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USGS Strategic Plan

Vision, Mission, and Strategic Direction

We are pleased to present the USGS FY 2000 - 2005 Strategic Plan. This revised plan reflects an agency in transition, building on its proud 120-year history of impartial scientific excellence, to become more flexible and responsive in addressing challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century. Our plan reflects a renewed commitment to meeting the needs of our partners and customers and to cultivating an atmosphere of innovation and creativity that will foster and reward the broad-scale, integrated science we believe is needed by decision makers and the public.

To bring about these changes, we are streamlining our organization and emphasizing performance and accountability. The USGS is committed to ensuring timely delivery of information to those who need our products by using all the applicable tools of the emerging information technology. Finally, we will ensure the relevance and usefulness of our science by better listening to our customers and integrating our strong capabilities in geology, biology, hydrology, and geography. Each of these disciplines has developed a science plan that establishes the foundation for their strategic directions.

With this USGS strategic plan, we are embarking on an exciting future, by developing and implementing new operational practices, a more efficient structure, and creative new ways of measuring progress toward achieving the USGS mission and goals. We are pleased to be the science agency for the Department of the Interior and for a large number of other Federal, State, and local agencies. We look forward to expanding this role in the next century.

USGS FY 2000 - 2005 Strategic Plan (2Mb PDF file) is also available to download and print.

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Note: If you are interested in further information on USGS strategic planning, please contact spa@usgs.gov.