Highlights for June 4, 1998
USGS Center for Biological Informatics

I. Key Department News:

• Status of DOI's GPS Use Presented at the Institute of Navigation Annual Meeting: June 1-3, Karl Brown (CBI) gave a paper on (the) "Status of GPS Precise Positioning Service Use in the Department of the Interior: PLGR+96 and Laser Rangefinder Remote Positioning" at the Institute of Navigation's 54th Annual meeting in Denver. The Institute sponsors the annual ION-GPS convention and the meetings discuss the emerging issues and technologies for GPS users. (Karl Brown, Denver, 303-202-4240)
  
• NBII Metadata Profile and MetaMaker Training Course at EMTC: June 16-19, Sharon Shin (CBI), Jennifer Gaines (OBIO) and Diane Schneider (MESC) will provide National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) metadata/MetaMaker training at the Environmental Management Technical Center in Onalaska, Wisconsin. Approximately 20 participants from EMTC, state and region offices will attend. The NBII is an electronic gateway to biological data and information maintained by federal, state, and local government agencies; private-sector organizations; and other partners around the nation and the world. MetaMaker is the metadata data entry software developed by the USGS to assist NBII participants with the preparation and management of standardized data documentation. This PC-based software tool makes it possible for users to generate metadata in compliance with the Federal Geographic Data Committee geospatial metadata standard and the NBII biological profile. (Sharon Shin, Denver, 303-202-4230)
  

II. Agency Works on Presidential Initiatives:

• Agriculture-Canada Joins U.S. Integrated Taxonomic Information System Partners: Gary Waggoner (CBI) will participate in a meeting with representatives from Agriculture-Canada who have recently joined with U.S. partners to endorse and support the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). The meeting will be held in Ottawa, June 15-17. The objectives of ITIS are to provide a standardized, comprehensive, and consistent reference of scientific names (nomenclature) and associated classification (taxonomy) for biological species. As an integral part of the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII), ITIS supports the coordination, discovery, comparison, exchange, organization and integration of biological data among different government and non-government agencies, organizations, and individuals. This first meeting with the Canadians will discuss the respective roles, responsibilities and coordination among the partners and begin discussion of new ideas on the joint future of ITIS. (Gary Waggoner, Denver, 303-202-4222)
  

III. Notable Congressional Activity: No report.

IV. Press/Media Inquiries: No report.

V. FOIA Requests: No report.