grants or contracts related to 
standards. Some of the questions that 
need research are: 
What standards should be developed 
and in what priority? 
How can we evaluate their efficiency? 
What are the benefit/cost ratios? 
What conceptual data model should be 
used for what standard? 
What primitives should be used for 
various data models and types? 
How are standards 
maintained and expanded? 
updated, 
What process should be used to 
develop or test a standard?Some of 
these questions are deceptively 
simple. | challenge my colleagues to 
consider them carefully and try to 
provide us with answers. | am fully 
aware of the fact that the USGS 
developed Spatial Data Transfer 
Standard (SDTS) was conceived 
primarily by academicians. However, 
at the moment | know of very little 
research related to this important 
aspect of data sharing. Moreover, the 
fact that SDTS will have taken 13 
years to emerge as a FIPS standard 
reinforces the need for the above. The 
need for these activities is becoming 
clearer and has recently been 
documented (Morrison 1988). 
Sustained Support. The 
development and promulgation of an 
important, complex standard requires 
a significant outlay of resources over a 
long period of time. This fact seems 
not to be apparent a priori to many 
organizations that have developed 
standards. Important aspects of the 
undertaking include initial testing, user 
manuals and guides that include clear 
examples, compliance testing, a 
service support organization and a 
158 
maintenance function. Moreover, in 
order to accomplish widespread 
acceptance and utilization of the 
standard, “marketing’ and “advertising” 
efforts must be organized and 
supported. Public hearings at 
appropriate meetings are essential. 
These activities cost a lot of money 
and require the best people in any 
given organization since, for example, 
the compliance testing function 
requires a complete and thorough 
knowledge of the entire standard. The 
requirement for these types of 
activities needs to be acknowledged at 
the beginning of the standards 
development process. 
ACCELERATING USAGE 
We need to provide solutions to the 
problems inhibiting the use of spatial 
data by developing the appropriate 
standards policies, etc. The most 
important problem is that of obtaining 
the digital data. However, this means 
acquiring the data and making it 
accessible to all interested individuals 
or agencies. In an attempt to contain 
the length of this paper, | have omitted 
any discussion of the information 
highway and assume it will be covered 
elsewhere. Moreover, the most 
frequently used method of acquiring 
digital spatial data is to digitize source 
(map) data. 
New Paradigm 
| will argue that modern mobile 
mapping systems are highly 
competitive means of acquiring digital 
data. Clearly, with two wavelength 
GPS technology (Dedes, G., Goad, C., 
1994) coupled with modern digital 
cameras (Bossler, et. al., 1994) 
accuracies of s = 0.1 meters are 
possible from mobile platforms 
traveling at normal speeds. For the 
purposes of this discussion, | include 
  
airplane 
vehicle: 
Theref 
require 
mobile 
questio 
Locatin 
pole) | 
surveyi 
five do 
depend 
of featu 
to refer 
mappin 
compar 
factors 
assert 
should 
curren 
than di 
The us 
enorme 
the ab 
databa 
measul 
interest 
accomp 
The ap 
digital f: 
imagina 
Incenti 
A num 
sharing 
cooper: 
enhanc 
worked- 
For exa 
Horizor 
Nationz 
reports 
from ot 
horizont 
1980 (' 
donor | 
donors 
organiz 
accurac