The North Carolina Geospatial Data Archiving Project is just one of many recent or current projects focused on the issue of preservation of digital geospatial data. Following is a brief overview of other projects.

The joint project of the North Carolina State University Libraries and the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis will focus on collection and preservation of digital geospatial data resources from state and local government agencies in North Carolina.

The objectives of the project include:

• Identification of available resources through the NC OneMap data inventory
• Acquisition of at risk geospatial data, including static data such as digital orthophotos as well time series data such as local land records and assessment data
• Development of a digital repository architecture for geospatial data, using open source software tools such as DSpace
• Enhancement of existing geospatial metadata with additional preservation metadata, using Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS) records as wrappers
• Investigation of automated identification and capture of data resources using emerging OpenGeospatial Consortium specifications for client interaction with data on remote servers
• Development of a model for data archiving and time series development

GRADE will investigate and report on the technical and cultural issues around the reuse of geospatial data within the JISC IE in the context of media-centric, informal and institutional repositories.

The aim of GRADE is to lay the foundations for a sustainable infrastructure (both cultural and technical) that underwrites the communities' substantial and ongoing investment in the utilisation of geospatial resources within the learning, teaching and research environments of UK academia.