Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz announced today the release of a report examining the DOJ’s compliance with the Geospatial Data Act of 2018 (GDA). The DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that the DOJ has established a comprehensive Department-wide strategy for ensuring that it meets GDA requirements, but additional actions are needed to fully comply with the GDA subsection 759(a).
The OIG’s findings included the following:
- Progress toward full compliance with the GDA. The DOJ has met 8 of the 13 requirements related to its geospatial data strategy, data integration, recordkeeping, resource allocation, industry coordination, use of geospatial data, personal privacy, and lead agency coordination. We also found that the DOJ has established a comprehensive Department-wide strategy and the Geospatial Community of Interest to enable components to collaborate and coordinate on its geospatial efforts.
- Department action still needed. The DOJ has made progress toward meeting 4 of remaining 5 requirements pertaining to data collection and quality, National Spatial Data Infrastructure contribution, and existing data. However, we found that the DOJ does not have an accurate inventory of geospatial data assets, including metadata standards, and needs to improve policy to ensure the components are not duplicating efforts and wasting resources.
- GDA Requirements Awaiting Additional Guidance. We were unable to fully assess the DOJ’s compliance with 1 of the 13 requirements relating to the Federal Geographic Data Committee-endorsed geospatial data standards because the Committee has not yet published these standards.
The DOJ OIG made eight recommendations to improve the DOJ’s effort to comply with the GDA. The DOJ agreed with all eight recommendations.
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