This message was forwarded to the list by Larry Cruse.--------Johnnie
 
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>From: [log in to unmask] at @UCSD
>Date: 2/4/98 12:57PM
>To: larry cruse at UCSDLIBRARY
>*To: [log in to unmask] at @UCSD
>Subject: Re: news from ALA federal update
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this excerpt came from Susan Tulis' ALA report which was posted on GOVDOC-L
last week.
 
Victoria Williamson
Social Sciences & Humanities Library
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, CA 92093
[log in to unmask]
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        Hedy Rossmeissl, National Mapping Division of the U.S. Geological
Survey,
began by talking about data accessibility issues from the USGS.  Much of
the USGS information is available through their Global Land Information
System <http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/webglis> and they are constantly
expanding what's available.
 
        USGS has almost finished the digital raster graphics project of the
United
States.  While the program began with CD-ROMs being supplied to the FDLP,
it has run into some problems.  Some of the disks are not readable and USGS
does not have the money to supply replacements.  Therefore, USGS is working
with GPO to find a way for the data to be accessible over the Internet.
 
        Rossmeissl admitted that USGS is not doing as good a job as had been
done historically in terms of revising maps.  Revision has not been a top
priority.  They will be scanning in the topographic paper maps and making
an effort to revise those maps that they know are popular.
 
        In terms of the digital orthophotos, half of the United States has been
done or is in progress.  USGS thinks that the entire country will be
completed within the next five years.  Initially this data was distributed
via CD-ROMs, but it has proven too costly so the data is now on the web.
Some states are still coming on CD-ROM because the states have put money
into producing them.
 
        USGS has signed a cooperative research and development agreement
(CRADA)
with the Microsoft Corporation for access to their digital orthophoto data.
 Microsoft established this project as a way to serve massive amounts of
data over the Internet, prove the capabilities of doing that, test the
software, etc.  Any one with access to the Internet has access to USGS's
digital ortho data.  Microsoft is guaranteeing to keep this site up for 18
months - it is not known what will happen when the 18 month period ends.
 
        Lars Johanson, Bureau of Census, covered three areas - new products the
Bureau will be releasing the next few months, the 1997 Economic Census,
Census 2000 and the DADS system of data delivery.
 
NEW PRODUCTS:
 
        *  Landview III CD-ROMs to be released in mid-January. This 11 disk
series
will allow creation of customized street maps and thematic maps; and
include some updated map features, additional data items from the 1990
Census, and data about EPA regulated sites.  Search results from queries of
the Cds can be exported to separate files in Dbase, Lotus, Excel or any
fixed like text format.  Also, each record in a user file can be matched by
main latitude and longitude coordinates to the census tract and block group
level.
       *  new Census Tract Street Index expected out early 1998 with new
windows
version software and updated street addresses.
        *  first data set from the American Community Survey due out in
mid-March
on CD-ROM and will include a software package called Beyond 2000 which
allows for viewing, charting and mapping of data.  The ACS is a new survey
which collects information similar to that found in the decennial census,
except that this data allow users to see updated data every year for small
areas of geography.  It is a sample of households and annual averages are
developed.  The survey was first conducted at 4 sites in 1995 and the data
sets from 1995 are currently available at the Census web site along with a
fuller explanation of the ACS. More sites will be added in years to come as
the ACS is expanded.
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