IMPLEMENTING 
THE SPATIAL DATA TRANSFER STANDARD 
Hedy J. Rossmeissl 
and 
Karen A. Irby 
U.S. Geological Survey 
510 National Center 
Reston, Virginia 22092 U.S.A. 
ABSTRACT 
Significant developments have occurred in the disciplines of cartography and geography in 
recent years with the advent of computer hardware and software that manipulate and 
process digital cartographic and geographic data more efficiently. The availability of 
inexpensive and powerful software and hardware systems offers the capability of displaying 
and analyzing spatial data to a growing number of users. As a result, developing and 
using existing digital cartographic data bases is becoming very popular. The absence of 
uniform standards for the transfer of digital spatial data is hindering the exchange of data 
and increasing costs. 
Both the Federal Government and the academic community have been working over the 
last few years to develop a transfer standard for digital spatial data that includes definitions 
of terminology, a spatial data transfer specification, recommendations on reporting digital 
cartographic data quality, and topographic and hydrographic entity terms and definitions. 
This proposed standard was published in the January 1988 issue of The American 
Cartographer. 
This paper will outline the contents of the standard; describe efforts to test and promote 
the standard; summarize activities to review and finalize the standard by a Technical 
Review Board composed of Federal Government, private sector, and university representa 
tives; outline the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) review and approval 
process; and discuss user interfacing with the standard. 
Empirical testing of the standard was completed in early 1989. The standard underwent 
revision by the Technical Review Board as a result of the testing and peer review, and was 
submitted to the National Institute of Standards and Technology for approval as a FIPS 
publication in June 1990. 
This was a national effort to develop a spatial data transfer standard for use throughout the 
Federal Government that will have wide-ranging implications to the GIS community. Since 
the use of the standard makes it easier to transfer geographic information, there will be 
benefits in a much broader arena. 
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