USGS and the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) have formally announced their request for proposals to support the 2009 National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP).  A total of over $1.3 million has been made available to fund an estimated 26 innovative projects spread across seven geospatial data categories.  Each project will focus on ways to build new and improve existing geospatial data infrastructure necessary to effectively discover, access, share, manage and use digital geographic data.

The closing date for the 2009 NSDI CAP announcement is January 6, 2009.  The project awards are scheduled to be announced by USGS/FGDC contracts officer in February 2009 with obligated work to begin on each project no later than September 30, 2009.  More information is available at

http://www.fgdc.gov/grants/2009NSDICAP/2009CAP.http://www.fgdc.gov/grants/2008CAP/2008CAPDescriptions.

In 2008, NSDI CAP awarded a total of 24 projects, totaling just over $1.1 million.   One of the 2008 categories is helping organizations build data stewardships for The National Map and the NSDI which will result in a national geospatial data inventory of consistent, seamless, integrated data that is continuously improved.  See the full list of the 2008 NSDI CAP projects at: 

To date the annual NSDI CAP awards have supported metadata creation and service, outreach and coordination, standards implementation, partnership development, State strategic and business plan development, map and geospatial data services deployment, and NSDI training.  All levels of government, academia, and private sector have participated in this national effort to implement the NSDI.  Since 1994 CAP awards have played a substantial role in promoting and disseminating the tenets of the NSDI to thousands of practitioners.In Wisconsin recently, CAP grants have contributed significantly to the development of the statewide geographic information strategy and the establishment of the Wisconsin Geographic Information Coordination Council.

The FGDC, which is hosted by the USGS, sponsors the CAP to promote the technologies, standards, best practices and organizational collaboration vital to data integration, partnerships for data investment and speedy delivery of geospatial products to support government.

For more information on this program, please contact Gita Urban-Mathieux: burbanma@usgs.gov or 703-648-5175 or contact Dick Vraga: rsvraga@usgs.gov or 608-821-3896.