# Presentation: 259507

## Web Metrics at the U.S. Geological Survey

**Web Metrics Panel Discussion**
**Web Manager University Fall Workshop**
**September 19, 2006**
**Kit Fuller**
**Web Metrics Project Lead**
**Geospatial Information Office**** **

## USGS overview

**Natural science agency in Department of Interior**
**“****Science for a changing world”**** – **
- 	Mission: The USGS serves the Nation by providing reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life.
**>****400 USGS locations**
**4 science disciplines**
**Geospatial Information Office**
**Information management and customer service**

## USGS overview

**	****USGS science programs**
**Biological Informatics Program **
**Coastal and Marine Geology Program **
**Contaminant Biology Program **
**Cooperative Research Units - Biology **
**Cooperative Topographic Mapping Program **
**Cooperative Water Program **
**Earth Surface Dynamics **
**Earthquake Hazards **
**Energy Resources Program **
**Enterprise Information **
**Fisheries: Aquatic and Endangered Resources Program **
**Geographic Analysis and Monitoring Program **
**National Geomagnetism Program **
**Global Seismic Networks **
**Ground Water Resources Program **
**Hydrologic Networks and Analysis **
**Hydrologic Research and Development **
**International Programs **

**	****USGS science programs**
**Invasive Species Program **
**Land Remote Sensing Program **
**Landslide Hazards Program **
**Mineral Resources Program **
**National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program **
**National Streamflow Information Program **
**National Water Quality Assessment Program **
**Priority Ecosystems Science **
**Science Impact **
**State Water Resources Research Institute Program **
**Status and Trends of Biological Resources Program **
**Terrestrial, Freshwater and Marine Ecosystems Program **
**Toxic Substances Hydrology Program **
**Volcano Hazards Program **
**Wildlife and Terrestrial Resources Program **

## USGS Enterprise Web

**USGS Web presence is diverse and rich**
**460 major Web sites**
**112 million pages viewed monthly by public**
**Most-visited sites represent a range of science topics**
**USGS homepage**
**Earthquake hazards program**
**Publications Warehouse**
**National Water Information System**
**Water Resources of the United States**
**Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center**
**Cascades Volcano Observatory**
**Coastal and Marine Geology**
**PDC Mars Global Surveyor**

## USGS Web Metrics

**Web Metrics Working Group **
**Collecting & analyzing data**
**Reporting quarterly**
**Intranet site for more info & access to data**
**Usability studies**** **

## The data and tools we use

**American Customer Satisfaction Index**
**Nielsen//NetRatings**
**Web logs (processed using Analog)**
**AccMonitor**
**Web Inventory and Registration system**
**FAQ system**
**Akamai**

## Value in the data

**USGS homepage**
**ACSI satisfaction data led to usability study of navigation**
**Usability study led to redesign**
**Fewer areas on homepage**
**Better labeling of navigation links**
**Better multi-modal access to diverse content**

## Value in the data

**USGS Maps, Products, and Publications page**
**Current State:**
**access to more than 20 web sites **
**40% of our surveyed Web customers**
**were looking for maps and other products, **
**and they gave satisfaction scores 20 points**
**lower than other scores**
**	****	****Source: ACSI**
**About 25% of email and phone calls **
**with the public deal with difficulty in acquiring**
**maps**
**	****	****Source: USGS internal information**

## Value in the data

**USGS Maps, Products, and Publications page**
**Desired State:**
**Unified web presence with easy access**
**to the range of USGS  maps, products, publications**
**A showcase for USGS science and information **
**One of the most popular Government websites**
**for viewing and acquiring maps and other natural**
**science information and products **
**A model for established, federal e-commerce**
**practices**

## Value in the data

**Search Improvement**
**Current State:**
**Feedback from users has identified **
**Search as a priority**
**USGS Web logs show search terms **
**ACSI highlights search as a priority**
**ACSI data show that 40% of USGS Web**
**visitors use search, and their satisfaction**
**scores are lower than other scores**

## Value in the data

**Search Improvement**
**Project Steps:**
**Search Improvement Team**
**“****Bake-off” **
**Selection and implementation**
**Coordination with thesaurus and other USGS “find” applications**

## Value and Effectiveness

**Value = information that enables USGS to improve effectiveness of USGS Web sites**
**Effectiveness = successful customer visits**
**One measure of success – **
**Increasing number of visitors (expanding audience)**
**Few page views per visitor (effective navigation)**
**High satisfaction scores (happy customers)**
**Excellent 508 scores**

## Challenges

**Establishing and implementing standards for collecting, managing, and using Web metrics data across our very distributed Web presence**

## Thank you

**Kit Fuller**
**Geospatial Information Office**
**Denver, CO 80225**
**kitfuller@usgs.gov**
**303-202-4637**