Overview | Goals | Significance

Overview

Geographic Analysis and Monitoring Program (GAM) scientists conduct geographic assessments of land surface change to improve our understanding of the rates, causes, and consequences of natural and human-induced processes that shape and change the Nation's landscape over time. Studies are conducted within a geographic context and at a range of spatial and temporal scales so that investigations provide comprehensive information needed to understand the environmental, resource, and economic consequences of landscape change. The National Map, along with socioeconomic, land remote sensing, and other natural science data, is used to quantify rates, identify key driving forces, and forecast future trends of landscape change.

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Program Goals

The GAM Program addresses three fundamental scientific issues concerning changes at the Earth's land surface. Specifically, GAM strives to achieve the following:

• Understand what changes are occurring on the land surface and why,
• Understand the impacts of these land surface changes on ecosystem health, climate variability, biogeochemical cycles, hydrology, and human health, and
• Understand what the best methods are to incorporate GAM science findings in the decisionmaking process.

The Geographic Face of the Nation–Land Cover. This image illustrates the land cover dataset for the conterminous United States derived from 1992 Landsat thematic mapper imagery.

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Program Significance

GAM scientific investigations bring focus to the Nation's urgent environmental, natural resource, and economic issues through scientific assessments that provide a national and global perspective on land surface change. As the science component of The National Map, GAM does the following:

• Adds scientific value to thorough investigations of natural and human-induced changes on the landscape,
• Provides knowledge and understanding to the spatial content of The National Map,
• Illustrates the value and utility of The National Map by integrating geospatial data layers, satellite imagery, and
• Conducts geographic assessments of the status and trends of the Earth's land surface.

The ultimate goal of GAM is to aid people in understanding and adapting to change, now and in the future, and in making wise land management decisions that will enhance their quality of life.

For more information on our program, please see our Geographic Analysis and Monitoring Program Web site.

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