National Geospatial Technical Operations Center

The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) provides essential support for the acquisition and management of trusted geospatial data, products, and services, through world-class geospatial technical expertise and customer service, for the USGS and the Nation. NGTOC supports The National Map (TNM) and the National Atlas of the United States®, among other related efforts.



Week ending August 21, 2009

COGNA Presentation: USGS National Geospatial Program Director Mark DeMulder will deliver a keynote presentation titled, "Celebrating 125 Years of Topographic Maps" on Sept 11 at the Council of Geographic Names Authorities Annual Conference, Charleston, SC. (Mark Newell, Rolla, MO 573-308-3850)

IMTA Participation: The USGS National Geospatial Program will play a major roll at the International Map Trade Association Annual Conference at Albuquerque, Sept 13–15. The NGP will sponsor GPS workshops and host several presentations on The National Map and related USGS geospatial projects. (Ron Lofton, Denver, CO 303-202-4115)

The National Map Transportation News: NGTOC representatives met with the Utah Automated Geographic Reference Center (AGRC) about integrating roads into The National Map. The Utah Department of Transportation is interested in evaluating the USGS workflow process including documentation, checklists and productivity tools. This may lead to further meetings with UDOT to help them integrate our workflow into their program similar to what is being done with the U. S. Forest Service and could eventually lead to a full integration of their transportation layer into The National Map.

NGTOC subject matter experts also met with Kansas transportation representatives to discuss the status of the cooperative agreement with the USGS. The NGTOC will be working closely with the representatives to assist in their overall strategy for completing roads that can be integrated into The National Map by providing technical and process documentation. If KS representatives believe implementing the USGS work flow process is helpful, the NGTOC will provide productivity tools and travel to their site to help establish a more efficient work flow and to ensure that statewide data will be usable in The National Map.

Additionally, NGTOC representatives will be traveling to USFS GIS facilities in Salt Lake the week of August 17 to provide technical assistance as the USGS/USFS collaborative editing pilot project kicked off. If this pilot is successful, the NGTOC will start co-editing national transportation data for inclusion into The National Map. Depending on partnership success, the program could serve as template to apply to other partnership opportunities in the future. (Greg Matthews, Denver, CO 303-202-4446)

USGS participates in the IMTA Asia Pacific Annual Conference and Trade Show: USGS representative Ron Lofton attended the International Map Trade Association (IMTA) Conference in Darwin, Australia, August 7–9, 2009. IMTA, established in 1981, represents the international mapping, geospatial, and geographic information industry worldwide. The Association theme is "Connecting the Business of Maps Worldwide". The conference included a Government Forum on trends in the Geospatial industry with attendees from the Department of Environment & Resource Management, Land Information Services, and Geosciences of Australia. Lofton presented a plenary briefing on The National Map (TNM) including the history of The National Map and the production of the new image-based maps started in 2009 using TNM data. (Ron Lofton, Denver, CO 303-202-4115)

Digital Map–Beta Update: In a little more than two months since the release of the "Digital Map–Beta" Web site, the National Geospatial Technical Operations Center can report the following:

• More than 6,758 "Digital Maps–Beta" are loaded to the Map Locator of the USGS Store
• State quad status, in order of loading to the Map Locator: (as of 08-19-09)
  • Arizona: 99% complete
  • California: 71% complete
  • Louisiana: 93% complete
  • Nebraska: 73% complete
  • Wyoming: 92% complete
  • Alabama: 47% complete
  • Nevada: 49% complete
  • Mississippi: 50% complete

Note: Forest Service quads in the above states are currently not included, which often gives a "missing quad" look. The USGS is working with the Forest Service to correct this situation, and anticipates resolution within the next six months. The NGTOC graphics program is working hard towards their year-end goals and strive to meet the 2009 planned coverage as they continue to move towards the integration of hydrography and contour layers in the Fall. For more information, to include the 2009 status graphic, go to the "Digital Map–Beta" Web Site. (Jerry Wagner, Rolla, MO 573-308-3764 )

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