Audit: DOE-OIG-24-35

September 30, 2024

The Department of Energy Has Made Little Progress Implementing the Geospatial Data Act of 2018

Geospatial data, location-based information used by decision makers to conduct research and manage health, safety, and security, among other things, is integral to the Department of Energy’s mission outcomes, driving ongoing efforts to reduce the threat of nuclear proliferation, overseeing the Nation’s energy supply, and spurring scientific and technology innovations.  For example, the Office of Legacy Management utilizes geospatial data as a strategic asset for benchmarking the environmental extents of managed sites and assessing changes over time to ensure the future protection of human health and the environment.  The Geospatial Data Act of 2018 (Act) was established to develop, drive, and manage the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, which includes the technology, policies, standards, and employees necessary to promote geospatial data sharing throughout Federal, state, tribal, and local governments, and the private sector.  As discussed in the report, the Department has made little progress in implementing the Act and managing geospatial data as a strategic asset to meet its desired mission outcomes.  Our audit determined that although the Department had initiated actions, it still had not fully implemented 12 of the Act’s 13 requirements.  For instance, the Department had not fully implemented the Geospatial Data Strategy, allocated resources to fulfill the responsibilities of effective geospatial data collection, coordinated and worked in partnership with Federal agencies and other entities, or promoted the integration of geospatial data from all sources.  

This report contains four recommendations that, if fully implemented, should improve the Department’s ability to manage its collection, maintenance, dissemination, or preservation of geospatial data.  We made recommendations to the Department to finalize and distribute its revised DOE Geospatial Science Program Implementation Plan, increase engagement with Department program offices and sites, complete a privacy assessment specific to geospatial data, and develop a strategy to incorporate the Act’s requirements into the Department’s contracts.  Management concurred with our recommendations and indicated that corrective actions were planned to address the issues identified in our report.