UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY: MAPPING THE FUTURE OF AMERICA

The USGS was created in 1879 to survey and classify public lands. It accomplished this task through production of topographic, geologic, and hydrologic maps. Over time, the bureau has evolved to become the Nation’s largest Earth, water, and biological science and civilian mapping agency. The USGS makes much of its science available to the public geospatially. USGS topographic maps chart the changes in the Nation’s infrastructure. New geological maps, many produced under the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program with state and university partners, reflect our increased understanding of geological processes. USGS hydrological studies record not only the locations of drainages but also information on stream and river flows with new products on groundwater resources. Biological data such as the distribution of species are also captured and interpreted geospatially by the Bureau. Integrative USGS mapping products such as hazard maps for earthquakes, tsunamis, and landslides, inform the public and policy makers. Geospatial products from the USGS range from detailed digital 7.5’ quadrangle maps to Landsat images that provide a time series of the globe and document our changing environment and landscapes. New and evolving technologies such as lidar, airborne electromagnetic data and unmanned aerial systems are increasing the resolution of USGS’ geospatial data and enabling a wide array of modeling from flood inundation to energy and mineral potential. Looking forward, the USGS will continue to lead national efforts to characterize the surface and subsurface of the earth, producing three dimensional maps of the topography, subsurface geology and hydrology while developing a surface water network that will link water observations throughout the Nation. The societal value of geospatial data is reflected in the wide variety of its uses, including civil engineering and infrastructure development, water and energy resource assessment, hazards assessments and emergency response.