US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

43 U.S.C. § 3104

3D elevation program

(a)

Establishment of 3D Elevation Program

(1)

In general

The Secretary shall establish a program, to be known as the “3D Elevation Program”—
(A)
to provide 3D elevation data coverage for the United States;
(B)
to coordinate and facilitate the collection, dissemination, and use of 3D elevation data among Federal departments and agencies and non-Federal entities;
(C)
to produce standard, publicly accessible 3D elevation data products for the United States; and
(D)
to promote the collection, dissemination, and use of 3D elevation data among Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments, communities, institutions of higher education, and the private sector through—
(i)
cooperative agreements;
(ii)
the development and maintenance of spatial data infrastructure to provide quality control and deliver to the public 3D elevation data products;
(iii)
in coordination with the 3D Elevation Federal Interagency Coordinating Committee established under subsection (b), States, and industry and standards bodies, the development of standards and guidelines for 3D elevation data acquisition to increase accessibility to 3D elevation data in a standard, easy-to-use format; and
(iv)
the identification, assessment, and adoption of emerging technologies to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the 3D Elevation Program.
(2)

Management

(A)

In general

The Secretary shall manage the 3D Elevation Program—
(i)
to ensure efficiency with respect to related activities of the Department of the Interior and other participating Federal departments and agencies; and
(ii)
to meet the needs of Department of the Interior programs, stakeholders, and the public.
(B)

Other Federal departments and agencies

The head of each Federal department and agency involved in the acquisition, production, distribution, or application of 3D elevation data shall—
(i)
coordinate with the 3D Elevation Federal Interagency Coordinating Committee established under subsection (b) to acquire additional, enhanced 3D elevation data;
(ii)
submit to the Secretary a description of priority areas of interest for 3D elevation data collection for use in providing grants and cooperative agreements under subsection (d);
(iii)
implement policies and procedures for data acquisition and sharing that are consistent with standards and guidelines developed under the 3D Elevation Program;
(iv)
participate in, and share the results and benefits of, the 3D Elevation Program, in accordance with standards and guidelines developed under the 3D Elevation Program; and
(v)
ensure that any 3D elevation data acquired with Federal grant funding—
(I)
meets 3D Elevation Program standards; and
(II)
is included in the national holdings of those data.
(b)

3D Elevation Federal Interagency Coordinating Committee

(1)

Establishment

The Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall establish an interagency coordinating committee, to be known as the “3D Elevation Federal Interagency Coordinating Committee” (referred to in this subsection as the “Committee”), to better coordinate 3D elevation data management across the Federal Government.

(2)

Membership

The Committee shall be composed of the following members (or their designees):
(A)
The Secretary, who shall serve as Chairperson of the Committee.
(B)
The Secretary of Agriculture.
(C)
The Secretary of Commerce.
(D)
The Secretary of Homeland Security.
(E)
The Director of the National Science Foundation.
(F)
The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
(G)
The Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
(H)
The head of any other Federal department or agency, at the request of the Secretary.
(3)

Coordination

The Committee shall coordinate, as appropriate, with the existing activities of—
(A)
the 3D Elevation Program Executive Forum;
(B)
the Alaska Mapping Executive Committee;
(C)
the 3D Elevation Working Group;
(D)
the 3D National Elevation Subcommittee; and
(E)
State offices.
(4)

Meetings

The Committee shall meet at the call of the Chairperson.

(5)

Duties

The Committee shall—
(A)
oversee the planning, management, and coordination of the 3D Elevation Program; and
(B)
develop, by not later than 1 year after , and update periodically thereafter—
(i)
a strategic plan that establishes goals and priorities for activities carried out under the 3D Elevation Program; and
(ii)
a detailed management plan to implement the strategic plan.
(c)

Subcommittee of National Geospatial Advisory Committee

(1)

Establishment

(A)

In general

The Secretary shall establish, within the National Geospatial Advisory Committee, a subcommittee (referred to in this subsection as the “Subcommittee”).

(B)

Membership

The Subcommittee shall—
(i)
consist of not fewer than 11 members, of whom none may be a Federal officer or employee; and
(ii)
include representatives of—
(I)
research and academic institutions;
(II)
industry standards development organizations;
(III)
units of State and local government; and
(IV)
the private sector.
(2)

Duties

(A)

Assessment

The Subcommittee shall conduct an assessment of—
(i)
trends and developments in—
(I)
the collection, dissemination, and use of 3D elevation data; and
(II)
science and technology relating to 3D elevation data;
(ii)
the effectiveness of the 3D Elevation Program in carrying out the activities described in subsection (a)(1);
(iii)
the need to revise or reorganize the 3D Elevation Program; and
(iv)
the management, coordination, implementation, and activities of the 3D Elevation Program.
(B)

Report

Not later than 1 year after , and every 2 years thereafter, the Subcommittee shall submit to the Secretary and the 3D Elevation Federal Interagency Coordinating Committee established under subsection (b) a report that includes—
(i)
the findings of the assessment under subparagraph (A); and
(ii)
recommendations of the Subcommittee based on those findings, if any.
(d)

Grants and cooperative agreements

(1)

In general

The Secretary may make grants and enter into cooperative agreements with other Federal departments and agencies, units of State, local, or Tribal government, institutions of higher education, nonprofit research institutions, or other organizations to facilitate the improvement of nationwide coverage of 3D elevation data.

(2)

Applications

To be eligible to receive a grant or enter into a cooperative agreement under this subsection, an entity described in paragraph (1) shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.

(3)

Terms and conditions

A grant or cooperative agreement under this subsection shall be subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, including making data publically available and interoperable with other Federal datasets.

(e)

Funding

For each of fiscal years 2021 through 2024, there is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary $40,000,000 to carry out this section.

(f)

Derivation of funds

Funds to carry out the activities under this section shall be derived from amounts authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary that are enacted after .

Pub. L. 116–323, § 5134 Stat. 5081(, , .)