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Publications

Here you will find publications, reports and articles produced by the National Geospatial Program (NGP) scientists. For a comprehensive listing of all USGS publications please click the button below.

Filter Total Items: 205

Approximating tasseled cap values to evaluate brightness, greenness, and wetness for the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) Approximating tasseled cap values to evaluate brightness, greenness, and wetness for the Advanced Land Imager (ALI)

The Tasseled Cap transformation is a method of image band conversion to enhance spectral information. It primarily is used to detect vegetation using the derived brightness, greenness, and wetness bands. An approximation of Tasseled Cap values for the Advanced Land Imager was investigated and compared to the Landsat Thematic Mapper Tasseled Cap values. Despite sharing similar spectral...
Authors
Kristina H. Yamamoto, Michael P. Finn

User's guide for mapIMG 3--Map image re-projection software package User's guide for mapIMG 3--Map image re-projection software package

Version 0.0 (1995), Dan Steinwand, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)/Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Data Center (EDC)--Version 0.0 was a command line version for UNIX that required four arguments: the input metadata, the output metadata, the input data file, and the output destination path. Version 1.0 (2003), Stephen Posch and Michael P. Finn, USGS/Mid-Continent Mapping Center...
Authors
Michael P. Finn, David M. Mattli

Design and development of linked data from the National Map Design and development of linked data from the National Map

The development of linked data on the World-Wide Web provides the opportunity for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to supply its extensive volumes of geospatial data, information, and knowledge in a machine interpretable form and reach users and applications that heretofore have been unavailable. To pilot a process to take advantage of this opportunity, the USGS is developing an...
Authors
E. Lynn Usery, Dalia E. Varanka

Significance of a 3D Elevation Program to wetland mapping Significance of a 3D Elevation Program to wetland mapping

The recent National Enhanced Assessment conducted by the U.S. Geology Survey identified billions of dollars in potential annual benefits if a national-scale enhanced elevation data program was implemented. Given the importance of topography to wetlands, wetland mapping could benefit significantly from improved elevation data.
Authors
Gregory I. Snyder, Megan Lang

Lidar base specification Lidar base specification

In late 2009, a $14.3 million allocation from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for new light detection and ranging (lidar) elevation data acquisition prompted the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Geospatial Program (NGP) to develop a common minimum specification for all lidar data acquired for The National Map. Released as a working draft in 2010 and formally...
Authors
Hans Karl Heidemann

The U.S. Geological Survey mapping and cartographic database activities, 2006-2010 The U.S. Geological Survey mapping and cartographic database activities, 2006-2010

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began systematic topographic mapping of the United States in the 1880s, beginning with scales of 1:250,000 and 1:125,000 in support of geological mapping. Responding to the need for higher resolution and more detail, the 1:62,500-scale, 15-minute, topographic map series was begun in the beginning of the 20th century. Finally, in the 1950s the USGS...
Authors
Kari J. Craun, John P. Donnelly, Gregory J. Allord

The U.S. Geological Survey cartographic and geographic information science research activities 2006-2010 The U.S. Geological Survey cartographic and geographic information science research activities 2006-2010

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) produces geospatial databases and topographic maps for the United States of America. A part of that mission includes conducting research in geographic information science (GIScience) and cartography to support mapping and improve the design, quality, delivery, and use of geospatial data and topographic maps. The Center of Excellence for Geospatial...
Authors
E. Lynn Usery

Volunteer map data collection at the USGS Volunteer map data collection at the USGS

Since 1994, citizen volunteers have helped the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) improve its topographic maps. Through the Earth Science Corps program, citizens were able to "adopt a quad" and collect new information and update existing map features. Until its conclusion in 2001, as many as 300 volunteers annotated paper maps which were incorporated into the USGS topographic-map revision...
Authors
B. Wolf Eric, Barbara S. Poore, Holly K. Caro, Greg D. Matthews

Scanning and georeferencing historical USGS quadrangles Scanning and georeferencing historical USGS quadrangles

The USGS Historical Quadrangle Scanning Project (HQSP) is scanning all scales and all editions of approximately 250,000 topographic maps published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. This scanning will provide a comprehensive digital repository of USGS topographic maps, available to the public at no cost. This project...
Authors
Larry R. Davis, G.J. Allord

Topographic mapping data semantics through data conversion and enhancement Topographic mapping data semantics through data conversion and enhancement

This paper presents research on the semantics of topographic data for triples and ontologies to blend the capabilities of the Semantic Web and The National Map of the U.S. Geological Survey. Automated conversion of relational topographic data of several geographic sample areas to the triple data model standard resulted in relatively poor semantic associations. Further research employed
Authors
Dalia Varanka, Jonathan Carter, E. Lynn Usery, Thomas Shoberg

US Topo - A new national map series US Topo - A new national map series

In the second half of the 20th century, the foundation of the U.S. Geological Survey's national map series was the handcrafted 7.5-minute topographic map. Times change, budgets get squeezed and currency expectations become ever more challenging. The USGS's Larry Moore, who oversees data production operations at two National Geospatial Technical Operations Centers, provides an...
Authors
Laurence R. Moore
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