The U.S. GeoFramework Initiative
The U.S. GeoFramework Initiative
Constructing a National 2D & 3D GeoFramework Model by 2030
The U.S. GeoFramework Initiative (USGI) is constructing a multi-resolution, seamless national 2D and 3D geologic maps and framework models by leveraging previous and existing geologic mapping efforts by both the USGS and State Geological Surveys to provide new regional- to National-scale geologic syntheses and support digital databases for 21st Century geologic mappers and many end users.
By working with cooperators and stakeholders, the USGI will encourage multi-disciplinary scientific discovery and informed decision-making, producing products that support and inform critical Earth science problems such as drinking water protection, hazards resilience, infrastructure design, natural resource management, and climate change.
Purpose of the USGI
The USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program’s USGI was formed to reconcile existing and new geologic mapping data into a multi-resolution, seamless, well-coordinated national 2D/3D geologic framework model. This model will provide critical geologic information to support resource management, hazards resilience, infrastructure design, and research.
Partners & Contributors
Federal scientists, State Geological Surveys, and academic institutions all contribute towards building the 2D and 3D GeoFramework. USGI activities are conducted by the National Geologic Map Database (NGMDB) and the National Geologic Synthesis (NGS) Project, with supporting activities from USGS Science Centers, along with STATEMAP and EDMAP funded projects.
USGI Core Projects
The core components of the USGI, the NGMDB and the NGS, work collaboratively to identify data suitable for the national map and model, determine where new data is needed, and assemble these components into a multi-resolution seamless 2D/3D geologic framework model of the nation.
Who is building the U.S. GeoFramework?
Federal scientists, State Geological Surveys, and academic institutions will all contribute towards building the 2D and 3D GeoFramework (see Figure below). At the Federal level, U.S. GeoFramework Initiative activities are conducted within two core projects – the National Geologic Map Database Project (NGMDB) and the National Geologic Synthesis (NGS) Project – and within multiple accompanying Federal-level supporting projects established at various USGS Science Centers. State Geological Surveys will contribute to the 2D and 3D activities of the GeoFramework model via expanded opportunities within the NCGMP’s STATEMAP Program. Academic Institutions can contribute towards the USGI via the EDMAP Program, which trains the next generation of geologic mappers.
How will we accomplish the USGI?
Scientists will begin by inventorying existing mapping data and publications and mapping in progress. This will identify data gaps, or areas requiring mapping or 3D models to create seamless national coverage at various scales. Concurrently, national coverage will be constructed and/or improved using best available data. The USGS will then solicit targeted mapping projects to fill data gaps and move towards seamless coverage at multiple scales. Existing national map layers will be continuously updated and made available to the public as new geologic products from the USGS and State Geological Surveys help to fill these data gaps.
These steps (depicted in the Figure below) will lead to the ultimate goal of constructing a 2D/3D GeoFramework model, from soil to basement, of the United States.
![Partners and processes supporting the USGI](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/full_width/public/media/images/USGIP%26P%20Crop_0.png?itok=IunvXnEM)
USGI Supporting Projects and Initiatives
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STATEMAP
The primary objective of the STATEMAP component of the NCGMP is to establish the geologic framework of areas determined to be vital to the economic, social, or scientific welfare of individual States. STATEMAP mapping priorities are established by State Geological Surveys in consultation with a multi-representational State Mapping Advisory Committee. These priorities are based on multiple factors...
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EDMAP
As the educational component of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP), EDMAP funds universities to train the next generation of geologic mappers. EDMAP is a 1-year, mentor-guided program designed to teach students geologic mapping techniques through rigorous field mapping. Colleges and universities in the U.S. and its territories are eligible to apply through an annual...
-
FEDMAP
FEDMAP develops new ways to understand basic earth science processes and produces high-quality, multipurpose digital geologic maps, regional analyses, and multidimensional geologic models. Geologic maps are the primary database for virtually all earth-science applications and issues including mitigation of natural hazards, ground- and surface-water management, land-use management, assessment, and...
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Northern Rocky Mountains Transect
The goal of the Northern Rocky Mountains Transect (NRMT) project is to produce updated geologic maps of an important and understudied region of Idaho and western Montana that covers a wide array of distinct geologic terrains.
-
Atlantic Subsurface Stratigraphic Initiative
The Atlantic Subsurface Stratigraphic Initiative (ASSI) is a project with an interdisciplinary group of scientists focused on documenting the Cretaceous and Cenozoic subsurface geology of the Salisbury Embayment across Maryland and Virginia. Data generated by ASSI is crucial for resolving stratigraphic issues across state boundaries and regions. By working closely with state geologic surveys, ASSI...
A geodatabase of Surficial Geology of the Allentown 30x60-Minute Quadrangle in Pennsylvania digitized from the original map of Braun, 1996
Digital subsurface data from previously published contour map of the top of the Wilcox Group, northern Gulf of Mexico coastal region
Digital subsurface data from previously published contoured maps of the top of the Dakota Sandstone, Uinta and Piceance basins, Utah and Colorado
Enhanced Terrain Imagery of the Allentown 30 x 60 Minute Quadrangle from Lidar-Derived Elevation Models at 3-Meter Resolution
Elevation of top of Precambrian rocks from previous USGS studies of the Colorado Plateau
Digital subsurface data of Paleozoic rocks in the Upper Colorado River Basin in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico from USGS Regional Aquifer System Analysis
Digital subsurface data of Mesozoic rocks in the Upper Colorado River Basin in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico from USGS Regional Aquifer System Analysis
The U.S. GeoFramework Initiative (USGI) is constructing a multi-resolution, seamless national 2D and 3D geologic maps and framework models by leveraging previous and existing geologic mapping efforts by both the USGS and State Geological Surveys to provide new regional- to National-scale geologic syntheses and support digital databases for 21st Century geologic mappers and many end users.
By working with cooperators and stakeholders, the USGI will encourage multi-disciplinary scientific discovery and informed decision-making, producing products that support and inform critical Earth science problems such as drinking water protection, hazards resilience, infrastructure design, natural resource management, and climate change.
Purpose of the USGI
The USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program’s USGI was formed to reconcile existing and new geologic mapping data into a multi-resolution, seamless, well-coordinated national 2D/3D geologic framework model. This model will provide critical geologic information to support resource management, hazards resilience, infrastructure design, and research.
Partners & Contributors
Federal scientists, State Geological Surveys, and academic institutions all contribute towards building the 2D and 3D GeoFramework. USGI activities are conducted by the National Geologic Map Database (NGMDB) and the National Geologic Synthesis (NGS) Project, with supporting activities from USGS Science Centers, along with STATEMAP and EDMAP funded projects.
USGI Core Projects
The core components of the USGI, the NGMDB and the NGS, work collaboratively to identify data suitable for the national map and model, determine where new data is needed, and assemble these components into a multi-resolution seamless 2D/3D geologic framework model of the nation.
Who is building the U.S. GeoFramework?
Federal scientists, State Geological Surveys, and academic institutions will all contribute towards building the 2D and 3D GeoFramework (see Figure below). At the Federal level, U.S. GeoFramework Initiative activities are conducted within two core projects – the National Geologic Map Database Project (NGMDB) and the National Geologic Synthesis (NGS) Project – and within multiple accompanying Federal-level supporting projects established at various USGS Science Centers. State Geological Surveys will contribute to the 2D and 3D activities of the GeoFramework model via expanded opportunities within the NCGMP’s STATEMAP Program. Academic Institutions can contribute towards the USGI via the EDMAP Program, which trains the next generation of geologic mappers.
How will we accomplish the USGI?
Scientists will begin by inventorying existing mapping data and publications and mapping in progress. This will identify data gaps, or areas requiring mapping or 3D models to create seamless national coverage at various scales. Concurrently, national coverage will be constructed and/or improved using best available data. The USGS will then solicit targeted mapping projects to fill data gaps and move towards seamless coverage at multiple scales. Existing national map layers will be continuously updated and made available to the public as new geologic products from the USGS and State Geological Surveys help to fill these data gaps.
These steps (depicted in the Figure below) will lead to the ultimate goal of constructing a 2D/3D GeoFramework model, from soil to basement, of the United States.
![Partners and processes supporting the USGI](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/full_width/public/media/images/USGIP%26P%20Crop_0.png?itok=IunvXnEM)
USGI Supporting Projects and Initiatives
-
STATEMAP
The primary objective of the STATEMAP component of the NCGMP is to establish the geologic framework of areas determined to be vital to the economic, social, or scientific welfare of individual States. STATEMAP mapping priorities are established by State Geological Surveys in consultation with a multi-representational State Mapping Advisory Committee. These priorities are based on multiple factors...
-
EDMAP
As the educational component of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP), EDMAP funds universities to train the next generation of geologic mappers. EDMAP is a 1-year, mentor-guided program designed to teach students geologic mapping techniques through rigorous field mapping. Colleges and universities in the U.S. and its territories are eligible to apply through an annual...
-
FEDMAP
FEDMAP develops new ways to understand basic earth science processes and produces high-quality, multipurpose digital geologic maps, regional analyses, and multidimensional geologic models. Geologic maps are the primary database for virtually all earth-science applications and issues including mitigation of natural hazards, ground- and surface-water management, land-use management, assessment, and...
-
Northern Rocky Mountains Transect
The goal of the Northern Rocky Mountains Transect (NRMT) project is to produce updated geologic maps of an important and understudied region of Idaho and western Montana that covers a wide array of distinct geologic terrains.
-
Atlantic Subsurface Stratigraphic Initiative
The Atlantic Subsurface Stratigraphic Initiative (ASSI) is a project with an interdisciplinary group of scientists focused on documenting the Cretaceous and Cenozoic subsurface geology of the Salisbury Embayment across Maryland and Virginia. Data generated by ASSI is crucial for resolving stratigraphic issues across state boundaries and regions. By working closely with state geologic surveys, ASSI...