IMPROVING ACCESS TO GEOSCIENCE INFORMATION -- THE REDESIGNED NATIONAL GEOLOGIC MAP DATABASE

The USGS and the Association of American State Geologists (AASG) are mandated by Congress to provide a National Geologic Map Database (NGMDB, http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/) of standardized, spatial geoscience information. During the 18 years of its existence, the NGMDB project has provided access to maps, reports, and stratigraphic nomenclature, and has been intensively involved in U.S. and international standards development. From the public Web site, we serve various user communities (e.g., professional geologists, decision makers, homeowners) who need to find geologic maps and geoscience reports, and get answers to their questions.

Online resources provided by, or linked from, the NGMDB include:

1) Cartographic, database design, science terminology, and data-exchange standards,

2) The U.S. Geologic Names Lexicon (GEOLEX), a standard reference for the Nation's stratigraphic nomenclature,

3) The Geoscience Map Catalog (containing citations and links to >96,000 maps, stratigraphic charts, and reports by >630 publishers, many containing GIS data and map images, and

4) Proceedings from the eighteen annual Digital Mapping Techniques workshops, which document map-preparation techniques and standards in use or in development by the Nation's geological surveys.

In recent years, a major redesign of the NGMDB’s database and Web site was undertaken. The first phase, released in late 2012, focused on upgrades to the Map Catalog. The second phase, released in mid-2014, addressed updates to the U.S. Geologic Names Lexicon (Geolex) and the various NGMDB informational pages. Two new features were added to the redesigned site: (1) “mapView”, which provides a mosaicked view of geologic maps as a new front-end to the NGMDB's Map Catalog, and (2) topoView, which enables users to quickly search and browse the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.