Request for Data Asset Inventory Plan
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
http://www.blm.gov
March 19, 2015
In Reply Refer To:
1283 (870) P
EMS TRANSMISSION 03/23/2015
Instruction Memorandum No. 2015-067
Expires: 09/30/2018
To: Assistant Directors, State Directors, and Center Directors
From: Assistant Director, Business, Fiscal and Information Resources Management
Subject: Request for Data Asset Inventory Plan DD: 09/30/2015
Program Area: Data Management.
Purpose: This Instruction Memorandum (IM) transmits the request to provide a plan that will inventory and publish relevant data assets of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This action will help the BLM meet the Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 requirements of the Department of the Interior (DOI) Organizational Assessment for the Open Data Policy. It will also provide an understanding the breadth and depth of our data assets, discover areas of redundancy, and categorize the types of data assets available.
Policy/Action: BLM State Offices (SO), Washington Office (WO) directorates, the National Operations Center (NOC) Division of Information Resource Management (DIRM) and the NOC Division of Resource Services (DRS) will each develop a plan to conduct an inventory of their data assets, determine which data assets can be published and publish those data assets. The inventory will be done in a phased approach, with specific programs being inventoried for each of the three phases, with all work completed by the end of FY 2016. Phase 1 will include Resources and Planning, Phase 2 will include Energy, Minerals and Realty, and Phase 3 will include National Landscape Conservation System and Fire and Aviation.
A publication coordinator (Coordinator) needs to be identified for DIRM, DRS and each SO and WO Directorate. The Coordinators will be responsible for scheduling and managing the activities for developing the plan for this inventory which includes working with the data stewards to review, categorize and verify the data asset for publication, ensuring the metadata meets Open Data requirements and documenting the inventory. A Coordinator may be selected that supports 2 or more States.
Before developing their plans, the Coordinators will work with the Bureau Data Administrator (BDA) on 1) finalizing the inventory workflow and procedures for completing the inventory (Attachment 1, Draft Inventory Workflow; 2) defining which data types to include; 3) verifying use of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Federal Enterprise Architecture Data Reference Model to categorize data assets; and 4) developing a plan template that includes each phase so that specific types of data assets are inventoried and published for each phase.
This inventory will not include National Datasets which are already being published and included in data.gov, such as Data Advisory Committee’s priorities and Rapid Ecoregional Assessment Datasets.
The criteria for selecting a Coordinator include:
- Knowledge of the location of and types of data assets available, geospatial and alphanumeric.
- Information on the State or national data stewards.
- Knowledge in metadata, data quality and data publication.
- Ability to develop a plan with associated tasks and estimated dates.
Timeframe:
April 30, 2015: All Coordinators need to be identified and names provided to Christine Hawkinson. The list of data stewards for each State and at the national level must be current as a data steward for the data asset will need to review of the metadata and quality of the data asset and to determine if it can be published externally. IM No. 2015-029 Current Designation of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) National Data Stewards; DD: 01/31/2015 required that each Assistant Director (AD) ensure that their national data stewards were current. State data stewards lists are maintained by each State and must also be current. The list for national and State data stewards is available on the National Data Management SharePoint.
June 30, 2015: The Coordinators with the BDA will have been exposed to Voyager (the Geospatial Publication Module (GPM) discovery, registration and publication tool), determined which types of data assets to include, and developed an Inventory and Publication workflow, a plan template and other required deliverables.
September 30, 2015: Each Coordinator will submit a plan which includes all three phases, with the phase 1 inventory to be completed the first quarter of FY 2016 and the third inventory phase to be completed by the end of FY 2016.
Budget Impact: The impact for the work involved will include the time involved in developing the plan and other deliverables by each Coordinator. Travel may also be required for an onsite meeting in Denver, Colorado. A Coordinator may be a long-term position to support publication of data over time, as data assets are updated and created each year. Costs for this will be the responsibility of the State, Center or Directorate.
Background: The Open Data Policy (ODP) Executive Order, May 2013, requires that the BLM provide an inventory of all data assets to the OMB, regardless of whether or not they can be made available to the public. The ODP also requires digital data assets that can be published must be made available to the public and the metadata provided to data.gov and, if geospatial, the Geospatial Platform. The inventory may be conducted using Voyager as a means to identify and register data assets. These data assets are to be documented and reviewed to determine if they can be made available internally and/or be published to the public. In 2015, the DOI’s Organizational Assessment will include criteria for assessing how each Bureau or Office meets the requirements of the ODP.
Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: BLM Manual Handbook H 1283-2, Data Administration and Management.
Coordination: Designated Coordinators for the WO, NOC DRS, NOC DIRM, each SO, and the Bureau Data Administrator (WO-870).
Contacts: Questions may be directed to Christine Hawkinson, Bureau Data Administrator, at (303) 239-3872, chawkins@blm.gov.
Signed by: Authenticated by:
Janine Velasco Robert M. Williams
Assistant Director Division of IRM Governance, WO-860
Business, Fiscal and Information Resources Management
1 Attachment