The Office of Management and Budget announced Nov. 10 it's instituting a new budget review process for geospatial data acquisition.

In a newly-crafted supplement to OMB circular A-16, OMB says it wants agencies to identify common areas of geospatial data spending and collaborate more closely on them.

To that end, it will require the Federal Geographic Data Committee to make spending recommendations to OMB and agency personnel by late April, after having examined individual agency geospatial data plans starting in mid-February.

Agencies should incorporate FDGC recommendations into their next fiscal year budget requests (federal fiscal years begin every Oct. 1) and OMB itself will review agency budget requests for consistency with FGDC recommendations, the supplement states.

Agency chief information officers should be aware of the recommendations, to ensure alignment with the agency's capital planning and investment control process, the supplement states. CPIC is the name for the budget process that agencies go through to fund information technology projects.

The supplement doesn't alter the authority of the circular itself, states the supplement. Rather, "it is a supportive document," it adds.

Geospatial data collection has historically occurred in an uncoordinated fashion resulting in data deficiencies, lack of standardization and inefficient use of resources, the supplement says.

In a memo accompanying the supplement, Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra says the approach outlined by the supplement "cures the single agency, stovepipe model by applying consistent policy, improved organization, better governance, and understanding of the public to deliver outstanding results."

For more:
- download the memo and the supplement (one document; .pdf)

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