The National Geospatial Technical Operations Center

Quadrangle map of Cat Mountain, Arizona.

“Providing critical geospatial information to the Nation”

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) provides geospatial technical expertise in support of the National Geospatial Program in its development of The National Map, National Atlas of the United States®, and implementation of key components of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).

Mission Statement

The NGTOC provides essential support for the acquisition and management of trusted geospatial data, products, and services through nationally recognized geospatial technical expertise and customer service for the USGS and the Nation.

Major Products and Services

The National Map

The National Map, a significant component of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (http://www.fgdc.gov/nsdi/nsdi.html), is a collaborative effort by the USGS and partners to improve the utility, currency, and availability of national topographic information. The NGTOC plays a key role in this effort by enhancing the usefulness of national geospatial products and services, and by acquiring new geospatial data, assessing the data for accuracy and quality, integrating it into nation-wide datasets, and improving public access to that information through online viewing and data download.

Essential services supporting these activities include research and development of national geospatial data standards, data models, and products that keep pace with state-of-the-art technology and expanding user requirements. The NGTOC maintains a staff of geospatial experts who serve all levels of government in acquiring highquality geospatial products and services from world-class contractors. The NGTOC provides training and technical support to partners for advancement of the NSDI and to geospatial data users at all levels of government, as well as the general public.

The National Map Products:

USGS Topographic Maps: The NGTOC is developing the

• next generation of USGS topographic map products. These products are available through the USGS Store: http:// store.usgs.gov

Orthoimagery: The NGTOC acquires and quality checks

• orthoimagery before its integration into the national seamless orthoimagery dataset. USGS orthoimagery and information may be accessed at: http://gisdata.usgs.net/website/Orthoimagery/

Elevation: The NGTOC acquires, processes, and quality

• checks terrain elevation data to prepare it for integration into the seamless National Elevation Dataset found at: http://ned.usgs.gov

Hydrography: The NGTOC provides National Hydrog-

• raphy Data (NHD) database management, data model enhancement, and data improvement through internal operations and training and support to data stewardship partners. The National Hydrography Dataset is available at: http://nhd.usgs.gov

Geographic Names: The NGTOC provides support to the

• U.S. Board on Geographic Names and works with private sector and Federal, state, and local partners to develop and maintain information about geographic names for the Nation. Information about these activities can be found at: http://geonames.usgs.gov/domestic

National Atlas: U.S. Precipitation

For more information on the USGS NGTOC, visit: ngtoc.usgs.gov

Boundaries, Transportation, and Structures: The NGTOC

• works with numerous partners to acquire and maintain a nationally consistent database of boundaries, transportation, and man-made structures information. More information about these datasets can be found at: http://bpgeo.cr.usgs.gov/

National Atlas of the United States®

The National Atlas of the United States® provides a comprehensive, map-like view into the enormous wealth of geospatial and geostatistical data collected for the United States. It is designed to enhance our geographic knowledge and understanding of the physical and cultural geography of the U.S. NGTOC staff compile and integrate small-scale (1:1,000,000-scale) National Atlas geographic information system (GIS) data and support the data integration and documentation needs of the program’s Federal partners. Experienced NGTOC cartographers and technicians are harmonizing these mapping frameworks with similar cartographic data from Canada and Mexico. Their work results in valuable contributions to the Atlas of North America (http://www.cec.org/naatlas/) and the Global Map (http://www.globalmap.org/english/index.html). NGTOC staff members provide quick and responsive customer support for all eight National Atlas products and services. National Atlas education and outreach efforts also are carried out through the NGTOC. In addition, the Center hosts the online National Atlas ensuring reliable, uninterrupted service from nationalatlas.gov (http://nationalatlas.gov/)

Potentially Active Volcanoes in Washington

Where this page came from

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