U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2009–3017

March 2009 Printed on recycled paper

state-of-the-art technology and expanding user requirements. The NGTOC maintains a staff of geospatial experts 

who serve all levels of government in acquiring highquality geospatial products and services from world-class 

contractors. The NGTOC provides training and technical 

support to partners for advancement of the NSDI and to 

geospatial data users at all levels of government, as well as 

the general public. 

“Providing critical geospatial 

information to the Nation”

The United States Geological Survey 

(USGS) National Geospatial Technical 

Operations Center (NGTOC) provides 

geospatial technical expertise in support 

of the National Geospatial Program in 

its development of The National Map, 

National Atlas of the United States®, and 

implementation of key components of 

the National Spatial Data Infrastructure 

(NSDI). 

Mission Statement 

The NGTOC provides essential support 

for the acquisition and management 

of trusted geospatial data, products, 

and services through nationally recognized geospatial technical expertise and 

customer service for the USGS and the 

Nation.

Major Products and Services

The National Map 

The National Map, a significant component of the National Spatial Data 

Infrastructure (http://www.fgdc.gov/

nsdi/nsdi.html), is a collaborative effort 

by the USGS and partners to improve 

the utility, currency, and availability of 

national topographic information. 

The NGTOC plays a key role in this 

effort by enhancing the usefulness of 

national geospatial products and services, and by acquiring new geospatial 

data, assessing the data for accuracy 

and quality, integrating it into nation-wide datasets, and 

improving public access to that information through online viewing and data download. 

Essential services supporting these activities include 

research and development of national geospatial data 

standards, data models, and products that keep pace with 

The National Geospatial Technical Operations Center

Quadrangle map of Cat Mountain, Arizona.
The National Map Products:

• USGS Topographic Maps: The NGTOC is developing the 

next generation of USGS topographic map products. These 

products are available through the USGS Store: http://

store.usgs.gov 

• Orthoimagery: The NGTOC acquires and quality checks 

orthoimagery before its integration into the national seamless orthoimagery dataset. USGS orthoimagery and information may be accessed at: http://gisdata.usgs.net/website/

Orthoimagery/

• Elevation: The NGTOC acquires, processes, and quality 

checks terrain elevation data to prepare it for integration 

into the seamless National Elevation Dataset found at: 

http://ned.usgs.gov

• Hydrography: The NGTOC provides National Hydrography Data (NHD) database management, data model 

enhancement, and data improvement through internal 

operations and training and support to data stewardship 

partners. The National Hydrography Dataset is available at: 

http://nhd.usgs.gov

• Geographic Names: The NGTOC provides support to the 

U.S. Board on Geographic Names and works with private 

sector and Federal, state, and local partners to develop 

and maintain information about geographic names for the 

Nation. Information about these activities can be found at: 

http://geonames.usgs.gov/domestic

Publishing support provided by:

Rolla Publishing Service Center

For more information on the USGS NGTOC, visit: 

ngtoc.usgs.gov 

• Boundaries, Transportation, and Structures: The NGTOC 

works with numerous partners to acquire and maintain a 

nationally consistent database of boundaries, transportation, 

and man-made structures information. More information 

about these datasets can be found at: http://bpgeo.cr.usgs.gov/

National Atlas of the United States®

The National Atlas of the United States® provides a comprehensive, map-like view into the enormous wealth of geospatial 

and geostatistical data collected for the United States. It is 

designed to enhance our geographic knowledge and understanding of the physical and cultural geography of the U.S. NGTOC 

staff compile and integrate small-scale (1:1,000,000-scale) 

National Atlas geographic information system (GIS) data and 

support the data integration and documentation needs of the 

program’s Federal partners. Experienced NGTOC cartographers 

and technicians are harmonizing these mapping frameworks 

with similar cartographic data from Canada and Mexico. Their 

work results in valuable contributions to the Atlas of North 

America (http://www.cec.org/naatlas/) and the Global Map 

(http://www.globalmap.org/english/index.html). NGTOC staff 

members provide quick and responsive customer support for 

all eight National Atlas products and services. National Atlas 

education and outreach efforts also are carried out through the 

NGTOC. In addition, the Center hosts the online National Atlas 

ensuring reliable, uninterrupted service from nationalatlas.gov 

(http://nationalatlas.gov/)

National Atlas: U.S. Precipitation Potentially Active Volcanoes in Washington