The Department Has Made Progress Meeting Its Responsibilities Under the Geospatial Data Act But Must Improve Controls to Ensure Full Compliance

For our audit of the U.S. Department of Commerce's (the Department’s) collection, production, acquisition, maintenance, distribution, use, and preservation of geospatial data, our objective was to assess the Department’s progress toward compliance with the 13 covered agency responsibilities under section 759(a) of the Geospatial Data Act (Pub. L. No. 115-254, H.R. 302). We found the following: I. The Department should ensure its new geospatial data strategic plan aligns with the mission and design controls for adequate implementation. II. The Department should develop procedures to ensure compliance with its Policy on Planned Geospatial Acquisitions. III. Data harvesting issues are causing inconsistencies in Department metadata. IV. The U.S. Census Bureau should document compliance with metadata standards as part of its system of internal control for geospatial data.