DoD to remove FLIP's from public

Note: You can still download NGA Flight Info Pubs from:
https://164.214.2.62/products/digitalaero/index.cfm

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

[Federal Register: November 18, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 222)]
[Notices]
[Page 67546-67547]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18no04-31]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Announcement of Intent To Initiate the Process To Remove
Aeronautical Information From Public Sale and Distribution

AGENCY: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), Department of
Defense.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) intends to
remove its Flight Information Publications (FLIP), Digital Aeronautical
Flight Information File (DAFIF), and related aeronautical safety of
navigation digital and hardcopy publications from public sale and
distribution.
This action is taken to accomplish the following objectives:
safeguarding the integrity of Department of Defense (DoD) aeronautical
navigation data currently available on the public Internet; preventing
unfettered access to air facility data by those intending harm to the
United States, its interests or allies; upholding terms of bi-lateral
geospatial data-sharing agreements; avoiding competition with
commercial interests; and avoiding intellectual property/copyright
disputes with foreign agencies that provide host-nation aeronautical
data.
The DAFIF and related digital aeronautical information files will
be protected from general public access on the NGA home page
(http://www.nga.mil
). Aeronautical Flight Information Publications (FLIP),

Navigation/Planning Charts (ONC, TPC, etc.), and the DAFIF CD will be
available only through the Department of Defense (DoD) distribution
system. U.S. Federal and State government agencies, authorized
government contractors, and international agencies that currently
receive those products under formal or informal geospatial data
exchange arrangements will not be affected by this action.

DATES: NGA will implement this action on October 1, 2005 (FY06).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about the
substance of this notice, contact Joseph S. Jarvis, Aeronautical
Division, MS L-27, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, 3838 Vogel
Road, Arnold, Missouri, 63010-6238 (e-mail: ).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NGA and its predecessor organizations (DMA
and NIMA) have published DoD's flight information products since the
late 1940s to support the worldwide missions of DoD aircraft. The
publications are sold to the public through the auspices of the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA), and the digital data has been freely
available on the Internet. Notwithstanding a prior practice of making
some of DoD's flight information available to the public in the past,
NGA does not have a statutory requirement to produce aeronautical
products for general civil aviation.
With the proliferation of digital capabilities throughout the
international aviation network, the preferred method of information
exchange is shifting from paper-based to electronic dissemination.
Numerous countries that heretofore relied on host-government agencies
to compile and publish their aeronautical information have recently
transferred that responsibility to commercial or quasi-governmental
agencies. Some of these foreign agencies are beginning to assert
intellectual property rights to the aeronautical data within their
territorial limits and are refusing to provide such aeronautical data
to DoD so long as NGA makes it available to outside interests, whom
these agencies view as possible competitors in the international
marketplace. NGA relies on foreign data obtained through bilateral
geospatial information sharing agreements, and certain nations may
impose restrictions on their data against release to third parties.
Accordingly, there is a rational basis for limiting access to
aeronautical products created for DoD use to DoD and governmental end
users.
By removing national defense aeronautical data from open source
access NGA seeks to accomplish two additional objectives. First, NGA
will reduce the vulnerability of critical navigation data on the
Internet. Second, it will limit/eliminate unfettered access to that
data by organizations and individuals intent on causing harm.
In conclusion, with the accomplishment of this proposed action NGA
aims to protect the sources and integrity of its data, honor its
bilateral agreements restricting non-governmental use, avoid
competition with commercial interests, and allow NGA to focus on its
primary customers and mission, supporting the Department of Defense.


[[Page 67547]]


Dated: November 12, 2004.
Jeannette Owings-Ballard,
OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 04-25631 Filed 11-17-04; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 5001-06-P


--
Shane Partain
http://worldaerodata.com/


----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups
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In a previous article, Shane Partain said:
navigation data currently available on the public Internet; preventing
unfettered access to air facility data by those intending harm to the
United States, its interests or allies; upholding terms of bi-lateral

What a load of crap.


Like "those intending harm to the United States" couldn't get the FAA data
instead? Or use last year's data - I don't think the USAF is going to
move their bases.

--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
"This `telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a
means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."
-- Western Union internal memo, 1876.

On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 10:49:51 -0500, Shane Partain
wrote in ::


SUMMARY: The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) intends to
remove its Flight Information Publications (FLIP), Digital Aeronautical
Flight Information File (DAFIF), and related aeronautical safety of
navigation digital and hardcopy publications from public sale and
distribution.
This action is taken to accomplish the following objectives:
safeguarding the integrity of Department of Defense (DoD) aeronautical
navigation data currently available on the public Internet; preventing
unfettered access to air facility data by those intending harm to the
United States, its interests or allies; upholding terms of bi-lateral
geospatial data-sharing agreements; avoiding competition with
commercial interests; and avoiding intellectual property/copyright
disputes with foreign agencies that provide host-nation aeronautical
data.
The DAFIF and related digital aeronautical information files will
be protected from general public access on the NGA home page
(http://www.nga.mil
). Aeronautical Flight Information Publications (FLIP),

Navigation/Planning Charts (ONC, TPC, etc.), and the DAFIF CD will be
available only through the Department of Defense (DoD) distribution
system. U.S. Federal and State government agencies, authorized
government contractors, and international agencies that currently
receive those products under formal or informal geospatial data
exchange arrangements will not be affected by this action.

DATES: NGA will implement this action on October 1, 2005 (FY06).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about the
substance of this notice, contact Joseph S. Jarvis, Aeronautical
Division, MS L-27, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, 3838 Vogel
Road, Arnold, Missouri, 63010-6238 (e-mail: ).


Get 'em while you can:
https://164.214.2.62/products/digita...index.cfm#flip
https://164.214.2.62/products/digita...wnloadlist.cfm

Nice... now Jeppesen will be guaranteed a monopoly, and any would be
terrorists will have to pay Jeppesen to obtain any data that they might
want, like that is going to stop them...

"Shane Partain" wrote in message
...
Note: You can still download NGA Flight Info Pubs from:
https://164.214.2.62/products/digitalaero/index.cfm

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

[Federal Register: November 18, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 222)]
[Notices]
[Page 67546-67547]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18no04-31]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Announcement of Intent To Initiate the Process To Remove
Aeronautical Information From Public Sale and Distribution

AGENCY: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), Department of
Defense.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) intends to
remove its Flight Information Publications (FLIP), Digital Aeronautical
Flight Information File (DAFIF), and related aeronautical safety of
navigation digital and hardcopy publications from public sale and
distribution.
This action is taken to accomplish the following objectives:
safeguarding the integrity of Department of Defense (DoD) aeronautical
navigation data currently available on the public Internet; preventing
unfettered access to air facility data by those intending harm to the
United States, its interests or allies; upholding terms of bi-lateral
geospatial data-sharing agreements; avoiding competition with
commercial interests; and avoiding intellectual property/copyright
disputes with foreign agencies that provide host-nation aeronautical
data.
The DAFIF and related digital aeronautical information files will
be protected from general public access on the NGA home page
(http://www.nga.mil
). Aeronautical Flight Information Publications (FLIP),

Navigation/Planning Charts (ONC, TPC, etc.), and the DAFIF CD will be
available only through the Department of Defense (DoD) distribution
system. U.S. Federal and State government agencies, authorized
government contractors, and international agencies that currently
receive those products under formal or informal geospatial data
exchange arrangements will not be affected by this action.

DATES: NGA will implement this action on October 1, 2005 (FY06).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about the
substance of this notice, contact Joseph S. Jarvis, Aeronautical
Division, MS L-27, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, 3838 Vogel
Road, Arnold, Missouri, 63010-6238 (e-mail: ).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NGA and its predecessor organizations (DMA
and NIMA) have published DoD's flight information products since the
late 1940s to support the worldwide missions of DoD aircraft. The
publications are sold to the public through the auspices of the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA), and the digital data has been freely
available on the Internet. Notwithstanding a prior practice of making
some of DoD's flight information available to the public in the past,
NGA does not have a statutory requirement to produce aeronautical
products for general civil aviation.
With the proliferation of digital capabilities throughout the
international aviation network, the preferred method of information
exchange is shifting from paper-based to electronic dissemination.
Numerous countries that heretofore relied on host-government agencies
to compile and publish their aeronautical information have recently
transferred that responsibility to commercial or quasi-governmental
agencies. Some of these foreign agencies are beginning to assert
intellectual property rights to the aeronautical data within their
territorial limits and are refusing to provide such aeronautical data
to DoD so long as NGA makes it available to outside interests, whom
these agencies view as possible competitors in the international
marketplace. NGA relies on foreign data obtained through bilateral
geospatial information sharing agreements, and certain nations may
impose restrictions on their data against release to third parties.
Accordingly, there is a rational basis for limiting access to
aeronautical products created for DoD use to DoD and governmental end
users.
By removing national defense aeronautical data from open source
access NGA seeks to accomplish two additional objectives. First, NGA
will reduce the vulnerability of critical navigation data on the
Internet. Second, it will limit/eliminate unfettered access to that
data by organizations and individuals intent on causing harm.
In conclusion, with the accomplishment of this proposed action NGA
aims to protect the sources and integrity of its data, honor its
bilateral agreements restricting non-governmental use, avoid
competition with commercial interests, and allow NGA to focus on its
primary customers and mission, supporting the Department of Defense.


[[Page 67547]]


Dated: November 12, 2004.
Jeannette Owings-Ballard,
OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 04-25631 Filed 11-17-04; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 5001-06-P


--
Shane Partain
http://worldaerodata.com/


----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet
News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000
Newsgroups
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On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 10:49:51 -0500, Shane Partain
wrote:

----------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Announcement of Intent To Initiate the Process To Remove
Aeronautical Information From Public Sale and Distribution

AGENCY: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), Department of
Defense.


ARGGHH! This kind of stuff burns me up. It sounds like Mayor Daley's
excuse for removing Meigs... Just mention it is for safety and then
do whatever you want.

This one is even more asinine because the data is already out in the
public domain, and anyone could get the data via Jep or whoever if
they wanted.

Reading further - the announcement does mention the REAL reason:
"...upholding terms of bi-lateral geospatial data-sharing agreements;
avoiding competition with commercial interests"

It is a shame that our government buys the equipment, installs the
equipment, maintains databases of it's condition, location, etc...,
and then (probably due to lobbyists) cannot make it available back to
the taxpayer and end users.

-Nathan

In a previous article, Nathan Young said:
Reading further - the announcement does mention the REAL reason:
"...upholding terms of bi-lateral geospatial data-sharing agreements;
avoiding competition with commercial interests"

It is a shame that our government buys the equipment, installs the
equipment, maintains databases of it's condition, location, etc...,
and then (probably due to lobbyists) cannot make it available back to
the taxpayer and end users.

Actually, rumour has it that they were getting sued by a company that
provides aviation data in Australia because they were providing Australian
data. In order to prevent any further lawsuits, they decided to yank the
data. In the future, Government users will be able access DAFIF data for
the US only, and the rest of us will get squat.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
I hate mornings. I know they hate me back, too.
-- Joel Gluth

avoiding competition with commercial interests"


You know, it's seems like they *are* competing with commercial interests
-- giving an unfair advantage to the Government contractors by
removing a data source from the public that has been around since the
'40s. I wonder what kind of business ties the people that pushed this
through have.

Then there are the many (hundreds?) of existing products that use DAFIF
as source data. I'm sure this is going to put a lot of people out of
business.

But, they're also doing it for our safety...

preventing unfettered access to air facility data by those intending
harm to the United States, its interests or allies;

I wonder what kind of effect it will have on safety to take away the
only source of global public domain aeronautical data. Reducing the
availability of up-to-date planning info can't be good.

--
Shane Partain
http://worldaerodata.com/


----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups
---= East/West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---

I highly doubt this will actually take effect.. This WILL cause many
companies their business, and its a safe bet the number will be in the
thousands. Jepp is already known for raping people on prices, they want
$500 a year to include their data in your software per copy! Not to mention
it will cost lives because people simply will fly with outdated data due to
the high costs Jepp charges.

In my eyes, this will destroy aviation safety, destroy our aviation
infustructure, destroy businesses and some of us will pay for it with our
lives. I know some pilots that already fly with outdate data in their GPS's
because of Jepp's $30 a month charge. Just about any flight planning
software either PC, handheld or online depends on this data. Imagine the
fallout from this? I for one will do my part and have already contacted
people at the NGA and the FAA with inquiries on how they intend to pull this
off. If I get any answers, I'll let people know. But in the mean time,
everyone should do their part as well and start sending emails, letters,
faxes and phone calls to anyone who will listen, a good start would be to
your congressmen and to the AOPA.

This should go down in history as the most stupid thing our government has
ever done. The impact this will have on worldwide aviation is equivalent to
a terrorist attack on the world.. Soon, no doubt, will be to outlaw general
aviation because it could be used for terrorist attacks.. Very sad day for
us all and one step closer to a police state.

Maybe its time to exercise our constitutional right to install a new
government? Clearly ours is working against us.

Dennis.

Nice post Dennis.

I believe that the only flight planners on the market right now that use
Jeppesen data are Jeppesen's Flitestar and the AOPA Online planner which is
provided under contract by Jeppesen.

Flitesoft, Destination Direct, Aeroplanner, AirPlan, Voyager, the EAA
Planner (provided by Aeroplanner) and FlightPrep are flight planning apps
that all use DAFIF data.

I believe that virtually every Pocket PC moving map application relies on
DAFIF data. This includes Anywhere Map, NavGPS, MountainScope, NavAir, and
several others.

I wonder if perhaps Jeppesen didn't lobby the government to have this action
taken to recapture their monopoly position as a flight data provider. It
will certainly have the desired effect of taking out their competition, and
bring those few that survive groveling at their door to pony up large sums
of money for their data.

The ultimate effect will be that the number of products available on the
market will dwindle, and prices of the remaining products will rise. This
won't be due to natural selection from normal market forces, but from the
chokehold that Jeppesen will be able to exert on the industry. In the end,
it will be the consumer pilots who lose.

This data has been available so far due to a wonderful piece of legislation
called the Freedom of Information Act. It appears that our government is in
the process of dismantling the Freedom of Information Act along with other
freedoms that we have enjoyed in the name of security.

I certainly hope that this proposal gets shot down. I would even settle or
a compromise in which users of the DAFIF are allowed to pay a reasonable
licensing fee to have access to the data, and doing this could provide a
means by which the NGA could provide payment to those forgeign bodies that
want fees for their data. The fact that the Australian data provider want
to sue is assinine because they don't provide their data in electronic
format... you have to buy it on paper! How worthless is that? This is true
of Nav Canada as well... they don't sell digital data, only paper data.

Dean Wilkinson

On Fri, 19 Nov 2004 12:30:59 GMT, "Dennis" wrote:

I highly doubt this will actually take effect.. This WILL cause many
companies their business, and its a safe bet the number will be in the
thousands. Jepp is already known for raping people on prices, they want
$500 a year to include their data in your software per copy! Not to mention
it will cost lives because people simply will fly with outdated data due to
the high costs Jepp charges.

So Microsoft is eating $450/copy of their ~$50 Flight Simulator which
contains Jepp navdata? And they're then paying $500/year/copy of FS
sold thereafter?