to text, but should also include pictures and other graphics. For example, shaded relief images, slope 
images, rose diagrams of "edges" and histograms of distributions of topographic data are often more 
generally useful than attempts to exhaustively describe possible impacts of artifacts in digital 
topographic data. 
The U. S. National Spatial Data Infrastructure, and related Spatial Data Transfer Standard and 
metadata standard, by failing to stimulate adequate discussion and prototyping during the 
development of these mandated "standards," have (among other shortcomings) inadequately catered 
to these needs. 
The Federal Geographic Data Committee in the USA apparently has led us to another unfunded 
mandate to implement inadequately developed, un-understood "standards." Early responses have 
been to read the documentation, implement some software, and claim "compliance" without 
necessarily ensuring compatibility with other respondants' actions. Indeed, 15-year-old Digital Line 
Graph translators often fail to successfully exchange data. Early experiments with SDTS translators 
suggest only partial success in exchanging data via SDTS. Full success in transfer of comprehensive 
databases has not been documented (or at least distributed widely, with guidelines on how to benefit 
from any such successes). 
7. There is a lack of software tools to generate metadata. Those tools that exist (e.g. hypertext 
markup language - html development tools) are still crude. Metadata development tools would assist 
in the development of defacto (actually used) standards, and would facilitate the following of such 
standards. 
8. Algorithms for accessing spatial accuracy should be functionally powerful and efficient. There is 
need for development and public prototyping of such algorithms, to widespread critical discussion. 
RECOMMENDATIONS 
]. Each dataset should contain a minimum amount of historical information. 
2. Data manipulation should be automatically traced by software. In other words, version control 
should be absolute and convenient. At any stage in the development of a dataset, one should be able 
to conveniently revert to a previous stage of development of the data. 
3. Metadata should be attached to each data layer. Metadata should contain accuracy information. 
4. This group should pursue analyses of existing metadata standards. If a leader can be found to set 
up a list-server on the World Wide Web, that site could serve as a repository for discussion papers to 
be developed for the ISPRS Congress in Vienna. 
For example, one person could submit a sketchy collection of notes on a study of an issue. Another 
person could add to these notes, adding him/her/self to the list of authors of the discussion. 
Eventually these notes might take the form of a formal paper, with several authors, each adding to the 
substance of the paper. The result might be papers worthy of presentation at the ISPRS Congress. 
Robert Lozar volunteered to investigate hosting the list-server if someone else didn't implement such 
a server first. 
5. Issues noted above were written down without much opportunity to refine or prioritize them. 
Such refinement and prioritization should be done (perhaps via group papers for the ISPRS Congress 
in Vienna, as noted just above). 
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