Data Science: Converting Data into Actionable Knowledge
Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS)
Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS)
National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program
Determining the geologic framework of areas determined to be vital to the economic social, or scientific welfare of the Nation
Determining the geologic framework of areas determined to be vital to the economic social, or scientific welfare of the Nation
National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program
Preserving geoscience samples for today and future generations
Preserving geoscience samples for today and future generations
USGS Library
Core Science Systems Mission Area
USGS CSS serves as the primary national civilian mapping agency, including topographic and geologic mapping for Federal and State requirements, national geospatial coordination, satellite operations and remote sensing. Our products and data are necessary to understand, monitor, and detect changes that affect the Nation’s natural and agricultural resources, the economy, public safety, and security.
National Geospatial Program
National Geospatial Program
The National Geospatial Program is the Federal civilian mapping agency and provides the digital geospatial foundation for the Nation. It engages partners and communities of use to collaboratively produce consistent and accurate topographic map data.
Science Synthesis, Analysis and Research Program
Science Synthesis, Analysis and Research Program
The Science Synthesis Analysis, and Research (SSAR) Program provides analysis and synthesis of scientific data and information, interdisciplinary research to improve understanding of Earth system changes, and preservation of scientific data and samples and library collections.
News
Latest in Landsat - February 2026 - Vol. 5 | Issue 2
Latest in Landsat - February 2026 - Vol. 5 | Issue 2
Landsat in 2025: Milestones Continue the Mission's Legacy
Landsat in 2025: Milestones Continue the Mission's Legacy
Satellite Data and Science Abound in 2025
Satellite Data and Science Abound in 2025
Publications
A new inventory and conservation assessment of United States islands A new inventory and conservation assessment of United States islands
To support conservation-focused research and management we developed a new 30-m resolution polygon data layer of the nonlacustrine and nonriverine islands of the United States, with associated attributes describing key physical and conservation geography characteristics. Islands were grouped into a three-tiered hierarchy of island regions (twelve), island provinces (twenty-eight), and...
Multi-temporal surface water mapping with high-resolution elevation and image data through weakly supervised deep learning Multi-temporal surface water mapping with high-resolution elevation and image data through weakly supervised deep learning
Monitoring the extent of surface water features (hydrography), accurately storing them in databases, and representing them on topographic maps are essential for various applications such as navigation and policy-making for legislative boundaries and permitting. In this context, hydrographic data includes features that generally have water present or image data showing signs that water is...
GIScience in the era of Artificial Intelligence: A research agenda towards Autonomous GIS GIScience in the era of Artificial Intelligence: A research agenda towards Autonomous GIS
The advent of generative AI exemplified by large language models (LLMs) opens new ways to represent and compute geographic information and transcends the process of geographic knowledge production, driving geographic information systems (GIS) towards autonomous GIS. Leveraging LLMs as the decision core, autonomous GIS can independently generate and execute geoprocessing workflows to...
Science
Fire Science
Wildfires shape landscapes and affect everything from water supplies to wildlife habitats. The USGS studies fire patterns and their effects using remote sensing data to map and characterize wildland fuels, monitor fire risks, model fire behavior, forecast fire danger, and assess post-fire recovery. This work tracks spatial and temporal patterns of ecosystem disturbance including wildland-urban...
Water and Drought
Water sustains communities, agriculture, and ecosystems — and when drought strikes, the effects ripple across all of them. The USGS monitors water availability, surface water extent, and quality at regional, national, and global scales using remote sensing, watershed modeling, and evapotranspiration data. We track vegetation stress, water use, and drought impacts on wildfire risk, invasive species...
Land Cover and Change
Land cover describes the physical material on Earth’s surface, such as forests, grasslands, wetlands, and urban areas. Tracking how these patterns shift over time helps us understand where, how, and why landscapes are changing. Using remote sensing and spatial data, the USGS documents both historical and current land changes and evaluates their effects on society and natural systems at local...