Data Standards

The SCO and AGIC Executive Management Board have approved a policy of adopting Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) data content standards, which are National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) compliant, for use by the State, unless there is a compelling reason not to do so. New data should strive to adopt minimum FGDC standards even if the full content standard is not required. The reason for this policy is to assure the greatest compatibility between data that are developed in and out of the state.

ArcGIS Data Models
ESRI has recognized the need to create physical implementations of accepted data standards. As a result, ArcGIS data models provide ready-to-use nonproprietary frameworks built on FGDC and accepted standards in varioius speciality fields such as transportation and hydrology.

Geospatial Metadata Standards
Metadata are sets of information that describe the content of a geospatial data set. The FGDC has established content standards for metadata for the purpose of providing a common set of terminology and definitions for geospatial data documentation. All ALRIS data meets the FGDC Metadata Standard and other agencies are encouraged to do likewise so that their metadata may be searched by FGDC compliant data search tools.

Cadastral Data Content Standards
Cadastral data are rights and interests in real property recorded in land record documents. The FGDC provides definitions and structure for geospatial data sets related to land surveying, land records, and landownership information.

Spatial Data Transfer Standards
SDTS specifies a structure and content for geospatial data for the purposes of facilitating data transfer between dissimilar database systems.

Federal Geographic Data Committee

NSDI Clearinghouse Gateways