Digital Information Clearance Policy

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
http://www.blm.gov

December 23, 2014

In Reply Refer To:
1120 (600) P
EMS TRANSMISSION 01/06/2015

Instruction Memorandum No. 2015-033 
Expires: 09/30/2016

To:                   All WO and FO Officials

From:              Assistant Director, Communications

Subject:          Digital Information Clearance Policy

Program Area: Communications, Web Governance

 Purpose: To revise and clarify the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Internet Clearance Policy.

 Policy: Before being released to the public, the content of external digital communications products, including interactive GIS-based maps created for the web and Internet-based related services and applications, must be approved by either the state Public Affairs Office (PAO) or the Washington Office PAO (WO-610) and the appropriate line manager.  This applies to all public-facing information and web-based applications published in an electronically readable format.  The WO-610 staff will provide this service for the Washington Office, the National Training Center, and the National Operations Center.  This policy does not apply to internal digital communications products posted to the Intranet.

 Prior to submission to the respective PAO for final approval, the originating program will ensure the data are discoverable and usable by the public and meet minimum metadata requirements (Handbook 1282-2, Data Administration and Management), include access and use constraints and state the known quality of the data.  If an established data standard exists, the data must meet or exceed the standard and not conflict with existing standards.  The data must either be  associated with a Privacy Impact Assessment or the privacy data must be removed.  The data being depicted must be one of the “Public Data” types as defined by the BLM in IM 2014-029, “Disclaimer Statement Policy for Datasets Held by the Bureau of Land Management”, and must not include any of the “Non-Public or “Non-Public Non-BLM” data types or “sensitive” data, such as cultural, national security information or Freedom of Information Act restricted data.

The line manager and public affairs officer must receive confirmation from the appropriate resources specialists and/or data stewards (if identified) that the data and content are based on the best available sources.  Once confirmation is received the line manager and public affairs officer will approve the content for external publication. Data used must meet record retention and storage requirements (BLM GIS Records Schedule 20.52).  Release of the information shall be compliant with IT Security Directives (IM 2014-022, “Safeguarding Privacy Information”).

Budget Impact: Minimal.

Background:  In anticipation of offering interactive digital maps and other cloud-based materials, the BLM is revising and clarifying existing policy to affirm that the PAO will review and approve all digital information products (including applications) that the agency plans to release to the public.  This review and approval is required before any such products are considered suitable for publication.  The PAO review will continue to focus on visual identity, content and messaging.  The review does not replace any other decision-making processes in regard to digital publication.  External electronic maps and map products should go through cartographic review to ensure quality map products (i.e., cartographic standards relating to visual clarity, balance symbology and legends) before being submitted to the PAO.

The existing approval process for digital communication products is currently integrated into the web page creation process associated with the BLM’s soon-to-be-replaced Communique content management system. Under the existing system, a content author prepares the digital publication and it is approved for accuracy and adherence to policy by one or more approving officials before being forwarded to the PAO for final review and publication.  Given the foreseeable ability to publish much deeper, interactive data sets to the public, this policy affirms the necessity for programmatic approval of individual products, such as interactive maps, before submission for review and final publication by the respective PAO.

Manual/Handbook Sections Affected:  None.

Coordination:  This IM was coordinated with Assistant Directors’ staff for WO-200, 300, 400, 600 and 800 in their capacity as members of the GIS Steering Committee.  It was also reviewed by staff in WO-610, 840, 870, and by state Public Affairs Officers and GIS Managers.

Contact:

Signed by:                                                Authenticated by:

Celia Boddington                                     Catherine Emmett
Assistant Director                                    Division of IRM Governance, WO-860
Communications