Release Number: 05-17
November 29, 2005

Contact: Jim Mohan, 314-263-4142; James.G.Mohan@nga.mil
Stephen Honda, 301-227-2057; Stephen.Honda@nga.mil

THE NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
TO GO FORWARD WITH PROPOSAL TO REMOVE
AERONAUTICAL DATA FROM PUBLIC ACCESS

BETHESDA, MD -- The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) will go forward with its previously announced proposal to remove its Flight Information Publications (FLIP) and Digital Aeronautical Flight Information File (DAFIF^TM) from public access.

NGA is taking this action due to the increased numbers of international source providers claiming intellectual property rights of their data. Many of these sources forewarned NGA they intended to copyright their aeronautical data. NGA's public release of data produced by others violated claimed copyright, forcing NGA to discontinue the release of this data to the general public. Government agencies and authorized government contractors are not affected by this action.

"The removal of this aeronautical data from general public access will assure the continued availability of information vital to national security," commented NGA Director, Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper, Jr., USAF (Ret).

NGA officially announced its proposed intention to remove the aeronautical products from public access on Oct. 1, 2005 in the Nov. 18, 2004 Federal Register. As a result of the feedback received from organizations and individuals, NGA invited public comment on this proposed action between Dec. 17, 2004 and June 30, 2005. Numerous comments were received and addressed from private citizens and special interests groups.

As a result of input from the public comment period, NGA will phase in the removal of the affected NGA products from public access over a 22 month period.

NGA, in consultation with the Federal Aviation Agency has determined this action will not affect chart products for US airspace or Caribbean and South American charts and also Pacific, Australia, and Antarctica charts in areas considered part of the US Flight Information Region. NGA has decided not to withdraw paper map products to a scale of 1:250,000 to 1:5,000,000. These products will continue to be available to the public.

The first phase of the product withdrawal begins in January 2006 with the removal of worldwide DAFIF^TM from public sale. The electronic distribution of DAFIF^TM over the World Wide Web (www) and public sale of NGA FLIP outside US airspace will cease in October 2006. The remaining NGA FLIP will be removed from public access in October 2007.

The NGA is a Department of Defense combat support agency and a member of the National Intelligence Community. The Agency's mission is to provide timely, relevant and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of our national security. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., NGA has major facilities in the Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, and St. Louis, Mo., areas with NGA support teams worldwide.

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