INFORMATION DISCOVERY THROUGH THE NATIONAL GEOLOGIC MAP DATABASE

The USGS and the Association of American State Geologists are mandated by Congress to provide a National Geologic Map Database (NGMDB) of standardized, spatial geoscience information. In this partnership, collaboration occurs with the private sector, universities, and geological survey agencies in other countries. The NGMDB system is a hybrid – some aspects are centralized and some are distributed, with the map information held by various cooperators (for example, the State geological surveys). Via the NGMDB website, users can browse and query its various databases, and obtain access to the source information wherever it resides.

Throughout the NGMDB project’s thirteen years of operation, its principal responsibility has been service to the geoscience profession and the public. In particular, it has become a useful resource for geoscience education, enabling teachers and students to quickly find, for example, relevant publications, stratigraphic information, and techniques for creating digital geologic maps. NGMDB resources include: 1) a Map Catalog of bibliographic citations for ~81,500 publications released by 370 organizations, many of which include links to online GIS data and/or map images; 2) the U.S. Geologic Names Lexicon, a standard reference for the Nation's stratigraphic nomenclature; 3) a database showing areas currently being mapped by the USGS and State geological surveys; 4) a prototype Web-mapping system that contains standardized national and regional geologic map information; 5) a set of Web interfaces to permit access to these products; and 6) a set of standards and guidelines to promote more efficient management and use of spatial geoscience information.

The NGMDB databases and Web interfaces (http://ngmdb.usgs.gov) are undergoing an extensive redesign intended to integrate its various databases into one, and to create new search interfaces and other methods for accessing the content. We invite comments and suggestions during this process.