U.S. Government Resources: Geography

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American Factfinder
http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en

American FactFinder is a U.S. Census data access and dissemination system that provides useful facts and information about communities, economies, and societies. The system searches statistical information for population, housing, economic, and geographic data.

Ask-A-Geologist
http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/ask-a-geologist

This free service, provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, allows users to email earth science question to a USGC earth scientist. The majority of these questions are answered within a few days. More information on the service can be found on the website.

Bureau of Land Management
http://www.blm.gov/nhp/index.htm

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, administers 261 million surface acres of America's public lands, located primarily in 12 Western States. The Bureau sustains the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

CIA Maps
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/docs/refmaps.html

Country maps, atlases, and general intelligence publications available to the public are located on this CIA web site.

CIA World Factbook
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

The World Factbook is prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency for the use of US Government officials, providing national-level information on countries, territories, and dependencies.

Earthquake Search
http://wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov/neis/epic

This database provides information on earthquakes from 2100 B.C. to the present. It contains earthquakes with known magnitude values between 0.1 and 9.9.

Federal Geographic Data Committee
http://www.fgdc.gov/index.html

This interagency committee is responsible for promoting the use and sharing of geographic data.

GeoCommunicator
http://www.geocommunicator.gov/GeoComm/index.shtm

The GeoCommunicator provides information on land management and land records for anyone involved in or interested in the management of lands within the United States.

Geodata.gov
http://www.geodata.gov

The geodata.gov portal, also known as the Geospatial One-Stop, serves as a public gateway for improving access to geospatial information and data under the Geospatial One-Stop e-government initiative. The geodata.gov portal is designed to facilitate communication and sharing of geographic data and resources to enhance government efficiency and improve citizen services. Geospatial One-Stop is one of 24 e-government initiatives sponsored by the Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to enhance government efficiency and to improve citizen services.

Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)
http://geonames.usgs.gov

GNIS, developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, contains information about physical and cultural geographic features in the United States and its territories.

GLOBE Program
http://www.globe.gov/globe_flash.html

This site provides environmental education resources for students and educators including maps, statistics, and country information, on subjects such as hydrology, biology, atmosphere/climate, and others. The GLOBE program is supported by NASA, the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of State.

Library of Congress Map Collections: 1500-[present]
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/gmdhome.html

The Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress has converted a fraction of its collection into digital form and organized the maps according to seven major categories, which may be simultaneously searched.

Mapping and Cartographic Resources
http://www.census.gov/geo/www/maps

The U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division is the source of these online links.

Minerals Management Service (MMS)
http://www.mms.gov

The MMS is a Federal agency that manages the nation's natural gas, oil, and other mineral resources on the outer continental shelf.

Minerals Yearbook
http://www.mms.gov

This USGS site provide statistical data and information for mineral commodities around the world. The information can be viewed in one of three ways: by commodity, by state, or by country.

National Atlas of the United States
http://www.nationalatlas.gov

This web site, a collaborative effort led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), is designed to provide a reliable summary of national-scale geographical information. It contributes to our knowledge of the environmental, resource, demographic, economic, social, political, and historical dimensions of American life.

National Earthquake Information Center
http://wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov

The National Earthquake Information Center, part of the U.S. Geological Survey, is located in Golden, Colorado. It is the national data center and archive for earthquake information. The website includes a current worldwide earthquake list, earthquake posters, and an earthquake search database.

National Geologic Map Database
http://ngmdb.usgs.gov

The National Geologic Map Database is a collaborative effort primarily involving the USGS and the Association of American State Geologists. This site provides maps and related data on geology, hazards, earth resources, geophysics, geochemistry, geochronology, paleontology, and marine geology.

National Geophysical Data Center
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov

The National Geophysical Data Center is part of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The website is divided into three main areas: data & information, educational resources, and news & features. Data can be found by searching by discipline, keyword or phrase, or by using one of the Online Data Access Systems.

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
http://www.nima.mil

With the signing of the FY2004 Defense Authorization Act, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) officially became the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). This agency provides timely, relevant and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of national security.

National Image Library
http://images.fws.gov

The National Image Library contains public domain photographs of wildlife, plants, National Wildlife Refuges and wildlife work. All images are available for download and each comes with technical and bibliographic information.

National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA)
http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa

As part of the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Water-Quality Assessment Program is responsible for collecting and analyzing data and information from water sources across the Nation. The goal of the program is to develop consistent and comparable information on streams, ground water, and aquatic ecosystems in order to support sound management and policy decisions.

Office of Coast Survey's Historical Map & Chart Collection
http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/csdl/ctp/abstract.htm

A vast collection of maps and charts from the late 1700s to present day, including nautical charts, hydrographic surveys, topographic surveys, geodetic surveys, city plans and Civil War battle maps.

Office of Surface Mining
http://www.osmre.gov

This office, in cooperation with the states and Indian Tribes, works to protect the environment during mining and reclamation.

Recreation.gov
http://www.recreation.gov

Recreation.gov is an electronic government initiative that provides data sharing through the Internet and is designed so customers will be able to find recreation information easily through the Recreation.gov website or through other channels.

Surface Distance Between Two Points of Latitude & Longitude
http://www.chemical-ecology.net/java/lat-long.htm

A program which allows users to find the distance between two points of latitude and longitude and to calculate great circle distances between cities.

Tiger Mapping Service
http://tiger.census.gov/cgi-bin/mapbrowse-tbl

This mapping engine uses Tiger/Line and Census data to create map imagery with statistical tables.

U.S. Geological Survey
http://www.usgs.gov/

An independent fact-finding agency that collects, monitors, and analyzes natural resource conditions and issues.

U.S. Geological Survey: Lewis and Clark
http://nd.water.usgs.gov/lewisandclark

Information pertaining to Lewis and Clark, and data on the Missouri River and its tributaries.

U.S. Geological Survey Magnitude of Significant Earthquakes
http://earthquakes.usgs.gov/

The USGS Earthquake Magnitude Working Group compiled this list of significant earthquakes from around the world.

U.S. Geological Survey Mapping Information
http://mapping.usgs.gov

Geography, one of the four science disciplines in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), is responsible for building, maintaining, and applying The National Map. USGS Geography (formerly Mapping) provides scientific information to describe and interpret America's landscape by mapping the terrain, monitoring changes over time, and analyzing how and why these changes have occurred. The knowledge gained through these activities is used to model the processes of change and to predict future changes.

U.S. Geological Survey Store
http://store.usgs.gov

The USGS Store is a full online catalog providing access to all published products distributed by USGS, as well as products from other selected agencies. Customers can order online, check their order status, and receive email confirmations.

U.S. Geological Survey: Tapestry of Time and Terrain
http://tapestry.usgs.gov/Default.html

Two existing images of the U.S., a geology map and a topography map, have been joined together into a single digital tapestry through computer processing and enhancement.

U.S. Geological Survey West Nile Virus Maps
http://westnilemaps.usgs.gov

National and state maps that report on the 2003 West Nile Season. The data available includes bird, human, mosquito, sentinel flock, and veterinary.

U.S. Global Change Research Program
http://www.usgcrp.gov

The USGCRP was created as a research program on global environmental change. It coordinates the research of ten federal departments with active global change programs.

Water Resources Discipline
http://water.usgs.gov

Water data, maps, publications and other information on water resources in the United States.

World Data Center System
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/wdc/wdcmain.html

The World Data Center System, originally established in 1957 to assist the scientists involved in the International Geophysical Year, provides access to solar, geophysical and related environmental data to scientists worldwide. The system is comprised of more than 40 centers located worldwide with each center devoted to a specific discipline. This website has links to all of the data centers, the World Data Center System Guide and conference presentations.

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo

The YVO is a partnership between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Yellowstone National Park, and the University of Utah that is responsible for monitoring the activity of the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field.