Many federal departments and agencies use GIS technology to help carry  out their primary missions. Finally, significant governmentwide geospatial  efforts—including the Geospatial One-Stop and National Map projects— did not exist in 1997, and are therefore not reflected in the strategic plan. In addition to being out of date, the 1997 document lacks important  elements that should be included in an effective strategic plan. However, despite specific examples of coordination such as this, agencies  have not consistently complied with OMB’s broader geospatial  coordination requirements. OMB’s Oversight of Federal Geospatial Assets and Activities Has Not Yet Identified Redundancies

OMB has recognized that potentially redundant geospatial assets need to  be identified and that federal geospatial systems and information activities  need to be coordinated. However, additional information that is  critical to identifying redundancies was not required. Federal Agencies Continue to Collect and Maintain Duplicative Data and Systems

Without a complete and up-to-date strategy for coordination or effective  investment oversight by OMB, federal agencies continue to acquire and  maintain duplicative data and systems. In summary, although various cross-government committees and  initiatives, individual federal agencies, and OMB have each taken actions  to coordinate the government’s geospatial investments across agencies  and with state and local governments, agencies continue to purchase and  maintain uncoordinated and duplicative geospatial investments. Without  better coordination, such duplication is likely to continue. In order to  improve the coordination of federal geospatial investments, our report  recommends that the Director of OMB and the Secretary of the Interior  direct the development of a national geospatial data strategy with  outcome-related goals and objectives; a plan for how the goals and  objectives are to be achieved; identification of key risk factors; and  performance measures.
Why GAO Did This Study

The collection, maintenance, and use of location-based (geospatial) information are essential to federal agencies carrying out their missions. Geographic information systems (GIS) are critical elements used in the areas of homeland security, healthcare, natural resources conservation, and countless other applications. GAO was asked to review the extent to which the federal government is coordinating the efficient sharing of geospatial assets, including through Office of Management and Budget (OMB) oversight. GAO's report on this matter, Geospatial Information: Better Coordination Needed to Identify and Reduce Duplicative Investments (GAO-04-703), is being released today. GAO's testimony focuses on the extent to which the federal government is coordinating the sharing of geospatial assets, including through oversight measures in place at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in order to identify and reduce redundancies in geospatial data and systems.

What GAO Found

OMB, cross-government committees, and individual federal agencies have taken actions to coordinate geospatial investments across agencies and with state and local governments. However, these efforts have not been fully successful due to (1) a complete and up-to-date strategic plan is missing. The existing strategic plan for coordinating national geospatial resources and activities is out of date and lacks specific measures for identifying and reducing redundancies, (2) federal agencies are not consistently complying with OMB direction to coordinate their investments, and (3) OMB's oversight methods have not been effective in identifying or eliminating instances of duplication. This has resulted from OMB not collecting consistent, key investment information from all agencies. Consequently, agencies continue to independently acquire and maintain potentially duplicative systems. This costly practice is likely to continue unless coordination is significantly improved.