The USGS: Who We Are And How We Serve You

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), established in 1879, is the Nation´s principal natural science and information agency. USGS conducts research, monitoring, and assessments to contribute to understanding the natural world -- America´s lands, water, and biological resources. The USGS provides reliable, impartial information to the citizens of this country and the global community in the form of maps, data, and reports containing analyses and interpretations of water, energy, mineral and biological resources, land surfaces, marine environments, geologic structures, natural hazards, and dynamic processes of the Earth. USGS data and information are used daily by managers, planners, and citizens to understand, respond to, and plan for changes in our environment. For example, the USGS is:

• Developing a real-time monitoring capability for earthquakes to provide information needed to save lives and reduce the skyrocketing economic costs of natural disasters;
• Assessing erosion, wetland loss, and environmental changes on our coasts and bays, such as the
• Chesapeake Bay, Gulf Coast, and Great Lakes, to assist in evaluation, protection, and restoration efforts;
• Providing vital information on flow in the Nation´s rivers that is used for flood forecasting, resource management, and environmental protection through a nationwide streamgaging program;
• Synthesizing existing and new information about birds, mammals, fishes, plants, and other species. A recently-released report, The Status and Trends of the Nation´s Biological Resources, compiled by USGS, will inform decision-makers about the health of the Nation´s biological resources.
• Analyzing population growth, urban spread, and other land use changes, relating these to other natural science trends, and displaying the results in narrative maps and other products.
• Working with State and Federal agencies to assess the existing and potential environmental impacts, such as nutrient loading and release of pharmaceuticals/antibiotics, from intensive animal feeding operations, and developing state-of-the-art technology needed to identify sources of contaminants;
• Enlisting the public to provide information, through a web-based survey of volunteers reporting earthquake tremors, that will improve our understanding of how earthquake energy propagates through the earth, and will enable USGS to produce hazards maps and educate the general public about earthquakes;
• Working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), State public health departments, and natural resource agencies to track the West Nile virus, and setting up a surveillance network along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
• Serving as a repository for remotely sensed data and global land surface information.

A USGS scientist inspects an air disposition station at Rowan College, New Jersey.

The world is rapidly changing; revolutionary technological advances, demographic growth, competing demands for resources, and increased awareness of the interconnectedness and global scale of many natural science issues are shaping tomorrow´s science needs. Managers, planners, and citizens are demanding more and better scientific information, delivered more rapidly, that will help them make decisions about the world around them. To meet the critical science needs of the 21st Century, USGS must build on its traditional strengths while becoming more flexible and responsive. Using this Strategic Plan, USGS is working to integrate our scientific disciplines while building on its world leadership and scientific excellence; streamline operations to become as efficient as possible; use the rapid advances in information technology to better deliver information to support the needs of decision-makers; and do a better job of understanding our many customers and partners. This plan corresponds to the period 2000-2005 and is an update on the first Strategic Plan (1997-2005) and the "refocused" plan released in 1998. The plan has been modified to represent more clearly USGS goals and our strategies for achieving these goals, and to reflect stakeholder feedback received through the consultation process.

The USGS is serious about resolving management issues that affect achievement of its goals. Because these issues tend to be tactical or operational in nature, they are not addressed here. USGS Annual Performance Plans include a section on management issues and addresses how they are being resolved and whether these areas have related performance goals and measures for each issue.

This plan lays out USGS long-term goals for meeting the challenges of the 21st Century. Measures for science and customer satisfaction build upon, and are supported by, internal goals and performance targets for employees and operations.

Following this introduction are statements of our Vision, Mission, and Strategic Direction, and a section that shows the links between the Department of the Interior and USGS goals. Next, the USGS´s mission and long-term goals are set forth, with strategies for achieving each goal, key factors affecting goal achievement, and relationships to other bureaus and agencies. Following goal descriptions is discussion of applicable general program evaluations, and a section describing the consultation process that was used in updating the plan and that will be used to assess future performance. For each long-term goal, there is a corresponding annual goal and performance indicators that are outlined in the Annual Performance Plans. They will be used to assess the results of USGS program activities and will help determine whether USGS has achieved the desired outcomes.