Present: Max Egenhofer, Bob Rugg (Chair), Greg Elmes (UCGIS President, ex officio), Suzy Jampoler (UCGIS Executive Director, ex officio)

1. Workshop on future UCGIS/Federal research partnership projects to be held at the Annual Assembly. The committee had earlier proposed to hold a workshop to discuss possible projects to be funded under a renewed contract with FGDC next year. The committee confirmed the plan to hold a workshop in round table format, chaired by Greg Elmes, but decided to broaden the focus to include other Federal participants besides just FGDC. Actions:

1. Bob Rugg will draft a brief statement of a topic to ask each Federal participant to address.
2. Individuals volunteered to contact Federal agencies to invite them to participate, as follows:

• USGS and FGDC — Greg Elmes and Suzy Jampoler
• NASA — Greg
• EPA - Greg
• NIMA — Suzy
• DOT — Suzy
• NSF — Suzy
• NIH — Max Egenhofer, check with Ron Abler and Larry Brown
• Census — Bob

1. The name of the workshop was revised to reflect the broader focus.

1. Workshop on implementing the NSDI. FGDC suggested that UCGIS withdraw the proposed workshop and substitute research on the results of the FGDC/NSGIC Framework Survey. After careful consideration, the committee decided not to accept the suggestion by FGDC. Instead, the committee decided to encourage the West Virginia group to complete their workshop proposal as planned, which will then be circulated for approval by RMC and forwarded to FGDC, in accordance with the current contract. The proposal should reflect broad participation by UCGIS experts. The workshop should serve its intended purpose as a model of the advantages to FGDC of relying on UCGIS to help frame important research questions, thus fulfilling both the letter and the spirit of the contract with FGDC. Action:

West Virginia team to follow through with proposal as planned

2. RMC proposal review procedures. FGDC requested that they be allowed to see and evaluate all the proposals generated by future RMC solicitations. The current contract with FGDC stipulates that one proposal will be selected by RMC and forwarded to FGDC for approval. The committee confirmed its support for the current procedure, but felt that there could be some flexibility to forward more than one proposal if the proposals were considered to be of approximately equal technical merit. Action:

This issue will be discussed further at the joint meeting of RMC and FGDC planned for April.

3. Framework survey. Given the decision noted in (2), above, the committee discussed alternative ways to respond to the need for evaluation of the Framework Survey. Two alternatives included additional funding for the current contract and consideration of this project as part of a renewed contract with FGDC. Either way, RMC would have to generate requests for proposals. The RFP should include both a description of content and a ball park estimate of a budget. Action:

Bob will draft an RFP after discussing FGDC’s expectations in more detail with Barbara Poore at the April meeting with FGDC.

4. Role and status of the Research Management Committee. The committee confirmed that the current name properly reflects the committee’s function. The status should be changed to a permanent committee, although unlike the current standing committees, the RMC would continue to have only five appointed members. The current vacancy on the committee should be filled as soon as possible, taking increased diversity into account as a criterion for selection. Actions:

1. Propose a bylaws change to designate the RMC as a standing committee of UCGIS
2. Solicit nominations for the vacant position (Suzy to UCGIS Executive, Bob to current RMC members), by April 15 (note: those nominated should be verified to be willing to serve)
3. RMC to rank nominees and provide ranking to Greg by May 1

1. Participation in ANSI and ISO standards activities. UCGIS is currently in jeopardy of losing its membership on the national GIS standards committee L1, which is also the U.S. Technical Advisory Committee to ISO/TC 211, the international standards committee for Geographic Information/Geomatics. The reason is lack of attendance at meetings. Bob, Max, and Jerry Dobson received support from FGDC to attend meetings as part of a 1996 contract with UCGIS, but the contract was completed and all the funds have been spent. Bob has continued to receive travel support for one meeting at a time from FGDC, but his official role in L1 is to represent the Association of American Geographers. The committee decided to maintain its membership in L1 for another year and meanwhile to seek funding from FGDC for travel support to continue participation. Bob offered to change his official role to that of UCGIS representative, provided that he receives approval from the AAG Standards for Geographic Data Committee and that FGDC funding is secured. Actions:

1. Bob will seek approval from the AAG Standards for Geographic Data Committee to designate UCGIS as the organization to represent academic geography on the L1 committee.
2. Bob will draft a proposal to FGDC to provide funding to UCGIS for travel to attend meetings of L1 and ISO/TC 211.
3. Bob will prepare a report to the UCGIS Board on standards activities and the need for UCGIS to remain involved in these activities.
4. Suzy will renew the $300 annual UCGIS membership in L1 for the current year.

— Minutes recorded by Bob Rugg