New Audit Announcements

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In March 2020, we announced our mandated audit of the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) compliance with the Geospatial Data Act. Our initial audit objectives were to evaluate DOT’s implementation of the requirements outlined in the act, specifically (1) the standards for geospatial data, including metadata for geospatial data, established by the act’s section 757; (2) the requirements of the act’s section 759(a); and (3) the limitations of the use of Federal funds under the act’s section 759A. For the reasons outlined below, we are now adjusting the scope of our review.

Prior to our initial work on this audit, the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) convened a working group of representatives from covered agencies’ Offices of Inspectors General to reach a consensus on an audit approach for the inaugural audits. The participants decided that audits focused on the agencies’ progress toward compliance with the Geospatial Data Act, including with the requirements of Section 759 (a), would likely provide the best value to the agencies, Congress, and the public. This approach is somewhat narrower than what the act requires because it is difficult for agencies to determine what standards the audits should use to evaluate compliance. 

Furthermore, because the act establishes a 5-year implementation period before limiting the use of Federal funds for non-compliant activities, these first audits could not cover the limitations on Federal funding as one of our original audit objectives called for. Given these issues and the continuing implementation of the act, conducting the audit as the act prescribes would result in inconclusive findings for two of our three original audit objectives. 

Therefore, our revised audit objective will be to assess DOT’s progress in fulfilling the requirements of the Geospatial Data Act of 2018.