Location: Agroclimate and Hydraulics Research Unit
Project Number: 3070-13000-014-001-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2021
End Date: Jun 30, 2025
Objective:
The project is focused on developing a concept, roadmap, and pilot integrated geospatial data USDA enterprise architecture. The USDA Enterprise Architecture is envisioned as an ARS AgCROS like system-of-systems with agency sub-hub systems at the ends of the spokes in a hub and spoke system. AgCROS will be a node on the network and function as a science hub for USDA with the brokered data pipelines from NASA, NOAA, USGS, and others. During Phase 3 of this project the team will begin the development of USDA nodes and pipelines between the USDA nodes (e.g., National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), AgCROS) selected by USDA OCIO. The specific objectives will include developing an inventory of USDA agency level geospatial data and applications; developing an inventory of USDA agency business processes and workflows for geospatial data; actively working with the overall project team to architect an enterprise wide geospatial architecture; develop the conceptual criteria for project data visualization dashboards; and the development of outreach and training materials related to pilot geospatial enterprise architecture.
Approach:
For Objective one, the Cooperator will conduct interviews and online surveys to develop a comprehensive inventory of USDA agency level geospatial data and applications. Surveys will be internal to the Federal Government (USDA employees only across various Agencies). Once this data has been compiled and analyzed, a verification process will be completed by reaching back out to all agencies to confirm and/or refine the inventory. For Objective two, Cooperator will build agency and sub-agency level workflow diagrams that document how geospatial data is collected, ingested, processed, analyzed, stored, and shared. In addition, Cooperator will document existing infrastructure, defined information workflows including sharing or providing data or applications to outside groups. This information will be compared to the USDA Geospatial Data Act to determine the level of compliance. For Objective three, Cooperator will serve as a third party in developing the conceptual design of a pilot USDA department wide geospatial enterprise architecture. Cooperator will be a key player in the conceptual design and will develop the project roadmap. They will evaluate and compare existing geospatial architectural designs, geospatial application gateways, and develop the case studies for evaluating the pilot system. For Objective five, Cooperator will define the system integration components. This will include Esri cloud databases, GeoPlatform databases, the EDAPT warehouse, open-source products (e.g., QGIS), and other selected COTS. Cooperator will develop the training and outreach material for the pilot system, evaluate the data acquisition and integration pilot case studies, and complete the functional verification and testing with the USDA OCIO Geospatial Information Office. Objective five is centered around transparency. Cooperator will develop the criterial for online dashboard visualization tools and the USDA ARS team will create these tools. The Objective five tools will cover all aspects of this project from objective one through four. Objective six is related to the development and continued evolution of outreach and training materials for this overall project. Cooperator will identify, catalog, and enable selected training material that will help USDA expand its capacity to more effectively leverage geospatial data and tools.
