NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

Support for this project and the Mapping Science Committee was provided by the Defense Mapping Agency, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS Agreement No. 14-08-0001), Federal Geographic Data Committee, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of the Census. Partial support for workshop logistics was provided by the News Corporation/ETAK, Inc., Intergraph Corp., and Rand-McNally and Company. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

Copies of this report are available from

Mapping Science Committee

Board on Earth Sciences and Resources

National Research Council

2101 Constitution Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20418

Cover: Sunrise over the future’s horizon. (Design by Denise Smith, North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Public Affairs.)