The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) carries out international
activities as a complement to its domestic programs, under authorization
provided in the USGS Organic Act and in the Foreign Assistance Act and related
legislation.
The earth and life sciences that are studied by the U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS) are not limited by political boundaries. As a premier scientific
agency, the USGS has long recognized the scientific benefits resulting from
interaction with scientific colleagues abroad and from extending research
and investigations to other countries. Much can be learned about fundamental
principals of science and applications of science and technology to important
management problems, by looking at global perspectives.  Indeed,
some issues, such as climate change and the spread of invasive alien species,
can only be dealt with on an international scale.
International work has been an integral part of the USGS program since USGS
volcanologist worked in the Pacific in 1882. In the past 40 years, for example,
the USGS has provided scientific and technical assistance in more than 100
countries. The nature of the assistance includes assignments of USGS personnel
to scientific projects abroad, hosting of foreign scientists and technicians
to USGS facilities in the United States, and the active leadership and participation
of USGS scientists in scientific meetings, conferences, symposia, and workshops.
Why USGS Does International Work
The Department of the Interior and the nation on the whole derive significant
benefits from USGS participation in the international arena. Specifically,
these activities:
Benefit the USGS domestic program through collegial technical exchange on
problems of mutual interest and by improving the scientific basis for managing
ecosystems and natural resources
Help USGS scientists understand some of the fundamental principals of science
by providing them with unique environments for research
Support U.S. foreign policy
Enhance the competitiveness of the U.S. private sector by the acquisition
of data on foreign resources.
How USGS Accomplishes the International Mission
USGS supports U.S. national security and foreign
policy interests by:
- Providing information and technical assistance in responding to catastrophic
natural disasters in foreign.
- Providing scientific expertise in the assessment of water, energy,
and mineral resources; development of data and information standards
and regional data-sharing networks.
- Using scientific cooperation to create non-threatening environments
to facilitate communication and negotiation between hostile parties
- Conducting studies to control the spread and reduce the impacts of
non-native invasive plants, animals, and pathogens that have been intentionally
or accidentally introduced from foreign countries into the U.S.
- Providing technical assistance to international organizations in documenting,
managing, and integrating geoscience and biological data and information.
- Coordinating multilateral data sharing projects to ameliorate regional
conflicts through the sharing of data and scientific expertise.
- Providing earth-science expertise in the application of National Technical
Means to address national-security issues.
- Conducting global assessments of energy and mineral resources.
USGS furthers U.S. private sector aspirations
in the global economy by:
 Introducing
and encouraging the use of U.S. equipment and software.
- Building regional and global databases of energy and mineral resources.
- Encouraging the release of data on energy and mineral deposits, geologic
maps and topographic maps, and hydrologic data by foreign governments.
- Facilitating contacts between U.S. companies and foreign counterparts.
Developing and disseminating standards and procedures for data and information
processing and distribution, mapping, and hydrologic and geologic data
collection and processing.
USGS contributes to efforts to address global
environmental issues by:
- Developing global reference data sets for use by climate modelers
and other researchers investigating regional and global environmental
trends.
- Conducting studies of historic climatic and ecological changes in
the geologic record to help understand the likely consequences of future
climate change in ecosystems at different latitudes.
- Representing the U.S. Government in organizations such as the World
Meteorological Organization, International Hydrologic Program of UNESCO,
Inter-American Dialogue on Water Management, WMO UNESCO World Climate
Program-Water, etc.
USGS international activities improve the effectiveness
with which it carries out its fundamental domestic missions by:
- Obtaining scientific knowledge, insights, and data needed by domestic
programs.
- Coordinating studies to support increased international cooperation
in managing migratory species, non-native invasive species, and shared
(transborder) ecosystems.
- Participating in international scientific professional societies.
- Adding to the knowledge and skills base of USGS scientists.
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