VA Needs to Comply Fully with the Geospatial Data Act of 2018

The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this audit to determine whether VA complied with the requirements of section 759(a), “Covered Agency Responsibilities,” of the Geospatial Data Act of 2018. Geospatial data is information that is tied to a location on the Earth, and is used by VA to support budget, strategic planning, and policy decisions. VA did not meet three of the 13 agency responsibilities. First, VA did not promote geospatial data activities, although the OIG found VA did not have the necessary criteria from the Federal Geographic Data Committee to develop and implement a strategy to comply with this requirement. Second, VA had not promoted geospatial data integration and, third, ensured that geospatial information was included on agency record schedules that have been approved by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), as required by the act. VA met the other ten requirements of the act by sharing geospatial data, allocating geospatial resources, using geospatial data standards, coordinating with other federal and nonfederal entities, and making geospatial information more useful to the public. VA also protected personal privacy, maintained confidentiality, searched required sources before expending funds to acquire geospatial data, provided high quality data to those receiving federal funds for geospatial data collection, and designated representatives to coordinate with other lead covered agencies. According to VA officials they do not collect, hold, manage, or consume declassified geospatial data, and the OIG team did not find evidence to the contrary, making the related requirement not applicable. The OIG recommended that VA establish mandatory policies and responsibilities to promote the integration of geospatial data and establish a process that ensures geospatial data and activities are included on VA record schedules that have been approved by NARA.