Highlights for August 27, 1999
USGS Center for Biological Informatics

I. Key Department News: No report.

II. Agency Works on Presidential Initiatives:

• Biological Data Profile Moves Forward. A major step in the process of obtaining authorization of the Biological Data Profile was achieved on August 25, when the FGDC Standards Working Group advanced the proposed standard along with a recommendation for adoption to the FGDC Coordination Group. The proposed standard has now passed through 10 of the 12 steps in the FGDC Standards Reference Model process, and is in the very final review stage. The FGDC Coordination Group will now review the recommendation of the Standards Working Group and will consider forwarding it to the FGDC Steering Committee at its next meeting in early September. The Steering Committee will then consider approving the proposed standard for final publication and release, at the completion of which the standard is ready for FGDC approval. This will be the first profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata approved by the FGDC. The work of the staff involved was praised by the Chair of the Standards Working Group, and additional assistance was specifically requested for reviewing future profile proposals. (Susan Stitt, Denver, 303-202-4234)

• Taxonomic and Nomenclature Standards Draft. On August 25, the FGDC Standards Working Group approved moving the Taxonomic and Nomenclature Standard Proposal into the draft development stage of the FGDC standards development process. The standard will provide a comprehensive, standardized, and consistent reference of scientific names (nomenclature) and associated classification (taxonomy) for biological species. This comprehensive standard will thus support the coordination, discovery, comparison, exchange, organization, and integration of biological data among different government and non-government agencies, organizations, and individuals. Once completed, the standard will also help support implementation of existing FGDC Standards, such as the FGDC Vegetation Classification Standard and other standards that rely on biological nomenclature or taxonomy (Maury Nyquist, Denver, 303-202-217 or Anne Frondorf, Reston, 703-648-4205)

III. Notable Congressional Activity: No report.

IV. Press/Media Inquiries: No report.

V. FOIA Requests: No report.