reference point; or
(VII)
creating, preparing, or modifying electronic or computerized or other data, relative to the performance of the activities described in this clause or clause (ii); and
(D)
does not include geospatial data activities of an Indian tribe not carried out, in whole or in part, using Federal funds, as determined by the tribal government;
(6)
the term Indian tribe has the meaning given that term under section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (
25 U.S.C. 450b);
(7)
the term institution of higher education has the meaning given that term under section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (
20 U.S.C. 1002);
(8)
the term lead covered agency means a lead covered agency for an NGDA data theme designated under section 6(b)(1);
(9)
the term local government means any city, county, township, town, borough, parish, village, or other general purpose political subdivision of a State;
(10)
the term metadata for geospatial data means information about geospatial data, including the content, source, vintage, accuracy, condition, projection, responsible party, contact phone number, method of collection, and other characteristics or descriptions of the geospatial data;
(11)
the term NGDA data theme means the National Geospatial Data Asset core geospatial datasets (including electronic records and coordinates) relating to a topic or subject designated under section 6;
(12)
the term National Spatial Data Infrastructure means the technology, policies, criteria, standards, and employees necessary to promote geospatial data sharing throughout the Federal Government, State, tribal, and local governments, and the private sector (including nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education); and
(13)
the term proven practices means methods and activities that advance the use of geospatial data for the benefit of society.