GSA Is Not Fully Complying with the Geospatial Data Act of 2018

Why We Performed This Audit

We performed this audit because the Geospatial Data Act of 2018 (GDA), Section 759(c), Audits,  requires the inspector general of each covered agency to conduct an audit, not less than once every 2 years, of the covered agency’s compliance with the GDA. Our audit objective was to  assess GSA’s fulfillment of its responsibilities under the GDA. Specifically, we assessed GSA’s compliance with the 13 requirements listed in GDA Section 759(a), Covered Agency Responsibilities. 

What We Found

GSA is not fully complying with the GDA. We found that GSA is not meeting GDA requirements to:

• Maintain geospatial data;
• Maintain a geospatial data strategy; 
• Maintain an inventory of all geospatial data assets; and
• Search for existing geospatial data before procuring new data. 

These deficiencies, some of which are recurring, demonstrate that GSA is not managing its GDA responsibilities effectively.

What We Recommend

We recommend GSA’s Chief Information Officer:

1. Ensure that the Inventory of Owned and Leased Properties (IOLP) and Federal Real Property Profile (FRPP) datasets contain accurate latitude and longitude coordinates based on each property’s physical location except for those properties with a clear exemption for national security by taking the following actions:
   1. Conduct a cost-benefit analysis to identify cost-effective and feasible corrective actions to improve data accuracy. 
   2. Based on the results of this analysis, implement the identified corrective actions to improve the accuracy of latitude and longitude coordinates in the IOLP and FRPP datasets.
   3. Describe any remaining data limitations in the IOLP and FRPP datasets’ supporting documentation.
2. Establish a process to identify and correct discrepancies in the IOLP’s Congressional District Representative Name data.
3. Update GSA’s geospatial data strategy to align with the Federal Geographic Data Committee’s Building the Geospatial Future Together – The National Spatial Data Infrastructure Strategic Plan 2025–2035.
4. Update The General Services Administration’s GEOSPATIAL DATA Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and Standards Guide, Version 2.2, to:
   1. Establish a process for maintaining GSA’s geospatial data strategy and geospatial data inventory, including defining roles and responsibilities.
   2. Require formal documentation of each search performed before procuring new data, including the data sources checked and the results.
   3. Assign clear roles and responsibilities for performing the required search for existing geospatial data before procuring new data.
5. Establish processes to ensure Agency-wide compliance with the GDA, including clear roles and reporting responsibilities among the Geographic Information Systems Center of Excellence, the Data Evidence Governance Board, and the Chief Data Officer.

GSA’s Chief Information Officer agreed with our recommendations. GSA’s comments are included in their entirety in Appendix C.