Innovative Partnerships

Fact Sheet 052-01 (May 2001)

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Plot of digital line graph data-northwest corner of Bombay, New York-Quebec quadrangle 1:24,000 scale, showing hydrography, roads and trails, railroads, miscellaneous transportation, and hypsography.	Partial image of a digital orthophoto of Washington, D.C.

Part of a 7.5-minute digital elevation model plot of Tumwater, Wash.

A major responsibility of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is to ensure geospatial data availability. This includes the cooperative production of digital geospatial data through the National Mapping Program's Innovative Partnerships (IP) initiative, which began in October 1992.

The USGS recognizes the public benefit of obtaining digital data that State and local government agencies, academic institutions, public utilities, and private firms produce to support their own mapping needs. Incorporating digital products prepared by these organizations into the National Mapping Program reduces duplicative data collection and leverages funds in obtaining standardized digital map data for the public domain as part of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).

The general goal of IP's is to obtain digital elevation, vector line, orthoimage, and similar data, in USGS or compatible formats, for the public domain from non-Federal producers using Federal assistance. These data are obtained under cooperative agreements with qualified applicants identified through publicly advertised program announcements. Data are captured from or referenced to USGS primary topographic series maps, and/or meet requirements for accuracy, resolution, source suitability, file extend, and format. The primary series includes 1:24,000-scale quadrangle maps of the conterminous United States and Hawaii and 1:63,360-scale maps of Alaska. The IP's accelerate the building of public-domain geospatial databases, provide data to support resource management and geographic information system requirements, support NSDI activities using framework and clearinghouse concepts, address congressional directives concerning commercialization, and increase the amount of geospatial data available to support the National Mapping Program. In addition, they take advantage of opportunities to build Federal and non-Federal mapping partnerships at favorable cost, minimize duplication of effort in geospatial data collection, and evaluate alternative production methods and data transfer procedures.

Federal assistance may be monetary or nonmonetary. Nonmonetary assistance may take the form of Government-furnished materials, services, training, or software. Data processing costs incurred by the USGS to bring the data to the national standard may reduce assistance.

Overall, the IP program is limited by available funding. Awards are made to applicants offering the greatest program and technical benefits at a fair and reasonable price. The USGS may support some, all, or none of the proposals received and may limit the amount of work to be performed or data to be obtained through IP cooperative agreements. Support for future years of multiyear agreements is contingent on a recipient's successful completion of work during the initial period of performance and on the continued availability of USGS funds. If funding is not available for an otherwise acceptable proposal, the USGS may, with the applicant's concurrence, hold it for award when funding becomes available.

A part of the Washington West, D.C. digital raster graphic from the CD-ROM titled "Capital Cities of the United States."

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Information

For further information, contact:

Richard Kleckner, IP Coordinator
U.S. Geological Survey
MS 511 National Center
Reston, VA 20192
Phone: 703-648-5741
E-mail: rkleckne@usgs.gov

For information on other USGS products and services, call 1-888-ASK-USGS, or visit the general interest publications Web site on mapping, geography, and related topics at erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/pubslists/.

For additional information, visit the ask.usgs.gov Web site or the USGS home page at www.usgs.gov.

Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. This document has undergone official review and approval for publications established by the National Mapping Discipline, U.S. Geological Survey. Some figures have been modified or added to improve the scientific visualization of information.