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Geospatial Data Governance Policies and Procedures: A Guide (2025)

Chapter: Appendix E: Best Practices

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Suggested Citation: "Appendix E: Best Practices." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2025. Geospatial Data Governance Policies and Procedures: A Guide. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/28857.

APPENDIX E

Best Practices

The authors of this guide, as well as the airports and collaborators who engaged in the case studies, have gleaned many best practices over the development of this guide. Lessons are learned and opportunities for improvement are discovered during each project an organization undertakes. As part of a continuous improvement process, documenting best practices helps the organization record problems that occurred in the spirit of avoiding the same problems in the future. This appendix details many of the best practices discussed as a part of the research that went into creating this guide (Table E-1).

Table E-1. Best practices.

Category	Best Practice
Accountability	Ensure the quality control team from your organization has proper time to review contractor or consultant as-built deliverables and that they have the authority to reject and hold the consultant or contractor responsible for updates.
Asset Management	Change the focus of the organization to think about the asset versus thinking about the systems that manage the project, improve both data quality and the data governance process.
Asset Management	Develop an asset registry that defines what features should be considered an “asset.” The features defined as assets may change per airport because different airports have a different prioritization of some features.
Asset Management	Only define those features as an “asset” within the asset registry if you can maintain the data set for that asset and keep them current.
Asset Management	Develop a standard for asset naming and identification. Having a naming convention helps streamline hand-off across project phases. It also assists in managing the data across multiple platforms.
Change Management	Provide access to a form for geospatial data users to make change requests to standards and policy items that they feel need revision. This ensures user buy-in to the data governance program and facilitates the review change requests.
Contract Language	Align contract language to ensure a construction project’s necessary data is delivered in a compliant, as-built format across all organizational documents (i.e., specification documents, standards, etc.).
Data Champion(s)	A few key individuals who recognize the value of data and proactively promote this information to executive leadership can make a large difference in the success of a data governance program.
Data Exchange	Ensure the needs of all users are accounted for across platforms. Data will often be exchanged between platforms, such as CAD and GIS, but an organization needs to not lose data (e.g., attribution) when moving into CAD. A well-thought-out process on what data resides in which platform and any ETL processes ensures asset metadata, attribution, or other components of information are not lost in a data exchange.
Data Owner	Assigning an asset owner to each feature allows that owner to manage the data and break down departmental silos for those that need the data. This ownership can lead to the development of a centralized data resource or “the single source of truth” for that asset.

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Category	Best Practice
Data Sharing	Data needs to be shared among departments to meet individual sector needs and prevent separate and disparate data sets from containing the same features.
Digital Twin	Successful operation of a digital twin is impossible without a rigorous data dictionary that includes a defined data maintenance process.
Education	Incorporating data governance education into curriculums that teach engineering, construction, and architectural programs could help shift an organization’s mindset regarding data governance.
Education	There are many ways to define terms (such as asset management, digital twin, data governance, etc.). These expressions may be defined within the data governance policy and shared to ensure collaborators understand what these terms mean to the organization.
Empowerment	Once responsibilities are assigned, ensuring team members feel they can speak up if something is not working (or could be improved) is imperative. For example, lack of push-back when contractors do not provide as-builts may stem from an individual feeling they were not authorized to say the data provided is unacceptable and/or they lacked authority to “kick back” data until the as-built was compliant.
Institutional Knowledge	During COVID-19, airports lost a lot of staff and, in turn, a lot of institutional knowledge from some of the senior staff members. Codify as much of this data now from your senior staff into digital information to ensure this data is not lost.
Organizational Alignment	Establish executive leadership buy-in for the data governance program. Calculate the estimated ROI for your airport using the tools from this guide. Share examples of how other airports within the case studies have benefited by starting to develop a data governance program on geospatial data.
Organizational Alignment	Data governance does not happen by accident—it must be a purposeful action championed by a true data governance advocate or council. These individuals or entities should have well-defined roles and responsibilities and the authority to act when necessary.
Organizational Alignment	Utilize your IT department. They touch every department within the organization and can often act as a facilitator for helping data management and governance. IT can also help facilitate any security restrictions necessary on SSI assets.
Performance	Establish goals and track the organization’s progress toward achieving these goals. Perform annual roadmap updates to track goal achievement and performance.
Pilot Areas	If a contractor or consultant has not previously delivered data to the organization’s standards, ask them to complete a pilot area prior to providing an entire data set. This gradual delivery can help ensure standards will be met long before there is a schedule push to close out a grant and pay the contractor/consultant. These test beds also ensure geospatial data integrity is met through one last round of QC before introduction into live environments.
Policy	Develop a geospatial data governance policy that clearly identifies the mission and vision of the organization in relation to data governance. The policy should include data collection, sharing, access, security, and integration processes.
Proactive Outreach	Departments that have implemented a data governance program and can attest to the advantages and capabilities of data governance can be an example for the rest of the organization. This outreach elicits a positive response overall on the program and incorporates buy-in from other departments.
Proactive Outreach	Do not be afraid to reach out to/visit neighboring airports to see their successes or struggles. The establishment of a data governance committee among airports that meets quarterly to share successes and challenges could be of great benefit. Many organizations spoke of successful BIM technologies meetings that occurred among several airports.
Proactive Outreach	Proactively reach out to departments not using the organization’s data to understand the lack of usage and how to get them involved.
Procedures	Develop SOP for the business processes to update each asset or group of assets.
Regulation	Encourage an industry-wide recognition of data governance and management ROI.
Regulation	Incorporate data governance compliance language or, at a minimum, language to follow the organization’s data standards into each project.

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Category	Best Practice
Roadmaps	Develop a data governance roadmap that meets the needs of the organization. Data governance is not a race; many organizations have been working for 5 to 10 years and are still modifying, adapting, and updating their processes.
Roadmaps	Roadmaps are not static documents—do not be afraid to update them. The documents should be reviewed periodically by the geospatial data governance council and the executive team to ensure they still align with the organizations vision and mission.
Roles and Responsibilities	Define clear roles for each key collaborator in the organization and assign responsibilities to those roles. The use of a RACI chart may help more clearly define the roles and responsibilities and assist with the accountability of those roles.
Simplicity	Sometimes, the simplest answer is a perfect starting point. Data governance can become overcomplicated by a flurry of initial efforts. One small, simple step can kick-start geospatial data governance or restart a stalled initiative. Simple concepts are often easier to change and will facilitate further growth.
Small Wins	Data governance is a multiyear journey; however, progress can be made with small wins such as hiring or assigning a geospatial data curator, establishing a policy, writing CAD, GIS, and BIM standards. All of these successes will integrate into and enhance the overarching geospatial data governance program.
Small Wins	Start with processes that are essential to the daily operations of the airport to illustrate the value of the data to executive leadership. Essential processes may include 911 emergency response, security monitoring, facilities/maintenance, Part 139 inspection and reporting, billing, and space planning systems.
Standards	Take advantage of existing data standards. The data schema from FAA AC 150/56300-18B, National CAD Standards, National BIM Standards, Esri’s available geodatabases, and COBie standards can be of significant benefit.
Standards	Standards are not static; therefore, department leads or geospatial data owners should meet regularly to discuss standards, the addition/subtraction of features, or updates needed to satisfy requests made by geospatial data users.
Standards	Ensure data standards contain required metadata and attributions for each asset.
Utilities	Utility data has been a major issue for many airports. Utility strikes can cause significant construction delays and could potentially cause personal harm or loss of life. Consider requiring the location of all utilities before they are covered and/or buried underground. Field verification would provide the highest level of accuracy. Plan information would only provide a generalized vicinity.

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Abbreviations and acronyms used without definitions in TRB publications:

A4A	Airlines for America
AAAE	American Association of Airport Executives
AASHO	American Association of State Highway Officials
AASHTO	American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
ACI–NA	Airports Council International–North America
ACRP	Airport Cooperative Research Program
ADA	Americans with Disabilities Act
APTA	American Public Transportation Association
ASCE	American Society of Civil Engineers
ASME	American Society of Mechanical Engineers
ASTM	American Society for Testing and Materials
ATA	American Trucking Associations
CTAA	Community Transportation Association of America
CTBSSP	Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program
DHS	Department of Homeland Security
DOE	Department of Energy
EPA	Environmental Protection Agency
FAA	Federal Aviation Administration
FAST	Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (2015)
FHWA	Federal Highway Administration
FMCSA	Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
FRA	Federal Railroad Administration
FTA	Federal Transit Administration
GHSA	Governors Highway Safety Association
HMCRP	Hazardous Materials Cooperative Research Program
IEEE	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
ISTEA	Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991
ITE	Institute of Transportation Engineers
MAP-21	Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (2012)
NASA	National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASAO	National Association of State Aviation Officials
NCFRP	National Cooperative Freight Research Program
NCHRP	National Cooperative Highway Research Program
NHTSA	National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NTSB	National Transportation Safety Board
PHMSA	Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
RITA	Research and Innovative Technology Administration
SAE	Society of Automotive Engineers
SAFETEA-LU	Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (2005)
TCRP	Transit Cooperative Research Program
TEA-21	Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (1998)
TRB	Transportation Research Board
TSA	Transportation Security Administration
U.S. DOT	United States Department of Transportation