We monitor, assess, map, and conduct targeted scientific research
so that policy makers and the public have the understanding they need to address complex environmental, natural resource, and public safety issues.
About
Created by an act of Congress in 1879, the USGS provides science for a changing world, which reflects and responds to society’s continuously evolving needs. As the science arm of the Department of the Interior, the USGS brings an array of earth, water, biological, and mapping data and expertise to bear in support of decision-making on environmental, resource, and public safety issues.