WEAVING A NATIONAL MAP
Review of the U.S. Geological Survey Concept of The National Map
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu
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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 study was sponsored by Award No. 02HQGR0114 between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Geological Survey. 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.
International Standard Book Number: 0-309-08747-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2003104244
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Cover: Layers of geographic information represented as a blanket (upper layer) and quilt (lower layer) covering the conterminous United States. The study committee uses the blanket and quilt metaphor to distinguish components of the USGS National Map concept. SOURCE: Susanna Baumgart, University of California, Santa Barbara.
Cover designed by Van Nguyen
Copyright 2003 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
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COMMITTEE TO REVIEW THE U.S.GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CONCEPT OF THE NATIONAL MAP
KEITH C.CLARKE, Chair,
University of California, Santa Barbara
MICHAEL R.ARMSTRONG,
City of Des Moines, Iowa
DAVID J.COWEN,
University of South Carolina, Columbia
DONNA P.KOEPP,
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
XAVIER LOPEZ,
Oracle Corporation, Nashua, New Hampshire
RICHARD D.MILLER,
Kansas Information Technology Office, Topeka
GALE W.TESELLE,
USDA/NRCS (retired), Mitchellville, Maryland
WALDO R.TOBLER,
University of California, Santa Barbara
NANCY VON MEYER,
Fairview Industries, Pendleton, South Carolina
National Research Council Staff
PAUL M.CUTLER, Study Director
EILEEN M.MCTAGUE, Research Assistant
RADHIKA S.CHARI, Senior Project Assistant
MOHAN SEETHARAM, Intern (Until August, 2002)
MAPPING SCIENCE COMMITTEE
DAVID J.COWEN, Chair,
University of South Carolina, Columbia
KATHRINE CARGO,
New Orleans Geographic Information System, Louisiana
WILLIAM J.CRAIG,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
SHOREH ELHAMI,
Delaware County, Ohio
JAMES GERINGER,
State of Wyoming, Wheatland
MARK MONMONIER,
Syracuse University, New York
JOEL MORRISON,
Ohio State University, Columbus
HARLAN J.ONSRUD,
University of Maine, Orono
C.STEPHEN SMYTH,
MobileGIS, Ltd., Bellevue, Washington
JAMES V.TARANIK,
University of Nevada, Reno
NANCY TOSTA,
Ross & Associates Environmental Consulting, Ltd., Seattle, Washington
REX W.TRACY,
Consultant, San Diego, California
A.KEITH TURNER,
Colorado School of Mines, Golden
National Research Council Staff
PAUL M.CUTLER, Program Officer
EILEEN M.MCTAGUE, Research Assistant
RADHIKA S.CHARI, Senior Project Assistant
BOARD ON EARTH SCIENCES AND RESOURCES
GEORGE M.HORNBERGER, Chair,
University of Virginia, Charlottesville
JILL BANFIELD,
University of California, Berkeley
STEVEN R.BOHLEN,
Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Washington, D.C.
VICKI J.COWART,
Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, Denver, Colorado
DAVID L.DILCHER,
University of Florida, Gainesville
ADAM M.DZIEWONSKI,
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
WILLIAM L.GRAF,
Arizona State University, Tempe
RHEA GRAHAM,
New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, Albuquerque
V.RAMA MURTHY,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
DIANNE R.NIELSON,
Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Salt Lake City
RAYMOND A.PRICE,
Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada
MARK SCHAEFER,
NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia
BILLIE L.TURNER II,
Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts
THOMAS J.WILBANKS,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee
National Research Council Staff
ANTHONY R.DE SOUZA, Director
TAMARA L.DICKINSON, Senior Program Officer
DAVID A.FEARY, Senior Program Officer
ANNE M.LINN, Senior Program Officer
PAUL M.CUTLER, Program Officer
KRISTEN L.KRAPF, Program Officer
KERI H.MOORE, Program Officer
LISA M.VANDEMARK, Program Officer
YVONNE P.FORSBERGH, Research Assistant
MONICA R.LIPSCOMB, Research Assistant
EILEEN M.MCTAGUE, Research Assistant
JENNIFER T.ESTEP, Administrative Associate
VERNA J.BOWEN, Administrative Assistant
RADHIKA S.CHARI, Senior Project Assistant
KAREN L.IMHOF, Senior Project Assistant
SHANNON L.RUDDY, Senior Project Assistant
Acknowledgments
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Chaitan Baru, University of California, San Diego
Donald Cooke, Geographic Data Technology, Lebanon, New Hampshire
Michael Furlough, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Mary Gunnels, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C.
Alan Leidner, New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, New York
Mark Schaefer, NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia
Nancy Tosta, Ross & Associates Environmental Consulting, Seattle, Washington.
Eugene Trobia, Arizona State Cartographer, Phoenix, Arizona
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Debra Knopman, RAND. Appointed by the National Research Council, she was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.