The UCGIS solicits proposals from its member institutions to respond to FGDC's metadata training needs as described in the attached document. In order that UCGIS can plan a rapid review process, a letter of intent should be sent by August 28, 1998, by those considering a proposal. Letters of intent are, however, not required. Please send letters of intent to the Chair of the UCGIS Research Management Committee (see contact information below) by August 28, 1998.
In order to be considered, proposals are due Friday, September 18, 1998, by 5 PM Eastern Daylight time. Proposals should be for a maximum of $20,000, including indirect costs at Federal rates. They should be for the period September 30, 1998, to August 30, 1999. Submission must be made by e-mail or by fax (see contact information below). Proposal project descriptions are limited to 3 pages in length, and must contain a description of work to be done, the names of the people involved, their roles in the project, a list of deliverables (with dates), and a budget. The budget should include the cost of one trip to Washington, DC, for one or more members of the UCGIS research team, to meet with FGDC staff and others with metadata training experience as requested by FGDC. FGDC will provide any available metadata documentation and training materials produced by their staff and by others under NSDI Cooperative Agreements.
Attach brief biographical sketches (maximum 2 pages) for senior personnel and a brief description of past projects of a similar nature including the names of the sponsors, amounts of awards, and dates of completion. Following the NSF "Fastlane" model, a hard copy letter or form with an official endorsement by the proposing institution is due within 7 days of electronic or FAX submission.
Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of quality of the proposal, documented qualifications of key personnel, quality of results of past projects of a similar nature, and demonstrated ability to produce results within a strict deadline.
The UCGIS Research Management Committee will review all proposals submitted and will select one proposal for submission to FGDC. Notification of which proposal is forwarded to FGDC will be given on or before October 2, 1998. Questions about the RFP should be directed to the UCGIS Executive Director, Tom Palmerlee (tpalmerlee@mindspring.com; phone 202-544-1419, fax 202-544-1348). Funding of the project will be conditional on the availability of funds from FGDC.
Send letters of intent and proposals to:
Dr. Robert D. Rugg, Chair
FGDC Background Materials for the Metadata Training Project
Metadata are a critical foundation of the NSDI. The public benefits from the availability of organized collections of geospatial data are increased through good metadata. As collections grow and become more visible, more data providers participate in a bandwagon effect. Creation of metadata facilitates data sharing. For organizations who wish to work together, agreeing to document data to a standard helps all partners understand what data are available and how data fit together. The process of creating metadata forces organizations to invest time and thought in data management.
Since the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Data was endorsed by the FGDC in 1994, the standard has been adopted by hundreds of organizations. Over eighty Internet sites have become Clearinghouse nodes that allow remote simultaneous searching for specific metadata fields. Approximately 30 metadata collection and processing tools have been built by public and private organizations. The FGDC metadata standard is the basis for a metadata standard that will soon be adopted by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Still, the standard remains complex and daunting to many. UCGIS can play a role in (a) helping to identify target audiences and existing constraints on the adoption and use of the metadata standard; (b) developing strategies to address existing constraints; and (c) designing courseware adapted to the needs of target audiences. In this way, UCGIS will be helping educators and professional trainers discover the best way to teach metadata and provide modular courseware that will represent sound pedagogy, will conform to UCGIS educational initiatives, and can be distributed to organizations at nominal cost. Organizations then, in turn, could use the modules to train others, or, in the case of certificate programs, could charge a fee for the training.
Proposed activities:
1. UCGIS team will facilitate at least one scoping meeting that brings together metadata trainers from several segments of the geospatial data community including but not necessarily limited to educators and trainers who offer GIS courses or GIS certification classes in the following situations:
a) federal training centers
b) universities and community colleges
c) professional societies
d) trainers in state and local government
This scoping meeting will discuss various audiences that will benefit from enhanced metadata educational materials, will discuss and refine different pedagogic approaches to these communities, and will prepare an outline of topics to be covered by metadata training materials. The UCGIS contract budget must include travel for UCGIS senior personnel to attend this meeting. FGDC will pay travel for the people that they request to be part of the meeting.
2. As the ISO metadata standard becomes more of a known quantity (following the plenary meeting of the ISO Technical Committee on Geographic Information/Geomatics in September, 1998), the UCGIS team will prepare a metadata course, with accompanying material, that can be used by the various audiences described above, with particular emphasis on situations (b) and (c).
3. The UCGIS team will prepare a marketing strategy for FGDC to market the metadata training course to audiences in situations (b) and (c), and will publicize the availability of course materials through UCGIS channels.
[ UCGIS Research Management Committee | UCGIS ]