Performance and Accountability Report

Limited copies of the FY2005 Performance and Accountability Report were printed in black and white.

The FY2005 Performance and Accountability Report is available at: http://www.doi.gov/pfm/burrept.html.

On the Cover

The cover illustrates natural hazards and the 

complex role the USGS has in addressing natural 

hazards. More Americans are at risk of being 

severely impacted by natural hazards now than 

at any other time in our Nation’s history. In the 

United States each year, natural hazards cause 

hundreds of deaths and cost tens of billions of 

dollars in disaster aid, disruption of commerce, and 

destruction of homes and critical infrastructure. 

Recent advances in science and technology position 

us well for making significant progress in reducing 

America’s risk to natural hazards. USGS is able to 

bring a unique combination of disciplines—biology, 

geology, hydrology, geography, and geospatial 

information technology—to bear on all hazards. We 

are embarking on an ambitious focus to turn our 

scientific ability in the hazards arena into operational 

ability. To be successful in reducing America’s risk 

to natural hazards, we will utilize the active support 

and participation of the entire Bureau, regardless of 

discipline, region, or position. 
 

How to Read This Report: From Mission to Measurement

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) FY2005 

Performance and Accountability Report (PAR) will 

reach many people who have specific needs for 

the information it contains. We have designed our 

presentation to serve multiple audiences, with 

varied approaches, points of view, and levels of 

interest. 

Our PAR contains an introduction, three sections, 

and appendices. Combined, these elements 

provide an accurate and thorough accounting of 

the USGS stewardship of critical resources and 

services to the American people. 

The introduction contains a letter from our 

Acting Director highlighting our mission, 

accomplishments, reliability of financial and 

performance data, and Federal Manager’s 

Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA) assurances, 

followed by a depiction of the Bureau at a glance.

Section I: Management Discussion and Analysis is 

a high-level overview of the USGS’s performance 

in FY2005. It is designed for the public, 

legislators, officials from Federal, State, and Local 

governments, and other interested parties.

After a brief discussion of our mission and 

organizational structure, Section I summarizes our 

performance for the year by highlighting results 

of our most important performance measures 

and discusses our procedures to ensure their 

relevance and reliability, along with a description 

of difficulties experienced in measuring 

performance.

Section I also discusses our financial statements, 

including a discussion of our key financial related 

measures and stewardship information.

In addition, Section I presents USGS’s compliance 

with legal and regulatory requirements, such 

as the Federal Managers’ Financial Integrity 

Act (FMFIA), Federal Financial Management 

Improvement Act (FFMIA), and the President’s 

Management Agenda. 

Section I also shares some forward-looking 

information on the current and future challenges 

facing USGS, and discloses limitations to our 

financial statements. 

Section II: Performance Data and Analysis 

presents an evaluation of our performance budget, 

the USGS’s performance results in detail, and 

program evaluation and procedures undertaken to 

validate and verify our performance results. 

This will be most useful to Congressional members 

and staff, program examiners with the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB), analysts with 

the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the 

Government Accountability Office (GAO), and 

interested citizens and customers. 

Section III: Financial Information will interest 

anyone who is concerned with tracking the 

Bureau’s financial performance. 

This section contains an assessment of our 

consolidated financial statements by an 

independent certified public accounting firm. 

The objective of a financial statement audit is to 

determine whether the consolidated financial 

statements are free of material misstatement. 

An audit includes examining, on a test basis, 

evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures 

in the consolidated financial statements. An audit 

also includes an assessment of the accounting 

principles used and signficant estimates made 

by management, as well as an evaluation of 

the overall consolidated financial statement 

presentation. 

Section III also presents consolidated financial 

statements, footnotes, required supplemental 

information, and required supplementary 

stewardship information.

The Appendices contain a list of acronyms and 

the description of a significant accomplishment in 

FY2005 by a USGS employee. 
Introduction

Message from the Acting Director. ...................................................................................................i

The Bureau at a Glance ....................................................................................................................iii

SECTION I - Management Discussion and Analysis 

Overview of the Organization ...........................................................................................................2

Performance Summary ......................................................................................................................5

Analysis of Our Financial Statements ...........................................................................................12

Compliance with Legal and Regulatory Requirements ..............................................................16

Looking Forward ...............................................................................................................................25

Limitations to Our Financial Statements .......................................................................................30

SECTION II - Performance Data and Analysis

Message from the Director, Office of Budget and Performance ..............................................32

Performance Budget Results ..........................................................................................................34

Performance Plan Development ....................................................................................................37

Performance Measure Results ......................................................................................................38

Validation and Verification of Performance Data ........................................................................88

Program Evaluation Data .................................................................................................................90

Table of Contents
SECTION III - Financial Information

Message from the Chief Financial Officer. ...................................................................................94

Audit Information

 Inspector General Transmittal Letter. .......................................................................................96

 Independent Auditors’ Report ...................................................................................................98

Financial Statements Information

 Consolidated Balance Sheets .................................................................................................104

 Consolidated Statements of Net Cost ....................................................................................105

 Consolidated Statements of Changes in Net Position .........................................................106

 Combined Statements of Budgetary Resources ..................................................................107

 Consolidated Statements of Financing ..................................................................................108

 Notes to the Financial Statements ..........................................................................................109

Required Supplemental Information

 Combining Statements of Budgetary Resources by Major Budget Accounts .................132

 Working Capital Fund ................................................................................................................136

 Deferred Maintenance .............................................................................................................139

Required Supplemental Stewardship Information

 General Stewardship Information ............................................................................................141

 Heritage Assets – Museum Collections .................................................................................142

 Heritage Assets – Library Collections. ...................................................................................144

 Research and Development Investments ..............................................................................146

Appendices

Glossary of Acronyms ....................................................................................................................154

Significant FY2005 Accomplishment by a USGS Employee .....................................................156
Message from the Director

 i

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 the United States and the World have faced many challenges 

associated with natural hazards which have resulted in large scale disasters with 

significant cost in terms of lives lost and economies disrupted.

Correspondingly, in FY2005 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) focused its energies on 

responding to these natural disasters by providing science with which to better assess the 

nature and scope of the hazard, operating real-time monitoring networks to provide current 

information on the hazards as they develop and change, and disseminating its scientific 

data to decision makers at the local and national levels. The overall purposes served 

by USGS Natural hazards science is to improve the understanding of risk and with this 

better understanding to enable more effective pre- as well as post-event planning, hazard 

mitigation and emergency response. This Performance and Accountability Report (PAR) highlights examples of USGS 

science that provide critical information with which to understand and more effectively respond to natural hazards.

The list of natural disasters to which the USGS mounted major responses during the past year includes:

• Renewed unrest at Mount St. Helens Volcano;

• Volcanic eruptions at Mt. Veniaminof in Alaska and Anatahan in the Northern Mariana Islands;

• Developing volcanic unrest at Kilauea in Hawaii and Mt. Spurr in Alaska;

• The major earthquake and resulting tsunami in the Indian Ocean;

• The end of the 2004 hurricane season involving repeated storms striking Florida;

• The 2005 hurricane season and the devastating storms that hit the U.S. Gulf Coast;

• Devastating landslides and debris flows in California in January associated with a period of heavy rain;

• Record flooding in several Midwestern States; and

• A particularly active wildland fire season that has burned more than eight million acres in 40 States.

The USGS has the lead Federal responsibility under the Disaster Relief Act (P.L. 93-288) to provide hazard warnings and 

notifications for earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides to enhance public safety and to reduce losses through effective 

forecasts and warnings based on the best possible scientific information.

 

With respect to hurricanes, the USGS produces coastal change vulnerability products to provide pre-hurricane forecasts 

of impacts to infrastructure, essential for evacuation and post-storm recovery efforts. The USGS also documents storm 

surge and flooding effects of hurricanes and monitors the effect of these large storms on sensitive coastal ecosystems.

Flood watches and warnings, issued by the National Weather Service, require USGS real-time streamflow information. 

The USGS operates a nationwide network of some 6,000 stream gages which have the capability to monitor conditions 

and transmit observations in real or near real time. Federal, State, and local agencies also use real-time USGS 

streamflow data to prepare their own operational forecasts for flood-control reservoirs, river levees, and evacuation 

routes. Getting critical streamflow information to these decisionmakers requires modern hydrologic instruments, 

coupled with national computer and communications infrastructures, satellite telemetry, and a robust program to 

calibrate and maintain this network of instruments. 

For earthquakes, while it is not yet possible to predict the precise time and location of damaging events, it is possible 

to predict their impacts and to deliver rapid post-event information to emergency responders. The USGS delivers longterm forecasts of earthquake shaking in the form of hazards maps that underlie most building codes used in the United 

States. In addition, within minutes after a domestic earthquake, the USGS and its regional partners issue alerts with 

location and magnitude of the event. In five urban areas where dense arrays of strong-motion instruments have been 
ii i

deployed through the Advanced National Seismic System initiative, it is now possible to produce near real-time maps 

showing the geographic distribution of ground shaking for use in guiding emergency response efforts. Finally, in the 

time scale of hours to days following large earthquakes, the USGS provides short-term predictions of the likelihood of 

aftershocks, a capability that currently exists only in California but could be expanded nationwide.

For volcanic hazards USGS science has advanced to the state that, with appropriate monitoring, impending eruptions 

generally can be forecast and warnings issued in time for communities to prepare. The USGS and its partners operate 

extensive monitoring networks at 50 of the 169 volcanoes in the United States and its Territories considered active. 

Worthy of note is that the number of active volcanoes threatening the United States is larger than any other country in 

the world. A USGS National Volcano Early Warning System plan, which prioritizes monitoring and assessment at U.S. 

volcanoes, is under development. As unrest mounts, such as occurred in early FY2005 at Mt. St. Helens, the USGS 

deploys scientists and additional monitoring equipment to provide enhanced observation of changing conditions and 

to enable the timely issuance of hazard warnings to potentially impacted communities.

Wildland fires are a form of natural hazard that threatens all 50 States. The USGS supports Federal and State fire 

management agencies by providing timely fire danger information based on the condition of vegetation and associated 

metrics that characterize fire danger. The USGS uses satellite observations to produce vegetation condition and fire 

vulnerability assessments at regional and local scales. To aid wildland fire suppression, the USGS manages Internet 

sites and tools that permit fire managers to access online maps of current fire locations and perimeters. The USGS 

is also working with the National Interagency Fire Center to analyze satellite information to obtain updates of land 

cover vegetation to determine fire-weather conditions. The USGS is also involved in providing post-fire scientific 

assessments to assist land managers in determining erosion, landslide, and flood potential and to develop restoration 

and rehabilitation plans.

Prompt alerting of what is happening during and immediately following a natural disaster is critical. Regardless of the 

type of hazard, effective warnings require more than monitoring and notification technology. Their success depends 

on hazard research, up-to-date response plans being in place, and pre-event linkages among Federal, State, and 

local government agencies, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and the media. Effective warnings 

require an integrated system involving information gathering, expert evaluation, generation of accurate warnings, and 

communication to an educated and informed audience prepared to take effective action.

Scientific and technological advances made in the USGS, universities, and the private sector in the past few decades 

present great opportunities for improvements in forecasts, warnings, and hazard assessments. There remains a need 

for modernization and expansion of real-time monitoring networks, robust satellite imagery and telemetry capabilities, 

hazard assessments to guide network designs, and robust and secure communications for dissemination of warnings 

and alerts. The USGS continues to work in this direction.

FY2005 was a year of extreme natural hazards. To prepare for such events and to reduce the public’s risk, the USGS 

continues to improve hazard assessments, monitoring, warnings, and predictions that will allow people to take actions 

that save lives, protect property, reduce business disruption, and speed recovery and mitigation efforts.

Pat Leahy

Acting Director

October 2005
 iii

The Bureau at a Glance

History and Enabling Legislation

The USGS, a bureau within the Department of the Interior (Department), was created by an act in the final 

session of the 45th Congress in 1879 for the “classification of the public lands, and examination of the 

geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain.” 

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.

Strategic Goals

Resource Protection: Protect the Nation’s natural, cultural, and heritage resources

Resource Use: Manage resources to promote responsible use and sustain a dynamic economy

Serving Communitites: Safeguard lives, property and assets, advance scientific knowledge, and improve 

 the quality of life for communities we serve

Organization

Regions: Eastern, Central, and Western 

Scientific Disciplines: Biology, Geology, Geography, and Water

Support Entities: Geospatial Information, Facilities, and Science Support

Programs 

Employees

USGS has scientists, technicians, and support staff in every State and several foreign countries with a total 

of approximately 9,200 employees.

Financial Resources

The Bureau’s FY2005 budget, including transferred and supplemental appropriations, was $960 million.

Internet

The Bureau’s Internet address is http://www.usgs.gov. 

•Biological Informatics

•Coastal and Marine Geology

•Contaminant Biology

•Cooperative Research Units - Biology

•Cooperative Topographic Mapping

•Cooperative Water 

•Earth Surface Dynamics

•Earthquake Hazards

•Energy Resources

•Enterprise Information

•Facilities

•Fisheries: Aquatic and Endangered Resources 

•Geographic Analysis and Monitoring 

•Geomagnetism 

•Global Seismic Network

•Ground Water Resources

•Hydrologic Networks and Analysis

•Hydrologic Research and Development

•Invasive Species

•Land Remote Sensing

•Landslide Hazards

•Mineral Resources

•National Cooperative Geologic Mapping

•National Streamflow Information 

•National Water-Quality Assessment

•Priority Ecosystems Science

•Science Support

•Status and Trends of Biological Resources

•Terrestrial, Freshwater, and Marine Ecosystems

•Toxic Substances Hydrology

•Volcano Hazards

•Water Resources Research Act, and 

•Wildlife: Terrestrial and Endangered Resources
Section I

Management Discussion and Analysis

Contents

Overview of the Organization ...........................................................................................................2

Performance Summary ......................................................................................................................5

Analysis of Our Financial Statements ...........................................................................................12

Compliance with Legal and Regulatory Requirements ..............................................................16

Looking Forward ...............................................................................................................................25

Limitations to Our Financial Statements .......................................................................................30

1

USGS Astrogeologist Jeff Plescia talks about the geologic history and features of Meteor Crater in Arizona, which is 

over 4,000 feet across, 550 feet deep, 2.4 miles in circumference, and was formed over 50,000 years ago. From 1964 

through 1972, the USGS and NASA provided extensive science training at Meteor Crater for the Apollo astronauts.

In recent years, work has been completed at Meteor Crater in the fields of terrestrial impact craters, cratering 

mechanics, plantetary studies, and astronaut training. 
Management Discussion and Analysis

2 Overview of the Organization 

Who We Are and What We Do

T

he USGS serves the Nation as an 

independent fact-finding agency that 

collects and analyzes natural resource 

data and provides scientific understanding 

about conditions, issues, and problems. 

The USGS is the science provider of choice 

for information and understanding to help 

resolve complex natural resource problems 

across the Nation and around the world. 

Created by an act of Congress in 1879, the USGS 

celebrated its 125th anniversary last year. When the 

USGS was established, the Federal government held 

title to more than 1.2 billion acres of land, nearly all of 

it west of the Mississippi River, and only 200 million 

acres of this land had been surveyed. John Wesley 

Powell, who led one of the great western surveys 

that preceded the creation of the USGS and who later 

served as the second USGS Director, suggested that 

very little of the remaining public land was suitable 

for conventional farming and that only a small fraction 

of the arid land was irrigable using known resources. 

Powell proposed radical changes in the land system, 

including organization of irrigation and pasturage 

districts, to improve management of water and natural 

resources by sociopolitical institutions, based on 

natural science. One hundred and twenty-six years 

later, the USGS continues to provide the scientific 

foundation to ensure the best planning and the best 

decisionmaking. 

Today, the USGS is sought out by thousands of partners 

and customers for its natural science expertise and its 

vast earth and biological data holdings, and is the only 

integrated natural resources research bureau in the 

Federal government. The value of USGS to the Nation 

rests on its ability to carry out studies 

on a national scale and to sustain 

long-term monitoring and assessment 

of natural resources. Because it has no 

regulatory or managerial mandate, the 

USGS provides impartial science that 

serves the needs of our changing world. 

Its diversity of scientific expertise 

enables the USGS to carry out largescale, multi-disciplinary investigations 

that build the base of knowledge 

about the Earth. In turn, decisionmakers at all levels 

of government and citizens in all walks of life have 

information available to them for their needs to address 

pressing societal issues.

The thousands of scientists, technicians, and support 

staff of the USGS are located in nearly 400 offices in 

every State and in several foreign countries. With an 

annual budget of approximately $960 million, the USGS 

leverages its resources and expertise in partnership 

with more than 2,000 agencies of State, local, and Tribal 

governments; the academic community; other Federal 

agencies; non-governmental organizations; and the 

private sector. Field investigations, direct observations 

of natural science processes and phenomena, and 

monitoring and data collection are the scientific 

hallmarks of the USGS.

The USGS is proud of its outstanding history of public 

service and staying at the forefront of advances 

in understanding the Earth, its processes, and its 

resources. USGS scientists pioneered hydrologic 

techniques for gaging the discharge in rivers and 

streams and modeling the flow of complex groundwater systems. Innovative ventures with the private 

sector have given the world access to digital images 

of neighborhoods and communities in one of the 

“This past year, we celebrated 125 years of science for America. Nationwide, our facilities 

opened their doors to our partners, customers, and the public to share our accomplishments 

and our excitement about the future. Although our longevity is worthy of praise, we should also 

celebrate the strength of our mission, which has endured because it serves society and the Earth’s 

environments well. We must continue to build on that tradition while focusing new efforts on our 

unique role in natural hazards, to help reduce America’s risk.” 

Dr. Chip Groat, Former USGS Director

Vision

The USGS is a world 

leader in the natural 

sciences through our 

scientific excellence 

and responsiveness 

to society’s needs.
 Management Discussion and Analysis

Overview of the Organization 3

largest data sets ever made 

available online. Modern-day 

understanding of the formation 

and location of energy and 

mineral resource deposits is 

rooted in fundamental scientific 

breakthroughs by USGS 

scientists. USGS biologists 

revolutionized thinking about 

managing wildlife resources, 

providing a sound scientific 

basis for waterfowl conservation and recreational 

hunting to work in tandem as adaptive management, 

not as conflicting interests. Advances in seismology 

are making early warnings of earthquakes a reality 

that will give the needed alert time to save lives. The 

future of the global community presents unprecedented 

opportunities for the science of the USGS to continue 

to make substantive and life-enhancing contributions to 

the betterment of the Nation and the world.

The USGS addresses both national program priorities 

and local science needs on the landscape through a 

matrix-management approach. (See 

organizational chart below.) National 

programs are overseen by Associate 

Directors for each discipline and 

administered by Program Coordinators 

at Headquarters in Reston, Virginia. 

Regional Directors, Regional 

Executives, and Regional Science 

Coordinators are deployed across the 

Nation, bringing bureau leadership 

and programs closer to customers 

and their issues. Together, they ensure the quality of 

our science and its relevance to the needs of land and 

resource management decisionmakers. Together, they 

offer holistic science solutions by bringing to bear 

the expertise of scientists from multiple disciplines, 

integrating science to confront the complexity of a 

continually changing world. Together, USGS resources 

and science benefit not only the immediate needs of 

partners and customers but also the Nation as a whole 

through application of the results to similar issues 

across the country and into the future. 

Strategic Direction

The USGS will combine and 

enhance our diverse programs, 

capabilities, and talents and 

increase customer involvement to 

strengthen our science leadership 

and contribution to the resolution 

of complex issues.

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Management Discussion and Analysis

4 Overview of the Organization 

Management Discussion and Analysis

How We Are Organized

The USGS has major field centers for the three regions 

in Reston, Virginia (Eastern), Denver, Colorado (Central), 

and Menlo Park, California (Western). The USGS rents 

4.3 million square feet of space in about 220 GSA 

buildings nationwide and owns 34 installations with 1.2 

million square feet of space in 283 owned buildings. The 

USGS operations include: 

• an earthquake monitoring network comprising a 

global seismographic network of 130 stations located 

worldwide with national and regional networks 

located throughout 35 states and territories and the 

National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, 

Colorado; 

• 14 geomagnetic observatories; 

• a landslide network and the National Landslide 

Information Center;

• a volcano hazards network and volcano 

observatories in five States to monitor 49 U.S. 

volcanoes;

• 17 biological science centers and associated field 

stations and a center for biological informatics;

• approximately 7,000 streamgages and water quality 

monitors, the National Water Quality Laboratory, and 

the Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility; 

• production and distribution facilities that manage 

more than 55,000 topographic maps, 2.6 petabytes 

of cartographic and digital data stored at the EROS 

Data Center, archive aerial photographs, and 32 

years of global satellite data; 

• an average of 10,800,000 successful requests made 

to the USGS homepage every month, an average 

of 400,000 customer inquiries made to USGS 

libraries and Earth Science Information Centers 

annually, more than 25,000 scientific and technical 

publications previously available only in paper 

made electronically accessible, and an average of 

19,000 SPAM and virus messages blocked daily by IT 

security operations; and

• affiliation with 40 Cooperative Research Units and 54 

State Water Resources Research Institutes.

The eastern region is composed of 26 States, the 

District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 

and the U.S. Virgin Islands and has approximately 2,750 

employees distributed across duty stations throughout 

the region. USGS eastern region offices are located at 

175 sites in the 26 States east of the Mississippi River, 

plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. 

The central region is composed of 15 States between 

the Mississippi River and the western slope of the 

Rocky Mountains. Approximately 2,100 employees and 

900 onsite contractors are distributed in 76 cities and 21 

field offices across the central region. 

The western region is composed of 9 western States, 

Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the 

Mariana Islands. Approximately 2,300 employees are 

distributed in 33 cities and 64 field offices across the 

western region. 

The Headquarters location in Reston, Virginia, is within 

the District of Columbia metropolitan area and has 

approximately 2,050 employees stationed in Reston and 

in several foreign countries.

The Focus of Our Science

The USGS vision, mission, and strategic direction focus 

on responsiveness and customer service, underscoring 

the application of science to customer, partner, and 

other stakeholder needs; directing the combined 

expertise of the bureau’s scientific disciplines; and 

defining its commitment to pursuing an integrated 

approach to providing science for a changing world. 

Information— about natural hazards, resources, 

and the environment— is the key to understanding 

the Earth. USGS science provides comprehensive, 

high-quality, and timely scientific information to 

decisionmakers and the public. The information 

holdings of the USGS offer an amazing gateway to 

rich data bases, manipulatable maps, newly acquired 

satellite images, real-time information, and a wealth 

of reports spanning more than a century of science. 

The growing global population lives in an information 

age that is becoming incredibly complex. Scientific 

information is increasingly essential to an everwidening— and demanding— customer base. 

To meet the critical science needs of the 21st Century, 

USGS is building on its traditional strengths while 

becoming more flexible and responsive. USGS is 

working to integrate its scientific disciplines while 

building on its world leadership and scientific 

excellence; to streamline operations to become as 

efficient as possible; to use the rapid advances in 

information technology to better deliver information to 

support the needs of decisionmakers; and to do a better 

job of understanding our many customers and partners. 
 Management Discussion and Analysis

Performance Summary 5

The Focus of Our Strategic Plan

USGS long-term goals for meeting the 

challenges of the 21st Century are included in 

the Department-wide strategic plan and are 

supported by meaningful standards of performance. 

Measures for science and customer satisfaction 

build upon, and are supported by, internal goals and 

performance targets for employees and operations. 

The following pages describe how our performance 

measures fit into the Department-wide strategic plan. 

First, a discussion of the Department GPRA goals 

that are applicable to USGS operations is described. 

Following that discussion, a table of end outcome goals 

correlated to the GPRA goals is included to illustrate 

those relationships. To demonstrate the integration of 

performance and financial information, our financial 

results— discussed later in the Management’s 

Discussion and Analysis (MD&A)— are reported and 

directly correlated to the strategic plan GPRA goals and 

supporting end outcome goals. A high-level summary 

of performance results follows this discussion with a 

more comprehensive and detailed presentation of every 

performance goal and indicator in the performance 

budget following in Section II: Performance Data and 

Analysis.

GPRA Goals

A logic model was used to develop GPRA goals 

across the Department and create one Departmentwide strategic plan implemented in FY2004 and 

continuing in FY2005. It provides the Department a set 

of consistent goals with a common agenda and the 

means to increase focus on performance results; helps 

to make managers more accountable; and creates 

a springboard for communication, collaboration, 

and coordination in the interest of conservation with 

interested citizens, organizations, and constituents on a 

shared future direction.

USGS activities in FY2005 and FY2004 focused on 3 

of the DOI’s GPRA goals and 6 of the DOI’s 17 end 

outcome goals, which support DOI’s GPRA goals. USGS 

activities in relation to the GPRA goals, and supporting 

end outcome goals, are described below.

Resource protection strategic goal

Protect the Nation’s natural, cultural, and heritage 

resources. USGS biological studies assist in 

maintaining healthy ecosystems and natural resources 

so that these habitats can continue to provide food, 

energy, medicine, transportation, and recreation. The 

USGS will continue to serve the biological research 

needs of DOI bureaus and others by providing 

scientific information through research, inventory, and 

monitoring. Information generated by the Biological 

Research program contributes to achieving DOI bureau 

goals for improved management of the Nation’s land 

and water resources and biological communities and 

improved decisionmaking regarding land and resource 

use.

Resource use strategic goal 

Manage natural resources to promote responsible 

use and sustain a dynamic economy. USGS is the sole 

Federal provider of scientific information for objective 

resource assessments and unbiased research on 

mineral potential, oil, production, consumption, 

and environmental effects and is a primary Federal 

source for gas and alternative energy potential. The 

United States is the world’s largest user of mineral 

commodities and depends on other countries for 

100 percent of 17 mineral commodities and less than 

50 percent of 42 commodities that are critical to the 

U.S. economy. USGS provides the information for 

decisions about resources and consequences of their 

development. Similarly, USGS conducts national and 

global energy resource assessments of oil, natural gas, 

coalbed natural gas, gas hydrates, and coal resources 

and evaluates the risks for environmental and 

ecological degradation associated with the production 

and use of energy resources. These investigations 

enable the Nation to make sound decisions regarding 

significant increases in domestic energy production 

with an understanding of potential impacts on the 

environment. 

Serving communities strategic goal 

Safeguard lives, property, and assets; advance 

scientific knowledge; and improve the quality of life 

for the communities we serve. The USGS hazards 

programs produce information and understanding that 

reduce the impact of natural hazards and disasters 

on human life and the economy. USGS analyses of 

the availability and quality of water resources help to 

develop, regulate, and monitor management practices 

to ensure the continued availability of water resources 

for human consumption, agriculture, business, 

recreation, and environmental stability. The USGS 
Management Discussion and Analysis

6 Performance Summary

How We Performed in FY2005

USGS met or exceeded 100 percent of the 20 key DOI 

performance measures monitored during FY2005. 

Results for these key measures are presented below, 

following a summary description of each strategic 

goal and the percentage of relevant key performance 

measures met or exceeded. For a full report of 

the USGS performance measures, see Section II: 

Performance Data and Analysis. 

Many of USGS performance measures were new in 

FY2004, developed in conjunction with the Department’s 

Strategic Plan. Consequently, historical data to 

support targeting is not available for those measures. 

FY2004 results became a point from which USGS 

begins to show performance trends over a longer 

term, while identifying the factors that impact mission 

performance.

DOI is the Nation’s principal conservation agency, 

conserving Federally managed lands and waters, 

protecting fish and wildlife, and preserving public 

lands for future generations to enjoy. Science is key to 

making decisions on how to best conserve the Nation’s 

natural resources. USGS plays an important role in 

accomplishing DOI’s mission to administer programs on 

thousands of upland, wetland, and aquatic parcels, and 

protecting native plant and animal species.

Strategic Goal of Resource Protection: 

Protect the Nation’s Natural, Cultural, and Heritage 

Resources

geography program is expanding its partnerships with 

Federal agencies and State and local governments 

to develop and promote the use of geographic 

data and mapping products that are essential for 

economic and community development, land and 

natural resource management, and health and safety 

services. Collection, management, and delivery of 

scientific information to inform land and resource 

decisionmaking is a primary focus of this goal.

GPRA Performance Data Validation and 

Verification 

In keeping with Departmental and OMB policy for 

performance data validation and verification (V&V), USGS 

complies with requirements for performance data credibility. 

Our approach to achieving performance data credibility 

includes providing extensive Budget and Performance 

Integration and Activity Based Cost Management training, 

SES performance measures linked to appraisals, and 

implementation of the Department data V&V Assessment 

Matrix. During FY2005, USGS continued to include USGSspecific measures, outputs, Management Excellence, and all 

Program Assessment Rating Tool performance measures in 

the data V&V. This extends the assurance of credibility to 

more performance data, ensuring usability for management 

decisionmaking and oversight. A more detailed discussion 

of data V&V is in Section II: Performance Data and Analysis 

section.

Performance Measurement Difficulties

Measuring performance is inherently difficult, and we have 

customized the methods of measurement to USGS in order 

to make the results meaningful. Any performance data 

limitations are documented in the following pages and no 

corrective actions are needed. 

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Resource

Protection 

Resource Use Serving

Communities

Met Exceeded Not Met

Results of Key Performance Measures
 Management Discussion and Analysis

Performance Summary 7

End Outcome Goal: Improve the health of watersheds, 

landscapes, and marine resources that are DOImanaged or -influenced in a manner consistent with 

obligations regarding the allocation and use of water. 

USGS met or exceeded 100 percent of the three key 

performance measures monitored during FY2005 

related to this end outcome goal. 

End Outcome Goal: Sustain biological communities on 

DOI-managed and -influenced lands and waters in a 

manner consistent with obligations regarding the allocation and use of water.

USGS met or exceeded 100 percent of the three key 

performance measures monitored during FY2005 

related to this end outcome goal. 

Managing the vast resources of America’s public 

lands has been a core DOI responsibility since the 

Department was founded in 1849. Lands and water 

managed by DOI produce resources critical to the 

Nation’s economic health. Science is a key foundation 

upon which DOI bases management decisions that 

promote natural resource use to sustain a dynamic 

economy while maintaining healthy lands and waters. 

USGS plays an important role in accomplishing DOI’s 

mission to administer programs providing information 

on millions of square miles of land across all of the 

United States. 

End Outcome Goal: Energy – Manage or influence 

resource use to enhance public benefit, promote 

responsible use, and ensure optimal value. 

USGS met or exceeded 100 percent of the two key 

performance measures monitored during FY2005 

related to this end outcome goal. 

End Outcome Goal: Non-Energy minerals – Manage 

or influence resource use to enhance public benefit, 

promote responsible use, and ensure optimal value.

Strategic Goal of Resource Use: 

Manage Resources to Promote Responsible Use and Sustain 

a Dynamic Economy

USGS met or exceeded 100 percent of the two key 

performance measures monitored during FY2005 

related to this end outcome goal. 

DOI’s responsibility to serve communities extends 

well beyond the lands and resources it manages. 

Interior is responsible for protecting lives, resources, 

and property, and providing scientific information 

for better decisionmaking. Science is the heart of 

performing these tasks. USGS plays a critical role in 

accomplishing DOI’s mission to protect communities 

by providing scientific information to reduce risks from 

earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic eruptions; on the 

quality and quantity of the Nation’s water resources; 

on geospatial and natural resource data; and in 

understanding the Earth.

End Outcome Goal: Protect lives, resources, and 

property.

USGS met or exceeded 100 percent of the four key 

performance measures monitored during FY2005 

related to this end outcome goal. 

End Outcome Goal: Advance knowledge through 

scientific leadership and inform decisions through the 

applications of science.

USGS met or exceeded 100 percent of the six key 

performance measures monitored during FY2005 

related to this end outcome goal. 

Strategic Goal of Serving Communities: 

Safeguard Lives, Property, and Assets; Advance Scientific 

Knowledge; and Improve the Quality of Life for the 

Communities We Serve
Management Discussion and Analysis

8 Performance Summary

Response to Severe Rain Storms in Southern California

The Landslide Hazard Program (LHP) mounted a 

major response to the severe rainstorms in southern 

California that caused fatalities and extensive damage 

from landslides during the winter of 2005. Scientists 

from LHP issued landslide hazard advisories to State 

agencies in California and Federal agencies such as the 

National Weather Service (NWS), DOI bureaus, and the 

Department of Homeland Security, as well as issuing 

notification to the public through the NWS and news 

releases. The National Landslide Information Center in 

Golden, CO, operated around the clock to answer public 

officials, the public, and media inquiries. 

LHP also conducted ground and air reconnaissance 

of the locations that experienced major landslides and 

served as technical advisor at the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency’s (FEMA) California Disaster Field 

Office for 2 months. The FEMA official in charge of 

the “Infrastructure Branch” at the disaster field office 

thanked the USGS scientists for their support, stating 

in a May 10, 2005, letter: “They have assisted us with 

addressing one of the more complex and controversial 

issues we face in providing assistance to the affected 

communities. FEMA greatly appreciates their efforts.” This accomplishment relates to the End Outcome 

Measure “Percentage of communities using DOI science on hazard mitigation.”

On January 10, 2005, a landslide struck the community of La Conchita in 

Ventura County, California, destroying or seriously damaging 36 houses and 

killing 10 people.

Small, shallow landslides from March 2005 in older landslide scars 

from previous years, east of I-5 in Orange County.

March 2005 shallow landslides above the Pacific Coast Highway 

east of Mailbu.

Photos by Jonathan Godt and Mark Reid, USGS, LHP.
 Management Discussion and Analysis

Performance Summary 9

Resource Protection Key Performance Measures

End Outcome Goal: 

Improve the health of watersheds, landscapes, and marine resources that are DOI-managed or -influenced in a 

manner consistent with obligations regarding the allocation and use of water.

Performance Results

Restore Fire Adapted Ecosystems: Percentage satisfaction 

with scientific and technical products (DOI strategic plan key 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 97% 100% ≥ 80% 100%

Forge Effective Partnerships: Satisfaction score (number 

score) on resource protection partnerships (DOI strategic 

plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 97% 97% ≥ 80% 94%

Quality: Percentage of watershed and landscape-related 

research studies validated through appropriate peer review 

or independent review (DOI strategic plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

End Outcome Goal:

Sustain biological communities on DOI-managed and -influenced lands and waters in a manner consistent with 

obligations regarding the allocation and use of water.

Performance Results

Forge Effective Partnerships: Satisfaction score (number 

score) on resource protection partnerships (DOI strategic 

plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 97% 98% ≥ 80% 100%

Quality: Percentage of biological research studies validated 

through appropriate peer review or independent review (DOI 

strategic plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Facilities Condition: Conservation and biological research 

facilities are in fair to good condition as measured by the 

Facilities Condition Index (lower FCI is good) (DOI strategic 

plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a .19 .19 .19
Management Discussion and Analysis

10 Performance Summary

Resource Use Key Performance Measures

End Outcome Goal: 

Energy – Manage or influence resource use to enhance public benefit, promote responsible use, and ensure optimal 

value.

Performance Results

Baseline Information: Number of targeted basins with oil and 

gas resource assessments available to support management 

decisions (DOI strategic plan key measure and PART 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 7 5 6 7

Quality and Utility of Information: Percentage of studies 

validated through appropriate peer review or independent 

review (DOI strategic plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

End Outcome Goal:

Non-energy minerals – Manage or influence resource use to enhance public benefit, promote responsible use, and 

ensure optimal value.

Performance Results

Baseline Information: Average square miles of the United 

States with non-energy mineral information available to 

support management decisions (DOI strategic plan key 

measure and PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 2,368,794 2,401,329 2,987,340 3,097,647

Quality & Utility of Information: Percentage of studies 

validated through appropriate peer review or independent 

review (DOI strategic plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Serving Communities Key Performance Measures

End Outcome Goal:

Protect lives, resources, and property.

Performance Results

Hazards: Percentage of communities using DOI science 

on hazard mitigation, preparedness, and avoidance for 

each hazard-management activity (DOI strategic plan key 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 39.5% 43.2% 45.9% 44.6%
 Management Discussion and Analysis

Performance Summary 11

Performance Results

Decision Maker Satisfaction: Met need for information to 

help achieve goal of reduced risk (DOI strategic plan key 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

97% 98% 98% ≥ 80% 99%

Facilities Condition: Buildings (administrative, employee 

housing) are in fair-to-good condition as measured by 

the Facilities Condition Index (FCI) (DOI strategic plan key 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a .20 .20 .20

Adequacy: Percentage of sampled stakeholders reporting 

adequacy of science base to inform decisionmaking for each 

hazard-management activity (volcanoes, earthquakes, etc.) 

(DOI strategic plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 97% 98% ≥ 80% 99%

End Outcome Goal:

Advance knowledge through scientific leadership and inform decisions through the applications of science.

Performance Results

Research: Soundness of methodology, accuracy, and 

reliability of science (program evaluation) (DOI strategic plan 

key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 100% 80% 100% 100%

Inform decisions through the application of science: 

Improved access to needed science information (number 

score) (DOI strategic plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

80% 92% 90% 90% 92%

Inform decisions through the application of science: 

Stakeholders reporting that information helped achieve goal 

(number score) (DOI strategic plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

80% 94% 93% 90% 95%

Content and expanse of knowledge base: Percentage of 

land with temporal and spatial monitoring, research, and 

assessment/data coverage to meet land-use planning and 

monitoring requirements 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 54.76% 59.76% 58.9%

Quality: Percentage of studies validated through appropriate 

peer review or independent review (DOI strategic plan key 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Facilities Condition: Facilities are in fair-to-good condition 

as measured by the Facilities Condition Index (FCI) (DOI 

strategic plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a .17 .17 .17
Management Discussion and Analysis

12 Analysis of Our Financial Statements

T

he USGS principal financial statements, which 

are included in Section III of this report, are 

prepared in accordance with accounting 

principles generally accepted in the United States of 

America as set forth for Federal entities, guidance 

issued by the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) and the DOI. While the financial statements 

have been prepared from the USGS books and 

records in accordance with the formats prescribed 

by OMB, they are different from the financial reports 

used to monitor and control budgetary resources 

that are prepared from the same books and records. 

The financial statements should be read with the 

realization that they are a component of the U.S. 

Government, a sovereign entity.

The DOI Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is 

responsible for auditing the basic financial statements 

of USGS and has satisfied their responsibility by 

contracting these services to KPMG LLP. 

This analysis of the financial statements contains 

highlights on selected aspects of the accompanying 

principal financial statements. 

Assets – What We Own

The Fund Balance with Treasury (FBWT) of $240 million 

represents 45 percent of total assets at September 

30, 2005. The FBWT amount is primarily composed 

of appropriated funds available to make authorized 

expenditures, and remained consistent from FY2004 

to FY2005 based on overall operations being generally 

consistent with the prior year.

The total net Accounts Receivable (A/R) of $133.9 

million at September 20, 2005 is represented by 43 

percent of amounts owed from other Federal agencies 

and 57 percent owed from the public. The majority of 

the accounts receivable is established to cover the 

direct and indirect costs for reimbursable services 

(In Thousands) % Change 2005 2004

Condensed Financial Statement Data:

 Fund balance with Treasury +2% $ 240,082 $ 234,783

 Accounts and interest receivable, net -6% 133,976 141,860

 Property, plant, and equipment, net -15% 162,170 190,769

 Other -5% 3,367 6,362

Total Assets -6% $ 539,595 $ 573,774

 Accounts payable -20% $ 74,480 $ 92,596

 Employee related liabilities +5% 142,453 135,182

 Other -1% 56,687 56,945

Total Liabilities -4% $ 273,620 $ 284,723

Total Net Position -8% $ 265,975 $ 289,051

Total appropriations received - SBR +1% $ 960,374 $ 951,381

Total cost -1% $ 1,442,661 $ 1,457,218

Total revenue -1% 405,921 407,643

Total net cost of operations -1% $ 1,036,740 $ 1,049,575
 Management Discussion and Analysis

Analysis of Our Financial Statements 13

performed in support of surveys, investigations, and 

scientific research. 

The majority of the receivable balance is unbilled: over 

99 percent of the $58 million in receivables from Federal 

agencies are unbilled, while 68 percent of the $75.9 

million in receivables from the public are unbilled. The 

large unbilled balance is due to the manner in which 

agreements are written for survey and research type 

work. The revenue for many agreements is recognized 

as work is completed, but the receipt of payment is 

often not due until completion of a survey or research 

report is accomplished. The balance of unbilled A/R 

remained consistent in FY2005 due to overall operations 

being generally consistent with the prior year.

The general property, plant, and equipment (PP&E), 

net of accumulated depreciation, amounted to $162.1 

million at September 30, 2005. This amount includes a 

satellite reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheet 

at a net book value of $25.1 million, as well as land, 

buildings and improvements, furniture and equipment, 

and software purchased for internal use. Overall PP&E 

decreased from FY2004 to FY2005 due to current year 

depreciation expense, combined with a volume of new 

purchases that were significantly offset by disposals 

incurred during the current fiscal year.

Liabilities – What We Owe

The USGS is a scientific service organization where the 

majority of its liabilities are payroll and benefits related. 

The accrued payroll and benefits amount of $142.4 

million, including Federal Employees Compensation Act 

(FECA) liabilities and annual leave due to employees, 

represents 52 percent of USGS total liabilities of $273.6 

million at September 30, 2005. 

Accounts payable of $74.5 million consists of 10 

percent due to other Federal agencies and 90 percent 

due to the public. The balance of accounts payable 

decreased in FY2005 from the FY2004 balance in part 

due to USGS placing greater emphasis on making EFT 

payments to vendors, instead of issuing checks through 

Treasury to vendors.

Deferred revenue, credits, and the deposit fund liability 

of $12.8 million consists primarily of amounts advanced 

to the bureau to cover reimbursable services to be 

provided at a future date.

Unfunded liabilities represented a significant portion 

of the total outstanding liabilities in both FY2004 and 

FY2005. The largest liabilities in this balance consists of 

$59.7 million of unfunded annual leave and $48.3 million 

for both of the FECA liabilities. The other unfunded 

liabilities include the GSA Tenant Improvement liability 

of $19 million; contingent liabilities of $2.2 million; and 

environmental cleanup liabilities of $82 thousand. 

Budgetary Resources – What We Receive

The USGS received approximately 62.4 percent, or 

$960.3 million, of its total budgetary resources of $1.5 

billion through appropriations received in FY2005. 

The approved budget for the USGS was relatively flat 

compared with FY2004, which presented challenges 

to cover the cost of living and step increases in 

labor that the bureau experienced during FY2005. 

Other major sources of budgetary resources include 

unobligated balances carried over from FY2004 and 

spending authority from offsetting collections, totaling 

$120.3 million and $464.1 million, respectively. As of 

September 30, 2005, $1.4 billion of budgetary resources 

have been obligated. 

The majority of the budgetary resources were 

used during the current year to support surveys, 

investigations, and scientific research. The following 

restrictions applied to the FY2005 appropriations 

received: $63.3 million in funds available only for 

cooperation with States or municipalities for water 

resource investigations; $7.9 million to remain available 

until expended for satellite operations; $22 million for 

operation and maintenance of facilities and deferred 

maintenance and shall be available until September 

30, 2006; $1.6 million to remain available until expended 

for deferred maintenance and capital improvement 

projects that exceed $100,000 in cost; and $174.2 million 

for biological research activity and the operation of 

Cooperative Research Units until September 30, 2006. 

The offsetting collections from the bureau’s 

reimbursable programs include the following: 

reimbursements from non-Federal sources are from 

States, Tribes, and municipalities for cooperative 

efforts and proceeds from sale to the public of copies 

of photographs and records; proceeds from sale of 

personal property; reimbursements for permits and 

licenses of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; 

and reimbursements from foreign countries and 
Management Discussion and Analysis

14 Analysis of Our Financial Statements

international organizations for technical assistance. 

Reimbursements from other Federal agencies are for 

mission-related work performed at the request of the 

financing agency. 

The USGS also maintains a Working Capital Fund 

(WCF), established November 5, 1990, that is primarily 

used to invest funds from appropriations and 

reimbursable agreements, without fiscal year limitation, 

to purchase materials, supplies, and equipment for 

long-term capital investments. The WCF also provides 

fee-for-service operations internally and allows the 

USGS to provide more efficient financial management 

of its telecommunications investments; acquisition, 

replacement, and enhancement of scientific equipment; 

facilities and laboratory operations, modernization, and 

equipment replacement; drilling and training services; 

and publications. 

Appropriations represent the vast majority of the 

budgetary financing sources of the bureau. Other 

financing sources are comprised of $3.7 million of 

transfers-in without reimbursement from other Federal 

agencies, $4.3 million in donations, and $62.8 million 

in imputed financing from costs absorbed by others, 

which represents costs paid by the Office of Personnel 

Management for USGS retirement, health, and 

insurance benefits of USGS employees and Treasury’s 

Judgment Fund on the behalf of USGS.

Net Costs – What We Spend

In FY2005 and FY2004, net cost of operations totaled 

approximately $1,037 million and $1,050 million, 

respectively. 

Consistent with the prior year, our major GPRA end 

outcome goals were: 

• Improve health of watersheds and landscapes,

• Sustain biological communities,

• Manage or influence resources— energy, 

• Manage or influence resources— non-energy, 

• Protect lives, resources, and property, and 

• Advance knowledge through scientific leadership.

As mentioned in the previous budgetary resources 

discussion, the USGS budget was relatively flat from 

FY2004 to FY2005. Although the USGS instituted 

many changes in specific programs and operations 

at the cost center level during FY2005, there were 

generally no significant changes experienced in overall 

operations at the bureau level. As such, the costs 

presented on the FY2005 Statement of Net Cost per 

GPRA segment are generally consistent with the prior 

year amounts. 

Key Financial Metrics – What We Measure

Delinquent Debt Referred to Treasury over 180 Days 

Past Due

The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 

requires that delinquencies older than 180 days be 

referred to the Department of the Treasury’s Financial 

Management Service (FMS), which was established as 

the Federal government’s debt collection center. The 

USGS reports the status of receivables on quarterly 

Treasury Report on Receivables (TROR) reports. As of 

September 30, 2005, USGS reported on the TROR that 

$649 thousand, or 100 percent, in delinquencies over 

180 days past due had been referred to FMS for cross 

servicing. In FY2005, USGS again surpassed the DOI’s 

performance goal of referring 95 percent of the total 

amount eligible for referral to Treasury.

USGS billed accounts receivable due from the public 

decreased from $27.2 million in FY2004 to $25.7 million 

in FY2005. Delinquent amounts from the public over 180 

days past due decreased from $889 thousand in FY2004 

to $649 thousand at the end of FY2005. 

Employee Bankcard Use and Delinquencies over 60 

Days Past Due

The use of government issued bankcards for official 

employee travel has been required for several years 

within the USGS. Emphasis has also been placed 

internally on paying the balance due in full by the due 

date established on the bankcard statements, as well 

as requiring supervisors to closely review and approve 

bankcard statements for their employees. 

The DOI set a performance goal of maintaining no more 

than 1 percent of the total balance due past 60 days old. 

USGS averaged about 1.5 percent of 60 days past due 

throughout FY2005. In an effort to improve our average, 

USGS converted to a centrally billed processing 

procedure during FY2005 that requires hotels to be paid 

directly by the bankcard issuer, instead of reimbursing 

the employees and allowing them to repay the 

bankcard. We expect to see an improved delinquency 

rate in FY2006.
 Management Discussion and Analysis

Analysis of Our Financial Statements 15

Vendor Payments Made On Time

The Prompt Payment Act requires interest to be paid 

on invoices that are not paid on time in accordance 

with the Act. USGS strived to pay vendors on-time 

and to avoid paying late payment interest penalties 

throughout FY2005. DOI established a performance 

goal for bureaus to maintain 97 percent of the number 

of payments not requiring interest over the total number 

of payments subject to the Prompt Payment Act. USGS 

again exceeded the DOI’s performance goal by paying 

98.7 percent of vendor invoices on-time and without 

penalty. In addition, the late payment interest penalties 

decreased from $19,759 in FY2004 to $18,392 in FY2005. 

USGS will continue to monitor payment performance to 

ensure our timely vendor payment percentage stays on 

target. 

Vendor Payments Made Via Electronic Funds Transfer 

(EFT)

During FY2005, USGS continued its efforts to maximize 

the use of payment mechanisms compliant with EFT 

as required by the Debt Collection Improvement Act 

of 1996. The DOI established a performance goal to 

maintain over 90 percent of the number of vendor 

payments paid via electronic means over the total 

vendor payments made. 

During FY2005, the USGS exceeded the DOI’s 

performance goal by maintaining 94 percent of 

payments made via EFT for vendor payments.

Other Bureau Performance Metrics

During FY2005, USGS continued to closely evaluate the 

financial operations of the bureau through sampling 

and other tests of compliance and performance. 

The results of internal performance metrics are 

distributed bureau-wide and have helped to maintain 

high quality processing of bureau transactions.

Stewardship Information

The USGS serves American citizens as a steward 

for a large, varied, and scientifically important body 

of heritage assets, and in conducting research and 

development that is critical to the health of our country 

and in understanding the Earth. Each year the USGS 

makes a substantial investment while fulfilling its 

stewardship responsibilities for the benefit of the 

Nation.

USGS has heritage assets in two categories: museum 

collections and scientific library collections. The 

museum collection includes a widespread collection of 

natural history specimens and cultural objects in many 

science and administrative centers throughout the 

United States. USGS library holdings, collected during 

more than a century of providing library services, are 

an invaluable legacy to the Nation. 

Costs associated with stewardship initiatives are 

treated as expenses in the financial statements in 

the year the costs are incurred. However, these 

investments in stewardship are intended to provide 

long-term benefits to the public and are included as 

required supplementary stewardship information 

reporting to highlight their long-term-benefit nature 

and to demonstrate our accountability over them. 

Stewardship resources are not required to be included 

in the assets reported in our financial statements; 

they are, however, important to understanding the 

operations and financial condition of USGS. 

See the Required Supplemental Stewardship 

Information portion of Section III: Financial Section 

for complete disclosures regarding stewardship 

information.

Improper Payments Act

The Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 (P.L. 

107-300) requires Federal agencies to carry out a 

cost-effective program for identifying payment errors 

and recovering any amounts overpaid. An improper 

payment includes any payment that should not have 

been made, or that was made in an incorrect amount 

under statutory, contractual, administrative, or other 

legally applicable requirement. Incorrect amounts 

include: overpayments; underpayments (including 

inappropriate denials of payment or service); any 

payment made to an ineligible recipient or for an 

ineligible service; duplicate payments; payments 

for services not received; and payments that do not 

account for credit for applicable discounts. 

USGS reviewed all programs to determine the risk 

susceptibility of making improper payments and to 

perform more in depth assessments for those programs 

meeting OMB’s criteria for significant erroneous 

payments. We concluded the our programs have a low 

risk for making improper payments.
Management Discussion and Analysis

16 Compliance with Legal and Regulatory Requirements

Management Assurances:

T

he Federal Managers’ Financial Integrity Act of 

1982 (FMFIA) and the OMB require all cabinetlevel Federal agencies to annually review their 

management control system. The objectives of DOI’s 

management control system are to provide reasonable 

assurance that: 

• The Department’s obligations and costs are in 

compliance with applicable laws;

• The Department’s assets are safeguarded against 

waste, loss, unauthorized use, or misappropriation; 

• The revenues and expenditures applicable to agency 

operations are properly recorded and accounted for 

to permit the preparation of reliable financial reports 

and to maintain accountability over assets; 

• All programs are efficiently and effectively carried 

out in accordance with applicable laws and 

management policy.

The efficiency of the DOI’s operations are continually 

evaluated using information obtained from reviews 

conducted by GAO, OIG, bureau reviews, and/or 

specifically requested studies. On a yearly basis, DOI 

requires all of its bureaus to conduct self-assessments 

of their FMFIA compliance. These diverse reviews 

provide a high level of assurance that Department 

systems and management controls comply with 

standards established by the FMFIA.

In support of the annually required DOI bureau reviews, 

the associate directors of Biology, Geology, Geography 

and Water; the regional directors of Eastern, Central, 

and Western Region; the Chief of Administrative 

Policy and Services; and the Chief Information Officer 

provided signed assurance statements to the Director 

that their areas of responsibility had assessed the 

systems of management, administration, and financial 

controls in accordance with standards, objectives, 

and guidelines prescribed by the FMFIA and the OMB 

Circular A-123, Management’s Responsiblity for Internal 

Control. 

The objectives of the assessments ensured that:

• programs achieved their intended results;

• resources were used consistent with the bureau’s 

mission;

• resources were protected from fraud, waste and 

mismanagement;

• laws and regulations were followed; and

• reliable and timely information was maintained, 

reported, and used for decision making.

In performing this assessment, USGS relied on the 

knowledge and experience gained from the daily 

operations of the programs and systems of accounting 

and administrative controls, and information 

obtained from sources such as management control 

assessments; OIG and GAO audits; program evaluations 

and studies; independent audits of financial statements; 

performance plans and reports; and other information. 

FFMIA Assurance Statement

Based on the results of the USGS FY2005 assessment, I conclude the USGS systems of management, 

administrative, and financial controls provide reasonable assurance the objectives of the Federal 

Financial Management Improvement Act (FFMIA) have been achieved. I also conclude, based on the 

USGS FY2005 Information Technology security self assessments and other relevant information, USGS 

information systems provide reasonable assurance the objectives of OMB Circular A-130, Management 

of Federal Information Resources, have been achieved. Further, based on the results of the annual audit 

of the USGS financial statements by KPMG LLP, I conclude the USGS substantially complies with the 

FFMIA. 

 Pat Leahy

 Acting Director, USGS
 Management Discussion and Analysis

Compliance with Legal and Regulatory Requirements 17

Each assurance statement provided documentation 

on specific management control assessments 

conducted and audits and/or reviews conducted 

by the OIG and/or GAO. The Acting USGS Director 

relied on this extensive documentation to support the 

bureau assurance statement on financial reporting to 

the Department on June 30, 2005, and for the overall 

assurance statement provided to the Department on 

September 15, 2005 (see Section II: Performance Data 

and Analysis for additional information on the program 

evaluation).

FY2005 Management Control Automated 

Surveys:

In addition to the department-wide, discipline, region, 

and office-specific reviews, automated management 

control surveys were sent to employees of 12 science 

centers (USGS Oklahoma Water Science Center, USGS 

Georgia Water Science Center, USGS South Dakota 

Water Science Center, Southwest Biological Science 

Center, USGS New York Water Science Center, USGS 

Alabama Water Science Center, USGS Connecticut 

Water Science Center, USGS New Jersey Water 

Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, USGS 

Nevada Water Science Center, Forest and Rangelands 

Ecosystem Science Center, and Cascades Volcano 

Observatory), 2 offices (Office of Communications 

and Office of Budget and Performance), and 2 teams 

(Western Coastal and Marine Geology Team and Earth 

Surface Processes Team). The employees were asked 

to evaluate various aspects of management control at 

their center, office, or team.

Science-support offices and products were assessed 

using e-mail-administered employee opinion surveys. 

Standardized Management Control Surveys were 

conducted at 16 programs, science centers, and teams, 

more than doubling the 6 conducted in FY2004.

Customer Satisfaction Surveys

In support of strategic planning efforts, customers 

of the Office of Communications and the Southwest 

Biological Science Center (SBSC) were asked about 

their satisfaction with a variety of the Office/Center 

activities. For the Office of Communications, feedback 

was sought from a sample of 200 internal USGS 

customers. Responses were received from 86 percent. 

For the SBSC, feedback was sought from a sample of 

100 external customers. Responses were received 

from 29 percent.

Management Control Survey Results

Computer Support Services Surveys:

The Office of Western Regional Support conducted 

a review of operations for the USGS Nevada Water 

Science Center. A sample of employees were asked 

about their satisfaction with various aspects of the 

computer support services they receive and their 

overall satisfaction with the quality of the service. 

In addition, they were asked how they learn about 

computer policy and procedures, if they are aware of 

various computer policies and support services, and 

if they have any suggestions for improving computer 

support services at the Nevada Water Science Center.

A random sample of 50 of the Center’s 163 employees 

received the survey. Responses were received from 76 

percent of those surveyed. 

Satisfaction with Regional OC services/products

0 20 40 60 80 100

Timeliness

Effectiveness

Tech Accuracy

Review Process

Overall Quality

Percentage

Western

Central

Eastern
Management Discussion and Analysis

18 Compliance with Legal and Regulatory Requirements

Administrative Services Surveys:

To gain input for administrative reviews, employees 

at 12 separate USGS science centers and teams 

were asked about their satisfaction with various 

aspects of the different administrative services 

they receive at their center/team and their overall 

satisfaction with the quality of the service. In 

addition, they were asked how they learn about 

administrative policy and procedures, if they use 

certain specific administrative services, and if they 

have any suggestions for improving administrative 

services at their center/team. The surveys were 

sent to all employees at the selected centers/teams, 

a total of 903 persons. Responses were received, 

on average, from 76 percent. Average reported 

satisfaction with the overall quality of administrative 

services was 91 percent.

Future Use of Management Control Survey Results

Office of the Director, Office of Communications:

The data, as well as the extensive comments, 

helped shape the Review Team recommendations 

on how to improve the effectiveness of the Bureau’s 

communications and outreach activities. Areas of 

emphasis based on the survey results will include 

better delineation of and communication of roles and 

responsibilities between headquarters and regional 

communication staffs and improved feedback to 

the field on how their input and or data was used to 

increase the visibility of USGS science.

Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center:

The information will be used to help the Administrative 

Review Team prepare for the review by helping 

them develop a basic understanding of the services 

provided at the Center. A goal of the review is 

to increase communication and exchange of 

information between those involved with bureau/

regional/cost center administrative programs.

Nevada Water Science Center:

The results will be evaluated closely and used 

to assist in developing a cohesive and efficient 

Computer Support Team in the Henderson and 

Carson City offices.

Response rates

69

89

84

73

84

79

57

71

71

82

95

51

0 25 50 75 100

New York Water

Cascades Volcano Observatory

Forest & Rangelands Ecosystem

National Wildlife Health Center

New Jersey Water

Connecticut Water

Earth Surface Processes

Alabama Water

Coastal & Marine Geology

Oklahoma Water

Georgia Water

South Dakota Water

Percentages

Sample Sizes

114

57

81

94

93

28

93

28

99

45

120

51

0 50 100 150

New York Water

Cascades Volcano Observatory

Forest & Rangelands Ecosystem

National Wildlife Health Center

New Jersey Water

Connecticut Water

Earth Surface Processes

Alabama Water

Coastal & Marine Geology

Oklahoma Water

Georgia Water

South Dakota Water

Number of employees

Satisfaction with Overall Quality

98

96

100

95

91

89

94

90

71

91

82

89

50 60 70 80 90 100

New York Water

Cascades Volcano Observatory

Forest & Rangelands Ecosystem

National Wildlife Health Center

New Jersey Water

Connecticut Water

Earth Surface Processes

Alabama Water

Coastal & Marine Geology

Oklahoma Water

Georgia Water

South Dakota Water

Percentages
 Management Discussion and Analysis

Compliance with Legal and Regulatory Requirements 19

Organizational Assessment Surveys

Broad scale employee assessments of working 

conditions and management practices were conducted 

at the National Wildlife Health Center and at the 

bureau-wide Office of Communications and Office of 

Budget and Performance. Employees were asked to 

state the degree to which they agree or disagree with a 

series of statements about their workplace. In addition, 

they were asked what they consider their office’s 

greatest strengths and greatest weaknesses.

The surveys were sent to all employees at the center/

offices, a total of 178 persons. Responses were 

received from an average of 92 percent.

The results of the surveys were used to identify 

perceived strengths and weaknesses in management 

practices and to target workplace improvements. 

Office of Communications questions:

Widespread agreement was reported with all 13 statements. For example:

• I understand the mission/purpose of the Office of Communications (98%)

• My skills and talents are well used (86%)

• I have the opportunity to learn and grow (87%)

• Office of Communications employees work well with scientists in the field (98%)

Office of Budget and Performance questions:

Widespread agreement was reported with 16 of 17 statements. For example:

• I understand the mission/purpose of the Office of Budget and Performance (100%)

• I have the training and equipment to do my job (100%)

• My professional development is encouraged (96%)

Significantly lower agreement reported for:

• OBP management consistently shares information with the staff (66%)

National Wildlife Health Center questions:

Significantly higher agreement with these statements:

• I recommend the NWHC as a good place to work (96%)

• My work gives me a feeling of personal accomplishment (90%)

• I know how my work relates to the NWHC’s missions and goals (99%)

Significantly lower agreement with these statements:

• I am encouraged to improve my skills and knowledge through relevant training opportunities (66%)

• The Regional Office and Biology HQ provide the NWHC the appropriate and necessary services and tools to 

support the science mission (32%)

• I understand the goals and objectives of the six Biology national program elements (52%)
Management Discussion and Analysis

20 Compliance with Legal and Regulatory Requirements

Resolution of Internal Control Weaknesses and Non-Compliance with Laws and Regulations:

The following tables summarize actions taken to resolve material weaknesses, reportable conditions, and instances 

of noncompliance with laws and regulations reported in the Independent Auditors’ Report on the USGS Financial 

Statements for FY2004.

Reportable 

Condition

Corrective Action Target 

Date

Implemented 

(Yes/No)

Controls over 

information 

technology 

(IT) data 

security

Completed corrective actions related to:

1. T&A Application – Designated an independent management official; 

implemented restrictions on the reuse of passwords; enforced 

segregation, or implemented alternate controls as appropriate.

2. Physical Access – Continued to ensure that all currently authorized 

personnel have legitimate business needs for physical access to the 

USGS data center; obtained and maintained proper authorization 

documentation; established a program to review physical access to 

sensitive areas.

3. User Account Management – Revised mainframe access review 

and approval in coordination with NBC; documented policies and 

procedures for restricting access to the Solaris system software.

4. Logical Access Control – Reviewed the vulnerability assessment 

results; ensured thorough, periodic reviews to identify 

vulnerabilities on the internal network.

Status as of 9/30/05: 

USGS corrective actions were sufficiently effective for this FY2004 

reportable condition to not be repeated by our auditors in FY2005. 

9/30/05 Yes

Controls over 

accounts 

receivables 

and deferred 

revenues 

related to 

reimbursable 

agreements

Revised Instructional Memorandum for monthly reviews and quarterly 

certifications of accounts receivable balances to include exception 

reporting that identified abnormal balances and provide aging 

reports; conducted statistical sampling reviews of the reports and the 

certification and included results in financial performance indicators 

to cost center managers and regional directors; and automated billing 

process of Federal bills using PC billing.

Status as of 9/30/05:

USGS corrective actions were sufficiently effective for this FY2004 

reportable condition to not be repeated by our auditors in FY2005. 

9/30/05 Yes
 Management Discussion and Analysis

Compliance with Legal and Regulatory Requirements 21

NonCompliance Corrective Action Target 

Date

Implemented 

(Yes/No)

FFMIA 

– Federal 

Financial 

Management 

Systems 

Requirements 

Completed corrective actions described on prior page for the IT data 

security reportable condition.

Status as of 9/30/05: 

USGS corrective actions were sufficiently effective for this FY2004 

noncompliance condition to not be repeated by our auditors in FY2005. 

9/30/05 Yes

Unqualified Opinions on Principal Financial Statements: 

USGS is committed to strong financial management and has made much progress in this area in recent years. This 

achievement results from our commitment to strong management control and accountability over our financial 

resources, a commitment that we are extending into the future as we seek to further improve management of our 

financial resources. Significant progress was also made in quickly addressing internal control reportable conditions. 

In FY2001, all nine reportable conditions reported by KPMG LLP were considered to be material weaknesses. Though 

no opinion was issued in FY2002, most matters were still considered to be uncorrected at that fiscal year-end. In 

FY2003, all but one of the prior material weaknesses were corrected, while all but three others were downgraded 

to reportable conditions. In FY2004, USGS had two reportable conditions and no material weaknesses. In FY2005, 

USGS had no material weaknesses or reportable conditions. This progress illustrates our progression toward full 

attainment of unqualified audit opinions by correcting material weaknesses and maintaining that status through 

continuous improvement. 

KPMG LLP’s Opinions Issued to USGS

FY2001 Disclaimer 

FY2002 No Opinion

FY2003 Unqualified Balance Sheet 

FY2004 Unqualified Financial Statements (all)

FY2005 Unqualified Financial Statements (all)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Material Weaknesses

Reportable

Conditions
Management Discussion and Analysis

22 Compliance with Legal and Regulatory Requirements

The President’s Management Agenda (PMA):

In FY2005, USGS continued to improve in areas targeted 

in the PMA, which focuses on improving Federal 

management and program performance. Organized 

around the mutually reinforcing components, the PMA 

applies to every agency. The five original elements are:

• Strategic Management of Human Capital;

• Competitive Sourcing;

• Expanded Electronic Government (E-Government);

• Budget and Performance Integration; and

• Improved Financial Performance.

These components share a common goal of enhancing 

citizen-centered governance focused on delivering 

results that matter to the American public. 

OMB uses an Executive Branch Management 

Scorecard to monitor the status and progress of 

agencies toward attaining PMA goals. Color-coded 

ratings (red, yellow, and green) are used to visually 

depict agency ratings. Interior also developed a 

scorecard to measure the bureaus performance in 

relation to the PMA. USGS strived to make progress 

in all scorecard areas during FY2005 by executing 

numerous activities that supported initiatives to get to 

green in the PMA scorecard rating process. Highlights 

of these are discussed below.

Strategic Management of Human Capital

During FY2005, the USGS undertook a number of 

initiatives designed to enhance the capabilities, 

engagement, and strategic alignment of the workforce, 

including:

Workforce Planning. In FY2005, the USGS expanded 

its workforce planning efforts to address the bureau’s 

strategic goal of integrated science. In addition, 

workforce plans were developed and implemented 

for the majority of USGS science centers. The 

USGS expanded the features of its automated skills 

assessment tool, and science center managers used 

the tool to assess the skills of their current workforce 

and compare current skills to future skill needs based 

on their science plans. Regional managers aggregated 

science center plans at the regional level to identify 

regional strategies for acquiring critical skills.

Leadership and Management Development. During 

FY2005, the USGS reached the halfway point toward 

its goal of creating and training a critical mass of 

leaders at all levels of the organization. The Leadership 

Centered Culture Program implemented an intensive 

focus on supervisory and managerial development that 

will serve as a core element of the bureau’s workforce 

planning efforts. The USGS also implemented the 

Core Competencies for Managers Model with the goal 

of improving managerial performance at all levels of 

the USGS. This effort has been linked with the USGS 

workforce planning effort and with the long-term 

Leadership-Centered Culture goals of the USGS.

Organizational Excellence Model. The USGS developed 

a USGS Organizational Excellence model that identifies 

the critical leadership and management, people, 

process, and structure components that support USGS 

science outcomes at the program, bureau, and societal 

level. The model provides a systemic framework for 

planning and decision making, communicating the 

components that underpin organizational success, and 

measuring organizational performance. The model will 

be used as a framework for the USGS restructuring 

and as a basis for developing and reporting the results 

of the 2006 all-employee Organizational Assessment 

Survey.

Workforce Diversity. Improving workforce diversity 

is a priority for the USGS and a significant workforce 

planning issue. A major initiative in FY2005 focused 

on complying with the requirements of the EEOC 

MD–715, particularly with regard to the identification of 

barriers that prevent the accomplishment of diversity 

and affirmative employment goals. The USGS worked 

closely with Monster Government Solutions to develop 

e-solutions for gathering and reporting applicant flow 

data. As a direct result of our efforts, USGS and other 

DOI Bureaus will have access to MD-715 required data. 

The USGS continued working with and supporting 

Special Emphasis Program Advisory Committees 

(SEPAC). The SEPACs assisted with the identification 

of barriers to diversity and recommended solutions to 

management. The USGS directed recruitment efforts 

to provide our regions with additional fiscal resources 

to establish relationships with local minority colleges 

and universities with majors in USGS related sciences. 

The USGS continues to implement the DOI Workforce 

Diversity Plan by focusing on goals that are measured 
 Management Discussion and Analysis

Compliance with Legal and Regulatory Requirements 23

by outcomes in recruitment, retention, zero tolerance 

and management accountability

Competitive Sourcing

The USGS performs its scientific and support activities 

through a combination of Federal employees, 

contractors, and cooperators. Balancing the current 

workforce will require competitive sourcing of selected 

aspects of scientific and administrative activities in 

response to mandates contained in the FAIR Act. 

In July 2004 the USGS Competitive Sourcing Planning 

Team developed a recommendation to conduct a 

business strategy development review of each of nine 

business areas encompassing all full-time equivalents 

within USGS. That strategy was incorporated into the 

USGS Competitive Sourcing Green Plan, FY2005-2008. 

Study plans incorporate relevant workforce planning 

initiatives and, where strategic directions have been 

identified, are focused on the long-term strategic 

view of the bureau’s mission and on the mission of 

the organization undergoing competitive sourcing 

review. Through the Web-based commercial activities 

inventory collection system created by the USGS, the 

inventory preparers are able to accurately reflect all 

the commercial activities performed at the USGS. The 

inventory undergoes a rigorous and thorough review at 

all levels of authority in the USGS, including validation 

by the cost center managers and approvals by the 

regional and headquarter executives.

The USGS completed seventeen Express Reviews 

within the buildings and grounds maintenance and 

warehousing business areas. As a result of this review, 

the functions were retained in-house. The USGS 

completed the Visual Information business strategy 

in August 2005 and, as a result of this review, a High 

Performing Organization was implemented in October 

2005. In August 2005, the USGS announced that a total 

of six separate study activities would be conducted 

in the Science Technician and Science Technician 

Support business area. Of the six studies, public 

announcements for a single nationwide competition of 

Hydrologic Data Collection and the business strategy 

review of the Mapping and Charting business area 

performed under the National Geospatial Technical 

Operations Center were made on September 30, 

2005. A business strategy development review of the 

Library and Information Services business area will be 

completed by November 30, 2005.

Expanded E-Government

During FY2005, the USGS, in its internal review, 

identified no weaknesses in nine of twelve major IT 

systems and completed actions to address control 

weaknesses identified during the certification and 

accreditation of the remaining three major IT systems.

In FY2005, the USGS continued to support the 

Department and the Federal Government through its 

role as the managing partner of the Geospatial One 

Stop E-Government initiative. The USGS leads the 

Department’s implementation of two of the five high 

priority areas in the DOI E-Government Strategy: 

1) Geospatial Information Management and 2) 

Analytical Tools to Support Advanced, Integrated 

Science. The USGS is also spearheading the DOIwide effort to develop the Geospatial Modernization 

Blueprint and is actively collaborating with other DOI 

Bureaus to analyze business processes and plan 

enterprise or cross-cutting initiatives in several other 

key areas, including fire science and management 

(implementation of the fire modernization blueprint), 

design and implementation of the DOI enterprise 

services network, and public web services. 

During FY2005, USGS implemented an enterprise 

architecture that is consistent with and built upon 

the OMB Federal Enterprise Architecture and DOI 

Enterprise Architecture frameworks, while also 

addressing certain unique USGS mission-driven 

requirements.

The USGS has extensively adopted Grants.gov as a 

vehicle for its grants programs and contributed funding 

and/or in-kind technical expertise and scientific data to 

the Disaster.gov, Recreation One-Stop, and SAFECOM 

E-government initiatives.

Budget and Performance Integration

The integration of budget and performance is critical 

to the planning for and evaluation of success achieved 

by the USGS in application of its science to building 

long-term bodies of data and ensuring their relevance 

to partner and customer needs.

The USGS has worked very closely with the 

Department and OMB to establish PART evaluations for 

accurate and meaningful performance measures for its 

programs. USGS’s physical integration of its budget, 
Management Discussion and Analysis

24 Compliance with Legal and Regulatory Requirements

regional, and planning and performance teams in the 

Office of Budget and Performance (OBP) and the close 

coordination during the development process yielded 

very successful results. The Assistant Secretary for 

Policy, Management, and Budget commended USGS on 

its integration of budget and performance.

Activity Based Costing Management (ABC/M) initiatives 

that began in FY2004 continued into FY2005. USGS 

is committed to this effort and modified its existing 

project management, time and attendance, and 

financial systems; however, the success of ABC/M 

implementation is directly proportional to the USGS’s 

ability to communicate effectively with our employees 

about ABC/M and their role in its success. In FY2005, 

USGS began a dialogue with programs and regions 

using year-end FY2004 and mid-year FY2005 ABC data 

comparisons. As a result of these comparisons, the 

USGS is progressing toward amending the coding from 

the project to the task level.

Improved Financial Management

The Office of Administrative Policy and Services 

(APS) within the USGS formulates and prescribes 

bureau-wide financial management and accounting 

policies, procedures, and controls. The APS financial 

management environment is continuously being 

improved to ensure compliance with Federal laws and 

regulations while providing DOI and USGS executives 

with timely, accurate financial and performance 

indication. 

APS continued activities begun last year to steamline and automate certain functions, improve internal 

controls, enhance communication and coordination 

with field operations, and revise policies and 

procedures throughout this fiscal year.

During FY2005, USGS developed and implemented 

a comprehensive training plan to ensure that 

administrative officers and other financial staff 

received ongoing training in various bureau-specific 

procedures as well as general areas such as 

appropriation law and management skills.

Significant efforts by USGS to support Financial 

Business Management System (FBMS) development 

occurred during FY2005. FBMS is a major enterprise 

management initiative that will integrate budget 

formulation and planning, financial management, 

acquisition, property management, grants 

administration, and other subsidiary systems and will 

revamp administrative processes throughout DOI. 

FBMS will provide the system and process structure 

for DOI to modernize its operations and will enable DOI 

employees and managers to have better information for 

decisionmaking about their programs. 

The scope of this project is to provide a Departmentwide solution that significantly improves access to 

reliable, accurate, current, and complete financial 

and business management information to support the 

decisionmaking process throughout all levels of the 

Department, affecting all employees and operations. 

This includes improving our ability to obtain unqualified 

audit opinions, economic and efficient input and 

retrieval of data, and ensuring the best use of taxpayer 

and other available funds to promote proactive 

management of these funds. 

FBMS has been a collaborative undertaking in Interior, 

which began deployment in FY2005 in certain DOI 

bureaus. USGS is heavily involved with system design 

efforts and is currently scheduled to fully implement 

FBMS (and replace existing financial systems) in 

FY2008.

And finally, APS undertook significant efforts to 

develop and implement a strategy to comply with the 

new requirements, effective in FY2006, from OMB 

A-123, Management’s Responsibility for Internal 

Control. The Deputy CFO is the chair of the bureau’s 

senior management council and senior assessment 

team, which were both created to develop the A-123 

implementation strategy. USGS emphasized that 

risk assessments—the identification and analysis of 

relevant risks associated with achieving objectives and 

forming a basis for determining how risks should be 

managed—of internal control are instrumental. 

Internal control reviews were done on all controls or 

program areas considered to be of high risk, which 

required a description of all event cycles and analysis 

of control objectives and techniques to be documented. 

Testing of high risk areas, to be performed in FY2006, 

will likely be very detailed and extensive. Areas 

deemed to be lower than high risk will be subjected 

to less extensive, but thorough evaluations that are 

generally less paper intensive and more cost effective 

and efficient. 
 Management Discussion and Analysis Management Discussion and Analysis

Looking Forward 25

Looking Forward:

Annually, the USGS produces a program direction 

document, which is a collaborative effort 

between the bureau program coordinators, 

regional managers, and scientists and is issued by 

the Director. It contains details on opportunities 

to address new science thrusts; major changes in 

direction of, or emphasis of, program goals and related 

increases or decreases in funding; opportunities 

supported by multiple programs; and identification of 

new capabilities, facilities, and expertise available 

to support project work in the coming year. The 

document describes new directions in integrated 

science as well as new directions and opportunities 

from within the disciplines. Information about the 

possible effects of future events, conditions, and 

trends are incorporated into specific discussions on 

a variety of scientific projects. Because the science 

is integrated and focuses on complex issues, the 

research outcome will crosscut all DOI goals. 

Integrated Science Accomplishments:

The USGS continued its efforts in FY2005 to expand 

partnerships with other DOI bureaus, other Federal, 

State, and local agencies, academia, and the public 

sector to address diverse issues on the horizon. This 

effort to strengthen existing partnerships and build 

new ones, especially with DOI bureaus, will be the 

focus of a new USGS regional structure that will be 

implemented in FY2006. With senior-level managers 

dispersed throughout newly designated regions, the 

USGS is positioning itself to be more responsive to 

regional and local issues and provide the scientific 

expertise and leadership necessary to assist managers 

in solving current problems and address future science 

needs. In addition to the opportunities for increased 

communication and collaboration, USGS is also 

placing an increased emphasis on integrated science 

that will solve complex, multidisciplinary resource 

problems. The USGS is committed to maintaining 

scientific excellence as it looks for new opportunities 

to work with others on finding solutions on Resource 

Protection, Resource Use, and Advancing Scientific 

Knowledge. 

Current examples of regional activities, highlighted 

below, illustrate how USGS will incorporate 

partnerships to conduct science and inform decisions 

in the future.

Understanding the Importance of Ground Water at the 

Great Lakes Coastline 

Great Lakes nearshore areas are a focal point for 

water quantity and quality issues. An evaluation of the 

potential effects of human use of fresh ground water 

in nearshore areas of the Great Lakes is in need of 

improved scientific understanding to support wise 

management of water resources. The USGS studied 

linkages between ground-water hydrology and fish and 

invertebrate communities in nearshore areas along the 

western shoreline of Lake Erie. 

The study compared the geology, the chemistry of 

ground water, lake water and sediments, and fish and 

invertebrate communities at two contrasting study 

sites, both underlain by fractured dolomite and thin 

glacial materials. At one site, flowing seeps at the 

edge of the lake are present, and ground-water models 

indicate the natural historical hydrologic condition 

of ground-water flow to the lake is occurring. At the 

second site, withdrawals for municipal, agricultural, 

and industrial uses have drawn down ground-water 

levels by as much as 150 feet, near the Lake Erie 

shoreline, and the USGS ground-water model indicates 

a reversal in flow direction of ground water away from 

the lake. 

This study demonstrated that critical ecosystem 

processes described for marine coastlines also 

occur in the Great Lakes. Invertebrate and young 

fish community structure, abundance and type of 

emergent vegetation, and abundance of an invasive 

species (Zebra mussels) all differed between the two 

Amy Benson examines a container of specimens collected from Lake Erie.
Management Discussion and Analysis

26 Looking Forward

sites, suggesting important roles for ground water 

in development of the economically-important Lake 

Erie recreational and commercial fishery, and in 

the success of native and invasive nearshore biota. 

Results of these studies were reported in FY 2005 in 

the Journal of Great Lakes Research. Partners for this 

effort included the Michigan Department of Natural 

Resources and the Department of Environmental 

Quality, as well as The Nature Conservancy. Customers 

of the studies included the Great Lakes Commission, 

Council of Great Lakes Governors, and The 

International Joint Commission - The Fisheries, Aquatic 

and Endangered Resources Program, which will use 

these findings in determining plans for water use and 

urban planning.

Avian Population Response to Ecological Change 

Along the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska 

The USGS, in collaboration with the BLM, FWS, and the 

North Slope Borough of Alaska, completed the second 

year of research in the Northeast Planning Area of 

the National Petroleum Reserve—Alaska (NPRA) in 

2005. The work focused on internationally important 

populations of geese that spend their flightless molting 

period on the large, shallow lakes in the Teshekpuk 

Lake Special Area (TLSA) within the NPRA to 

understand the extent to which populations of geese 

change in spatial distribution over time, whether such 

change is a consequence of habitat change, and the 

physical and biological processes that cause habitat 

change. 

In 2005, detailed analyses of a 26-year FWS aerial 

survey data set of geese densities and distribution 

showed substantial changes in numbers and locations 

among four species of geese, which have important 

implications for planning petroleum exploration 

and potential future development in the Northeast 

Planning Area. To examine changes in the size and 

shape of lakes and gross changes in nearshore 

habitats important to geese, aerial photography for 

the entire TLSA for three time periods (e.g., 1950, 1979, 

and 2002) was analyzed to a) assess the amount of 

lake area change, b) examine changes in amounts 

of habitat, and c) map drainages among lakes to 

discern their influence on draining or refilling of lakes. 

Measurements of salinity, nutrient content, and other 

water quality parameters for key lakes focused on 

detecting the magnitude and spatial extent of saltwater 

intrusion into habitats important to molting geese. 

A major objective of this multi-disciplinary research 

is to develop decision support tools for managers 

responsible for planning petroleum exploration in 

concert with protection of DOI trust species. This 

resulted in a prototype Geographic Information System 

(GIS) model available in 2005 that included data layers 

from historical and contemporary sources such as 

remotely sensed imagery, goose surveys, elevation 

profiles, lake depths, hydrological parameters, land 

cover, climate parameters, sedimentary basins, and 

surficial geology. 

Multidisciplinary Assessment of Hydrogeologic 

Systems and Water Resources of the Shenandoah 

Valley Region 

The Northern Shenandoah Valley is underlain by karst 

(topography characterized by closed depressions 

or sinkholes, caves, and underground drainage) and 

fractured-rock aquifers that supply water to a rapidly 

increasing population. The recent prolonged drought 

has focused attention in this region on the quantity and 

sustainability of its water resources for human and 

ecological needs. 

In FY2004, the USGS constructed ground water 

flow models to better define the availability of 

ground water and its response to current and future 

development. These models were constructed using 

environmental data that define age distributions of 

water in discharge from karst springs, hydrologic data 

derived from research seismic imaging techniques in 

 Coastline by J.W. Dalton wellsite

Photographic assessments of erosion along the coastline within the TLSA. 

The J.W. Dalton test well site is 3 km east of Pitt Point in northcentral 

TLSA. Cameron Point West is 14 km east of Pitt Point.
 Management Discussion and Analysis

Looking Forward 27

karst areas, and updated 

geologic information. 

The final report of the 

North Fork Shenandoah 

Minimum Instream 

Flow investigation was 

provided to the Northern 

Shenandoah Valley 

Regional Commission 

and local stakeholders 

in FY2005. Results of 

this study, conducted 

by the USGS and 

Virginia Polytechnic 

Institute, served as the 

technical foundation for 

decision making by local 

communities to manage 

water withdrawals from 

the North Fork of the 

Shenandoah River during 

critical low flow periods. 

Saving the Chesapeake Bay

The USGS continued to provide critical science to 

help the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) and DOI 

restore water quality and vital habitats in the Bay 

and its watershed. In addition to its leadership in 

addressing nutrients and coordinating the nontidal 

network, USGS released reports that define the 

sources and delivery of sediment to the Bay needed 

to help improve strategies for reducing sediment that 

impacts underwater grasses. In partnership with the 

CBP and the FWS, USGS expanded the use of the 

Resource Lands Assessment (RLA), which identified 

areas of high economic and habitat value (agricultural 

lands, forests, wetlands, and stream corridors) that 

may warrant future protection and restoration. The 

RLA provides a regional multi-State look at the most 

important remaining resource lands in the Chesapeake 

Bay watershed. The RLA used GIS models and expert 

knowledge to assess the value of resource lands 

within the watershed, provided guidance to State 

and local governments in land protection strategy 

development, served as an information resource for 

the land trust community, suggested conservation 

focus areas to complement watershed restoration 

plans, and identified areas important to maintain for 

the forest products industry. These models will provide 

information for growth management practices and land 

preservation planning at multiple spatial scales. 

Integrated ground-water/surface-water interaction 

and circulation model for Biscayne Bay, Florida 

USGS has developed a fully functional integrated 

ground-water/surface-water interaction and circulation 

model for use by USGS, NPS, and other agencies 

for incorporation into a broader USGS-led coral reef 

ecosystem study in Biscayne National Park. The model 

and the results have a high degree of transferability to 

coral reef ecosystems worldwide. Since coral reefs 

are currently in serious decline, a comprehensive 

understanding of the physical and biological factors 

related to coral reef health is of critical importance to 

the future of this ecosystem resource. 

The USGS water circulation model is an important 

keystone in establishing an accurate understanding 

of many important processes, such as salinity and 

temperature thresholds for coral reef vitality, causes 

of coral reef diseases, terrestrial sediment flux into 

the reef environment, water quality degradation, 

biodiversity of reef fish communities, biodiversity and 

health of seagrass in reef and estuary ecosystems, and 

health of the reef food web.

Preliminary Data, Subject to 

Revision. USGS December 2003

USGS presentation to the Minimum Instream Flow Technical Advisory Committee on the North Fork Shenandoah 

River Basin, Virginia and surrounding counties.
Management Discussion and Analysis

28 Looking Forward

Greater Everglades Restoration

In collaboration with Florida’s Department of 

Environmental Protection and the South Florida 

Water Management District, USGS conducted field 

and experimental research to develop a better 

understanding of the movement, distribution, and 

biogeochemical processes of sulfur in the natural 

system. Research into ecosystem history was 

expanded into Biscayne Park to establish a baseline 

of current conditions of the coastal system upon 

which the impacts of the Comprehensive Everglades 

Restoration Plan (CERP) can be evaluated. USGS 

scientists continued to be active participants in 

multiple Everglades restoration work groups and 

committees including the South Florida Ecosystem 

Restoration Task Force’s Working Group and Science 

Coordination Group, CERP Project Delivery Teams and 

CERP RECOVER teams. Additionally, USGS participated 

in multiple workshops to integrate science towards 

specific DOI, CERP and RECOVER science needs in 

support of the DOI Everglades Restoration Science 

Plan. USGS work in the Everglades is essential to 

provide the scientific framework that will guide this 

enormous restoration effort. 

Integration of Science and Land Management: 

THE BIG FILE CABINET 

Federal land managers must use the best available 

science in reaching land-use decisions and in 

formulating plans for continued stewardship of Federal 

lands. The interface between science and land 

management can be difficult to penetrate especially 

in the vast tracks of western lands where human 

Building blocks of the Big File Cabinet.

impacts and natural processes combine in complex 

ways to affect land health as well as water and air 

quality. USGS, BLM, and BOR scientists and land 

managers are collaborating to understand the complex 

systems responsible for harmful concentrations of 

selenium, salt, and sediment in portions of the upper 

Colorado River basin. They jointly developed the 

“Big File Cabinet” (BFC) concept to penetrate the 

science and land management interface. The BFC is 

a data management and analysis concept that allows 

interactive use of multiple data layers to answer 

scientific and management questions. 

The basic building blocks of the BFC are a dynamic 

collection of geospatial data and a toolbox comprising 

science-based software that is used to evaluate GIS 

maps derived from the original data. The analyses 

result in maps used by land managers for sciencebased land-management decisions. The system’s 

flexibility allows the inclusion of revised and new 

data and additional and upgraded science-based 

interpretive tools to permit better informed decisions. 

A prototype BFC system was developed and tested in 

FY2004 using existing Internet-accessible diverse USGS 

and BLM databases. In FY2005, the prototype system 

was refined with additional data and tools and fieldtested in the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation 

Area. This evolving technology is designed to be 

flexible and transferable to other BLM management 

units and to other USGS projects. 

Science Forum Brings Disciplines Together

In June, New England-based USGS managers gathered 

for the second New England Science Forum. This 

grassroots effort brought together nearly 50 science 

managers from throughout the Eastern Region to share 

their work and discuss partnerships they have built 

with Federal, State, regional, and local entities.

The Science Forum showcased integrated science in 

priority research areas such as Penobscot River, Cape 

Cod, and the Connecticut River-Long Island Sound. 

Geologists, biologists, hydrologists, and geographers 

engaged in discussions on issues related to subsurface 

geology-groundwater quality, habitat degradation, 

and establishing ecological flows. One particularly 

successful outcome included the commitment of 

Eastern Region water availability funds to jumpstart 
 Management Discussion and Analysis

Looking Forward 29

a project for the Connecticut River Watershed. That 

funding has been matched 150 percent by The Nature 

Conservancy.

As the USGS continues to participate in regional 

partnerships, more science forums like this one will 

occur in the future. USGS scientists will share results 

of current research and discuss ideas to better 

leverage the total expertise of the USGS to address 

regional issues.

Hurricane Katrina impact on the future:

Impacts of Hurricane Katrina on the physical, 

ecological, social, and economic structure of the Gulf 

of Mexico coastal zone will have enormous and diverse 

long-term impacts. Initial USGS observations and 

past studies of hurricanes in the region suggest that 

changes will be widespread and persistent. Changes 

are likely to substantially increase the vulnerability of 

the region to future storm events as well as altering the 

physical and ecological structure in ways that pose 

significant risk to public, environmental, and economic 

health. The USGS is the primary Federal agency 

responsible for describing the ecological, geological, 

hydrologic, and geographic structure and resources of 

the Nation. USGS information and research products 

will be critical elements of efforts to assess the impacts 

of Hurricane Katrina and the future vulnerability of 

coastal communities and resources to coastal change 

hazards. 

Post-Katrina recovery and restoration efforts will 

be both immediate and prolonged. Responses will 

be proposed to reduce future hazard vulnerability, 

protect and restore natural resources, increase hazard 

resilience, and mitigate the impacts of Katrina on the 

environmental, economic, and public health of the 

region. USGS efforts will provide immediate support for 

impact and risk assessments and for assessments of 

the effectiveness of proposed response and recovery 

actions. Data and information resources will provide 

the essential framework to identify critical impacts and 

define the human, physical, and ecological setting in 

which post-Katrina actions will be developed. Models 

and decision-support tools will provide local, State, 

and Federal agencies with tools to evaluate the relative 

effectiveness, long-term maintenance requirements, 

and secondary impacts of alternative actions proposed. 

In addition to its value in responding to Hurricane 

Katrina, this effort will improve the responsiveness to 

assessment and forecasting of future hurricane and 

severe storm impacts in the Gulf of Mexico region and 

nationwide.

Bureau operations were significantly impacted by 

these events in September 2005, and will continue to 

be impacted based on future involvement, as needed. 

USGS provided 22 boats and numerous personnel for 

search and rescue operations, evacuation and delivery 

of food and water in the weeks immediately following 

the hurricane event. 

USGS employees in Lafayette, LA provided relief to a 

camp at the University of Louisiana. USGS geographers 

provided thousands of pinpoint maps to 911 calls 

for rescue operations. USGS employees replaced 

or repaired damaged stream gauges throughout 

the regions to restore flood warning capacity; and 

coordinated with other federal agencies to provide 

geospatial information, maps, satellite images and 

conducting scientific assessments to help response 

and recovery operations. Crews were still sampling and 

testing water in Jackson, MS as well as water pumped 

out of New Orleans and into Lake Pontchartrain in 

October 2005. The USGS National Wetlands Research 

Center made aerial photo maps and high scale imagery 

maps used to determine the status of the cities now 

in the recovery phase. And additional administrative 

assistance was provided to the Department to 

coordinate hurricane recovery efforts.

USGS researchers Scott Wilson, Clint Jeske, and Bob Keeland, scientists 

from the USGS National Wetlands Research Center, use their equipment to 

rescue those stranded in New Orleans.
Management Discussion and Analysis

30 Limitations to Our Financial Statements

Limitations to Our Financial Statements

The principal financial statements have been presented to report the financial position and results of operations of 

the USGS, pursuant to the requirements of 31 U.S.C. 3515(b). 

While the statements have been prepared from the books and records of USGS in accordance with accounting 

principles generally accepted in the U.S. for Federal entities and the formats prescribed by the Office of 

Management and Budget, the statements are in addition to the financial reports used to monitor and control 

budgetary resources which are prepared from the same books and records. 

The financial statements should be read with the realization that they are for a component of the United States 

government, a sovereign entity. 

Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a category 4 

storm in Plaquemines Parish, LA on August 29, 2005.

Aerial video, still photography, and laser altimetry 

surveys of post-storm beach conditions were collected 

August 31 and September 1, 2005 for comparison 

with earlier data. The comparisons show the nature, 

magnitude, and spatial variability of coastal changes 

such as beach erosion, overwash deposition, and 

island breaching. These data will also be used to 

further refine predictive models of coastal impacts 

from severe storms. The data were made available 

to local, state, and Federal agencies for purposes of 

disaster recovery and erosion mitigation.

The first image, taken in July 2001, shows narrow 

sandy beaches and adjacent overwash sandflats, low 

vegetated dunes, and backbarrier marshes broken by 

ponds and channels. 

The second image shows the same location on 

August 31, 2005, two days after Hurricane Katrina 

made landfall on the Louisiana and Mississippi 

coastline. Storm surge and large waves from 

Hurricane Katrina submerged the islands, stripped 

sand from the beaches, and eroded large sections of 

the marsh. Today, few recognizable landforms are left 

on the Chandeleur Island chain. 
Section II

Performance Data and Analysis

Contents

Message from the Director, Office of Budget and Performance ............................................. 32

Performance Budget Results ......................................................................................................... 34

Performance Plan Development ................................................................................................... 37

Performance Measure Results ..................................................................................................... 38

Validation and Verification of Performance Data ....................................................................... 88

Program Evaluation Data ................................................................................................................ 90

31

USGS scientists performing a geophysical survey of Dankard Creek, PA, in conjunction with performing 

cooperative work with the U. S. Department of Energy / National Energy Technology Laboratory.
Performance Data and Analysis

32 Message from the Director, Office of Budget and Performance

The USGS is in a state of transition and is faced with an array of challenges; these challenges 

provide opportunities for the USGS to enhance its performance and ensure accountability. 

The integration of budget and performance is paramount to the planning for and evaluation 

of success achieved by the USGS in relation to what costs are being expended. The USGS 

has worked closely with the Department of the Interior to establish accurate and meaningful 

performance measures for its programs in accordance to the PMA. The most overarching and 

pervasive of the five management reform items on the PMA is the Budget and Performance 

Integration initiative; this type of integration is commonly referred to as performance-based budgeting. Focusing on results and 

accountability with performance monitoring and financial reporting is a sound practice for increased USGS productivity. The 

USGS continues to receive commendation from the Department for effective budget and performance integration in its annual 

budget submissions. The Office of Budget and Performance pilots the USGS’s budget and performance integration efforts. The 

budget, regional, and planning and performance teams of the Office of Budget and Performance work in concert to develop 

and produce budget and performance documents that are fully integrated with respect to descriptions of base programs and 

analyses; associated funding and FTE implications; and the expected standards of performance and how they will be evaluated. 

These teams coordinate activities and work closely with bureau program staff to understand and evaluate the science programs’ 

budget and performance levels, ensuring delivery of mission and responsiveness to USGS executive management decisions, 

Departmental concerns, and Administrative policies. In FY2005, the USGS continued an improved approach toward budget and 

performance integration, initiated in FY2004. Last year, the OBP instituted an aggressive schedule that ensured on-time delivery 

of the annual budget justification and performance plan to the Congress in early February 2005. The FY2005 performance budget 

aligned staffing and funding requests with mission related strategic objectives. In future years, the bureau plans to allocate 

funding at more detailed levels to enhance the budget and performance integration effort.

In FY2005, the USGS continued to advance its workforce planning efforts with specific emphasis on restructuring initiatives 

across the Geospatial Information and Geography disciplines and on various competitive sourcing studies, including visual 

information activities. Workforce strategies will continue to address and improve the USGS’s ability to determine the gap 

between current skills and future skill needs, and to develop recruitment, retention, training, competitive sourcing, succession 

planning, and other strategies for addressing identified skills gap. Science center workforce plans will assist managers in the 

new regional structure to develop strategies for meeting critical skills necessary to address the long-term science program goals 

within their new scope of management responsibilities.

The challenges of linking performance results to the budget are complicated for the USGS due to the fact that many objectives 

are accomplished indirectly. The USGS’s primary product is scientific information. Quantitative measures of USGS performance 

are tangible and directly related to inputs, but they are primarily outputs (e.g., number of scientific papers published, data 

collected) that convey little sense of the true benefits gained by the American people from the information the USGS produces. 

The outcome related to USGS-provided scientific information is that a stakeholder has the information with which to make an 

informed decision. Quantitative impact measures (e.g., number of counties, or comparable jurisdictions, that have adopted 

improved building codes, land-use plans, emergency response plans, or other hazard mitigation measures based on USGS 

hazards information) are only indirectly linked to USGS outcomes. To truly realize the impact of USGS science on land and 

resource decisionmaking and, therefore, its relevance, the USGS measures customer satisfaction with quality, availability and 

utility of our science products. The USGS also takes our ability to leverage resources through partnerships as an additional 

indication of relevance. The USGS continued its efforts in FY2005 to expand partnerships with other Interior bureaus, other 

Federal, State, and local agencies, academia, and the public sector to address diverse issues on the landscape. The effort to 

strengthen existing partnerships and build new ones, especially with DOI bureaus, is enhanced through USGS regional offices, 

which work closely with regional and local DOI bureau offices. The close proximity of USGS managers and scientists to DOI land 

and resource managers allows the USGS to be more responsive to regional and local issues and provide the scientific expertise 

and leadership necessary to assist managers in solving current problems and address future science needs. The USGS is 

committed to maintaining scientific excellence as it looks for new opportunities to work with others in finding solutions related to 

the Department’s Strategic Plan’s goals of Resource Protection, Resource Use, and Advancing Scientific Knowledge.

Message from the Director, Office of Budget and Performance
 Performance Data and Analysis

Message from the Director, Office of Budget and Performance 33

Improving programs by focusing on results is an integral component of the Administration’s Budget and Performance Integration 

initiative. The PMA is used by the USGS as a framework to strengthen our workforce, lower the cost of doing business through 

competition, improve financial performance, increase the use of information technology and E-Government capabilities, 

and integrate budget decisions with performance data. The Office of Management and Budget assesses the USGS status 

and progress for each of the PMA initiatives on a quarterly basis. The result is a “living plan” that continues to be updated 

quarterly to remove completed tasks and add new objectives and tasks to meet new or revised requirements and goals. 

Program evaluations are the foundation on which the USGS gauges performance relative to the DOI End Outcome measure for 

soundness of methodology, accuracy, and reliability of science. The USGS exercises a robust, cyclical compulsory for science 

planning, program reviews, cost center reviews, management control reviews, and peer reviews; the USGS continues to refine 

these processes. In addition to internal controls, external reviews from the GAO, OMB, Office of the Inspector General, and 

other organizations such as the National Academy of Public Administration and the National Research Council are essential to 

upholding the USGS’s reputation for scientific excellence and credibility as well as providing guidance for future research needs. 

Yet another vehicle employed by the USGS to ensure product quality and relevance is the Standard Customer Satisfaction/

Outcome Surveys. Since first begun in FY2001, more than 1,600 customers—mostly scientists and resource managers—have 

described their satisfaction with various aspects of more than 40 different USGS science products. In response to the expressed 

needs of customers, the USGS has made many enhancements to these products. The surveys all follow the same format, 

although each one is modified to meet a specific program’s customer information needs. The final outcome of each survey is 

immediately useful to the program manager. The results meet the goals of the DOI Strategic Plan and support PART evaluations.

The USGS has a long and rigorous record of conducting external peer reviews for research, performance evaluations for 

programs, and management control reviews. This suite of tools is now supplemented further and coordinated with the OMB 

Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) evaluations, and is also beginning to include the results of Activity Based Costing/

Management (ABC/M) to instruct auxiliary planning processes. Existing performance budgeting tools, such as PART, provide 

a vehicle for facilitating baseline reviews of program functions and activities. USGS successfully worked with OMB and the 

Department to establish PART evaluations for accurate and meaningful measures for its programs. USGS has particularly 

focused on program improvement through the PART process. At the close of FY2005, USGS completed PART evaluations stood 

at five programs “moderately effective,” one program “effective,” and none rating “results not demonstrated.” The Department’s 

quarterly reviews ensure accountability of PART programs, milestone progress explanations, target delay explanations, and any 

pertinent implementation impacts of Action Plan execution. 

Becoming a more results-oriented organization has required USGS to make significant changes in internal decisionmaking 

processes to develop a clear information technology strategy and amend their organizational culture. In order to meet these 

changing requirements, the USGS moved to an Activity Based Costing/Management system. Identifying activity costs is complex 

and requires a significant level of effort. ABC/M initiatives that began in FY2004 continued in FY2005. USGS is fully committed 

to this effort and has modified existing project management, time and attendance, and financial systems; however, the success of 

ABC/M is directly proportional to the USGS’s ability to communicate effectively with employees about ABC/M and their role in its 

success. Capturing the cost of activities will enable the USGS to better document the basis for cost-share projects, assessment, 

and cost recovery. In FY2005, USGS began a dialogue with programs and regions using year-end FY2004 and mid-year FY2005 

ABC data comparisons for consistency in coding, appropriations of code designations to project activities, accuracy of project 

planning and employee reporting. One significant adjustment evidenced from the year-end and mid-year review was the fact 

that more granularity could be obtained by coding at the task level rather than the project level. After receiving approval from 

the Bureau Program Council, the USGS is moving toward amending the coding to the task level and BASIS+, the USGS projectplanning tool, is being modified to accommodate this change for FY2006 implementation.

The USGS remains committed to continue its excellent performance in the conduct of its science.

Carla Burzyk

Director, Office of Budget and Performance and Deputy Chief Financial Officer

October 2005
Performance Data and Analysis

34 Performance Budget Results

Performance Budget Results

The integration of budget and performance is critical to the planning for and evaluation of success achieved by the 

USGS in the application of its science to building long-term bodies of data and ensuring their relevance to partner 

and customer needs. The USGS has been particularly successful in this endeavor, owing to the physical integration of 

its budget, regional, and planning and performance teams in its Office of Budget and Performance Management. 

Working in constant contact, these teams jointly develop and produce budget and performance documents that are 

fully integrated with respect to description of base programs and analyses, their funding and FTE implications, what 

the standards of their performance will be and how they will be evaluated. The three teams work closely with bureau 

program staff to understand, evaluate, and plan the science programs’ budget and performance levels, ensuring 

responsiveness to USGS executive management decisions, departmental concerns, and Administration policies. 

After achieving “green” on the FY2004 scorecard for Budget and Performance Integration, the OMB and DOI criteria 

for scoring were raised with a focus on PART and institutionalizing program improvement processes for FY2005. 

USGS again climbed from yellow to green with current status as follows. 

FY2004 Criteria FY2005 Criteria

Integrated budget planning Quarterly integrated assessment of budget & 

performance

Budget & plans include outcome goals, output targets 

and resources

Routine application of performance information in 

budget decisions

Budget activities and staff align with program targets Link individual employee performance evaluations to 

mission performance

Costs link to specific work activities, outputs, outcomes Report/estimate full cost of changes in performance 

goals

Program performance evaluations document 

effectiveness

Apply PART efficiency measures to improve 

Performance

Capital asset planning integrates budget and 

performance

Apply PART Information in resource and program 

management decisionmaking

FY2005 Criteria Status

Quarterly integrated 

assessment of budget & 

performance

For FY2005, the USGS provided quarterly status of all relevant key end and 

intermediate outcome measures to the Department in the ABC/M performance 

module with explanation of exceptions and projected achievement of annual 

targets for all key end and intermediate outcome measures and status of costs. 

Budget documents include 

• explanations of performance with respect to prior year and funding change;

• relationship of actual expenditures to work activities for each goal and budget 

activity and proposed increases and decreases by goal; and 

• described relationship of performance between years.
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Budget Results 35

FY2005 Criteria Status

Routine application of 

performance information in 

budget decisions

All bureau accounts can map budget activities and subactivities to performance 

end outcome and intermediate measure targets. The USGS Performance 

Budget fully complies with requirements for a Bureau Operating Plan. It is fully 

integrated with the Budget Justification and describes the relationship between 

all relevant Strategic Plan intermediate goals and bureau performance measure 

targets. All budgetary changes are documented with performance information 

in the Program Change section of the budget justification. Long-term trends 

are available for the existing performance measures, spanning 1998 – 2004, 

that carried over into the new plan. Baselines were established in FY2004, and 

targets were set through FY2008, for DOI and bureau-specific measures. For 

bureau measures, funding changes demonstrated annual and strategic impacts. 

Targets are adjusted annually to reflect actual performance in the prior year as 

well as enacted appropriations for the budget/performance year.

Link individual employee 

performance evaluations to 

mission performance

From linking the performance plans for all SES and direct reports to 

organizational performance in FY2004, USGS expanded to link all employee plans 

to organizational performance for FY2005.

Report/estimate full cost of 

changes in performance goals

Implementation of ABC produced actual cost data for work activities by 

discipline, by budget activity and subactivity, by program, and by DOI end 

outcome goals, etc., from FFS and our budget planning system. USGS is 

currently in the process of linking cost to outputs. ABC reports and data can 

be extracted by all managers at all levels on a daily basis for verifying and 

validating, and for performing analyses for decisionmaking. Continued effort 

is needed to standardize processes and ensure consistency of interpretation 

before ABC data can be routinely used to manage. Bureau/Office can estimate 

marginal cost of incremental or decremented performance changes by using 

information in performance and budget documents and cost data. Although the 

Bureau could, in most cases, specify year of performance achievement for an 

incremental change, that knowledge would not be useful unless taken in the 

context of the entire budget which is not currently projecting year of completion 

for base funding.

Apply PART efficiency 

measures to improve 

Performance

OMB-approved measures exist for 100 percent of USGS PARTed programs. OMBapproved efficiency measures, however, are not sensitive to quarterly monitoring 

of cost efficiency. The implementation progress of PART milestones relative to 

PART recommendations and Action Plans can be tracked quarterly in MITS and 

reported during quarterly reviews.

Apply PART Information 

in resource and program 

management decisionmaking

USGS can report quarterly on how programmatic- and/or resource -reallocation 

decisions are made if they occur. OMB-approved efficiency measures, however, 

are not sensitive to quarterly monitoring of cost efficiency. In specific instances, 

an indication of change in timeliness can be observed and explained. For 

example: For percent of the Nation’s coverage for high-resolution geospatial 

data, the accelerated rate of increase of 13 percent was due to the emphasis on 

obtaining first-time coverage of high resolution orthoimagery over urban areas.
Performance Data and Analysis

36 Performance Budget Results

PART

With program evaluations and peer review integral 

to our culture, USGS has particularly focused on 

program improvement through the PART process. By 

the end of FY2005, USGS completed PART evaluations 

stand at five programs “moderately effective,” one 

program “effective,” and none rating “adequate,” 

“ineffective” or “results not demonstrated.” All OMB 

recommendations have been addressed with action 

plans having milestones and targets approved by the 

Department and OMB and tracked in the Department’s 

Management Initiatives Tracking System (MITS). All 

actions are on schedule or, when milestones appear 

to be delayed for cause, are renegotiated with OMB 

and the Department and amended in MITS. The 

Department quarterly reviews ensure accountability 

of PART programs, recommendations implemented, 

milestone progress explanations, target delay 

explanations, and any pertinent implementation 

impacts of Action Plan implementation. In addition, 

prior and current year efficiency measures results 

are reported. Further information on each recently 

conducted program evaluation is provided later in this 

section. 

Activity Based Cost/Management (ABC/M)

Year-end FY2004 data and mid-year FY2005 data were 

reviewed for consistency in coding, appropriateness 

of code designations to project activities, accuracy 

of project planning, and employee reporting. One 

significant adjustment to the assignment of ABC 

codes that has arisen from the year-end and mid-year 

reviews is the need to apply the codes to the task 

level in project planning rather than at the project 

level. USGS coded ABC activities at the project level 

to capture the full cost of doing work. For example, all 

effort related to research. But USGS science projects 

vary in structure and may incorporate multiple work 

activities and products. Since these work activities are 

often separated at the task level within a project, more 

granularity can be obtained by coding at the task level. 

USGS is preparing changes to its BASIS+ system in 

FY2005 to begin capturing ABC data at the task level in 

FY2006. 

In addition, USGS continues striving to understand 

relationships and leveraging management information. 

The process of developing these standardized outputs 

further refined the definition templates and further 

contributed to more consistent application. ABC 

reports and data can be extracted by all managers at 

all levels on a daily basis for verifying and validating 

and for performing analyses for decisionmaking. 

Although close, continued efforts are needed to 

standardize processes and ensure consistency of 

interpretation before ABC data can be routinely used to 

manage.

USGS Activities

The USGS conducts research, monitoring, and 

assessments to contribute to understanding the 

natural world—America’s lands, water, and biological 

resources and processes as well as its natural 

hazards. By combining biology, geology, hydrology, 

and geography in one agency, the USGS is uniquely 

positioned to provide science information and conduct 

scientific research that ensures an integrated 

approach to advance scientific knowledge and utilize 

the latest technologies to provide timely answers 

and products and improve the quality of life for the 

communities we serve. 

The USGS provides reliable, impartial information to 

the citizens of this country and to the global community 

in the form of maps, data, and reports containing 

analyses and interpretations of water, energy, mineral, 

and biological resources; land surfaces; marine 

environments; geologic structures; natural hazards; 

and dynamic processes of the Earth. The USGS 

provides scientific information to understand issues 

such as coastal erosion and pollution, sea-level rise, 

loss of wetlands and marine habitats, the geological 

processes controlling the invasion of cheat grass, and 

the role of dust in desert ecosystem health. 

Armed with this knowledge, decisionmakers can 

respond better to both natural and human-induced 

changes. Through the application of science, 

decisionmakers are able to address complex issues 

concerning public safety, our environment, and natural 

resources; to address public health questions; and to 

promote public prosperity for the future well being of 

our country. USGS data and information are used daily 

by managers, planners, and citizens to understand, 

respond to, and plan for changes in the environment. 
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Plan Development 37

USGS research and data products support the 

Department’s resource and land management 

needs and provide the science information 

needed by other Federal, State, tribal, and 

local government agencies; industry groups; 

agricultural interests; academia; non-profit 

organizations; and the American public to guide 

planning, management, and regulatory programs. 

Performance Plan Development

Natural science research is the foundation of 

the Department of the Interior’s FY2003-2008 

Strategic Plan, and USGS science directly 

supports three of the four DOI mission areas. 

As highlighted on page 5 of the MD&A, a logic 

model (see performance model at right) was used 

to develop GPRA goals across the organization 

to create one Department-wide strategic plan 

implemented in FY2004. The DOI Strategic Plan 

provides a high-level overview of performance, 

setting large mission goals and broad program 

objectives. Its greatest value, day-by-day, comes 

from connecting that larger view with each day’s 

ground-level work. 

The plan structure is focused on end outcomes, 

selected high-priority intermediate outcomes, and on 

performance measures, indicators, and output that 

verify progress toward outcome achievement. Just as 

each mission area has its own strategic goals, each 

strategic goal has its own end outcome goals and 

measures. Supporting those, in turn, are intermediate 

outcome goals and measures, with outputs and inputs 

below that. Targets are set at every level, providing 

numerical measures of USGS accomplishment. 

Outputs are typically quantifiable products of work 

processes or activities. Activity-based costing, in its 

second year of implementation at USGS, holds the 

potential to connect outputs to costs and create a 

powerful management tool for identifying efficiencies, 

focus attention on achievement and innovation, and 

move more quickly to spread best practices throughout 

the organization.

Performance measures are also generated through 

application of OMB’s Program Assessment Rating 

Tool (PART). The PART was developed by OMB to 

assess the effectiveness of Federal programs and 

help inform management actions, budget requests, 

and legislative proposals directed at achieving results. 

The PART examines various factors that contribute 

to the effectiveness of a program and requires that 

conclusions be explained and substantiated with 

evidence. The PART assesses if and how program 

evaluation is used to inform program planning and to 

corroborate program results.

Highlighted in the Management Discussion and 

Analysis section, USGS performance data and 

accomplishments are further expanded in this section 

to include all performance measures that were used 

to request funding and to match achievement of these 

metrics against the targets that were set on enactment 

of the appropriation. USGS outcomes and measures 

focus on providing science to customers for solving 

the Nation’s complex land- and resource -management 

problems and to minimize the loss of life and property 

from natural disasters. The ultimate outcome related 

to providing scientific information is that our customers 

and partners have the information with which to make 

informed decisions. Performance measures serve as 

stepping stones to the goal and the outcome, keeping 

the program on track, on time, and on budget.
Performance Data and Analysis

38 Performance Measure Results

Summary Performance Result

The PART performance measures and their 

performance results are included with the strategic 

plan measures within the tables to follow. The 

following legend applies:

▼ Target Not Met

▲ Target Exceeded

√ Target Met

Each analysis of results begins with Target Met; 

Target Not Met; or Target Exceeded. USGS is applying 

the Department’s 5 percent threshold application in 

determining the result, which dictates that if the result 

is within 5 percent of the target performance, this 

generates a “goal met” rating. The summary result for 

Department of the Interior

MISSION AND OUTCOME GOALS

P

A

R

T

N

E

R

S

H

I

P

S

M

A

N

A

G

E

M

E

N

T

Resource Use

• Manage or Influence Resource Use to Enhance 

Public Benefit, Promote Responsible Use, and 

Ensure Optimal Value

• Deliver Water and Generate Hydropower, 

Consistent with Applicable Federal and State Law, 

in an Environmentally Responsible and Cost 

Efficient Manner

Recreation

• Provide for a Quality Recreation Experience, 

Including Access and Enjoyment of Natural and 

Cultural Resources on DOI Managed and 

Partnered Lands and Waters

• Provide for and Receive Fair Value in Recreation

Resource Protection

• Improve the Health of Watersheds, Landscapes, 

and Marine Resources that are DOI Managed or 

Influenced in a Manner Consistent with 

Obligations Regarding the Allocation and Use of 

Water

• Sustain Desired Biological Communities on DOI 

Managed and Influenced Lands and Waters in a 

Manner Consistent with Obligations Regarding 

the Allocation and Use of Water

• Protect Cultural and Natural Heritage Resources

S C I E N C E

Serving Communities

• Protect Lives, Resources and Property

• Advance Knowledge Through Scientific 

Leadership and Inform Decisions Through the 

Applications of Science

• Fulfill Indian Fiduciary Trust Responsibilities 

• Advance Quality Communities for Tribes and 

Alaska Natives

• Increase Economic Self-Sufficiency of Insular 

Areas

actual or estimated values that are less than 95 percent 

or more than 105 percent of the target must be either 

Target Not Met or Target Exceeded, respectively.

The Department’s Strategic Plan is available at the 

following address: http://www.doi.gov/ppp/strat_plan_

fy2003_2008.pdf

How We Performed in FY2005:

USGS met or exceeded 90 percent of the performance 

measures monitoring during FY2005. Summary results 

for these measures are presented at right.

For the most part, the measures not met resulted from 

diversion of efforts to disaster-related data collection 

for multiple catastrophic events and changing priorities 

of partners who contribute data. Planned data 

collection will resume when immediate priorities are 

met.

This structure depicts the four mission areas of the Department and the supporting pillars of partnerships and management. 

Science is presented as the foundation for informed resource-management decisions.
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 39

Summary of How We Performed in FY2005:

End Outcome Goal

Total Number 

of Measures

Number of 

Measures 

Met

Number of 

Measures 

Exceeded

Number of 

Measures 

Not Met

Resource Protection: Protect the Nation’s Natural, Cultural, and Heritage Resources

Improve the health of watersheds, landscapes, 

and marine resources that are DOI-managed or 

-influenced in a manner consistent with obligations 

regarding the allocation and use of water.

11 2 9 0

Sustain biological communities on DOI-managed 

and -influenced lands and waters in a manner 

consistent with obligations regarding the allocation 

and use of water.

16 7 9 0

Total 27 9 18 0

Resource Use: Manage Resources to Promote Responsible Use and Sustain a Dynamic 

Economy

Energy – Manage or influence resource use to 

enhance public benefit, promote responsible use, 

and ensure optimal value.

11 3 8 0

Non-energy minerals – Manage or influence 

resource use to enhance public benefit, promote 

responsible use, and ensure optimal value.

12 9 3 0

Total 23 12 11 0

Serving Communities: Safeguard Lives, Property, and Assets; Advance Scientific 

Knowledge; and Improve the Quality of Life for the Communities We Serve

Protect lives, resources, and property. 25 17 6 2

Advance knowledge through scientific leadership 

and inform decisions through the application of 

science.

71* 37 20 14

Total 96 54 25 17

*One measure was rebaselined.

In the following pages, we present each of our performance measures with historical and current year results in 

relationship to their applicable GPRA and end outcome goals. For those measures that did not meet expected results, 

comments are provided immediately following the tables depicting performance measure results. Highlights of 

significant accomplishments illustrating our work performed are also included in the following pages.
Performance Data and Analysis

40 Performance Measure Results

Resource Protection: Protect the Nation’s Natural, Cultural, and Heritage Resources

End Outcome Goal: 

Improve the health of watersheds, landscapes, and marine resources that are DOI-managed or -influenced in a 

manner consistent with obligations regarding the allocation and use of water.

Performance Results

Intermediate Outcome: Restore and maintain proper functions to watersheds and landscape

Restore Fire Adapted Ecosystems: Percentage satisfaction 

with scientific and technical products (DOI strategic plan key 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 97% 100% ≥ 80% 100%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

Performance Outputs:

Number of systematic analyses and investigations delivered 

to customers

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

11 11 4 8 26

▲ Target Exceeded. During the FY2005 PART of contributing programs, USGS worked on standardizing definitions and consistency in their 

application. Effectively the measures were rebaselined and outyear targets will be adjusted accordingly. However, the process will need 

another year to test before we can become confident in predicting results. 

Number of formal workshops or training provided to 

customers

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

1 1 1 1 6

▲ Target Exceeded. During the FY2005 PART of contributing programs, USGS worked on standardizing definitions and consistency in their 

application. Effectively the measures were rebaselined and outyear targets will be adjusted accordingly. However, the process will need 

another year to test before we can become confident in predicting results. 

Intermediate Outcome: Improve information base, information management, and technical assistance

Forge Effective Partnerships: Satisfaction score (number 

score) on resource protection partnerships (DOI strategic 

plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 97% 97% ≥ 80% 94%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

Customer Satisfaction: Percentage satisfaction with 

scientific and technical products and assistance 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 97% 97% ≥ 80% 94%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

√ Targets Met = 2 ▼ Targets Not Met = 0 ▲ Targets Exceeded = 9
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 41

Performance Results

Intermediate Outcome: Improve information base, information management, and technical assistance

Customer Satisfaction: Timeliness of scientific and technical 

products 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

95% 93% 93% ≥ 80% 97%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

Customer Satisfaction: Usefulness of scientific and technical 

products 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

98% 97% 97% ≥ 80% 96%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

Quality: Percentage of watershed and landscape-related 

research studies validated through appropriate peer review 

or independent review (DOI strategic plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

√ Target Met.

Facilities Condition: Conservation and biological research 

facilities are in fair to good condition as measured by the 

Facilities Condition Index (lower FCI is good) 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a .24 .24 .24

√ Target Met.

Performance Outputs:

Number of systematic analyses and investigations delivered 

to customers

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

143 151 107 177 347

▲ Target Exceeded. During the FY2005 PART of contributing programs, USGS worked on standardizing definitions and consistency in their 

application. Effectively the measures were rebaselined and outyear targets will be adjusted accordingly. However, the process will need 

another year to test before we can become confident in predicting results. 

Number of formal workshops or training provided to 

customers

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

63 63 20 23 92

▲ Target Exceeded. During the FY2005 PART of contributing programs, USGS worked on standardizing definitions and consistency in their 

application. Effectively the measures were rebaselined and outyear targets will be adjusted accordingly. However, the process will need 

another year to test before we can become confident in predicting results. 
Performance Data and Analysis

42 Performance Measure Results

(e.g., migratory birds), sea level rise, and global 

climate change will use this information to predict the 

future vulnerability of coastal wetlands to climatechange-induced sea level rise, particularly when 

used to drive numerical models that consider more 

than just future changes in sea level (e.g., changes 

in surface runoff and groundwater, local sediment). 

This accomplishment relates to the Output Measure 

“Number of systematic analyses & investigations 

delivered to customers.”

Flood Storage Capacity, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, 

and Carbon Sequestration of Wetlands in the Prairie 

Pothole Region of the Northern Great Plains

USGS has determined that prairie pothole wetlands are 

carbon sinks in North America, and that agriculture, 

the dominant land use in the region, has caused most 

of these wetlands to shift from sinks to sources of 

atmospheric CO2. Wetland restoration was determined 

to have more than twice the potential as no-till 

agriculture to sequester atmospheric CO2, although 

wetlands only occupy about 17 percent of the prairie 

pothole region. This project describes the size of the 

carbon sink attributable to wetlands in North America 

and documents the carbon storage the United States 

claimed for restored wetlands in the most recent report 

of the greenhouse emissions and sinks as required to 

comply with the United Nations Framework Convention 

on Climate Change. As a result, publications were 

prepared documenting the carbon storage potential of 

prairie pothole wetlands. Federal and State managers 

and policy makers dealing with wetland restoration 

and management and with conservation practices 

related to agriculture and the Farm Bill, climate change, 

greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon sequestration 

will also use this information. This accomplishment 

relates to the Output Measure “Number of systematic 

analyses & investigations delivered to customers.”

Accomplishments

Restoration of Bottomland Hardwood Forested 

Wetlands in the Lower Mississippi Valley and Gulf 

Coastal Plain

This effort is an evaluation of restoration efforts 

by various Federal agencies in coastal plain areas 

providing science-based technical information to 

improve restoration efforts. Through Federal programs 

authorized under the Farm Bill (Wetland Reserve 

Program), the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, and 

the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and 

Restoration Act, DOI works closely with State and 

local governments and the private sector to create 

incentives and guidance for wetland restoration where 

mitigation of wetland loss is a high priority. To provide 

these incentives and guidelines, USGS conducted 

two workshops in FY 2005. On March 8-9, 2005, USGS 

conducted a workshop to assess the effects of USDA 

conservation practices on wetland functions and 

ecosystem services in the Mississippi River alluvial 

valley. On March 22-23, 2005, USGS held a workshop 

on Afforestation in the Lower Mississippi River Alluvial 

Valley with the Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture 

Forest Resource Working Group. This accomplishment 

relates to the Output Measure: “Number of workshops 

or training provided to customers.”

Response of Coastal Ecosystems to Sea Level Rise: 

Assessing Wetland Elevation Changes, Potential for 

Submergence, and Management Options

USGS has conducted the first analyses of data from 

a developing global network of wetland elevation 

monitoring stations identifying key processes that 

control the rate and mode of wetland submergence 

or survival in the face of future climate change. 

These analyses were conducted as part of a special 

symposium organized by scientists from the USGS, 

England, and Australia at the 2004 INTECOL Wetlands 

Conference in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Federal and 

State managers and policy makers concerned with 

coastal wetlands and the resources they support 
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 43

Resource Protection: Protect the Nation’s Natural, Cultural, and Heritage Resources

End Outcome Goal:

Sustain biological communities on DOI-managed and -influenced lands and waters in a manner consistent with 

obligations regarding the allocation and use of water.

Performance Results

Intermediate Outcome: Create habitat conditions for desired biological communities to flourish

Invasive Species — Prevention: Percentage of invasive 

species research focused on pathways and prevention 

methods 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

2% 8% 7% 6% 6%

√ Target Met.

Invasive Species — Early Detection: Percentage of 

invasive species research focused on detection and 

assessments of new invasions 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

2% 3% 8% 5% 5%

√ Target Met.

Invasive Species — Rapid Response: Percentage of 

invasive species research focused on rapid management 

response to new invaders 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

<1% <1% 1% 2% 2%

√ Target Met.

Invasive Species — Control & Management: Percentage of 

invasive species research focused on providing information 

and methods for control and management of established 

invasive species 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

95% 89% 84% 87% 87%

√ Target Met.

Invasive Species — Forge Effective Partnerships: 

Satisfaction score (number score) on resource protection 

partnerships 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 97% 99% ≥ 80% 100%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

Performance Outputs:

Number of systematic analyses and investigations delivered 

to customers

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

16 20 51 24 85

▲ Target Exceeded. During the FY2005 PART of contributing programs, USGS worked on standardizing definitions and consistency in 

their application. Effectively the measures were rebaselined and outyear targets will be adjusted accordingly. However, the process will 

need another year to test before we can become confident in predicting results.

√ Targets Met = 7 ▼ Targets Not Met = 0 ▲ Targets Exceeded = 9
Performance Data and Analysis

44 Performance Measure Results

Performance Results

Number of formal workshops or training provided to 

customers

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

1 1 1 1 26

▲ Target Exceeded. During the FY2005 PART of contributing programs, USGS worked on standardizing definitions and consistency in 

their application. Effectively the measures were rebaselined and outyear targets will be adjusted accordingly. However, the process will 

need another year to test before we can become confident in predicting results. 

Intermediate Outcome: Improve information base, information management, and technical assistance

Forge Effective Partnerships: Satisfaction score (number 

score) on resource protection partnerships (DOI strategic 

plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 97% 98% ≥ 80% 100%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

Shared Data: Percentage of DOI databases with species 

information that is available throughout DOI and other partners 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

√ Target Met.

Customer Satisfaction: Percent satisfaction with DOI 

scientific and technical information

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 99% 98% ≥ 80% 87%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

Customer Satisfaction: Timeliness of scientific and 

technical information 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

97% 97% 97% ≥ 80% 98%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

Customer Satisfaction: Usefulness of scientific and 

technical information 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

99% 98% 98% ≥ 80% 87%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

Quality: Percentage of biological research studies validated 

through appropriate peer review or independent review 

(DOI strategic plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

√ Target Met.
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 45

Accomplishments

USGS Scientists are Helping Bring Shad Back to New 

England Anglers

USGS scientists collaborated with State, Federal, and 

commercial partners in the design and evaluation of 

a mock fish passage entrance structure at a power 

canal at Turners Falls, MA. Poor fish passage through 

Northeast Generation’s power canal has resulted 

in fewer American shad available for sport fishing 

in the New Hampshire and Vermont sections of the 

Connecticut River. 

State and Federal fishery agencies, acting through the 

Fish Passage Subcommittee of the Connecticut River 

Atlantic Salmon Commission’s Technical Committee, 

sought USGS research to investigate potential solutions 

to the power canal fish passage bottleneck. Fewer 

than 20 percent of the shad entering the power canal 

from another fish ladder successfully entered the 

gatehouse fish ladder at the top end of the canal. 

Experiments demonstrated that, once fish enter the 

last fish ladder at Turners Falls, over 70 percent will 

continue through the ladder, allowing them to proceed 

to the New Hampshire and Vermont sections of the 

river. 

The evaluation looked at the impact of various flow 

conditions and successful entrance rates of tagged 

shad. Data from the research showed that fish 

entrance rates through the modified mock fish passage 

entrance were four times higher than rates through the 

existing entrance. Fishery agency and utility company 

staff have been briefed on the results. Based on 

these data, all parties concluded that a second year of 

evaluation was warranted and would likely lead to the 

construction of a new fish entrance the following year. 

It is expected that a much higher proportion of power 

canal shad will migrate to New Hampshire and Vermont 

waters, supporting a significant new sport fishery in 

those two States. This accomplishment relates to the 

Output Measure: “Number of systematic analyses & 

investigations delivered to customers.”

Western Freshwater and Anadromous Fish: Life History 

and Ecosystem Process Requirements

USGS scientists investigated endangered razorback 

suckers and bonytails in semi-natural rearing channels 

adjacent to the Colorado River in cooperation with 

other Federal and State agencies to aid in restoration 

of these rare species. There is substantial evidence 

that adult and larval suckers once utilized backwater 

Performance Results

Facilities Condition: Conservation and biological research 

facilities are in fair-to-good condition as measured by the 

Facilities Condition Index (lower FCI is good) (DOI strategic 

plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a .19 .19 .19

√ Target Met.

Performance Outputs:

Number of systematic analyses and investigations delivered 

to customers

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

816 796 797 838 1,092

▲ Target Exceeded. During the FY2005 PART of contributing programs, USGS worked on standardizing definitions and consistency in 

their application. Effectively the measures were rebaselined and outyear targets will be adjusted accordingly. However, the process will 

need another year to test before we can become confident in predicting results. 

Number of formal workshops or training provided to 

customers

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

125 97 50 55 148

▲ Target Exceeded. During the FY2005 PART of contributing programs, USGS worked on standardizing definitions and consistency in 

their application. Effectively the measures were rebaselined and outyear targets will be adjusted accordingly. However, the process will 

need another year to test before we can become confident in predicting results. 
Performance Data and Analysis

46 Performance Measure Results

habitat, but that this floodplain habitat, which provided 

critical nursery areas to native fish, was drained or 

isolated from the river by levee construction, dredging, 

and drainage. 

Management efforts to help these species began with 

the creation of the Colorado River Fishery Project in 

1976, but wild populations have continued to decline 

and in some cases have totally disappeared. Except 

for newly emergent larvae, young fish are essentially 

absent from the wild, and predation of larval and small 

juvenile fish by non-native fish species in the river is 

evident. 

These cooperative investigations provide managers 

with an understanding of the relationship between 

the survival of these rare species and available 

habitat, and the influence of non-native competitors 

and predators. The fourth and last annual report 

(Cibola High Levee Pond, Open-File Report 2005-

1075) contains basic scientific information on the 

biology, life history, and critical habitat requirements 

of these rare and endangered species found only in 

the Colorado River basin. Federal (FWS, BLM, BOR), 

State, and tribal fisheries and river managers will 

use this information in meeting Endangered Species 

Act requirements. Reports of 

requested scientific information 

will provide fishery managers with 

a quantitative basis for making 

adaptive management decisions 

for these and other important 

at-risk species in managed 

rivers in the presence of invasive 

fishes. This accomplishment 

relates to the Output Measure: 

“Number of systematic analyses 

& investigations delivered to 

customers.”

Cooperative White-Tailed Deer 

Studies in Pennsylvania

With almost one million deer 

hunters in Pennsylvania, deer 

hunting supports a multi-million 

dollar industry. The Pennsylvania 

Cooperative Research Unit, one of 

40 Cooperative Research Units in 

which USGS partners with State 

agencies and universities, worked Telemetry transmitters placed on white-tailed deer were used to determine deer movement and dispersal 

patterns in Pennsylvania.

with the Pennsylvania Game Commission to conduct a 

3-year study (2002-04) to examine survival and dispersal 

of male white-tailed deer. More than 2,000 deer were 

trapped, and 549 bucks were instrumented with radio 

transmitters. 

The goal of the work was to determine whether new 

harvest regulations instituted by the Pennsylvania 

Game Commission achieved the intended goal of 

protecting yearling bucks from harvest during the 

hunting season. The new regulations were found to 

be effective, increasing survival by two to three times, 

providing the Commission with information valuable 

to securing hunter support for the new regulations. 

In addition, deer movement data from this research 

project has been incorporated into the State’s response 

plan should chronic wasting disease be discovered 

in the State. Telemetry data demonstrated that 

landscape features influence dispersal patterns, both 

direction and distance. Knowledge of movement in 

relation to landscape features will be used to delineate 

appropriate containment zones if an outbreak of 

chronic wasting disease occurs. This accomplishment 

relates to the Output Measure: “Number of systematic 

analyses & investigations delivered to customers.”
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 47

Resource Use: Manage Resources to Promote Responsible Use and Sustain a Dynamic 

Economy

End Outcome Goal: 

Energy – Manage or influence resource use to enhance public benefit, promote responsible use, and ensure optimal 

value.

Performance Results

Intermediate Outcome: Improve information base, information management, and technical assistance

Baseline Information: Number of targeted basins with oil 

and gas resource assessments available to support management decisions (DOI strategic plan key measure and PART 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 7 5 6 7

▲ Target Exceeded. International Basin completed earlier than expected due to greater emphasis.

Quality & Utility of Information: Percentage of customers 

satisfied with timeliness of data 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 100% 100% ≥ 80% 99%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

Quality & Utility of Information: Percentage of accessible 

data 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

95% 95% 95% ≥ 80% 96%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

Quality & Utility of Information: Percentage of customers for 

which energy data meets their needs 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

93% 93% 93% ≥ 80% 95%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

Quality and Utility of Information: Percentage of studies 

validated through appropriate peer review or independent 

review (DOI strategic plan key measure and PART measure) 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

√ Target Met.

Performance Outputs:

Number of systematic analyses and investigations delivered 

to customers

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

4 7 5 6 7

▲ Target Exceeded. International Basin completed earlier than expected due to greater emphasis.

√ Targets Met = 3 ▼ Targets Not Met = 0 ▲ Targets Exceeded = 8
Performance Data and Analysis

48 Performance Measure Results

Accomplishments

The Energy Resources Program (ERP) conducts 

national and global energy resource assessments 

of oil, natural gas, coalbed methane, gas hydrates, 

coal, and geothermal resources; evaluates risks for 

environmental and ecological degradation associated 

with the occurrence, production, and use of energy 

resources; and provides information upon which 

prediction, mitigation, and remediation technologies 

can be based. These investigations enable the Nation 

to make sound decisions regarding domestic energy 

production with an understanding of potential impacts 

on the environment.

Central North Slope (between NPRA and Yukon Flats), 

Eastern Great Basin, Michigan Basin, North Cuba 

Basin, Raton Basin, and Yukon Flats

The USGS continues to update its oil and gas resource 

assessments, and in FY2005, the number of targeted 

basins with oil and gas resource assessments available 

to support management decisions encompassed the 

six basins named above. These completed products 

delivered robust, geologically-based assessments 

of the undiscovered, technically recoverable oil 

and gas resources in these basins. The domestic 

resource assessments support the Energy Policy 

Performance Results

Number of formal workshops or training provided to 

customers

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

10 9 8 8 8

√ Target Met.

Percentage of targeted analyses/investigations delivered 

which are cited by identified partners within 3 years of 

delivery (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 80% 80% 86%

▲ Target Exceeded. Users planning process was accelerated and USGS science was used earlier than anticipated/

expected.

Average cost of a systematic analysis or investigation (PART 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a $2.75M $2.2M $2.75M $2.73M

√ Target Met.

Intermediate Outcome: Improve information base, information management, and technical assistance

Number of annual gigabytes collected 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a .745 42.038 97.793

▲ Target Exceeded. Able to process more data and images than we expected.

Number of cumulative gigabytes managed 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 2.713 211.458 253.496 351.289

▲ Target Exceeded. Able to process more data and images than we expected.
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 49

and Conservation Act (EPCA) Amendments of 2000 

and form the basis for the periodic report delivered 

to Congress as required by the Act. The EPCA work 

is a multi-agency effort conducted by USGS, which 

provides the technically recoverable, undiscovered oil 

and gas resource assessments; BLM, which provides 

the restrictions and impediments to development on 

BLM-managed lands; U.S. Forest Service (USFS), 

which provides the restrictions and impediments to 

development on Forest Service-managed lands; and 

the Department of Energy and Energy Information 

Administration, which provides current production 

and reserves of the oil and gas on these lands. The 

international assessments, part of ERP World Energy 

Assessment project, are cited and used by international 

organizations all over the world. These assessments 

are important because the USGS is the only 

organization to provide these geologically based oil and 

gas resource assessments, which are an invaluable 

source of data used by U.S. law makers, policy makers, 

resource managers, foreign governments, industry 

consortia, academia, and nongovernmental groups. 

This accomplishment relates to the Output Measure: 

“Number of systematic analyses & investigations 

delivered to customers.”

Evaluating New Energy Resources to Meet Future 

Needs: Gas Hydrates 

July 2005 marked the release of a special volume 

detailing recent research efforts associated with 

the Mallik Drilling Project, a project to investigate 

the ability to produce natural gas from natural gas 

(methane) hydrates. Natural gas hydrates, which are 

unconventional accumulations of natural gas (methane) 

trapped in ice-like structures with water, represent an 

immense energy resource underlying large portions 

of the world’s arctic continental areas and marine 

continental shelves. While these accumulations 

ultimately may yield important sources of energy 

for the world, additional scientific and engineering 

research needs to be undertaken to render feasible 

gas production from these accumulations. The USGS 

was a scientific co-lead in this effort and is co-editor 

of this landmark publication. This accomplishment 

supports the Output Measure: “Percentage of targeted 

analyses/investigations delivered which are cited by 

identified partners within 3 years of delivery.”

Revised Coal Resource Assessment Methodology

The USGS ERP has revised the USGS methodology 

for coal resource assessment to determine that a 

subset of coal resources is available for mining and is 

technically recoverable (i.e., the reserve base). This 

revised reserve base assessment methodology was 

peer reviewed and published in 2005. Federal and 

State land managers use this resource’s estimates 

and information from this methodology to support 

land-use decisions; environmental regulators 

use the information to evaluate compliance with 

regulations stemming from the 1990 amendments to 

the Clean Air Act; and economists use the results to 

forecast economic trends at regional and national 

scales. Industry uses this information to evaluate the 

availability and quality of coal feedstock to electricitygenerating power plants and to achieve compliance 

with emission standards and other environmental 

regulations. Specific customers include the Securities 

and Exchange Commission, BLM, the Office of Surface 

Mining, the Energy Information Administration, 

and State geological surveys, among others. This 

accomplishment relates to the Output Measure: 

“Number of systematic analyses & investigations 

delivered to customers (assessments).”

Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Assessment 

Methodology

A unique, preliminary carbon dioxide sequestration 

assessment methodology was created in FY2005 

to evaluate the carbon dioxide storage capacity in 

geologic reservoirs such as depleted oil and gas 

reservoirs and saline water-bearing formations. This 

methodology provides a robust, geologically based 

approach for: (1) assessing the volume of carbon 

dioxide that can be safely stored in the subsurface 

for hundreds to thousands of years or longer; and (2) 

identifying potential storage locations that can be 

evaluated for cost-effectiveness, storage integrity, and 

environmental and land-use issues. 

There is growing recognition, both domestically and 

internationally, of the need to mitigate emissions of 

carbon dioxide– a greenhouse gas –to the atmosphere 

from human activities. The storage of carbon dioxide 

in geologic reservoirs, which are capable of retaining 
Performance Data and Analysis

50 Performance Measure Results

carbon dioxide for long times, is viewed as an emerging 

technology that is a critical component of national 

and international strategies aimed at reducing carbon 

dioxide emissions. The political and regulatory 

ramifications of this endeavor require objective, 

scientifically based geologic assessments of carbon 

dioxide storage capacity. Aside from the USGS, no 

Federal agency or research organization has the ability 

and requisite experience to conduct these geologicframework-based assessments. The landmark release 

of this assessment methodology will provide Federal 

land managers, State agencies, and policy makers 

with the information and means to begin evaluating 

the feasibility of domestic storage options and 

develop appropriate strategies and policy for storing 

carbon dioxide. Given the global reach of this issue, 

the assessment methodology, when released, may 

be used internationally by foreign governments and 

geological surveys. This accomplishment relates to the 

Output Measure: “Number of systematic analyses & 

investigations delivered to customers (assessments).”

Assessing Alaska’s Energy Resources

USGS scientists have recently completed assessments 

of petroleum resources in Yukon Flats and the Central 

North Slope of Alaska. The latter study, when 

combined with previous USGS work, now enables 

a more comprehensive evaluation of petroleum 

resources along Alaska’s North Slope. In addition, 

USGS scientists, with BLM support, conducted 

geologic, remote sensing, and geographic information 

system analyses in a portion of Alaska’s North Slope. 

The surficial geology maps produced as a result of this 

effort may help to efficiently identify areas containing 

aggregate (gravel), needed for infrastructure to support 

petroleum resource development, while minimizing 

the potential disturbance to the land surface and 

fragile ecosystems. At the request of the Department, 

the ERP will also update its economic analysis of the 

ANWR 1002 area of the North Slope. The cumulative 

information gained from these efforts enables resource 

managers and policy makers to make informed 

decisions and develop responsible strategies regarding 

energy resource development. This accomplishment 

relates to the Output Measure: “Number of systematic 

analyses & investigations delivered to customers 

(assessments).”

Technical Assistance

In FY2005, the ERP provided eight formal workshops 

or training for customers. Examples of these events 

include: (1) a workshop with the Nevada State 

Geological Survey on the geology and petroleum 

resources of the Eastern Great Basin; (2) gas hydrate 

methodology development meetings with Minerals 

Management Service, for their assessment of outer 

continental shelf (OCS) hydrates; and (3) petroleum 

assessment methodology with Colombian visitors from 

their Ministry of Energy. This accomplishment relates 

to the Output Measure: “Number of formal workshops 

or training provided to customers.”

Refined Product Delivery and Program Planning in 

Response to the PART Recommendations

In FY2005, the ERP continued to follow up on 

recommended actions from the ERP PART, including 

the continuing need to make reports and data more 

accessible and user friendly. In accordance with 

this recommendation, the ERP has streamlined three 

Web sites in order to make products, information, 

and other data delivered via the Web seamless 

to customers. These efforts were undertaken to 

better assist customers, particularly other Federal 

agencies, in efficiently searching for and successfully 

obtaining USGS energy-related data and products. 

In accordance with another PART recommendation 

–that a 5-year program plan be drafted to reflect 

performance measures in accordance with the PART 

process –the ERP is currently drafting a new program 

plan that is consistent with PART performance 

measures. Refining vision, mission, goals, defining 

core competencies, and identifying new priority 

areas of study are all in process as the plan evolves. 

Procedures for developing this plan are in place at 

the bureau level, and ERP has engaged a variety 

of stakeholders, both within and outside the USGS, 

in the process. These accomplishments support 

the following Outcome Measures: “Percentage of 

customers for which energy data meets their needs,” 

and “Percentage of data is accessible.”
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 51

Resource Use: Manage Resources to Promote Responsible Use and Sustain a Dynamic 

Economy

End Outcome Goal:

Non-energy minerals – Manage or influence resource use to enhance public benefit, promote responsible use, and 

ensure optimal value.

Performance Results

Intermediate Outcome: Improve information base, information management, and technical assistance

Baseline Information: Average square miles of the United 

States with non-energy mineral information available to 

support management decisions (DOI strategic plan key 

measure and PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 2,368,794 2,401,329 2,987,340 3,097,647

√ Target Met.

Quality & Utility of Information: Percentage of U. S. with 

geologic, geochemical, geophysical, and mineral locality 

data (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 67% 68% 84% 87%

√ Target Met.

Quality & Utility of Information: Percentage of customers 

satisfied with timeliness of data

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

78% 78% 78% 78% 100%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

Quality & Utility of Information: Percentage of customers 

for which minerals data meets their needs 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

84% 84% 84% 84% 100%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

Quality & Utility of Information: Percentage of studies 

validated through appropriate peer review or independent 

review (DOI strategic plan key measure and PART 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

√ Target Met.

√ Targets Met = 9 ▼ Targets Not Met = 0 ▲ Targets Exceeded = 3
Performance Data and Analysis

52 Performance Measure Results

Performance Results

Performance Outputs:

Number of systematic analyses and investigations 

delivered to customers (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

5 4 5 3 3

√ Target Met.

Number of cumulative gigabytes managed 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 1.818 15.420 16.021 16.131

√ Target Met.

Number of formal workshops or training provided to 

customers (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

8 9 8 8 8

√ Target Met.

Number of mineral commodity reports available for 

decisions (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 733 720 746

√ Target Met.

Intermediate Outcome: Improve information base, information management, and technical assistance

Percentage of targeted analyses/investigations delivered 

that are cited by identified partners within 3 years of 

delivery (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 80% 80% 80% 87%

▲ Target Exceeded. USGS science was used earlier than anticipated/expected.

Percentage of expected responses for which canvas forms 

have been converted to electronic format (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 58% 80% 81%

√ Target Met.

Average cost of a systematic analysis or investigation 

(PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a $4.125M $4.306M $4.18M $4.18M

√ Target Met.
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 53

Accomplishments

Using Strontium Isotopes as an Exploration Tool for 

World Class Ore Deposits

Mineral Resources Program (MRP) scientists have 

discovered that strontium isotopes can be important 

indicators of world-class ore deposits. Millions 

of years ago, metal and nutrient laden brines and 

petroleum were discharged from sedimentary rocks 

into marine basins at sea floor vents. The fluid 

discharge events were sometimes large enough to 

cause a global shift in the strontium isotopic signature 

of the ocean, making it possible for scientists today 

to chemically analyze fossils in drill core samples and 

identify when and where the strongest shifts occurred. 

These chemically distinct layers can be correlated with 

some of the world’s largest deposits of lead, zinc, gold, 

manganese, nickel, molybdenum, and phosphorite. The 

use of strontium isotopes as an indicator of world-class 

ore deposits has great potential as an exploration tool 

for undiscovered mineral deposits and is of particular 

interest to industry. Future work will also investigate 

the potential role of these fluid expulsion events on 

global ocean chemistry, ancient ecosystems, and 

climate change. This accomplishment relates to the 

Output Measure: “Number of systematic analyses & 

investigations delivered to customers.”

USGS Geophysical Methods Used to Target Ore 

Deposits in Alaska

MRP scientists have investigated the mineral potential 

of the Nikolai flood basalt province, a 230-million-yearold feature produced by volcanism in the central Alaska 

Range. Geologic and geophysical methods were used 

to investigate controls on the Fish Lakes/Tangle Lakes 

area, which appears to have been one of the main vent 

sites for volcanism. Recent studies by the USGS and 

BLM have defined a zone of potential mineralization 

more than 10 miles in length. 

Based on these findings, along with detailed mapping 

and geochemical data from industry and the State 

of Alaska, industry has developed models indicating 

that the region may be a primary target for significant 

deposits of nickel, platinum-group elements, and gold. 

This accomplishment relates to the Output Measure: 

“Number of systematic analyses & investigations 

delivered to customers.”

Soil Nutrients

Many soils in southeastern Utah are protected from 

wind erosion by biological soil crusts. When these 

crusts are disturbed by land use, soils become more 

susceptible to erosion. Studies of never-grazed 

grasslands in Canyonlands National Park in comparison 

to adjacent areas that were grazed until 1974 show 

that the historically grazed areas have a reduced 

content of surface silt-sized particles and soil carbon 

and nitrogen, as a result of wind erosion, even after 

30 years of recovery. The USGS study suggests that 

livestock grazing and resulting nutrient loss by wind 

erosion of soils have long lasting effects on the soil 

fertility of native grasslands in this area and should be 

considered in management decisions related to the 

long-term sustainability of grazing in arid environments. 

This accomplishment relates to the Output Measure: 

“Number of systematic analyses & investigations 

delivered to customers.”

Easy Access to Internet-Based Mineral Resource Data

Consistent, seamless Internet-based databases of the 

United States are important tools for land-use planners 

and a wide variety of researchers because they provide 

a way to rapidly respond to the need for information 

on a regional scale; they provide better information 

because of consistent data standards; and they provide 

direct access to live databases. The MRP supports 

View looking northeast into the Alaska Range, east of the Canwell maficultramafic complex. Reconnaissance mapping in this area has identified 

ultramafic rocks of uncertain age and association, which may be part of 

the Triassic Nikolai large igneous province (LIP). Hughes 500D C-LHQ 

helicopter for scale.
Performance Data and Analysis

54 Performance Measure Results

an ongoing effort to coordinate the development of 

national-scale geologic, geochemical, geophysical, 

and mineral resource databases and the migration of 

existing databases to standard models and formats that 

are available to both internal and external users. 

This year, the Spatial Data Delivery project finished 

implementing new client Web mapping software, 

which allows users to combine minerals data with 

data from other Web sites, as well as their own data, 

into a single map. A new user interface was added 

to the Web site to permit users to download portions 

of geographic and/or thematic datasets that are 

tailored for their specific needs. Land-use data from 

a land-management agency may be combined with 

geochemical or mineralogical data from MRP to create 

a map to meet the users’ specific needs. 

The public Web site, available at http://mrdata.usgs.

gov, now serves more than 40 national and/or global 

geoscience data themes in addition to various base 

data layers. As of mid-FY2005, the Web site served 

more than 275 unique users per day from more than 75 

countries. The Web site averaged more than 50,000 

hits per week and was available 99 percent of the time. 

This accomplishment relates to the Output Measure: 

“Number of systematic analyses & investigations 

delivered to customers.”

Impact of China on the Economy: Use of Minerals 

Information

A presentation by scientists supported by the MRP 

at the Mineral Economics and Management Society 

in Washington, D.C., demonstrated that continued 

strong economic growth in China and other developing 

countries with large populations has important 

implications for the economy and national security 

of the United States. The rapid growth in developing 

countries is greatly increasing global mineral 

consumption, changing global patterns of mineral 

production and trade, and increasing releases to the 

environment. 

As a result, reliable information for 

economic and national security 

planning and development of 

public policy is increasingly 

important. Continued growth 

of the economies of China and 

other large developing countries 

could result in a period of rising 

prices for mineral commodities. A 

pattern of rising prices contrasts 

with the trend of the last 30 years, 

during which the prices of many 

minerals declined. Over the next 

20 years, mineral commodity 

price trends may more closely 

resemble the period from 1950 to 

1970, when a larger proportion 

of the world’s economies were 

undergoing development. 

Additional information about this 

important topic was released in 

November 2004 and is available at 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1374/. 

This accomplishment relates to 

the Output Measure: “Number 

of mineral commodity reports 

available for decisions.” The updated opening Web page for the public Website: http://mrdata.usgs.gov.
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 55

Impartial Assessment of Mining-Related Environmental 

Problems, Marinduque Island, Philippines

At the request of the Philippines government, USGS 

scientists led an interagency team from the United 

States to assess mining-related environmental 

problems, including potential health effects, and 

mine-safety issues at Marinduque 

Island, Philippines. Over several 

decades, open-pit copper mining 

at two different sites has resulted 

in the release of large volumes 

of tailings, mine wastes, and 

acid mine waters into rivers and 

nearshore marine environments. 

By collecting new data on 

water quality, soil and tailings 

chemistry, and aquatic ecology, 

team scientists were able to 

prioritize the mining-related issues 

that posed the greatest risk to 

public safety, the environment, 

and human health. They were 

also able to assess the relative 

strengths and weaknesses of 

potential remedial options. The 

available data suggest that a 

variety of human health problems 

(such as elevated levels of 

lead in blood) in some island 

residents cannot conclusively 

be linked to the mining activities, 

as previously believed. The 

team provided recommendations 

for further environmental monitoring and extensive 

health assessment studies needed to more accurately 

understand the extent and nature of mining-related 

impacts on the environment and human health. This 

accomplishment relates to the Output Measure: 

“Number of systematic analyses & investigations 

delivered to customers.”

Photographic panorama 

showing erosion of 

mine waste dumps into 

the lower Makulapnit 

siltation impoundment. 

Digital composite of 

three photographs by H. 

Miller, J. Madsen, taken 

in June 2003.

China’s Production and Consumption of Steel

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

19901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003

2005e

Year

Million metric tons

Crude steel production

Steel products production

Steel products consumption

Graph showing China’s production and consumption of steel, 1990-2005. In 2005, China’s crude steel 

production is estimated to be more than the United States and Japan’s crude steel production combined 

and at the same time China is importing both crude steel and steel products. The rapid increase in steel 

production and consumption, beginning in 2000, marks the beginning of the heavy manufacturing stage. 

Data for 2005 estimated. (From Menzie and others, USGS Open-File Report 2004-1374.)
Performance Data and Analysis

56 Performance Measure Results

Serving Communities: Safeguard Lives, Property, and Assets; Advance Scientific 

Knowledge; and Improve the Quality of Life for the Communities We Serve

End Outcome Goal:

Protect lives, resources, and property.

Performance Results

End Outcome Measure: Protect lives, resources, and property

Hazards: Percentage of communities using DOI science 

on hazard mitigation, preparedness, and avoidance for 

each hazard-management activity (DOI strategic plan key 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 39.5% 43.2% 45.9% 44.6%

√ Target Met.

Decisionmaker Satisfaction: Met need for information to 

help achieve goal of reduced risk (DOI strategic plan key 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

97% 98% 98% ≥ 80% 99%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

Intermediate Outcome: Improve public safety and security and protect public resources from damage

Facilities Condition: Buildings (administrative, employee 

housing) are in fair-to-good condition as measured by 

the Facilities Condition Index (FCI) (DOI strategic plan key 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a .20 .20 .20

√ Target Met.

Intermediate Outcome: Provide information to assist communities in managing risks from natural hazards

Use Rate — Earthquakes: Percentage of communities 

using DOI science on hazard mitigation, preparedness, and 

avoidance for each hazard management activity 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 56.5% 62.7% 63.4% 63.4%

√ Target Met.

Use Rate — Landslides: Percentage of communities using 

DOI science on hazard mitigation, preparedness, and 

avoidance for each hazard management activity 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 3.3% 3.7% 3.9% 3.9%

√ Target Met.

√ Targets Met = 17 ▼ Targets Not Met = 2 ▲ Targets Exceeded = 6
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 57

Performance Results

Use Rate — Volcanoes: Percentage of communities using 

DOI science on hazard mitigation, preparedness, and 

avoidance for each hazard management activity 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 58.6% 63.3% 70.3% 66.4%

▼ Target Not Met. A community is counted if a hazard response plan is in place or if there is a long traditions of close interaction 

between the USGS and the threatened communities. Diversion of the Cascades Volcano Observatory workforce to the Mount St. Helen’s 

response lasted through all of FY05, delaying completion of the Central Cascades response plan, and causing the Program to fall short of the 

goal for FY2005. Had the Central Cascade plan been completed, the target would have been exceeded by 2 communities.

Use Rate — Landslide Hazards: Number of responses to 

inquiries from the public, educators, and public officials 

to the National Landslide Information Center on hazard 

mitigation, preparedness, and avoidance strategies for 

landslide hazards 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 5,200

▲ Target Exceeded. Increased due to the prolonged landslide season we had in 2005 and the fact that we had a lot of media coverage.

Intermediate Outcome: Provide information to assist communities in managing risks from natural hazards

Adequacy: Percentage of sampled stakeholders reporting 

adequacy of science base to inform decisionmaking for each 

hazard-management activity (volcanoes, earthquakes, etc.) 

(DOI strategic plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 97% 98% ≥ 80% 99%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

Adequacy — Earthquake Hazards: Percentage of customers 

for which earthquake hazards data meets their needs 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 97% 97% ≥ 80% 97%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

Performance Outputs:

Number of risk/hazard assessments delivered to customers 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

5 4 3 5 6

▲ Target Exceeded.

Number of real-time earthquake sensors (reported yearly 

and cumulative at the end of the year) (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

96 (cum 

425)

46 (cum 

428)

95 (cum 

523)

40 (cum 

563)

40 (cum 

563)

√ Target Met.

Number of formal workshops or training provided to 

customers

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

6 13 14 14 21

√ Target Met.
Performance Data and Analysis

58 Performance Measure Results

Performance Results

Number of sites (mobile or fixed) monitored for ground 

deformation to identify volcanic activity 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 75 85 86 88

√ Target Met.

Adoption of National Seismic Hazard Maps by NEHRP 

provisions and International Building Codes (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

0 1 0 0 0

√ Target Met.

Number of urban areas for which detailed seismic hazard 

maps are completed (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

0 1 2 3 3

√ Target Met.

Number of areas or locations for which geophysical models 

exist that are used to interpret monitoring data (PART 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 3 4 4 1⁄3 4 1⁄3

√ Target Met.

Number of metropolitan regions where Shakemap is 

incorporated into emergency procedures (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2004

Planned

2004

Actual

3 4 5 5 5

√ Target Met.

Number of volcanoes for which information supports publicsafety decisions (PART measure)2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

45 48 49 51 51

√ Target Met.

Intermediate Outcome: Provide information to assist communities in managing risks from natural hazards

Percentage of potentially hazardous volcanoes with 

published hazard assessments (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

58.6% 61.4% 61.4% 62.8% 62.8%

√ Target Met.

Percentage of potentially active volcanoes monitored (PART 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 66% 67% 72% 72.9%

√ Target Met.
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 59

Performance Results

Number of counties, or comparable jurisdictions, that 

have adopted improved building codes, land-use plans, 

emergency response plans, or other hazard mitigation 

measures based on USGS earthquake-hazards information 

(PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 503 559 565 565

√ Target Met.

Number of counties, or comparable jurisdictions, that 

have adopted improved building codes, land-use plans, 

emergency-response plans, or other hazard-mitigation 

measures based on USGS landslide hazards information 

(Baseline is 1,800 counties and parks with moderate-to-high 

landslide susceptibility in the U.S. (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 60 68 71 71

√ Target Met.

Number of counties, or comparable jurisdictions, that 

have adopted improved building codes, land-use plans, 

emergency-response plans, or other hazard-mitigation 

measures based on USGS volcano-hazards information 

(Baseline is 256 at-risk) (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 162 162 180 170

▼ Target Not Met. A community is counted if a hazard response plan is in place or if there is a long tradition of close interaction between 

the USGS and the threatened communities. Diversion of the Cascades Volcano Observatory workforce to the Mount St. Helen’s response 

lasted through all of FY05, delaying completion of the Central Cascades response plan, and causing the Program to fall short of the goal for 

FY2005. Had the Central Cascade plan been completed, the target would have been exceeded by 2 communities.

Percentage data availability for real-time data from the GSN 

(PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

89% 90% 90.5% 90% 89%

√ Target Met.

Data processing and notification costs per unit volume of 

input data from earthquake sensors in monitoring networks 

(in cost per gigabyte) (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 1.007 

$k/Gb

.90 

$k/Gb

0.990 

$k/Gb

0.79 

$k/Gb

▲ Target Exceeded. The change in performance does not reflect any USGS operational or management action or practice. It results 

from an unplanned 5% increase in the volume of data provided by our principal partner in the operation of the GSN and an improved (and 

lower) estimate of contractor costs (the largest element of the operational cost for data processing) resulting from improved cost accounting 

procedures.
Performance Data and Analysis

60 Performance Measure Results

Accomplishments

Guidebook for Land-Use Planners

A major accomplishment of the Landslide Hazards 

Program in partnership with the American Planning 

Association (APA) is the completion of a practical 

guidebook on how to incorporate landslide hazards 

into the land-use planning process. The guidebook, 

entitled “Planning for Landslide Hazards,” discusses 

the physical characteristics of landslides, planning and 

zoning tools that can be utilized to reduce potential 

damage, and numerous case studies of communities 

that have experienced and recovered from landslides. 

The report is available to the 30,000 members of APA 

and others through its Planning Advisory Service. 

Land-use planners have a pivotal role in reducing 

landslide hazards because they influence how land 

is used and developed, how buildings and other 

structures are sited, and where communities build 

their roads, parks, schools, and other public amenities. 

The destructiveness of landslides was experienced 

in southern California during the 2005 winter after 

numerous storms pounded the area, as seen in this 

photo of a landslide in Hollywood Hills, northwest of 

Los Angeles. This accomplishment relates to the End 

Outcome Measure: “Percentage of communities using 

DOI science on hazard mitigation.”

Landslide Hazard Products for the Puget Sound Area

In 2005, scientists in LHP published maps and reports 

documenting landslide hazards and processes in the 

Seattle area. Topics of the maps and reports include: 

a Light Detecting and Ranging (LiDAR) based landslide 

map of Seattle; a landslide hazard map for Seattle; 

results of hydrologic monitoring of unstable coastal 

bluffs near Edmonds and Everett, WA; a landslide early 

warning system for these bluffs; evaluation of rainfall 

thresholds and estimated probabilities of landslides 

when the thresholds are exceeded; and protocols for 

issuing landslide warnings based on LHP-developed 

rainfall thresholds. These products have been shared 

with the City of Seattle and other communities in 

the Puget Sound area through training and personal 

contacts. This accomplishment relates to the End 

Outcome Measure: “Percentage of communities using 

DOI science on hazard mitigation.”

An Assessment of Volcanic Threat and Monitoring 

Capabilities in the United States: Framework for a 

National Volcano Early Warning System

USGS scientists have completed the first 

comprehensive assessment of the threats posed by 

the Nation’s volcanoes. Deficiencies in monitoring 

were revealed by a gap analysis, which compared 

the current level of monitoring at each volcano to 

the level of monitoring required for the actual threat 

posed. These analyses identified high-priority targets 

for future monitoring investments and constituted the 

scientific foundation for design of a National Volcano 

Early Warning System, which would monitor each 

volcano at a level appropriate to the threat. As a next 

step, the USGS Volcano Hazards Program will convene 

workshops with stakeholders to review and refine the 

implementation framework, and to establish data and 

operational policies. This accomplishment relates to 

the Output Measure: “Number of systematic analyses 

& investigations delivered to customers (risk/hazard 

assessments).”

Landslide in Hollywood Hills northwest of Los Angeles, California. Photo 

by Jonathan Godt, USGS, LHP.
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 61

Learning from the Parkfield Earthquake

The San Andreas Fault generated a longanticipated magnitude-6.0 earthquake near 

Parkfield in central California on September 

28, 2004. The 2004 Parkfield earthquake is 

the sixth in a series of similar earthquakes 

that have occurred on this segment of 

the San Andreas Fault since the great 

magnitude-7.8 Fort Tejon earthquake in 1857. 

In anticipation of another earthquake, the 

USGS and the California Geological Survey 

installed a dense network of geophysical 

sensors in the mid-1980s. Those sensors 

caught the 2004 Parkfield earthquake in 

the act, making it the best-recorded major 

earthquake in history. No precursory 

changes were observed even though the 

epicentral region was instrumented to 

detect a variety of subtle precursors that 

might be used for short-term earthquake 

prediction. But during the earthquake, the 

dense network of seismic sensors recorded 

surprising near-source variations in the 

strong shaking that was produced (photo at 

right). Moreover, strong shaking decreased 

more rapidly with distance than predicted by 

models underlying current building codes. 

Little structural damage occurred in the rural 

epicentral region, but what USGS scientists 

and engineers have learned from Parkfield 

can now be applied to predicting the impacts 

of future earthquakes in more populated 

areas.

Parkfield also hosts the San Andreas 

Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) 

fault zone drilling and observation 

experiment. SAFOD is a component of 

EarthScope, a suite of observational 

systems and research that will investigate 

the structure and evolution of the North 

American continent and the physical 

processes controlling earthquakes and volcanic 

eruptions. EarthScope is funded by the National 

Science Foundation and conducted in partnership with 

the USGS. The San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth 

reached a significant goal on August 2, 2005, when 

scientists drilled into a seismically active section of the 

fault approximately two miles below the surface of the 

Earth. Targeting a repeating micro-earthquake source 

at the northern end of the 2004 earthquake rupture 

zone, for the first time, scientists will be able to observe 

earthquakes up close for decades to come. When 

completed in 2007, SAFOD will be the only earthquake 

observatory with instruments installed directly within 

an active fault where earthquakes form or “nucleate.” 

This accomplishment relates to the Outcome Measure 

“Percentage of customers for which earthquake 

hazards data meets their needs.”

ShakeMap for the Parkfield, California earthquake of September 28, 2004. Lines running from 

top left to bottom right are faults of the San Andreas system, and shadings show contours of 

peak acceleration caused by the earthquake, as measured by strong-motion sensors (circles) 

installed by the California Geological Survey in cooperation with USGS. The acceleration shows 

considerable variation, with highest values near the two ends of the earthquake rupture. The 

San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) borehole site is located near the epicenter, 

indicated with the star. Site of a fault zone drilling and observation experiment being 

conducted by USGS and NSF.
Performance Data and Analysis

62 Performance Measure Results

Global Seismographic Network Records The Sumatra 

Great Earthquake and Serves Global Tsunami Warning

On December 26, 2004, the Global Seismographic 

Network (GSN) recorded the arrival of seismic 

waves from the Sumatra-Andaman great earthquake 

and transmitted them to global earthquake and 

tsunami warning centers within 8 minutes of the 

earthquake. NOAA’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center 

(PTWC) computers automatically alerted tsunami 

watchstanders via pager. Within another 4 minutes, 

as the seismic waves continued to spread outward 

around the Earth, GSN data recorded on Cocos Islands, 

Australia, Taiwan, Mongolia, Japan, and South Korea 

indicated a preliminary magnitude of 8, and the PTWC 

watchstanders issued their initial tsunami message. 

As more real-time data arrived, using 

76 sites worldwide, the PWTC revised 

its magnitude upward to 8.5. Of 

these sites, 45 stations are part of the 

GSN, including the 20 closest to the 

earthquake. The data were available in 

real-time not only to the USGS National 

Earthquake Information Center and 

NOAA PTWC, but also to anyone with 

an Internet connection to the IRIS Data 

Management Center. 

In the broad international framework, 

the GSN will serve as a U.S. observing 

system component in the Global Earth 

Observation System of Systems. This 

accomplishment relates to the End Outcome Measure 

“Percentage of communities using DOI science on 

hazard mitigation.”

Scenario Earthquake Loss Estimation for Los Angeles

Potential earthquakes on the Puente Hills fault beneath 

the Los Angeles area could result in 3,000 to 18,000 

fatalities, 142,000 to 735,000 displaced households, 

and more than $250 billion in total damages. This is 

according to USGS research conducted in cooperation 

with the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), 

a university consortium funded by USGS and the 

National Science Foundation. These results, published 

in the May 2005 issue of the Earthquake Engineering 

Research Institute’s Earthquake Spectra, were based 

on shaking scenarios created using newly available 

software for seismic hazard analysis developed 

by SCEC and the USGS, coupled with HAZUS lossestimation software developed by FEMA.

The vast majority of losses will occur in Los Angeles 

County, directly over the rupture surface. Tangible 

losses are also predicted for San Bernardino and 

Orange counties located east and south of the Puente 

Hills fault. Losses predicted for this event are greater 

than those experienced during the 1994 Mw (moment 

magnitude) 6.7 Northridge earthquake, because of the 

higher potential magnitudes and the heavily shaken 

area during Northridge was mostly wood-frame 

residential structures, whereas Puente Hills sits under 

older and more vulnerable commercial and industrial 

structures. 

GSN map of stations used by PTWC centered on Sumatra, with wave ray 

paths and tsunami isochrones.

Peak ground velocity (PGV) calculated for a simulated earthquake on the Puente Hills blind 

thrust fault beneath the Los Angeles urban region.
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 63

The Puente Hills blind thrust loss 

estimation results illustrate the 

rapid progress that has been made 

in identifying potential earthquake 

sources, modeling their effects, and 

estimating potential losses. The results 

also provide insight into what steps 

will most effectively mitigate the loss 

of life and the economic impacts from 

earthquakes. This accomplishment 

relates to the Outcome Measure 

“Percentage of customers for which 

earthquake hazards data meets their 

needs.”

Earthquake Shaking Hazard Maps for 

Memphis

The USGS completed maps that 

show expected levels of ground 

shaking from earthquakes for much 

of Memphis, Tennessee, and 

surrounding areas (see photo at 

right. These maps show shaking 

from realistic earthquake scenarios 

as well as probabilistic maps 

that show long-term levels of 

shaking expected from all possible 

sources of earthquakes. The latter differ from the 

National Seismic Hazard Maps produced by the USGS 

Earthquake Hazards Program in two important ways: 

(a) they provide information at a local-community 

level, and (b) they include the effects of local surface 

geology, which has been mapped in new detail as a 

part of this project. While not meant for site-specific 

applications, the urban hazard maps will provide 

guidance for development of emergency response 

and mitigation plans, for examination of portfolios at 

risk, and for siting and designing of public and private 

facilities. The maps will also serve as educational 

tools, helping to raise the awareness of seismic hazard. 

All of the maps, as well as the data collected for their 

development, are available online at: http://www.

ceri.memphis.edu/usgs/urban_map/memphis/index.

html. Work was conducted in cooperation with State 

and local science and emergency management 

agencies, and release of the maps was accompanied 

by an extensive education program that included 

talks about urban hazard mapping given to technical 

and non-technical audiences, and workshops and 

publications on a wide range of topics related to urban 

hazard mapping, for both technical and lay audiences. 

This accomplishment relates to the Output Measure: 

“Number of systematic analyses & investigations 

delivered to customers (risk/hazard assessments), 

as well as End Outcome Measure “Percentage of 

communities using DOI science on hazard mitigation.”

Short-Term Earthquake Probability (STEP)

The USGS has released new public Web pages that 

show the probability of earthquake shaking in the next 

24 hours in California (photo on next page). These 

maps graphically illustrate the change in earthquake 

probability during aftershock and possible foreshock 

sequences. The maps are not intended to be used 

to predict an upcoming earthquake; however, based 

on previous earthquake sequences, an increase in 

probability will be seen before about half of California’s 

larger earthquakes. The maps are updated at least 

once an hour and are available to the public at http://

pasadena.wr.usgs.gov/step/. 

Map of the region surrounding Memphis. The darker area is covered by thick sediments,

called the Mississippi embayment. These sediments significantly affect how the

ground shakes during earthquakes. White lines indicate likely locations of major faults (buried

beneath the sediments), and black dots are earthquakes recorded since the mid-1970s. These

locations provide the best clues about where future earthquakes are likely to occur.
Performance Data and Analysis

64 Performance Measure Results

or in the area. The system considers all earthquakes, 

large and small, that are recorded by the California 

Integrated Seismic Network (CISN), the California 

element of the Advanced National Seismic System. 

The probability of one earthquake triggering another 

has been quantified and depends on magnitude, 

distance, and time from the triggering event. These 

relationships have been used to issue statements about 

possible aftershocks after significant earthquakes in 

California for the last 15 years. The innovations in the 

maps include information about the spatial distribution 

of aftershocks, how the shaking varies by location, 

and how the probability of earthquakes varies with 

time. This product was reviewed by the California 

Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council, which 

determined that this methodology represents the state 

of the art in evaluation and illustration of aftershock 

probabilities. Implementation of these maps for other 

areas outside California depends upon both a robust 

real-time seismic network and the research to establish 

the average rate of aftershocks for that area. This 

accomplishment relates to the Outcome Measure 

“Percentage of customers for which earthquake 

hazards data meets their needs.”

Seattle Fault Earthquake Scenario Conference

On February 28, 2005, 487 people attended an allday conference in Bellevue, WA, to discuss the 

Seattle Fault Earthquake Scenario. A team of over 50 

volunteers donated 5000 hours to develop the scenario. 

The USGS was one of eight organizations that led the 

overall scenario project. The workshop, held by the 

Cascadia Regional Earthquake Workgroup (CREW) 

and the USGS, outlined the effects of a magnitude-6.7 

earthquake on the Seattle fault zone. 

The ground motions calculated by the USGS for 

this event are very large and exceed 0.75g (rate of 

acceleration of gravity) along the 22 km fault trace 

used in the model (photo at right). Much of Seattle, 

Bellevue, and Issaquah are expected to experience 

ground motions in excess of 0.5g. For comparison, 

the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, of magnitude 6.8, 

produced a few very small areas in Puget Sound where 

accelerations exceeded 0.25g. With such predicted 

high accelerations in a major urban area, estimated 

losses are very large. Deaths are estimated at about 

The new maps represent a synthesis of current 

scientific knowledge about earthquakes in California, 

including knowledge of the faults, underlying geology, 

and expected rates of earthquake aftershocks. The 

methodology was developed by a team from the USGS 

and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, 

Switzerland, with additional funding from the Southern 

California Earthquake Center. 

In the system used to create the maps, the probability 

of strong earthquake shaking (with a Modified Mercalli 

Intensity of VI or greater, the threshold for damage) in 

the next 24 hours is calculated, based upon the known 

behavior of aftershocks and the possible shaking 

pattern predicted from historical patterns on the fault 

Short-term earthquake probability map for California, showing the 

probability of strong shaking in the coming 24 hours. This map, released 

by the USGS in May 2005, is updated hourly (see http://pasadena.wr.usgs.

gov). On this June 17 map, the prominent area of bright colors in 

southern California shows the likelihood of strong shaking from potential 

aftershocks of a magnitude 5 earthquake a few hours previous.
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 65

The effects of the Seattle fault scenario are just 

being felt across western Washington. Briefings have 

been held for elected officials in King and Snohomish 

Counties as well as the City of Seattle. The Washington 

State Emergency Management Council is studying the 

scenario and expects to use the picture of damage as 

a call to re-start the Washington State Seismic Safety 

Committee. At least one city on the Seattle fault, 

Sammamish, has new preparedness 

requirements proposed before the 

local council. 

Following on this success, CREW 

and USGS have collaborated on 

a detailed analysis of potential 

great earthquakes on the Cascadia 

subduction zone that extends 

along the Pacific coast from the 

Brooks Peninsula on Vancouver 

Island to Cape Mendocino in 

northern California. Earthquakes 

of magnitude 8 to 9 have occurred 

there from 200 to 1,000 years 

apart, and the last one was on 

January 26, 1700. When this event 

repeats, the ground will shake for 

as long as four minutes, subjecting 

coastal communities to strong 

shaking, landslides, and tsunamis 

and resulting in unprecedented 

damage and potentially thousands 

of casualties. CREW, a coalition of 

private and public representatives, 

is using these findings in its work 

to improve the ability of Cascadia 

region communities to reduce 

the effects of earthquakes. This 

accomplishment relates to the 

Output Measure “Number of formal 

workshops or training provided to 

customers.”

1,600 people, and direct damage is expected to exceed 

$33 billion. Indirect losses are expected to be greater 

than the direct losses. The scenario paints a picture 

of major failures in the regional highway system, and 

none of the potential billions of dollars in damage are 

included in the direct loss figure. Highway disruptions 

may last for 6 months or more.

Peak ground acceleration calculated for a 2-meter slip event on the Seattle fault. The fault breaks 

the surface along a 22 km zone. Peak accelerations exceed 0.7g along the fault trace and are 

greater than 0.5g over much of the City of Seattle, City of Bellevue, and the City of Issaquah. Heavy 

liquefaction is expected in the Duwamish (D) and Green River (G) valleys. The Interstate 90 East 

Channel Bridge is crossed by the fault; the fate of the bridge is problematic.
Performance Data and Analysis

66 Performance Measure Results

Serving Communities: Safeguard Lives, Property, and Assets; Advance Scientific 

Knowledge; and Improve the Quality of Life for the Communities We Serve

End Outcome Goal:

Advance knowledge through scientific leadership and inform decisions through the application of science.

Performance Results

End Outcome Measure: Advance knowledge through scientific leadership and inform decisions through the 

application of science

Research: Soundness of methodology, accuracy, and 

reliability of science (program evaluation) (DOI strategic 

plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 100% 80% 100% 100%

√ Target Met.

Inform decisions through the application of science: 

Improved access to needed science information (number 

score) (DOI strategic plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

80% 92% 90% 90% 92%

√ Target Met.

Inform decisions through the application of science: 

Stakeholders reporting that information helped achieve goal 

(number score) (DOI strategic plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

80% 94% 93% 90% 95%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 90 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 90% or greater is the target).

Inform decisions through the application of science: 

Improved access to needed science information, number 

of USGS science publications cataloged in master USGS 

publications database 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

38,000 56,086 66,626 67,000 68,945

√ Target Met.

Inform decisions through the application of science: 

Improved access to needed science information, number of 

associated USGS science publications accessible online 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

1,000 3,533 25,909 35,000 35,869

√ Target Met.

Inform decisions through the application of science: 

Improved access to needed science information (number of 

cumulative biological partnership links) 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

27,000 32,500 36,000 38,500 76,155

▲ Target Exceeded. Primarily a result of increased node activity.

√ Targets Met = 37 ▼ Targets Not Met = 14 ▲ Targets Exceeded = 20
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 67

Performance Results

Intermediate Outcome: Improve information base, information management, and technical assistance

Content and expanse of knowledge base: Percentage of 

land with temporal and spatial monitoring, research, and 

assessment/data coverage to meet land-use planning and 

monitoring requirements (Roll-up of all components below) 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 54.76% 59.76% 58.9%

√ Target Met.

Intermediate Outcome: Improve information base, information management, and technical assistance

Content and expanse of knowledge base: Percentage of 

land with temporal and spatial monitoring, research, and 

assessment/data coverage to meet land-use planning and 

monitoring requirements (number of square miles assessed 

by GAP analysis) (DOI strategic plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 82% 83% 83%

√ Target Met.

Content and expanse of knowledge base: Percentage of 

land with temporal and spatial monitoring, research, and 

assessment/data coverage to meet land-use planning and 

monitoring requirements (NCGMP) (DOI strategic plan key 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

2.2% 5.5% 7.3% 10.1% 10.2%

√ Target Met.

Content and expanse of knowledge base: Percentage of 

proposed streamflow sites currently in operation that meet 

one or more Federal Needs (DOI strategic plan key measure 

and PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

64% 65% 64% 63% 61%

√ Target Met.

Content and expanse of knowledge base: Percentage of 

land with temporal and spatial monitoring, research, and 

assessment/data coverage to meet land-use planning and 

monitoring requirements (satellite data collected over global 

land surface) (DOI strategic plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 100% 100% 100%

√ Target Met.

Content and expanse of knowledge base: Percentage of 

land with temporal and spatial monitoring, research, and 

assessment/data coverage to meet land-use planning 

and monitoring requirements (GAM) National Land Cover 

dataset, 66 mapping units across country (DOI strategic plan 

key measure and PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 17% 45% 60% 65%

▲ Target Exceeded. Increased due to work on the Landfire program contribution to National Land Characterization Dataset.
Performance Data and Analysis

68 Performance Measure Results

Performance Results

Content and expanse of knowledge base: Percentage of 

land with temporal and spatial monitoring, research, and 

assessment/data coverage to meet land-use planning and 

monitoring requirements (number of completed eco-region 

assessments out of 84 eco-regions) (DOI strategic plan key 

measure and PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 18% 31% 38% 37%

√ Target Met.

Content and expanse of knowledge base: Average 

percentage of coverage for 6 data themes in The National 

Map in national databases at medium resolution; does 

not measure currentness (TNM) (DOI strategic plan key 

measure and PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

67% 67% 67% 70% 69%

√ Target Met.

Content and expanse of knowledge base: Average 

percentage of coverage for 7 data themes in The National 

Map in national databases at high resolution; does not 

measure currentness (TNM) (DOI strategic plan key 

measure and PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

18% 33% 41% 54% 46%

▼ Target Not Met. Urban imagery and transportation data layers was impacted by unplanned emergency response efforts for hurricane 

needs and delays in transportation data from Census.

Intermediate Outcome: Improve information base, information management, and technical assistance

Content and expanse of knowledge base: Percentage of 

data accessible: Percentage of satellite data available from 

archive within 24 hours of capture (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

99% 95% 90% 90% 97.2%

▲ Target Exceeded. Due to upgrades of computer equipment on the archive silo.

Quality: Percentage of studies validated through appropriate 

peer review or independent review (DOI strategic plan key 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

√ Target Met.

Access: For information products surveyed, percentage of 

mapping, water, and biology customers that are satisfied 

with ease and timeliness of access 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

91% 92% 90% ≥ 80% 92%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 80 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 80% or greater is the target).

Access: Customer satisfaction (number score) with ease 

and timeliness of delivery of science support services 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

81% 81% 82% ≥ 70% 84%

√ Target Met.
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 69

Performance Results

Ease of use: Customer satisfaction (number score) with 

documentation and ease of usability of science support 

services 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

81% 81% 74% ≥ 70% 86%

▲ Target Exceeded. A different set of products is sampled each year, one year’s aggregate measurement is not directly linked to the 

previous year. The intent is to maintain at least an 70 percent satisfaction level (i.e. 70% or greater is the target).

Facilities Condition: Facilities are in fair-to-good condition 

as measured by the Facilities Condition Index (FCI) (DOI 

strategic plan key measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a .17 .17 .17

√ Target Met.

Learning Approach: Percentage of instructor proficiencies 

in select subject areas, GIS and Earth Science 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 20% 30% 30% 30%

√ Target Met.

Percentage of time that all WAN and Internet access 

locations are up and running and accessible 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

95% 99.8% 99.7% 99% 99.27%

√ Target Met.

Online transactions: Increase online transactions to a 

percentage relative to baseline inventory of all USGS 

transactional services

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 51% 58% 80% 81%

√ Target Met.

IT Investment: Percentage of major IT investment projects 

for which cost estimates, established in project or contract 

agreement, meet actual costs with a variance of 5 percent

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

√ Target Met.

Performance Outputs:

Number of annual gigabytes collected (Geography) 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 34,815 62,622 6,023

▼ Target Not Met. Due to delays in completing imagery partnerships and the processing of urban imagery and boundary data due to 

priority response activities to Hurricane Katrina. 

Intermediate Outcome: Improve information base, information management, and technical assistance

Number of cumulative gigabytes managed (Geography) 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 51,042 85,857 148,479 108,035

▼ Target Not Met. Due to delays in completing imagery partnerships and the processing of urban imagery and boundary data due to 

priority response activities to Hurricane Katrina. 
Performance Data and Analysis

70 Performance Measure Results

Performance Results

Number of annual terabytes collected (Geography) 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 527.2 527.2 438.8

▼ Target Not Met. Received less data due to NASA’s ability to deliver to EROS Data Center.

Number of cumulative terabytes managed (Geography) 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 1,921.1 2,448.3 2,975.8 2,887.4

√ Target Met.

Number of annual gigabytes collected (Geology) 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 407.2 210.8 117.8

▼ Target Not Met. State Geological Surveys did not submit as much information as anticipated, and some needed unexpected time in 

cleaning up data before entering in the database.

Number of cumulative gigabytes managed (Geology) 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 491 898.2 1,109 1,016

▼ Target Not Met. State Geological Surveys did not submit as much information as anticipated, and some needed unexpected time in 

cleaning up data before entering in the database.

Number of cumulative gigabytes managed (Biology) 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

389 400 360 380 791.25

▲ Target Exceeded. Large portion of increase due to GAP data being moved to Center for Biological Informatics servers from University 

of Idaho.

Number of systematic analyses and investigations delivered 

to customers

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

588 573 571 557 576

√ Target Met.

Number of formal workshops or training provided to 

customers

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

22 61 107 104 131

▲ Target Exceeded. As the National Hydrography Dataset has been built out over the country during 2005, State and local agencies have 

been very interested in their newly published datasets and have asked for additional workshops and training. USGS had opportunities for 

additional geospatial workshops in Colorado and California.

Number of real-time streamgages reporting in NWIS Web 

(PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

5,626 5,621 5,978 5,187 6,246

▲ Target Exceeded. An error was found when determining the FY2005 Final Plan target. It has been corrected in FY2006.
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 71

Performance Results

Number of real-time ground-water sites reporting in NWIS 

Web

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 697 779 700 796

▲ Target Exceeded. Additional reimbursable funding results in exceeding the target.

Number of real-time water-quality sites reporting in NWIS 

Web

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 891 1,062 900 1,125

▲ Target Exceeded. Additional reimbursable funding results in exceeding the target.

Intermediate Outcome: Improve information base, information management, and technical assistance

Percentage of river basins that have streamflow stations 

(PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 77% 79% 82%

√ Target Met.

Percentage of streamflow stations with real-time 

measurement/reporting of water quality (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 6% 7% 7%

√ Target Met.

Percentage of daily streamflow measurement sites with data 

that are converted from provisional to final status within 4 

months of day of collection (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 0 

baseline

10% 10%

√ Target Met.

Percentage of USGS streamflow stations with 30 or more 

years of record (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 60% 61% 58%

√ Target Met.

Percentage of ground-water stations that have real-time 

reporting capability in the ground-water climate response 

network (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 57% 62% 67%

▲ Target Exceeded. The Climate Response Network wells receive direct Federal funding and reimbursable dollars. USGS encourages the 

addition of Coop wells that meet the network criteria, regardless of the frequency of measurement.

Percentage of the Nation’s 65 principal aquifers with 

monitoring wells used to measure responses of water levels 

to drought and climatic variations to provide information 

needed for water-supply decisionmaking (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 60% 61% 61%

√ Target Met.
Performance Data and Analysis

72 Performance Measure Results

Performance Results

Percentage of U.S. with ground-water quality status and 

trends information to support management decisions (PART 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 0 39% 39%

√ Target was rebaselined in FY05 to incorporate prior years (2002 and 2003). OMB has approved the change.

Percentage of States with Web-based streamflow statistic 

tools to support water management decisions (PART 

measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 4% 11% 10%

√ Target Met.

Percentage of U.S. ground-water availability status and 

trends information to support resource management 

decisions (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 5% 7% 7%

√ Target Met.

Percentage of targeted contaminants for which methods 

are developed to assess potential environmental and human 

health significance (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 10% 20% 20%

√ Target Met.

Intermediate Outcome: Improve information base, information management, and technical assistance

Average cost per analytical result, adjusted for inflation, is 

stable or declining over a 5-year period (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a $8.64 $8.64 $8.63

√ Target Met.

Percentage improvement in accuracy of watershed 

(SPARROW) model prediction for total nitrogen and total 

phosphorus (measured as reduced error) (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 40% 36% 31%

▲ Target Exceeded. Lowered error from 40% in FY2004 to 31% in FY2005. Refinement of the SPARROW model yielded better than 

expected model performance.

Number of mapping nodes (publicly available Web mapping 

services available through The National Map) 

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

25 50 90 140 152

▲ Target Exceeded. Through The National Map, State and local governments provided more web mapping services than anticipated at 

the start of the year.

Number of partnerships formed to link scientific information 

and societal decisions (Science Impact)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a n/a 3 

(cum 9)

8

▼ Target Not Met. Did not finalize the partnership with Pacific Disaster Center.
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 73

Performance Results

Number of partnerships for The National Map built with 

State and local governments that collect and maintain higher 

resolution, more current data (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 10 30 28 35

▲ Target Exceeded. State and local governments presented greater opportunities for partnering than USGS had expected.

Number of data standards used in implementing The 

National Map (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

12 17 17 22 22

√ Target Met.

Percent of the Nation’s surface for which hydrography, 

elevation, and orthoimagery data are available through the 

National Spatial Data Infrastructure Clearinghouse and 

supported through partnerships (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

.8% 41% 62% 83% 71%

▼ Target Not Met. Urban orthoimagery data layer was impacted by unplanned emergency response efforts for hurricane needs - rate is 

expected to accelerate once new Gulf coast States’ imagery is ready to put into the NSDI Clearinghouse.

Percentage of total cost saved through partnering for data 

collection of high-resolution imagery (PART measure)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 71% 42% 72%

▲ Target Exceeded. Total of 49 urban areas for $3,108,880 versus full price acquisition estimated at $11,103,143.

Number of summer workshops provided to instructors of 

Tribal Colleges & Universities instructors

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

1 2 4 2 2

√ Target Met.

Number of academic year short courses and miniworkshops provided to Tribal Colleges & Universities2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

7 9 8 8 9

√ Target Met.

Number of summer internships 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

1 4 5 5 7

√ Target Met.
Performance Data and Analysis

74 Performance Measure Results

Performance Results

Intermediate Outcome: Improve information base, information management, and technical assistance

Number of academic year internships 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

2 3 3 4 5

▲ Target Exceeded. 

Number of bureau-conditional assessments in progress or 

completed (within a 5-year cycle)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2004

Actual

25 39 41 9 9

√ Target Met.

Number of deferred maintenance and capital improvements 

completed (cumulative)

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

14 24 36 54 53

√ Target Met.

Number of bureauwide data-integration practices and/or 

policies adopted

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 1 3 4

▲ Target Exceeded. 

Number of new NSDI Clearinghouse nodes established for 

serving data

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

41 41 82 50 43

▼ Target Not Met. Transitioning to fewer nodes and greater focus on GOS portal.

Number of informal NSDI conference outreach exhibits 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

58 52 52 50 56

▲ Target Exceeded. 

Number of new NSDI standards developed (cumulative) 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

2 2 0 5 2

▼ Target Not Met. Homeland Security Working Group Access Policy.

Number of new NSDI partnership agreements 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

29 51 52 60 36

▼ Target Not Met. The number of grant applicants in FY2005 was lower than previous years and some of the proposals were of poorer 

quality. As a result, dollar limits were increased in some categories to allow some of the better proposals to have higher awards. Overall 

the total dollar amount of the grant program remained constant but a smaller quantity of grants were awarded this year.
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 75

Performance Results

Number of significant Web sites co-located on consolidated 

hardened, secure, and redundant Internet servers

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

17 61 167 200 189

▼ Target Not Met.

Number of IT help desks operational in major USGS offices 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a 8 5 4 5

▼ Target Not Met. Reduction of help desks fell short of planned target by 1 help desk as a result of FY2005 changes in the strategy and 

planning for future consolidation expected to occur in FY2006.

Percentage of Internet hosts potentially vulnerable to 

unauthorized access

2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

n/a n/a 5% <1% 2.01%

▼ Target Not Met. The FY2005 rate was higher than expected due to the volume of patches created to remediate unforeseen new 

vulnerabilities.

Intermediate Outcome: Improve information base, information management, and technical assistance

Number of NBII nodes 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

10 10 14 14 14

√ Target Met.

Number of NBII Clearinghouse metadata records 2002

Actual

2003

Actual

2004

Actual

2005

Planned

2005

Actual

4,000 6,600 7,500 8,000 17,937

▲ Target Exceeded. Additional NBII nodes as well as other partners have added metadata records to the NBII Clearinghouse far in 

excess of anticipated levels.

Accomplishments

Building an NBII Portal Community for Appalachian 

Trail Environmental Inventory and Monitoring

The Appalachian Trail (AT), one of the most recognized 

trails in the world , traverses 14 States, 8 national 

forests, 5 national park units, and several State 

forests and parks. NPS, FWS, USFS-Forest Health 

Monitoring, Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), 

Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy 

(SAHC), Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), Southern 

Appalachian Man and the Biosphere (SAMAB), 

Appalachian Voices, West Virginia Highlands 

Conservancy, and Delaware Highlands Conservancy 

conduct localized natural resource inventory and 

monitoring (I&M) activities along the AT corridor. 

The NBII portal’s AT community serves as a central 

point of coordination and collaboration for many of 

these efforts (membership has grown to 109 individuals 

since June of last year) with the community now being 

used to manage five projects along the AT corridor. 
Performance Data and Analysis

76 Performance Measure Results

New and Improved NBII Portal Introduced

Early FY2005 marked the introduction of a new and 

improved NBII portal (My.NBII.Gov). The NBII 

portal provides access to biological information and 

services and helps support the biological research 

process. Through a single, Web-accessible interface, 

NBII partners, scientists, and staff use the portal to 

collaborate on a wide range of questions related to 

the management, use, and conservation of biological 

resources. 

As an information-sharing tool, the portal streamlines 

and enhances collaboration and project management. 

The recently upgraded portal offers improved 

capabilities through software enhancements, including 

“live” editing of documents, immediate notification 

of new information, and enhanced searching 

capabilities. The new portal also boasts better project 

and document management, allowing users to upload 

multiple files at once, create new information without 

leaving the portal, and export entire project timelines 

and tasks directly into Microsoft Project. 

Now, more than ever, the portal helps the NBII serve 

communities through improved management of our 

Nation’s biological resources; at the same time, 

designated groups within the portal itself (also termed 

“communities”) address a variety of specialized 

tasks and experience dynamic interaction with 

their colleagues. Behind the scenes, the security 

architecture for the upgraded portal is more flexible, 

giving greater autonomy to community managers and 

allowing them to tailor their communities and create 

content that best reflects user needs. Today, NBII 

portal communities cover topics from biodiversity 

in the Appalachian Mountains to information on 

threatened and endangered species on U.S. military 

lands. This accomplishment relates to the Output 

Measures “Number of cumulative NBII Clearinghouse 

metadata records,” and “Number of cumulative Biology 

gigabytes managed,” as well as End Outcome Measure 

“Number of cumulative Biology partnership links.”

Appalachian Trail.

For instance, it is being used to post announcements, 

post and edit documents, post and track progress 

of work tasks, conduct discussions on issues, plan 

meetings and conference calls, coordinate metadata 

documentation for projects, and document links of 

interest for land managers. It also provides information 

on conferences and news items of interest, including 

forest health monitoring, adaptive management of 

the Roan Mountain Massif, invasive species issues, 

documenting inventory and monitoring activity, and 

researching additional topics for I&M. Further, the AT 

community has raised awareness of the NBII program 

at the park and forest level, at universities, and Federal 

agencies. This accomplishment relates to the Output 

Measures: “Number of cumulative NBII Clearinghouse 

metadata records,” and “Number of cumulative Biology 

gigabytes managed,” as well as End Outcome Measure 

“Number of cumulative Biology partnership links.”
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 77

Stream-Sediment Geochemistry in Coeur D’Alene 

Mining District

USGS scientists recently completed an integrated 

watershed-characterization study finding that 

historical mining of silver-lead-zinc ores have resulted 

in streambed sediment enrichments of lead, zinc, 

mercury, arsenic, cadmium, silver, copper, and cobalt 

in tributaries of the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene 

River, ID. The study results have been published in the 

new USGS Scientific Investigations Report, StreamSediment Geochemistry in Mining-Impacted Streams: 

Prichard, Eagle, and Beaver Creeks, Northern Coeur 

d’Alene Mining District, Northern Idaho. 

The report, produced in cooperation with the USFS and 

the BLM, concludes that there are elevated levels of 

lead and zinc that are far above the normal background 

levels, in the vicinity of mines and mill sites, decreasing 

at the mouth of each stream where it empties into the 

North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River, 15–20 kilometers 

downstream. The USFS and BLM are using this 

baseline data to monitor and gage future reductions 

in streambed sediment metal enrichments that should 

result from ongoing remedial actions being taken at 

several of the mines and mill sites in the drainage 

basin. See http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2004/5284/. This 

accomplishment relates to the Output Measure 

“Number of systematic analyses & investigations 

delivered to customers.”

Pesticides in Water

A cooperative study by USGS and EPA of 12 water 

treatment plants scattered throughout the country 

found that some pesticides are not completely removed 

by the treatment process and can remain in treated 

drinking water. Four herbicides—atrazine, metolachlor, 

prometon, and simazine—were detected most 

frequently. None of the treated samples contained 

pesticide concentrations exceeding EPA standards for 

safe drinking water, although scientists consistently 

found detectable levels of several pesticides. 

The study showed that there is considerable variability 

among treatment plants in their effectiveness in 

removing pesticides. The paper will be published in 

the Journal of the American Water Works Association. 

This accomplishment relates to the Output Measure 

“Number of systematic analyses & investigations 

delivered to customers.”

National Fish Mercury Model Available On-Line

Many Federal, State, and other agencies monitor 

mercury levels in fish samples to identify streams and 

lakes susceptible to mercury contamination in fish, 

to assess trends over time, to determine the factors 

that make waterways susceptible to contamination, 

and to develop fish consumption advisories for 

mercury. These agencies face formidable challenges 

in interpreting data on mercury concentrations in fish 

tissue because important spatial and temporal trends 

in these data are often obscured by variations in fish 

sample characteristics—different fish species, fish of 

different sizes, and different parts of fish (whole fish or 

fish fillet tissue). 

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

EPA Listing of Fish Consumption Advisories for Mercury data by state.
Performance Data and Analysis

78 Performance Measure Results

To help resource managers with this problem, USGS 

scientists developed a national model of mercury 

concentrations in fish tissue. This statistical model 

can be used to analyze monitoring data and to predict 

mercury concentrations in single fish species, in a 

specified size of fish, or in a type of fish tissue based 

on monitoring data. By accounting for differences in 

sample characteristics, the statistical model can reveal 

variations in fish-mercury concentrations between 

sites and over time that otherwise might go unnoticed. 

Additionally, the model can estimate mercury 

concentrations in many fish with very different 

characteristics, thus providing the potential to 

dramatically lower the number of fish samples needed 

for analysis (and therefore lowering sampling costs) 

without decreasing accuracy. 

An example of an application of the model would be to 

predict the size and type of fish that will bioaccumulate 

mercury beyond a specific mercury concentration. The 

model is calibrated to a national data set of mercury 

in fish tissue (as of February 2005, there were 45,605 

samples) compiled from various Federal, State, and 

local data sets including the National Listing of Fish 

and Wildlife Advisory data set. The model is available 

online and was developed in cooperation with the 

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 

and The National Map Program. This accomplishment 

relates to the Output Measure “Number of systematic 

analyses & investigations delivered to customers.”

Department of Defense Threatened and Endangered 

Species Research Documents Library

Through the implementation of metadata standards and 

NBII portal technologies, the NBII program is providing 

the core infrastructure to support efforts to manage 

threatened and endangered species (TES) information 

for five species: Indiana bat, golden-cheeked warbler, 

black-capped vireo (see photo at right), gopher tortoise, 

and red-cockaded woodpecker. 

The NBII program is not only responsible for developing 

and housing the database and information repository 

to support this effort, but also provides access to 

additional data and information relevant to Department 

of Defense (DoD) TES issues such as black-capped 

vireo at Fort Hood, TX, and red cockaded woodpecker 

in the Southern Appalachian region. The DOD TES 

Research Documents Library project initially focused 

on U.S Army high-priority TES species of concern, 

and a subset of TES related documents (management 

plans, biological opinions, and fact sheets). Users 

include military land managers and other partners. 

This accomplishment relates to the Output Measures 

“Number of cumulative NBII Clearinghouse metadata 

records,” and “Number of cumulative Biology 

gigabytes managed.”

New Glen Canyon Dam High-Flows Web Site

A new USGS Web site containing news articles and 

information about the November 2004 Glen Canyon 

Dam experimental high-flow event through the Grand 

Canyon was launched in FY2005. The results of 

the experimental high-flow event and other similar 

efforts can be used to evaluate the use of high flows 

as a management action for the preservation and 

restoration of natural resources in the Colorado River 

below Glen Canyon Dam. These investigations also 

contribute substantially to our understanding of the 

effect of high flows on natural resources so that we 

may better understand the relationship between the 

operations of the Glen Canyon Dam and the natural 

environment. In addition to news articles, the new Web 

site contains links to press releases, radio interviews, 

descriptions of science experiments, compliance 

documents, and more. The site contains links to 

more than 75 news articles describing the high flow 

events. See http://www.gcmrc.gov/what_we_do/

high_flow/high_flow.htm/. This work is a collaborative 

effort involving the Biological Resources Division 

Black-capped Vireo (vireo catricapalla).
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 79

and the Hydrologic Research and Development 

Program. This accomplishment relates indirectly to the 

Output Measure “Number of systematic analyses & 

investigations delivered to customers.”

Water-Quality Data Online for New York Estuary

Improving the health of Long Island’s South Shore 

Estuary Reserve (SSER) requires continuously recorded 

water-quality data to understand the short-term effects 

of stormwater runoff and other pollution sources. 

In a pilot effort to document the daily and tidal 

variability of water quality in the SSER, the USGS 

began monitoring chemical parameters at its station 

on Reynolds Channel at Point Lookout, in cooperation 

with the New York State Department of Environmental 

Conservation and the Town of Hempstead Department 

of Conservation and Waterways. This station, which 

records tide elevation and meteorological conditions 

every 6 minutes, also monitors water temperature, 

specific conductance, salinity, dissolved oxygen, 

and turbidity. The availability of these data will make 

it easier for New York State and local managers to 

understand the impact of runoff from storms in the 

region, as well as the impact of pollution runoff. 

Real-time data from this site are available at http://

waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/uv/?site_no=01310740. 

This accomplishment relates to the Output Measure 

“Number of real-time water-quality sites reporting on 

NWIS-Web.”

DOI Land Cover Summit

The USGS hosted a two-day DOI Land Cover Summit on 

January 26-27, 2005, to promote the integration of land 

cover activities across the Department. Land cover 

mapping, characterization, monitoring and forecasting 

are critical elements of many environmental monitoring 

programs in Federal, State, and local governments, 

industry, academia, as well as other non governmental 

sectors. For DOI, such programs include fire 

science activities, NPS high-resolution vegetation 

mapping, FWS refuge mapping, and the BLM Land 

Health Standards. The Summit provided a means 

for coordination among DOI agencies to improve 

the integration of plot data collection, translation 

and use; quantification of landscape characteristics 

(percentages of canopy cover and impervious 

surface, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) to 

complement land cover classification mapping; satellite 

data availability; multistage sampling schemes; status 

and trends reporting; and algorithms and processes 

for achieving dynamic land cover products. This 

accomplishment relates to the Output Measure 

“Number of formal workshops or training provided to 

customers.”

Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Data Validation and 

Applications Workshop 

The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) 

has produced an unprecedented near-global highresolution elevation dataset. Since the Shuttle flight, 

the mapping community has eagerly anticipated the 

availability of this new source of basic topographic 

information. All SRTM data production has been 

completed, and the data are being used in numerous 

applications. Under an agreement with the NASA and 

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the USGS 

distributes this elevation data through a Web-ordering 

interface or through the USGS EROS Seamless Data 

Distribution System. The USGS has been distributing 

over 3 terabytes of data per month for the past year.

On June 14-16, 2005, the USGS hosted a Shuttle 

Radar Topography Mission - Data Validation and 

Applications Workshop in Reston, VA. Approximately 

180 participants from 14 countries attended this 

international workshop, cosponsored by NASA, USGS, 

NGA, the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites, 

and the International Society for Photogrammetry 

Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve.
Performance Data and Analysis

80 Performance Measure Results

and Remote Sensing. The purpose of the workshop 

was to help document the SRTM data quality and 

characteristics and to describe applications benefiting 

from the data. There were over 40 oral presentations 

and 20 posters on topics including data production, 

accuracy assessment, comparison of radar products, 

canopy height and vegetation mapping, void filling, 

data distribution, and earth science and geospatial 

applications. The technical program concluded with a 

panel discussion on the future of topographic mapping 

from space. This accomplishment relates to the Output 

Measure “Number of formal workshops or training 

provided to customers.”

Post Tsunami Work

In response to the December 2004 tsunami disaster, 

USGS scientists led or participated in International 

Survey Team expeditions to Sumatra, Sri Lanka, and the 

Maldives. Hardest hit were Sumatra (death toll greater 

than 170,000) and Sri Lanka (death toll greater than 

31,000). 

The USGS and the Mines Bureau of Sri Lanka were the 

first scientific agencies to mobilize field responses to 

the tsunami. USGS provided critical sedimentologic 

and geologic expertise to the international teams. 

Teams surveyed the east, south, and west coasts of 

Sri Lanka and the Aceh province in Sumatra, where 

they collected critical and ephemeral information on 

tsunami inundation, erosion and deposition, nearshore 

bathymetry, and coastal change impacts. 

On Indonesia’s island of Sumatra, USGS scientists 

documented wave heights of 20 to 30 m (65 to 100 

ft) at the island’s northwest end and found evidence 

suggesting that wave heights ranged from 15 to 30 

m (50 to 100 ft) along a 100-km (60 mi) stretch of the 

northwest coast. These wave heights are higher than 

those predicted by computer models made soon after 

the earthquake that triggered the tsunami. These data 

on the height and variability of tsunami waves will 

provide critical field validation for improved tsunami 

models.

In the Maldives, USGS surveys provided an assessment 

of tsunami impacts, and USGS researchers developed 

requirements for setting up a coastal zone management 

system to guide reconstruction efforts. The primary 

goal of these response teams was to provide scientific 

and technical expertise to support improvements in 

hazard mitigation and coastal planning. The secondary 

goal was to “groundtruth” predictive models used to 

forecast tsunamis for early warning systems. Tsunami 

models and other related information were developed 

and posted on the Web (http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/

tsunami/) to aid response planning, define future 

vulnerability, and inform the public. The users of this 

information include first responders to disasters in the 

local areas, local and countrywide disaster planners, 

Federal agencies, and scientists. This accomplishment 

relates to the Output Measure “Number of systematic 

analyses & investigations delivered to customers.”

Caribbean Tsunami Hazard

A survey to map tsunami and earthquake hazards in 

the northern Caribbean was completed in April 2005 

aboard the Spanish research vessel Hesperides and 

aboard the Puerto Rican commercial tugboat Kruger 

B. The project was conducted jointly with the USGS 

Woods Hole Science Center, the University of Madrid, 

the Spanish Royal Naval Observatory, and the seismic 

network of the University of Puerto Rico. It included 

detailed mapping of 24,000 km2 south and southwest 

of Puerto Rico, an area thought to accommodate 

movement of the Caribbean Plate under Puerto Rico. 

The area has not previously been mapped, thus the 

potential for tectonic and landslide activity there is 

largely unknown. These data will be used by scientists 

and managers to help plan and expand the Caribbean 

Sumatra: Black arrows indicate tsunami flow direction as the waves hit 

the shore; then where the waves were forced inland past barriers the flow 

became focused and wrapped around in back of these barriers.
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 81

Muertos Trough (5500 meters deep)

Puerto Rico

St. John and

St. Thomas

St. Croix

Dominican Republic

Caribbean Sea

1000 m deep

Preliminary sea floor topography map south of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

Joint Spanish-U.S. research cruise

Joint Spanish-U.S. Research Cruise.

tsunami warning system. This accomplishment relates 

to the Output Measure “Number of systematic analyses 

& investigations delivered to customers.”

The Road Indicator Project (TRIP)

The USGS has developed a national, high-resolution 

dataset that gives the distance to the nearest road 

every 30 meters across the conterminous 48 states. 

This work provides the first unified national picture of 

roadless space, vehicular accessibility, and intensity of 

road construction. 

The new dataset is the first member of the National 

Overview Road Metrics family of road-related 

indicators. The U.S. road network is the largest human 

construction on Earth. It is vital to our economic and 

social development and has been rarely studied as an 

integrated object. Spatial relationships between the 

network and intervening roadless areas are important 

to ecological and hydrological resources. The road 

indicators provide mechanisms for quantitative study, 

synthesis to large scale, indication of temporal change, 

and place-to-place comparison. There have been no 
Performance Data and Analysis

82 Performance Measure Results

national road-related indicators; TRIP provides these 

and applies them to provide multiple-scale information 

about conditions and processes influenced by roads. 

USGS has developed a video showing the deflation of 

open space in the growing urban corridor along the 

Front Range. This video illustrates how an indicator 

metric can be used to integrate trends information over 

a large area and simultaneously display spatial detail. 

This accomplishment relates to the Output Measure 

“Number of systematic analyses and investigations 

delivered to customers.”

Mt. St. Helens LiDAR

USGS produced a digital elevation model of Mount St. 

Helens using a high-resolution LiDAR (light detection 

and ranging) dataset, acquired in September 2003. The 

DEM of Mount St. Helens was selected for the cover 

story of the January 2005 issue of Photogrammetric 

Engineering and Remote Sensing, describing USGS 

research activities using LiDAR. The LiDAR data 

provided the first high-resolution elevation data set of 

Mount St. Helens since the eruption in May 1980. The 

release of the data coincided with the latest smallscale eruptions and enabled USGS researchers to 

monitor the growth of the crater’s lava dome. 

Topographic changes between the 2003 survey and 

a second LIDAR survey in October 2004 are being 

used to document volcano deformation with LiDAR 

for the first time. This accomplishment relates to the 

Output Measure “Number of systematic analyses and 

investigations delivered to customers.”

Canadian Partnership 

The USGS and the Geological Survey of Canada are 

conducting research into community planning for 

multiple natural hazards along the Sea-to-Sky corridor 

in anticipation of population increases and the 

upcoming Winter Olympics. The Sea-to Sky corridor 

is located in British Columbia from Horseshoe Bay 

and extending north to Whistler. It is one of the most 

spectacular settings in the world offering travelers 

along Highway 99 North an uninterrupted vista of Howe 

Sound, year-round glaciers and breath-taking West 

Coast mountain scenery. 

USGS and GSC also jointly produced a paper on 

developing methods to estimate the economic value 

of improved geologic maps for mineral exploration 

in mature and frontier mining districts. This 

accomplishment relates to the Output Measure: 

“Number of partnerships formed with decisionmaking 

organizations.”

USGS Natural Disaster Coordination Support

The USGS freely distributes many types of satellite 

imagery and geospatial data and works with 

commercial satellite data providers to support the 

needs of U.S. Federal agencies. In response to relief 

efforts to nations impacted by the Asian tsunami 

disaster of December 26, 2004, USGS staff at EROS 

worked virtually non-stop to maintain and add data to 

the USGS Web site for the Hazards Data Distribution 

System (http://gisdata.usgs.gov/website/Disaster_

Response). The Web site provides a dynamic online 

map interface that can be used to view USGS datasets 

that are part of The National Map. 

USGS posted a host of geospatial data and satellite 

imagery for free electronic downloading from this 

site that included topographic and other types of 

maps; commercial, civil, and international imagery; 

inundation shape files; Landscan data; and elevation 

data in response to the disaster. These data were 

LIDAR Image of Mount St. Helens, Washington: Vertical view of new dome 

area Mount St. Helens crater, October 4, 2004.
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 83

made available to U.S. Government organizations such 

as Department of State, U.S. Agency for International 

Development, National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

NASA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National 

Geospatial-Intelligence Administration, USGS, and 

relief organizations. Other organizations include 

the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian 

Affairs, Government of India, Pacific Disaster Center, 

German Aerospace Center, World Food Program, 

French national space agency (CNES) and French 

mapping agency (SERTIT), UNOSAT, the International 

Water Management Institute, International Charter: 

Space and Major Disasters, EURIMAGE, and European 

Organization for Nuclear Research.

Within hours after the disaster, EROS began providing 

relief organizations worldwide with pre- and posttsunami satellite images, as well as image-derived 

products that incorporate information on population 

density, elevation, and other relevant topics. The 

images and image-derived products were used by 

relief organizations to make practical, well-informed 

decisions as to where relief efforts were most urgently 

needed and how best to carry out those efforts. 

Multi-Hazard Vulnerability Decision Support

USGS and partners are developing indicators and 

metrics that capture and help visualize societal 

vulnerability to natural hazards. In FY2005, 

a one-day training session on vulnerability 

assessment techniques was conducted for local 

land-use planners and emergency managers, as 

part of a partnership with the Oregon Partners 

for Disaster Resistance and Resilience that 

includes the USGS, FEMA, the Oregon Natural 

Hazards Workgroup, and Oregon Emergency 

Management. Initial finding of a case study 

conducted on the vulnerability of Oregon coastal 

communities to catastrophic earthquakes 

and tsunamis, in collaboration with Oregon 

Emergency Management, were presented on 

a special panel session related to tsunamis 

at the Association of American Geographers 

conference in Denver spring 2005. This 

accomplishment relates to the Output Measure 

“Number of formal workshops or training 

provided to customers.”

Tahoe Decision Support System

USGS scientists presented the history, methods, and 

major findings of the no-project alternative analysis 

to the Advisory Planning Committee of the Tahoe 

Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) on December 8, 

2004. This report used projections of resident, visitor, 

and day-use populations, and of land use by parcel and 

category over time to create a “scenario generator” 

tool for examining the status of each of 23 indicators 

of environmental, infrastructure, and socioeconomic 

wellbeing in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The report allows 

the multi-state TRPA to better evaluate effectiveness 

of the indicators in their planning processes. This 

accomplishment relates to the Output Measure 

“Number of systematic analyses and investigations 

delivered to customers.”

Expanding AmericaView

The AmericaView Consortium has continued to grow 

in membership, adding six new affiliate members 

and promoting two State consortia to full member 

status. Coordinators have been hired in several 

States to provide better community visibility and to 

increase interactions with institutions and agencies 

in the State. Several State government agencies 

began formally participating in AmericaView affiliated 

AmericaView participant locations. Full members are indicated in blue and 

affiliate members are indicated in yellow.
Performance Data and Analysis

84 Performance Measure Results

StateView programs for the first time in 2005. For 

example, the TexasView program added its first State 

agency partner— Texas Parks & Wildlife Department 

—while KansasView was invited to become a regular 

contributor to the 22-member Kansas GIS Policy 

Board. And, as a result of continued outreach within 

participating States, several new research institutions 

joined their StateView consortium in FY2005. There 

are now over 65 universities participating across the 

country in the 16 full member StateView programs. 

AmericaView provides a national “community 

commons” in which research, education, and training 

programs in each State are able to learn about, interact 

with, and support programs in other States. Several 

StateView programs have formed a working group 

to collect K-12 educational materials, such as lesson 

plans and activity modules, that have been developed 

by the various AmericaView participants in each 

State and to make those materials centrally and freely 

available to all StateView programs and their in-State 

participants. This accomplishment relates to the 

Output Measure “Percent of satellite data available 

from archive within 24 hours of capture.”

Telecommunications Networks

In the second quarter of 2005, USGS accomplished 

Phase 1 of the DOI Enterprise Services Network (ESN) 

plan for the Wide Area Network (WAN) initiative by 

(1) establishing Internet nodes at four USGS locations 

and (2) converting and upgrading its Alaska telecom 

network to a newer and more functional system called 

“ESN-AK.” USGS completed the field site certification 

and accreditation in accordance with a recent Federal 

Information Security Management Act (Title III of P.L. 

107-347) (FISMA) Plan of Action & Milestones. This 

accomplishment relates to the Outcome Measure 

“Percentage of time that all WAN and Internet access 

locations are up and running and accessible.”

Deferred Maintenance

The USGS will begin its second round of condition 

assessments for owned facilities. The cycle for 

completing all USGS condition assessments is 5 

years. The Columbia Environmental Research Center, 

Northern Prairie Science Center, Woodworth Field 

Station, Northern Appalachian Research Laboratory, 

Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, and 

the Boise District Office were assessed this year.

Condition assessments 

performed by the 

Water Resources 

Discipline identified 

the need to replace 

or repair active cable 

cars. Load tests 

revealed that the 600 

cable cars in active 

use nationwide could 

fail under adverse field 

conditions such as 

snagged cables during 

flood conditions. 

Replacements and 

repairs have taken 

place this year using 

available resources.

The replacement of network analog and microwave 

stations for the earthquake network stations which 

provide seismic monitoring/warning for large 

metropolitan areas continues. This year’s funding 

has been used to replace existing equipment that has 

exceeded its expected life and that cannot be expected 

to operate continuously without increased failure rates.

The upgrade of the critical power system at USGS 

National Center for Earth Resources Observation and 

Science has been completed. This project included 

the installation of redundant back-up power for the 

data center. This accomplishment relates to the Output 

Measure “Number of deferred maintenance and capital 

improvement.”

USGS supports the Department’s Management 

Excellence goals and provides the following 

accomplishments as examples.

Security Certification and Accreditation

In 2005, USGS is ameliorating weaknesses identified 

in the Management Control Review and Certification 

and Accreditation processes. Such actions include 

testing IT contingency plans and improving the quality 

of security documentation. Employees with IT security 

responsibilities and program managers are receiving 

additional training in the areas of IT security and 

project management. 

USGS cable car over river.
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 85

Capital Asset Planning and Investment Control (CPIC)

In 2005, USGS achieved Level 2 compliance with 

the GAO IT Investment Management maturity 

model. Under Level 2 compliance, the CPIC program 

undergoes monthly reviews of major IT investments 

and annual reviews of non-major IT investments. 

Policies, procedures, and tools are now in place 

to identify levels of IT spending for the Exhibit 53, 

consistent with OMB Circular A–11. USGS subject 

matter experts continue to review major IT investments 

to ensure consistency with emerging IT policies and 

OMB business case criteria, and the CPIC office 

continues to provide guidance and technical support 

to USGS science and administrative programs to 

assist them in preparing sound and effective business 

case analyses for their program-specific information 

systems. 

Facility Planning and Management

The USGS contracted a bureau Strategic Facilities 

Master Plan (SFMP) to improve the decisionmaking 

process for facilities investments, identify cost control 

opportunities, and strengthen the USGS budgeting 

process. In particular, the contractor:

• Determined the adequacy of USGS facilities, 

individually and in the aggregate, in meeting USGS 

current and planned mission needs;

• Reviewed the current mix of facilities sources (e.g., 

owned, rented, and cooperator space) to determine 

if the mix is balanced properly to meet USGS science 

needs;

• Recommended mechanisms for improving the 

integration of science/facilities planning;

• Recommended performance metrics and tracking 

processes for use in measuring the effectiveness, 

economy, and efficiency of USGS facilities and 

supporting programs;

• Developed a business case model for the USGS to 

apply to decisions about facilities investments; and

• Applied the business case model to identify priority 

opportunities for reducing current USGS facilities 

costs with due consideration of science program 

impact.

The USGS has received the 65 percent submittal and 

completed SFMP by the end of FY2005.

John W. Powell (JWP) Federal Building Renovations

The JWP’s $35 million Laboratory Renovation Project 

was just completed. The final phase of this 9-phase 

multi-year project, which began in 1999, concluded in 

August, 2005. USGS occupied all laboratory space in 

the JWP by the end of September 2005. Renovated 

laboratories were configured using a modular concept 

to standardize laboratory layouts, incorporating 

features such as adequate removal of effluents, 

hazardous material storage, and improved egress 

adding secondary exits along with other life safety 

enhancements. These design concepts along with 

numerous others resulted in laboratories outfitted to 

meet USGS Mission requirements.

Space Management

The drawings of the Central and Western regions 

facilities were entered into a database using Aperture 

Software. The information contained in the database 

will allow the regions and headquarters to analyze 

the USGS space holdings and develop initiatives for 

improved space management and cost savings. The 

Web-based application was installed and is open to 

USGS employees.

Safety

The USGS, in cooperation with Eastern Region 

Geography, has developed a safety and health core 

competencies handbook highlighting duties and 

associated knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that 

employees must possess to perform their functions 

effectively for full time and collateral duty safety and 

health personnel serving in this program. Managers 

can refer to it when assessing the needs of their 

organization for safety support, and it can also be used 

to ensure the inclusion of pertinent safety duties in 

position descriptions for full time and collateral duty 

assignments. Managers are encouraged to review 

and consider the KSAs when assessing potential 

candidates in order to assist them in making quality 

selections for these critical assignments. 

This document also identifies required and suggested 

training that will equip employees with the required 

technical competencies. As such, the document 

serves as a developmental tool for employees striving 

to perform at their optimum levels while also linking 
Performance Data and Analysis

86 Performance Measure Results

environment best practices have been compiled to 

assist managers in their efforts to maintain a rewarding 

work environment.

The USGS developed a USGS Organizational 

Excellence model that identifies the critical leadership 

and management, people, process, and structure 

components that support USGS science outcomes at 

the program, bureau, and societal levels. The model 

provides a systemic framework for planning and 

decision making, communicating the components 

that underpin organizational success, and measuring 

organizational performance. The model will be used as 

a basis for developing and reporting the results of the 

2006 all-employee Organizational Assessment Survey.

In FY2005, the USGS reached the halfway point toward 

the goal of creating and training a critical mass of 

leaders at all levels of the organization. The Leadership 

Centered Culture Program implemented an intensive 

focus on supervisory and managerial development that 

will serve as a core element of the bureau’s workforce 

planning efforts.

Workforce diversity remains a priority for the USGS. 

We participated in testing the DOI-wide “iComplaints” 

System. The iComplaints system automates 

discrimination complaints processing and reports. 

Additional fiscal resources were directed to the 

regions to develop partnerships with local colleges and 

universities. One example of results: the expansion of 

the hydrologic technician development and recruitment 

program with Gateway Community College to Vermillion 

Community College.

Financial Management

The USGS achieved an unqualified opinion on the 

FY2005 and FY2004 financial statements included in the 

Annual Performance and Accountability Report and did 

not receive any material weaknesses either year. 

In December 2004, the Department Deputy Assistant 

Secretary–Business Management and Wildland Fire 

publicly recognized USGS for “Significantly Improved 

Performance in Financial Statement Preparation and 

Reporting.” See the award on the following page.

critical FY2005 USGS Workforce Planning with the longterm Human Capital Strategic Plan Goals within DOI.

Strategic Management of Human Capital

In FY 2005, the USGS expanded its workforce planning 

efforts to address the bureau-level strategic goal of 

integrated science. In addition, workforce plans were 

developed and implemented for the majority of USGS 

science centers. Science center managers used the 

automated skills assessment tool to assess the skills 

of their current workforce and compare current skills 

to future skill needs based on their science plans. 

Regional managers aggregated science center plans 

at the regional level to identify regional strategies for 

acquiring critical skills.

During FY2005, the USGS also expanded the features 

of the automated skills assessment tool, extending the 

coverage of critical and emerging skills included in the 

skills assessment and refining the information reports 

capabilities.

The Core Competencies Model for Managers 

was vetted and refined via regional managerial 

focus groups and received final approval from the 

steering team in FY2005. The particular managerial 

competencies related to effective supervision have 

been incorporated into USGS supervisory training 

and also into supervisory evaluations. As a result of 

USGS work in competency development, the USGS 

has been asked to help the DOI lead a departmentwide competency initiative effort. A core amount of 

competency uniformity and common understanding 

will be required to successfully implement and use the 

department-wide Learning Management System in 

FY2006.

In FY2005, the USGS completed a study that showed 

that employee perceptions of the USGS as a rewarding 

place to work affect employee perceptions regarding 

morale, recruitment and retention, science vitality, 

and customer satisfaction with USGS products. These 

study results have been incorporated in leadership 

and supervisory training so that USGS managers 

will develop skill in creating a work environment that 

enhances morale, recruitment and retention, science 

vitality, and customer satisfaction. In addition, the 

specific behaviors that promote a rewarding work 

environment have been identified, and USGS rewarding 
 Performance Data and Analysis

Performance Measure Results 87

USGS establishes National Geospatial Programs Office

In a strategic move to strengthen geographic research and to consolidate geospatial data programs, 

former Director Chip Groat announced the creation of a National Geospatial Programs Office. The move 

to transfer The National Map from the Geography Discipline to the Geospatial Information Office (GIO) will 

allow existing expertise in the field of geography at the USGS to focus attention on geographic research and 

enhance USGS leadership in both geospatial programs and geographic research.

The reorganization will consolidate USGS geospatial programs under the new National Geospatial 

Programs Office located within the GIO. The National Geospatial Programs Office will oversee the portfolio 

of national geospatial programs for which the USGS has responsibility, including the Federal Geographic 

Data Committee, the Geospatial One Stop project, the Department of the Interior Enterprise Geospatial 

Information Management activity and The National Map.

The decision to reorganize is in direct response to discussions with constituent groups about how best to 

meet their geospatial data needs and recommendations from a report by the National Research Council of 

the National Academies.

This success was partly due 

to improved policies and 

procedures in the accounts 

receivable and undelivered 

orders processes, and a 

continued focus on training 

for administrative staffs. The 

bureau developed and used as 

a guide an annual operating 

schedule that highlights due 

dates for all financial activities 

for the fiscal year, which was 

monitored for compliance. 

Additionally, the bureau 

successfully performed a 

“hard-close” of accounts at 

the end of the third quarter, 

allowing program managers 

and administrative staff the 

opportunity to clean accounts 

before the year-end rush of 

activity. Department Award presented to USGS for improved financial management.
Performance Data and Analysis

88 Validation and Verification of Performance Data

I

n keeping with Departmental and OMB policy 

for performance data verification and validation 

(V&V), USGS has complied with requirements for 

performance data credibility.

During FY2005, USGS GPRA coordinators for each 

Budget Activity/scientific discipline completed and 

certified a validation checklist comprised of criteria 

in the DOI V&V Assessment Matrix for the key, nonkey performance measures of the DOI Strategic 

Plan, bureau specific, PART measures, and outputs 

to which USGS contributes. USGS will demonstrate 

accountability by establishing a clear connection 

among mission, work, and what work accomplishes for 

the funds that have been authorized and appropriated. 

Criteria include scrutiny to determine that goals are 

realistic and measurable, understandable to users, and 

ultimately used in decisionmaking. In addition, several 

of the Strategic Plan measures were assessed by the 

PART during FY2005, for select Biology and Geology 

programs. This will add additional documentation 

and assurance of creditability and usability of 

USGS performance measures for management 

decisionmaking.

Also, during FY2005, USGS GPRA coordinators for 

each Budget Activity/scientific discipline completed 

and certified a verification checklist comprised of 

criteria in the DOI V&V Assessment Matrix for all 

performance measures—comprising of, key, non-key 

and bureau-specific measures, PART measures, and 

PART outputs. This included assessing data accuracy, 

completeness, consistency, availability, and intercontrol practices that serve to determine the overall 

reliability of the data collected. GPRA coordinators 

will document any inconsistencies, inaccuracies or 

anomalies in performance data to ensure that problems 

are addressed so that integrity of the performance data 

are ensured.

Data Validation and Verification 

Element

Explanation

Status of Data V&V 

implementation in bureau 

activity area

Response to GPRA requirements and DOI-AS-PMB Data V&V directive January 

16, 2003.

1. Extent to which data V&V 

criteria have been disseminated 

throughout the bureau activity 

area units

Data V&V criteria have been disseminated and reviewed by all USGS GPRA 

coordinators for each Budget Activity/scientific discipline.

2. Extent to which protocols 

have been implemented in units 

providing performance data

 a) Are collection standards 

followed?

Performance measure names, terminology and DOI performance definition 

templates are understood and being followed. There is no common data entry 

system or data entry point for collection of performance data, but standard 

protocols for database queries and retrieval are used. For example, Facilities 

Condition Index is defined by DOI guidance as deferred maintenance costs 

divided by replacement value. Both of these components of FCI are based 

on common industry standards and used by USGS Facilities to capture and 

calculate performance data. The Biological Information Management and 

Delivery Web site requires common collection standards to report quarterly 

accomplishments. Reporting stations are notified at the same time of a reporting 

requirement, and all use the same procedure for reports. For Biological 

Research & Monitoring, new GPRA guidance was communicated to center 

directors and Regional Executive (REX) staff. This guidance establishes 

collection and review and editing procedures involving REX staff, with 

headquarters follow-up. Consistent reporting procedures, including database 

formats are used by centers and regions.
 Performance Data and Analysis

Validation and Verification of Performance Data 89

Data Validation and Verification 

Element

Explanation

 b) Are data entry and transfer 

rules used?

Systems used to track performance data do not have extensive editing 

capabilities, but standard processes are used to capture performance data. 

Program offices understand how to obtain information about performance data 

and maintain data currency. For example, Water procedures for data entry, 

data sources and assumptions, and methods are documented by OBP discipline 

coordinator and are available to other OBP staff. Facilities procedures for data 

collection for the Condition Assessment (CA) program are documented in the 

contract. 

 c) Are data security measures 

implemented?

1) Firewalls, password protection, etc. are established according to bureau 

information system requirements.

2) Access to the databases and/or Excel spreadsheets are only available to 

registered, logged-on USGS users. 

3. Does the bureau conduct 

oversight and certification of 

data?

USGS GPRA coordinators for each budget activity/scientific discipline provide 

oversight and standards to be followed, verify performance data accuracy, 

ensure documentation is maintained, and certify performance data reported. 

OBP provides a second level of oversight.

4. Are other relevant actions 

taken to insure credibility of 

performance data?

Yes, for example, the Facilities CA report is generated by a third-party contractor 

and reviewed by Government personnel. Also, OBP makes comments in the DOI 

database, if for any reason, the data is changed after it has been entered.

Data Source(s) Data sources such as large databases, local files, Excel spreadsheets, reference 

files, and hardcopy files are documented. For example, Water uses a software 

query to extract the performance data from the National Water Information 

System (NWIS), a database and user interface through which the streamgages, 

ground-water sites, and water-quality sites report their hydrologic data on the 

Internet. For Facilities, the CA data are kept in hard copy form and on a USGS 

facilities database.

Data Limitations Any data limitations are documented.

Corrective/Improvement Actions 

(Needed, In Progress, or 

Recently Completed)

No corrective/improvement actions are needed at present.
Performance Data and Analysis

90 Program Evaluation Data

Program evaluations are an important tool in 

analyzing the effectiveness and efficiency 

of our programs and evaluating whether 

they are meeting their intended objectives. These 

evaluations are the foundation on which USGS 

gauges performance relative to the DOI End-Outcome 

measures for soundness of methodology, accuracy, 

and reliability of science. Our programs are evaluated 

through a variety of means, including performance 

audits, PART, financial audits, management control 

reviews, and external reviews from Congress, OMB, 

OIG, and other organizations, such as the National 

Academy of Public Administration and the National 

Academy of Science. 

These reviews, which may take several years to 

complete, are critical to maintaining the USGS’s 

reputation for scientific excellence and credibility as 

well as providing guidance for future research needs. 

The evaluations improve the accountability and quality 

of programs, but also identify and address gaps in 

programs; redirect or reaffirm program directions; 

identify and provide guidance for development of new 

programs; and review and/or motivate managers and 

scientists. 

We conduct both internal and external peer and 

management reviews to improve the accountability 

and quality of programs; identify and address gaps 

in programs; redirect or reaffirm program directions; 

identify and provide guidance for the development of 

new programs; and review and/or motivate managers 

and scientists. 

Reviews are both internal and external, conducted 

by USGS and non-USGS scientists, technicians, 

or specialists who are not involved in the specific 

proposal, project, program, or product under review. 

Our goal is to conduct an independent external peer 

review of ongoing programs about every 5 years, 

combined with more frequent independent internal 

management reviews.

Program Scope and 

Methodology

Status Comments

Earthquake 

Hazards 

Program

NRC Review 

Economic Benefits 

of Improved Seismic 

Monitoring.

Published 

“Improved Seismic 

Monitoring 

– Improved 

Decision-Making: 

Assessing the 

Value of Reduced 

Uncertainty” June 

2005.

The National Research Council report concludes 

that full deployment of the USGS Advanced National 

Seismic System offers the potential to substantially 

reduce earthquake losses and their consequences by 

providing critical information for land-use planning, 

building design, insurance, warnings, and emergency 

preparedness and response. In the committee’s 

judgment, the potential benefits far exceed the 

costs—less than 2 percent of the estimated losses. It 

is reasonable to conclude that mitigation actions—

based on improved information and the consequent 

reduction of uncertainty—would yield benefits 

amounting to several times the cost of improved 

seismic monitoring.

Assessment 

of Water 

Resource 

Research Act 

Program

NRC Study reviews 

the entire Federal 

and non-Federal 

water research 

establishment, rather 

than a review of 

the USGS research 

programs. 

Published 

“Confronting the 

Nation’s Water 

Problems:” October 

2004.

USGS is responding to the following findings and 

recommendations” the need for reviewing and 

revising the research portfolio on a regular basis; 

balance between short-term and long-term research 

efforts; the importance of interdisciplinary research; 

the problems of declining attention to social science 

topics such as water demand, water law, and other 

institutional topics. The report places high emphasis 

on “legacy monitoring systems.” 
 Performance Data and Analysis

Program Evaluation Data 91

Program Scope and 

Methodology

Status Comments

Geography 

Program 

External panel 

discussion of 

Geography Science 

Plan at the AAG 

Annual Conference, 

April 5-9, 2005.

Completed

“Geography for a 

Changing World: A 

Science Strategy 

for the Geographic 

Research of the 

U.S. Geological 

Survey.”

The report on the future research strategy for 

the Geography discipline recommended that the 

USGS develop partnerships with academia for joint 

geographic studies. USGS has teamed with the South 

Dakota State University to establish a Geographic 

Information Science Center of Excellence at the 

SDSU campus in Brookings, SD. The Center of 

Excellence will be a major research, teaching, and 

service organization that incorporates the combined 

strengths of SDSU and USGS research scientists 

and scholars in a collaborative program that directly 

advances research and educational opportunities 

available in geographic information science. 

Geography 

Science 

into K-12 

Curriculum

NRC Review Published 

“Learning to 

Think Spatially: 

GIS as a Support 

System in the K-12 

Curriculum” June 

2005. 

Five of the 6 recommendations in the report 

related directly to the re-design, development and 

implementation of GIS software and GIS science 

for K-12 students. Activities that might address 

these recommendations now fall under the purview 

of the USGS Geospatial Information Office (and 

not the Geography Discipline). However, the first 

recommendation in the report related to encouraging 

the development of spatial thinking standards and 

course materials to train K-12 students in spatial 

thinking. The USGS geographic research program 

will support this recommendation by incorporating 

tools and resources for K-12 teachers into its web 

sites. The geographic science education Web 

module will include puzzles and games related 

to geography, a history of major events related 

to geography, short flash movies on geographic 

subjects, and resources for teachers that will include 

photos, maps, graphs, presentations, and posters. 

Earth Surface 

Dynamics 

Program

NRC Review, the 

National Science 

Foundation and 

the U.S. Geological 

Survey asked a 

NRC committee to 

assess the scientific 

opportunities provided 

by the geologic record 

and recommend how 

scientists can take 

advantage of these 

opportunities for the 

Nation’s benefit.

Published “The 

Geological Record 

of Ecological 

Dynamics 

Understanding 

the Biotic 

Effects of Future 

Environmental 

Change” July 2005.

The committee identified three initiatives for future 

research to be developed over the next decade: (1) 

use the geological record as a natural laboratory 

to explore changes in living things under a range of 

past conditions, (2) use the record to better predict 

the response of biological systems to climate 

change, and (3) use geologic information to evaluate 

the effects of human and non-human factors on 

ecosystems. The committee also offered suggestions 

for improving the field through better training, 

improved databases, and additional funding.
Performance Data and Analysis

92 Program Evaluation Data

Program Scope and 

Methodology

Status Comments

GeomagnetismReview of program 

and 5-year plan by 

an external panel 

of subject matter 

experts.

Completed Panel reported fine job focusing on core mission 

of making high-quality measurements of the 

Earth’s magnetic field. Great improvements in data 

transportation and calibration and in relationships 

between program staff and main customers (U.S. Air 

Force and NOAA). The panel did see considerable 

room for improvements in three areas: the program’s 

visibility through an expanded line of products, 

facilities in need of modernization, and workforce 

renewal.

Geographic 

Analysis and 

Monitoring 

Program

DOI Land Cover 

Summit.

Completed The DOI Land Cover Summit was held 1/25-

27/05. Over 125 representatives from across DOI 

participated in discussions to further integrate DOI 

land cover activities. Liaisons from each bureau 

were named to work with USGS to identify their land 

cover requirements and to pursue specific areas of 

collaboration. The report and recommendations 

from the meeting, together with actions identified, are 

available at http://gam.usgs.gov/.

Multiple 

participants 

listed at far 

right.

GAO Report 

“Environmental 

Information: Status 

of Federal Data 

Programs That 

Support Ecological 

Indicators” Report 

No. GAO-05-376.

Completed The following Programs participated in the GAO 

review: Biological Resources Discipline, Earth 

Resources Observation System Data Center, National 

Stream Water Quality Accounting Network, National 

Water Quality Assessment Program, and National 

Streamflow Information Program. There were no 

formal recommendations included in this report for 

USGS or the Department.

National 

Cooperative 

Geologic 

Mapping

(NCGMP)

OMB/PART

FY2005 for FY2007 

Budget

Awaiting OMB’s 

recommendations; 

anticipated by 

February 2005. 

Once recommendations for programmatic 

improvements are final, an action plan to implement 

those improvements will be developed.

Biology 

Research and 

Monitoring 

(BRM)

OMB/PART

FY2005 for FY2007 

Budget

Awaiting OMB’s 

recommendations; 

anticipated by 

February 2005. 

Once recommendations for programmatic 

improvements are final, an action plan to implement 

those improvements will be developed.

Biological 

Information 

Management 

and Delivery 

(BIMD)

OMB/PART

FY2005 for FY2007 

Budget

Awaiting OMB’s 

recommendations; 

anticipated by 

February 2005. 

Once recommendations for programmatic 

improvements are final, an action plan to implement 

those improvements will be developed.
Section III

Financial Information

Contents

Message from the Chief Financial Officer ................................................................................... 94

Audit Information ............................................................................................................................. 96

Consolidated Financial Statements ............................................................................................ 110

Notes to the Financial Statements .............................................................................................. 115

Required Supplemental Information ........................................................................................... 138

Required Supplemental Stewardship Information ................................................................... 147

93

U.S. Geological Survey scientist Dan Dzurisin at a Global Positioning System (GPS) station on the east flank of Mount St. 

Helens (station Southeast Ridge). Mount Adams volcano is visible in the distance. More than a dozen GPS stations have been 

installed on or around Mount St. Helens to measure any deformation of the ground surface that might accompany an intense 

swarm of earthquakes that began on September 23, 2004.
Message from the Chief Financial Officer

Financial Information

94

FY2005 has been a very productive and successful year for the U.S. 

Geological Survey not only with continued excellence in our scientific 

mission but also in the arena of financial management resulting in an 

unqualified opinion on our financial statements. We successfully cleared 

the two reportable conditions and the only instance of noncompliance with 

laws and regulations identified in the Independent Auditor’s Report for FY 

2004: Internal Controls Over Accounts Receivables and Deferred Revenue 

Related to Reimbursable Agreements and Internal Controls Over IT Data Security which also led to 

a non-compliance with FFMIA. As noted in the appendix, we also had one of our senior scientists 

recognized in a special issue of Time magazine as among the world’s 100 most influential people.

We are delighted and encouraged with the improvements we have made in financial management 

and believe we are on course to maintain the successes we have achieved. Our goal continues to be 

excellence in both our science and our financial practices. 

The USGS is a decentralized, matrix-managed organization with a considerable number of our 

financial transactions processed by staffs in field locations. While on-going training in financial 

and administrative management is challenging logistically and funding-wise, we recognize the need 

and continue to look for methods of delivering needed training and to ensure that our staffs are kept 

abreast of current information. 

In FY2005, we developed a bureau-wide training plan that identified formal courses and on-the-job 

training needed at various levels of administrative and management positions. To implement this 

plan we provided 13 Appropriations Law classes to over 300 administrative and office management 

personnel. These classes were held through-out the country with the attendance representing 

approximately 90% of our administrative staffs. This fiscal year we also developed a comprehensive 

Financial Operations Procedures Handbook that addresses every aspect of financial management 

activities performed by the bureau. 

We have continued to improve our performance on the Department of the Interior’s monthly 

performance metrics reflecting a “green” score for FY2005. This improved score was due in large 

measure to our percentage increase in the number of payments paid via Electronic Funds Transfers. 

We also determined that we comply with the Improper Payments Act, and based upon our analysis 

following Departmental and OMB guidelines, have determined we had no improper payments in 

FY2005. 

Message from the Chief Financial Officer
 Financial Information

Message from the Chief Financial Officer 95

We are well positioned to implement the Office of Management and Budget’s revised Circular A123, “Management’s Responsibility for Internal Control” in FY2006. We hosted a two day workshop 

in September for our Senior Assessment Team, have documented our processes and designed our 

test plans. We will host two 3-day workshops for our cost centers managers bureau-wide to address 

various administrative accountability issues. We expect the results of these workshops to be a better 

informed management community on applicable laws and regulations. Similar workshops are planned 

in the spring of FY2006 for our administrative staffs. We will continue to consult and work closely with 

our two primary focus groups that are vitally important to ensuring that our business practices are 

sound and effectively implemented. These teams are the Business Leaders Team comprised of our 

Regional Management Officers, Senior Management Advisors and the Office of Regional Services 

chiefs and the Field Managers Team which is comprised of cost center managers and administrative 

officers from various centers through-out the Bureau. 

Looking forward to FY2006, we will continue to focus on improvements: sustaining those that have 

been achieved and establishing new goals to meet the coming challenges. 

Carol F. Aten

Chief Financial Officer and

Associate Director, Administrative Policy and Services

October 2005
Financial Information

96 Independent Auditors’ Report— Inspector General Transmittal Letter
 Financial Information Financial Information

Independent Auditors’ Report 97
Financial Information

98 Independent Auditors’ Report 
 Financial Information

Independent Auditors’ Report 99
Financial Information

100 Independent Auditors’ Report 
 Financial Information

Independent Auditors’ Report 101
Financial Information

102 Independent Auditors’ Report 
 Financial Information

This part of the Section III Financial 

Information contains our principal 

financial statements and accompanying 

notes, which are an integral part of the 

financial statements.

Contents include:

Consolidated Balance Sheets ......................................................104

Consolidated Statements of Net Cost .........................................105

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Net Position ..............106

Combined Statements of Budgetary Resources .......................107

Consolidated Statements of Financing .......................................108

Notes to the Financial Statements ...............................................109

Consolidated Financial 

Statements and Notes to 

the Financial Statements
Basic Financial Statements—The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. 

Financial Information

104

The Department of Interior

United States Geological Survey

Consolidated Balance Sheets

As of September 30, 2005 and 2004

(in thousands)

2005 2004

Assets (Note 2)

Intragovernmental assets:

Fund balance with Treasury (Note 3) $ 240,082 $ 234,783

Accounts and interest receivable (Note 4) 58,048 60,776

Other 2,518 3,883

Total intragovernmental assets 300,648 299,442

 Cash 1 1

Accounts and interest receivable, net (Note 4) 75,928 81,084

Inventory and related property, net (Note 5) 789 2,433

General property, plant, and equipment, net (Notes 6 and 7) 162,170 190,769

Other 59 45

Total assets $ 539,595 $ 573,774

Liabilities (Note 8)

Intragovernmental liabilities:

Accounts payable $ 8,670 $ 9,885

Other (Notes 2, 8, and 9) 36,922 38,543

Total intragovernmental liabilities 45,592 48,428

Accounts payable 65,810 82,711

Federal employee and veterans' benefits (Note 9) 41,010 40,569

Environmental and disposal liabilities (Note 11) 82 1,097

Other

Unfunded annual leave 59,712 57,652

Abandoned sites liabilities 21,459 20,971

Other liabilities 39,955 33,295

Total liabilities 273,620 284,723

Commitments and contingencies (Notes 11 and 12)

Net position 

Unexpended appropriations 181,906 163,343

Cumulative results of operations 84,069 125,708

Total net position 265,975 289,051

Total liabilities and net position $ 539,595 $ 573,774
 Financial Information

Basic Financial Statements—The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. 105

The Department of Interior

United States Geological Survey

Consolidated Statements of Net Cost

For the Years Ended September 30, 2005 and 2004

(in thousands)

(Note 13) 2005 2004

Resource Protection

Improve Health of Watersheds and Landscapes

Costs $ 112,262 $ 123,227

Less: Earned Revenue 34,307 42,979

 Net Costs 77,955 80,248

Sustain Biological Communities

Costs 162,853 142,490

Less: Earned Revenue 34,612 25,484

 Net Costs 128,241 117,006

Resource Use

Manage or Influence Resources— Energy

Costs 29,174 28,644

Less: Earned Revenue 1,694 1,693

 Net Costs 27,480 26,951

Manage or Influence Resources— Non-Energy

Costs 67,709 65,785

Less: Earned Revenue 4,076 4,202

 Net Costs 63,633 61,583

Serving Communities

Protect Lives, Resources, and Property

Costs 110,735 107,436

Less: Earned Revenue 14,605 11,130

 Net Costs 96,130 96,306

Advance Knowledge through Scientific Leadership

Costs 959,928 989,636

Less: Earned Revenue 316,627 322,155

 Net Costs 643,301 667,481

Total

Costs 1,442,661 1,457,218

Less: Earned Revenue 405,921 407,643

 Net Cost of Operations $ 1,036,740 $ 1,049,575
Basic Financial Statements—The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. 

Financial Information

106

The Department of Interior

United States Geological Survey

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Net Position

For the Years Ended September 30, 2005 and 2004

(in thousands)

Unexpended Appropriations 2005 2004

Beginning balances $ 163,343 $ 187,440

Budgetary financing sources

Appropriations received, general funds 958,021 949,686

Appropriations transferred in/out 5,647 87

Appropriations used (924,389) (956,739)

Other adjustments (20,716) (17,131)

Net change 18,563 (24,097)

Ending balances - unexpended appropriations $ 181,906 $ 163,343

Cumulative Results of Operations 2005 2004

Beginning balances $ 125,708 $ 152,406

Budgetary financing sources

Appropriations used 924,389 956,739

Non-exchange revenue and other (104) 100

Transfers in/out without reimbursement 1,527 1,491

Donations and forfeitures of cash and cash equivalents 2,272 1,630

Other financing sources

Imputed financing from costs absorbed by others (Note 10) 62,772 61,242

Transfers in/(out) without reimbursement 2,150 (350)

Donations and forfeitures of property 2,095 2,025

Total financing sources 995,101 1,022,877

Net cost of operations (1,036,740) (1,049,575)

Net change (41,639) (26,698)

Ending balances - cumulative results of operations $ 84,069 $ 125,708
 Financial Information

Basic Financial Statements—The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. 107

The Department of Interior

United States Geological Survey

Combined Statements of Budgetary Resources

For the Years Ended September 30, 2005 and 2004

(in thousands)

2005 2004

Budgetary resources: (Note 14)

Budget authority:

Appropriations received $ 960,374 $ 951,381

Net transfers, current year authority 5,437 -

Unobligated balance:

Beginning of fiscal year 120,310 155,481

Spending authority from offsetting collections:

Earned:

Collected 464,807 492,777

Receivable from Federal sources (7,334) (31,514)

Change in unfilled customer orders:

Advance received 3,601 (1,165)

Without advance from Federal sources 3,066 (16,761)

Subtotal: Spending authority from offsetting collections 464,140 443,337

Recoveries of prior year obligations 8,570 11,191

Permanently not available (20,716) (17,131)

Total budgetary resources $ 1,538,115 $ 1,544,259

Status of budgetary resources:

Obligations incurred:

Direct $ 946,344 $ 982,482

Reimbursable 475,505 441,467

Total obligations incurrred 1,421,849 1,423,949

Unobligated balance:

Apportioned 85,644 95,112

Unobligated balance not available 30,622 25,198

Total status of budgetary resources $ 1,538,115 $ 1,544,259

Relationship of obligations to outlays:

Obligations incurred $ 1,421,849 $ 1,423,949

Obligated balance, net, beginning of fiscal year 103,752 37,228

Obligated balance, net, end of fiscal year:

Accounts receivable 135,460 142,793

Unfilled customer orders from Federal sources 45,780 42,714

Undelivered orders (191,336) (170,158)

Accounts payable (105,819) (119,101)

Total obligated balance, net, end of fiscal year (115,915) (103,752)

Less: Spending authority adjustments (4,302) 37,084

Outlays:

Disbursements 1,405,384 1,394,509

Collections (468,409) (491,613)

Net outlays before offsetting receipts 936,975 902,896

Less: Offsetting receipts (2,353) (1,695)

Net outlays $ 934,622 $ 901,201
Basic Financial Statements—The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. 

Financial Information

108

Financial Information

The Department of Interior

United States Geological Survey

Consolidated Statements of Financing

For the Years Ended September 30, 2005 and 2004

(in thousands)

2005 2004

Resources used to finance activities

Budgetary resources obligated

Obligations incurred (Note 14) $ 1,421,849 $ 1,423,949

Less: Spending authority from offsetting collections and recoveries (472,710) (454,528)

Obligations net of offsetting collections and recoveries 949,139 969,421

Less: Offsetting receipts (2,353) (1,695)

Net obligations 946,786 967,726

Other resources

Donations and forfeitures of property 2,095 2,025

Transfers in/(out) without reimbursement 2,150 (350)

Imputed financing from costs absorbed by others (Note 10) 62,772 61,242

Net other resources used to finance activities 67,017 62,917

Total resources used to finance activities 1,013,803 1,030,643

Resources used to finance items not part of the net cost of operations

Change in budgetary resources obligated for goods, services, and benefits 

 ordered but not yet provided (19,829) 8,193

Resources that fund expenses recognized in prior periods (3,746) (8,197)

Offsetting receipts not part of net cost of operations 2,168 1,729

Increase/(decrease) in unfilled customer orders 6,667 (17,926)

Resources that finance the acquisition of assets (13,405) (16,938)

Total resources used to finance items not part of the net cost of operations (28,145) (33,139)

Total resources used to finance the net cost of operations 985,658 997,504

Components of net cost of operations that will not require or generate 

resources in the current period

Components requiring or generating resources in future periods

Increase in annual leave liability 2,060 3,262

Increase in environmental and disposal liability - 590

Increase in exchange revenue receivable from the public (424) -

Increase in other 3,729 346

Total components of net cost of operations that will require or

generate resources in future periods (Note 15) 5,365 4,198

Components not requiring or generating resources

Depreciation and amortization (Note 6) 43,650 48,256

Allocation transfers reconciling items (Note 15) 1,495 1,246

Other 572 (1,629)

Total components of net cost of operations that will not require or 45,717 47,873

generate resources in the current period

Total components of net cost of operations that will not require or 

generate resources 51,082 52,071

Net cost of operations $ 1,036,740 $ 1,049,575
 Financial Information Financial Information

Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands) 109

Note 1 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

A. Reporting Entity

The U. S. Geological Survey, a bureau within the Department of Interior, was established on March 3, 1879, by an act 

of Congress to conduct systematic and scientific “classification of the public lands, and examination of the geological 

structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain.” The mission of the USGS is to serve 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. 

The USGS accomplishes its mission through integrated science programs consisting primarily of

• the national mapping program, which meets the Nation’s needs for accurate, nationally-consistent base 

geospatial data by ensuring access to and advancing the application of these data and related natural science 

information for users;

• the geologic program, which provides Earth science information used to evaluate resource potential, to define 

risks associated with natural hazards, and to characterize the potential impact of natural geologic processes on 

human activity, the economy, and the environment; 

• the water resources program that continuously assesses the Nation’s water availability and quality, provides 

geographic and cartographic information, and addresses flood hazards by moderating the impacts of floods and 

improving flood disaster response; and 

• the biologic research program that generates and distributes information needed in the conservation and 

management of the Nation’s biological resources.

B. Basis of Presentation

These financial statements have been prepared to report the consolidated financial position, the net cost of 

operations, the changes in financial position, the combined budgetary resources, and the financing of the USGS, 

consistent with the Chief Financial Officers’ Act of 1990 and the Government Management Reform Act of 1994. These 

financial statements have been prepared from the books and records of the USGS in accordance with accounting 

principles generally accepted in the United States of America using guidance issued by the Federal Accounting 

Standards Advisory Board (FASAB), the OMB, and USGS accounting policies, which are summarized in this note. 

These consolidated financial statements present proprietary and budgetary information, while other financial 

reports also prepared by the USGS pursuant to OMB directives are used to monitor and control USGS use of Federal 

budgetary resources. The Statement of Budgetary Resources is presented on a combined, rather than consolidated 

basis, and therefore intra-entity eliminations were not made for the purpose of this statement. The Statements 

of Financing reconcile combined amounts from the Statements of Budgetary Resources to amounts from the 

Consolidated Statements of Net Cost.

C. Basis of Accounting

Financial transactions are recorded on an accrual accounting basis and a budgetary basis. Under the accrual 

method, revenues are recognized when earned and expenses are recognized when a liability is incurred, without 

regard to receipt or payment of cash. Budgetary accounting facilitates compliance with legal requirements and 

mandated controls over the use of Federal funds. It generally differs from the accrual basis of accounting in that 

obligations are recognized when new orders are placed, contracts awarded, and services received that will 

require payments during the same or future period. The USGS intra-entity transactions have been eliminated in the 

Consolidated Statements of Net Cost.
Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands)

Financial Information

110

D. Assets

Assets presented on USGS Consolidated Balance Sheets include both entity and non-entity balances. Entity assets 

are assets that USGS has authority to use in its operations. Non-entity assets are held and managed by USGS, but are 

not available for use in operations. 

Intragovernmental assets arise from transactions between USGS and other Federal entities.

E. Stewardship Assets

Stewardship assets consists of museum and library collection heritage assets that have been entrusted to USGS 

to be maintained in perpetuity for the benefit of current and future generations. The stewardship heritage assets 

managed by USGS are considered priceless and irreplaceable. Because of this, USGS assigns no financial value to 

them and the property, plant, and equipment capitalized and reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheet excludes 

these assets in accordance with Federal accounting standards. Any purchases of new stewardship assets are 

expensed in the year they were incurred.

F. Property, Plant, and Equipment

Property, plant, and equipment consist of land, structures, facilities and leasehold improvements, facilities under 

contruction, equipment, and software purchased or developed for internal use. There are no restrictions on the use 

or convertibility of property, plant, and equipment.

The USGS capitalizes property, plant, and equipment purchases with an acquisition cost in excess of $100,000 for 

structures, facilities, and software, and $15,000 for all other capital assets. Depreciation or amortization is computed 

using the straight-line method over the assets’ useful lives of 30 years for structures and facilities, and ranging from 3 

to 20 years for equipment and 2 to 5 years for software. 

Internal-use software includes purchased commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS), contractor-developed software, 

and software that was internally developed by USGS employees. Internal-use software is capitalized at cost if the 

acquisition cost is $100,000 or more. For COTS software, the capitalized costs include the amount paid to the vendor 

for the software; for contractor-developed software it includes the amount paid to a contractor to design, program, 

install, and implement the software. Capitalized costs for internally developed software include the full cost (direct 

and indirect) incurred during the software development stage. Amortization of capitalized software begins on the 

date of acquisition, if purchased, or when the module or component has been successfully tested if developed 

internally. 

Costs for construction projects are recorded as construction-in-process until completed. Depreciation expense 

begins once the asset is placed into service.

The USGS leases the majority of its office space and vehicles from the General Services Administration. The lease 

costs approximate commercial lease rates for similar properties and vehicles.

G. Fund Balance with Treasury and Cash

Fund Balances with Treasury are cash balances remaining as of fiscal year-end from which USGS is authorized to 

pay liabilities resulting from operational activity, except as restricted by law. Fund balance with Treasury includes 

funds received from direct appropriations, transfers, offsetting receipts, recoveries, and funds held in budget clearing 

accounts. The USGS is permitted by law to use appropriated funds to finance its working capital fund. 

H. Other Assets, Advances, and Prepayments

Payments in advance of the receipt of goods and services are recorded as prepaid charges at the time of prepayment 

and recognized as expenditures/operating expenses when the related goods and services are received.
 Financial Information

Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands) 111

I. Accounts and Interest Receivable

Accounts receivable consist of amounts owed to the USGS by other Federal agencies and the public. Unbilled 

accounts receivable represent amounts that have been earned but not yet billed to reimbursable customers. 

Receivables from Federal agencies result from reimbursable services performed, and from joint funding agreements 

with State, local, and regional agencies for cooperative work in support of the “Surveys, Investigations, and 

Research” appropriation. Receivables also include balances owed for credit sales of products and maps to Federal 

agencies and the public and for interest, administrative costs, and penalties due on delinquent receivables. The 

majority of USGS accounts receivable are generated from the water resource and national mapping programs. 

Amounts due from Federal agencies are considered fully collectible. Receivables due from the public are stated net 

of an allowance for estimated uncollectible amounts, determined by considering the debtor’s current ability to pay, 

the debtor’s payment record and willingness to pay, and an analysis of aged receivable activity.

J. Inventory

Inventory includes maps and map products that are held for sale and raw materials held for future use. Raw 

materials consist primarily of paper stock and ink used in the production of maps and map products, film for aerial 

photographs, and blank CDs for digital data. All inventory products and materials are valued at historical cost, using 

a method of averaging actual costs to produce like-kind scale maps within the same fiscal year. The USGS estimates 

an allowance for excess, spoiled, or obsolete map inventory to arrive at a net realizable value, based on inventory 

turnover and current stock levels.

K. Liabilities

Liabilities covered by budgetary or other resources are those liabilities of USGS for which Congress has appropriated 

funds or funding is otherwise available to pay amounts due. Liabilities not covered by budgetary or other resources 

represent amounts owed in excess of available Congressionally-appropriated funds or other amounts. The liquidation 

of liabilities not covered by budgetary or other resources is dependent on future Congressional appropriations or 

other funding. Intragovernmental liabilities are claims against USGS by other Federal entities. 

L. Other Liabilities: Deferred Revenue, Deferred Credits, and Deposit Fund Liability

Deferred revenue and deferred credits consist of advances received from Federal and public entities for goods and 

services that will not be fully earned until the related goods or services have been provided by USGS. The majority 

of USGS deferred revenue is generated from the water resources program. Revenue is recognized as reimbursable 

costs are incurred, and the deferred revenue balance is reduced accordingly. 

The deposit fund liability represents receipts of funds held on deposit prior to completion of a signed agreement to 

provide reimbursable services to public and Federal entities. The deposit fund liability also consists of monies that 

were not obligated prior to the agreement expiration that are funded by annual year appropriations, which will be 

returned to the customer.

M. Revenues, User Fees, and Financing Sources

Appropriations. The USGS receives the majority of the funding needed to support its programs through Congressional 

appropriations. Financing sources are received in annual, multi-year, and no-year appropriations that may be used, 

within statutory limits, for operating and capital expenditures. 

Upon expiration of an annual or multiple-year appropriation, the obligated and unobligated balances retain their 

fiscal year identity, and are maintained separately within an expired account. The unobligated balance can be used 

to make adjustments to existing obligations, but is otherwise not available for expenditures. Annual and multipleyear appropriations are canceled at the end of the fifth year after expiration. No-year appropriations do not expire. 

Appropriations of budget authority are recognized as used when a liability for goods and services or benefits and 

grants are incurred.
Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands)

Financial Information

112

Exchange revenues. Additional funds are obtained through reimbursements for services performed for other Federal 

agencies and the public and fees charged for surveys, investigations, and research. Revenue and intra-governmental 

reimbursements are recognized as earned when the goods have been delivered or services rendered by USGS. 

Revenues earned from public sources are derived from States and municipalities for making cooperative topographic 

and geologic surveys and water resource investigations; proceeds from the sale of photographs, maps, and records; 

proceeds from the sale of personal property; and reimbursements from permits and licenses of the Federal Energy 

Regulatory Commission. Revenues from certain cooperators represent about half of the total cost; the USGS pays the 

remaining half of the total cooperators cost. Revenues earned from other Federal agencies are derived from specialpurpose mapping and investigations. Revenues are also received through the Department of State, from foreign 

countries, and international organizations for scientific and technical assistance.

The USGS has specific legislative authority to receive revenue from non-Federal reimbursable customers as 

budgetary resources. The USGS also has authority to receive contributions from outside organizations to perform 

work desired mutually by multiple parties. In addition, the USGS receives rental receipts for quarters provided at 

remote locations.

User fees are set at a level that will recover the full costs associated with the services for specific customers. Prices 

for information products that are sold on a retail basis are set at a level that will recover the full costs of reproduction 

and dissemination, or costs incurred after the mission related information is collected and archived. User fees 

and product prices are developed in accordance with cost components of OMB Circular A 25, User Charges with 

review and approval by the Director, or a delegated party. The annual Cost Recovery Report and regularly scheduled 

independent pricing reviews by product line are among the methods used to monitor compliance with the USGS 

policies.

Imputed financing sources. In certain cases, operating costs of the USGS are paid for by funds appropriated with 

other Federal entities. For example, pension benefits for most USGS employees are paid for by the U.S. Office 

of Personnel Management (OPM) and certain legal judgments against the USGS are paid from the Judgment 

Fund maintained by Treasury. OMB limits imputed costs to be recognized by Federal entities to the following: (1) 

employees’ pension benefits; (2) health insurance, life insurance, and other benefits for retired employees; (3) 

other post employment benefits for retired, terminated, and inactive employees, including severance payments, 

training and counseling, continued health care, and unemployment and workers’ compensation under the Federal 

Employees’ Compensation Act; and (4) losses in litigation proceedings. USGS also records intra-departmental 

imputed costs in accordance with Department policy and FASAB’s Interpretation Number 6, Accounting for Imputed 

Intra-departmental Costs: An Interpretation of SFFAS Number 4. The USGS includes applicable imputed costs on 

the Consolidated Statements of Net Cost. In addition, an imputed financing source is recognized on the Consolidated 

Statements of Changes in Net Position. 

N. Contingent Liabilities

A contingency is an existing condition, situation, or set of circumstances involving uncertainty as to possible gain 

or loss. The uncertainty will ultimately be resolved when one or more future events occur or fail to occur. USGS 

recognizes a contingent liability when a past event or exchange transaction has occurred and a future outflow or 

other sacrifice of resources is measurable and probable. A contingency is disclosed in the Notes to the Financial 

Statements when any of the conditions for liability recognition are met and when the chance of the future confirming 

event or events occurring is more than remote but less than probable. A contingency is not disclosed in the Notes to 

the Financial Statements when any of the conditions for liability recognition are not met and when the chance of the 

future event or events occurring is remote. 

O. Accrued Annual, Sick, and Other Leave and Compensatory Time 

Annual leave and other compensatory leave time are accrued when earned. The accrual is presented as a 

component of other liabilities with the public in the Consolidated Balance Sheet and is adjusted for changes in 
 Financial Information

Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands) 113

compensation rates and reduced for annual leave taken. Sick leave is provided to employees on a use or lose basis 

and is expensed when taken. 

P. Workers’ Compensation

The Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA) provides income and medical cost protection to covered Federal 

civilian employees injured on the job, to employees who have incurred work-related occupational diseases, and 

to beneficiaries of employees whose deaths are attributable to job-related injuries or occupational diseases. The 

FECA program is administered by the Department of Labor (DOL), which pays valid claims and subsequently seeks 

reimbursement from the Federal agencies employing the claimants.

The FECA liability consists of two components. The first component is based on actual claims paid by DOL but not yet 

reimbursed. USGS reimburses DOL for the amount of the actual claims as funds are appropriated for this purpose. 

Reimbursements to the Department of Labor on payments made occur approximately two years subsequent to the 

actual disbursement. As a result, USGS recognizes a liability for the actual claims paid by DOL and to be reimbursed 

by USGS. Budgetary resources for this intra-governmental liability are made available to USGS as part of its annual 

appropriation from Congress in the year in which the reimbursement to the Department of Labor takes place.

The second component is the estimated liability for future benefit payments as a result of past events. This liability 

includes death, disability, medical, and miscellaneous costs. DOL determines this component annually, as of 

September 30, using a method that considers historical benefit payment patterns, wage inflation factors, medical 

inflation factors, and other variables. The projected annual benefit payments are discounted to present value using 

OMB’s economic assumptions for 10-year Treasury notes and bonds. To provide for the effects of inflation on the 

liability, wage inflation factors (i.e., cost of living adjustments) and medical inflation factors (i.e., consumer price 

index medical adjustments) are applied to the calculation of projected future benefit payments. These factors are 

also used to adjust historical benefit payments to current-year constant dollars. A discounting formula is also used 

to recognize the timing of benefit payments as thirteen payments per year instead of one lump sum payment per 

year. Based on information provided by the DOL, DOI allocates the actuarial liability to its bureaus and Departmental 

offices based on the payment history for the bureaus and Departmental offices. The estimated liability is not covered 

by budgetary resources and will require future funding.

DOL also evaluates the estimated projections to ensure that the estimated future benefit payments are appropriate. 

The analysis includes three tests: (1) a comparison of the current-year projections to the prior-year projections; (2) 

a comparison of the prior-year projected payments to the current-year actual payments, excluding any new case 

payments that had arisen during the current year; and (3) a comparison of the current-year actual payment data 

to the prior-year actual payment data. Based on the outcome of this analysis, adjustments may be made to the 

estimated future benefit payments.

Q. Retirement Plans 

Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). All USGS employees 

with permanent status participate in either the CSRS or FERS defined-benefit pension plans. FERS went into effect 

on January 1, 1987. FERS and Social Security automatically cover most employees hired after December 31, 1983. 

Employees hired prior to January 1, 1984, could elect to either join FERS and Social Security, or remain in CSRS.

USGS is not responsible for and does not report CSRS or FERS assets, accumulated plan benefits, or liabilities 

applicable to its employees. OPM administers the plans, is responsible for, and reports these amounts.

For CSRS-covered employees, in both FY2005 and FY2004, USGS was required to make contributions to the plan 

matching the employee’s contribution, which was 7 percent of the employee’s basic pay. For each fiscal year, OPM 

calculates the U.S. government’s service cost for covered employees, which is an estimate of the amount of funds 

that, if accumulated annually and invested over an employee’s career, would be enough to pay that employee’s future 
Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands)

Financial Information

114

benefits. Since the U.S. government’s estimated service cost exceeds contributions made by employer agencies and 

covered employees, this plan is not fully funded by the USGS and its employees. 

USGS has recognized an imputed cost and imputed financing source for the difference between the estimated 

service cost and the contributions made by USGS and its covered employees.

FERS contributions made by employer agencies and covered employees exceed the U.S. Government’s estimated 

service cost. For FERS-covered employees, USGS was required in FY2005 and FY2004 to make contributions of 10.7 

percent of basic pay. Employees contributed 0.8 percent of basic pay. Employees participating in FERS are covered 

under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA), for which USGS contributes a matching amount to the Social 

Security Administration.

Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Employees covered by CSRS and FERS are eligible to contribute to the U.S. Government’s 

TSP, administered by the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board. A TSP account is automatically established 

for FERS-covered employees, and USGS makes a mandatory contribution of 1 percent of basic pay. FERS-covered 

employees are entitled to contribute up to 15 percent of basic pay to their TSP account, with USGS making matching 

contributions up to 5 percent of basic pay. Employees covered by CSRS are entitled to contribute up to 10 percent of 

basic pay to their TSP account. USGS makes no matching contributions for CSRS-covered employees.

Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) Program. Most USGS employees are enrolled in the FEHB Program, which 

provides post-retirement health benefits. OPM administers this program and is responsible for the reporting of 

liabilities. Employer agencies and covered employees are not required to make any contributions for post-retirement 

health benefits. OPM calculates the U.S. government’s service cost for covered employees each fiscal year. USGS 

has recognized the entire service cost of these post-retirement benefits for covered employees as an imputed cost 

and imputed financing source.

Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Program. Most USGS employees are entitled to participate in the 

FEGLI Program. Participating employees can obtain basic term life insurance, with the employee paying two-thirds 

of the cost and USGS paying one-third. Additional coverage is optional, to be paid fully by the employee. The basic 

life coverage may be continued into retirement if certain requirements are met. OPM administers this program and is 

responsible for the reporting of liabilities. For each fiscal year, OPM calculates the U.S. government’s service cost for 

the post retirement portion of basic life coverage. USGS contributions to the basic life coverage are fully allocated by 

OPM to the pre-retirement portion of coverage, and accordingly, USGS has recognized the entire service cost of the 

post-retirement portion of basic life coverage as an imputed cost and imputed financing source.

R. Income Taxes

The USGS, as a Federal agency, is not subject to Federal, State, or local income taxes and, accordingly, no provision 

for income taxes has been recorded in the accompanying financial statements.

S. Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United 

States of America requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions in reporting assets, liabilities, 

revenues, expenses, and financial sources; and in the related note disclosures. Actual results could differ from these 

estimates. Significant estimates underlying the accompanying financial statements include accounts payable; the 

allowance for doubtful accounts receivable; property, plant, and equipment useful lives and impairments; contingent 

and environmental liabilities; the FECA actuarial liability; and the allowance for obsolete inventory. 

T. Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications have been made to the 2004 balances to conform to the 2005 presentation.
 Financial Information

Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands) 115

Note 2 Assets Analysis

All USGS assets are entity assets, except a small portion of fund balance with Treasury. Non-entity assets include 

amounts due to USGS from accrued interest and penalties on delinquent debt. A corresponding payable to Treasury 

is recorded in other liabilities. 

USGS does not have any entity restricted assets.

Note 3 Fund Balance with Treasury

Fund Balance with Treasury consists of the following at September 30:

USGS maintains balances with Treasury by fund type. The fund types and purpose are described below:

General funds. These funds consist of expenditure accounts used to record financial transactions arising from 

Congressional appropriations.

Special funds. These accounts are credited with receipts from special sources that are earmarked by law for a 

specific purpose. When collected, these receipts are available immediately for expenditure for special programs, 

such as providing housing for employees on field assignments, operations and maintenance for the temporary 

housing, cleanup associated with the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and operating science and cooperative programs.

Revolving funds. These funds account for cash flows to and from the government resulting from operations of the 

Working Capital Fund and do not fund normal operating expenses of the bureau. These funds are also restricted to 

the purposes set forth in the legislation that established the Working Capital Fund and related investment plans. 

Trust funds. These funds are used for the acceptance and administration of funds contributed from public and private 

sources and programs in cooperation with other Federal and State agencies or private donors.

Other Fund Types. These include miscellaneous receipt accounts, transfer accounts, performance bonds, deposit and 

clearing accounts maintained to account for receipts, and disbursements awaiting proper classification. 

2005 2004

General funds $ 150,234 136,992 

Special funds 1,380 1,798 

Revolving funds 80,386 85,133 

Trust funds 1,759 1,509 

Other funds 6,323 9,351 

Total fund balance with Treasury by fund type $ 240,082 234,783 

2005 2004

Total non-entity restricted assets, fund balance with Treasury $ 212 231 

Total entity unrestricted assets 539,383 573,543 

Total assets $ 539,595 573,774
Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands)

Financial Information

116

Status of Fund Balance with Treasury at September 30, 2005 and 2004 is as follows:

Unobligated, unavailable 

fund balance represents 

amounts in deposit and 

budget clearing accounts 

and amounts from 

appropriations for which 

the period of availability 

for obligation has expired. 

These balances remain 

available for upward 

adjustments of obligations 

incurred during the period 

for which the appropriation 

was available.

Note 4 Accounts and Interest Receivable

Accounts receivable consist of amounts owed to the USGS by other Federal agencies and the public. Unbilled 

accounts receivable represents amounts that have been earned but not yet billed to reimbursable customers. This 

account functions much like a “work-in-process” record of the costs incurred on customer agreements. Due to the 

nature of certain agreements with reimbursable customers that require invoicing upon completion of the work, USGS 

sometimes bills customers years after the project was initiated. This procurement practice results in the majority of 

accounts receivable being comprised of unbilled balances.

Accounts receivable are reduced to net realizable value by an allowance for doubtful accounts. The allowance 

for public receivables is estimated quarterly based on identification of specific delinquent receivables, an analysis 

of aged receivable activity and historical trends adjusted for current market conditions, as well as management’s 

judgment regarding the debtor’s willingness and ability to pay. Federal receivables are considered fully collectible. 

Interest receivable represents interest income earned on outstanding receivables that has not yet been collected. 

Interest accrues on a daily basis beginning thirty days from the date the notice of amount due was sent. Interest is 

charged at the rate established by the Secretary of the Treasury.

Accounts and Interest Receivable from Federal Agencies at September 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively, consists of:

Unobligated balances: 2005 2004

 Available $ 86,635 95,910 

 Unavailable 30,621 25,197 

Obligated balances not yet disbursed 116,502 104,325

Subtotal 233,758 225,432 

Fund Balance with Treasury Not Covered by 

Budgetary Resources:

 Deposit funds, clearing, and suspense accounts 6,324 9,351

Total Status of Fund Balance with Treasury $ 240,082 234,783

Accounts and Interest Receivable from Federal Agencies 2005 2004

 Current $ 125 6,454 

 1-180 Days Past Due - 255 

 181-365 Days Past Due - 276 

 1-2 Years Past Due - 2

Total Billed Accounts and Interest Receivable— Federal 125 6,987

Unbilled Accounts Receivable 57,923 53,789

Total Accounts and Interest Receivable— Federal $ 58,048 60,776
 Financial Information

Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands) 117

Accounts and Interest Receivable from Public Agencies at September 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively, consists of:

Note 5 Inventory

Inventory consists of the following at September 30, 2005 and 2004:

USGS disseminates earth, water, and biological science information 

through various media, including maps, reports, digital data sets, and 

general interest publications of the USGS and other Federal agencies. 

Maps and map products are located at the USGS Rocky Mountain 

Mapping Center in Denver, Colorado, and at several Earth Science 

Information Centers across the United States. The USGS maintains an 

inventory of maps and map products that are available to respond to 

national emergencies and resource management needs, as well as 

governmental requests. 

At right is an example of a map included in inventory available for sale.

2005 2004

Published maps held for sale $ 9,676 10,070 

Raw materials held for sale/use - 1,252 

Allowance for obsolescence (8,887) (8,889) 

Total $ 789 2,433 

Accounts and Interest Receivable from Public Agencies 2005 2004

 Current $ 21,382 17,553 

 1-180 Days Past Due 3,689 8,771 

 181-365 Days Past Due 349 686 

 1-2 Years Past Due 300 203

Total Billed Accounts and Interest Receivable— Public 25,720 27,213

Unbilled Accounts Receivable 52,452 55,562

Total Accounts and Interest Receivable— Public 78,172 82,775

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts— Public (2,244) (1,691)

Total Accounts and Interest Receivable— Public, Net of Allowance $ 75,928 81,084

Change in Allowance for Doubtful Accounts— Public 2005 2004

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts, beginning $ 1,691 3,329 

Additions 1,250 - 

Deletions (697) (1,638)

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts - Public $ 2,244 1,691
Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands)

Financial Information

118

Note 6 General Property, Plant, and Equipment

Property, plant, and equipment consist of the following at September 30, 2005:

Property, plant, and equipment consist of the following at September 30, 2004:

Depreciation expense amounted to approximately $43.6 million and $48.3 million, for the years ended September 30, 

2005 and 2004, respectively. 

Acquisition 

Cost

Accumulated 

Depreciation

Net Book 

Value

Land and land improvements $ 300 - $ 300 

Buildings 104,678 70,508 34,170

Structures and facilities 13,230 9,613 3,617

Leasehold improvements 25,730 5,897 19,833

Construction in progress 1,745 - 1,745 

Equipment and vehicles 466,582 370,068 96,514

Internal use software:

 In use 10,545 4,563 5,982

 In development 9 - 9

Total property, plant, and equipment $ 622,819 460,649 $ 162,170

Acquisition 

Cost

Accumulated 

Depreciation

Net Book 

Value

Land and land improvements $ 300 - $ 300

Buildings 100,007 68,040 31,967

Structures and facilities 12,980 9,201 3,779

Leasehold improvements 23,720 2,504 21,216

Construction in progress 6,514 - 6,514

Equipment and vehicles 465,756 346,600 119,156

Internal use software:

 In use 8,655 2,914 5,741

 In development 2,096 - 2,096

Total property, plant, and equipment $ 620,028 429,259 $ 190,769
 Financial Information

Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands) 119

Note 7 General Property, Plant, and Equipment Impairment

The USGS jointly developed a sun-synchronous, Earth-orbiting 

satellite (Landsat 7) with the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration. NASA incurred the construction and launching 

costs. In FY2002, the satellite was transferred to USGS and recorded 

in equipment at its net book value of $258 million. The satellite is 

being depreciated over its estimated useful life of 5 years.

The primary objective of the Landsat Project is to ensure a collection 

of consistently calibrated Earth imagery. Landsat’s Global Survey 

mission is to establish and execute a data acquisition strategy 

that ensures repetitive acquisition of observations over the Earth’s 

land mass, coastal boundaries, and coral reefs; and to ensure the 

data acquired are of maximum utility in supporting the scientific 

objectives of monitoring changes in the Earth’s land surface and 

associated environment.

On May 31, 2003, the Landsat 7 satellite suffered a component 

failure that affected the USGS’s ability to acquire and distribute 

data collected by the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus instrument, 

resulting from a failure of the instrument’s scan line corrector (SLC). 

The non-functioning SLC causes individual scan lines to alternately 

overlap and leave large gaps at the edges of a normal Landsat image. 

USGS assembled an anomaly team comprised of a variety of experts and collaborated with NASA, the Aerospace 

Corporation, Lockheed Martin, Honeywell, Raytheon, SAIC, and others to develop a recovery plan which was 

approved by USGS leadership. Unfortunately, the full recovery attempt that took place on September 7, 2003, failed. 

Subsequent tests and the failed full recovery attempt confirmed that, while it is not possible to acquire 100 percent of 

the data in a post-failure image, approximately 75 percent of a pre-failure image is still captured. It is also possible, 

using basic interpolation algorithms, to “fill in” some of the missing pixels toward the center portion of a scene in 

order to generate a more complete image.

As of May 31, 2003 when the failure occurred, the net book value of Landsat 7 was $172 million. Based on an internal 

analysis taking into consideration the diminished capacity of the asset and the potential future marketability of the 

product sales generated by the asset, USGS management estimated that an economic impairment loss of $81.1 

million should be recognized in the FY2003 Statement of Net Cost. The net book value of the Landsat 7 satellite was 

approximately $25.1 million and $48.8 million at September 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. 

At the point of impairment, the normal depreciation rate estimate was changed to equal the net book value (after 

impairment) at May 31, 2003, divided by the remaining useful life previously established. As a result, depreciation 

expense and net cost of operations were reduced for the years ended September 30, 2005 and 2004, by $27.8 million 

and $26.1 million, respectively.

Landsat 7 will gather remotely sensed images of the land 

surface and surrounding coastal regions.

Landsat 7 satellite was launched April 15, 1999. The first 

Landsat satellite was launched in 1972. Out of the 7 

Landsat satellites, only Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 are still 

operational. 
Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands)

Financial Information

120

Note 8 Liabilities Not Covered by Budgetary Resources

Liabilities not covered by budgetary or other resources represent amounts owed in excess of available Congressional 

appropriated funds or other amounts. The liquidation of liabilities not covered by budgetary or other resources is 

dependent on future Congressional appropriations or other funding source.

Covered by 

Budgetary Resources

Not Covered by 

Budgetary Resources

Current

Noncurrent CurrentNoncurrent 2005

Intragovernmental liabilities

 Accounts payable $ 8,670 - - - $ 8,670

 Other liabilities

 Accrued employee benefits 5,341 - - 2,889 8,230

 Advances from others 1,975 - - - 1,975

 Deposit funds - - 255 - 255

 Unfunded FECA liability - - 2,932 4,398 7,330

 Resources payable to Treasury - - 81 - 81

 Resources payable to GSA - - 5,288 13,763 19,051

 Total other liabilities 7,316 - 8,556 21,050 36,922

Total intragovernmental liabilities 15,986 - 8,556 21,050 45,592

Public liabilities

 Accounts payable 65,810 - - - 65,810

 FECA actuarial liability - - - 41,010 41,010

 Environmental and disposal liabilities - - - 82 82

 Other liabilities

 Accrued payroll and benefits 26,171 - - - 26,171

 Unfunded annual leave - - 2,986 56,726 59,712

 Advances from others and deferred credits 4,437 - 32 - 4,469

 Deposit funds - - 6,069 - 6,069

 Contingent liabilities - - - 2,208 2,208

 Abandoned sites liabilities - - - 21,459 21,459

 Contract holdbacks - - - 1,038 1,038

 Total other liabilities 30,608 - 9,087 81,431 121,126

Total public liabilities 96,418 - 9,087 122,523 228,028

Total liabilities $ 112,404 - 17,643 143,573 $ 273,620
 Financial Information

Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands) 121

Covered by 

Budgetary Resources

Not Covered by 

Budgetary Resources

Current

Noncurrent CurrentNoncurrent 2004

Intragovernmental liabilities

 Accounts payable $ 9,885 - - - $ 9,885

 Other liabilities

 Accrued employee benefits 4,414 - - - 4,414

 Advances from others 1,744 - - - 1,744

 Deposit funds - - 2,997 - 2,997

 Unfunded FECA liability - - 3,176 4,765 7,941

 Resources payable to Treasury - - 231 - 231

 Resources payable to GSA - - 4,379 16,837 21,216

 Total other liabilities 6,158 - 10,783 21,602 38,543

Total intragovernmental liabilities 16,043 - 10,783 21,602 48,428

Public liabilities

 Accounts payable 82,711 - - - 82,711

 FECA actuarial liability - - - 40,569 40,569

 Environmental and disposal liabilities - - - 1,097 1,097

 Other liabilities

 Accrued payroll and benefits 22,309 - - 2,297 24,606

 Unfunded annual leave - - 2,883 54,769 57,652 

 Advances from others and deferred credits 1,474 - 238 - 1,712

 Deposit funds - - 5,939 - 5,939

 Contingent liabilities - - - - -

 Abandoned sites liabilities - - - 20,971 20,971

 Contract holdbacks - - - 1,038 1,038

 Total other liabilities 23,783 - 9,060 79,075 111,918

Total public liabilities 106,494 - 9,060 120,741 236,295

Total liabilities $ 122,537 - 19,843 142,343 $ 284,723
Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands)

Financial Information

122

Note 9 FECA Liabilities

USGS has recorded an estimated, unfunded liability for the expected future cost for death, disability, and medical 

claims under the Federal Employees Compensation Act of approximately $41 million and $40.6 million as of September 

30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. This estimated liability is calculated by the Department of Labor using a method that 

considers historical benefit payment patterns, wage inflation factors, medical inflation factors, and other variables. 

These actuarially computed projected annual benefit payments are discounted to present value using the Office of 

Management and Budget’s economic assumptions for 10-year Treasury notes and bonds.

USGS also recorded an estimated, unfunded liability for the expected future payments to the Department of Labor in 

payment of outstanding workers compensation claims of approximately $7.3 and $7.9 million as of September 30, 2005 

and 2004, respectively.

Note 10 Imputed Financing Costs

Imputed financing sources are recorded in the financial statements for amounts paid or to be paid on behalf of the 

USGS by other Federal agencies. The Office of Personnel Management pays Federal employee pension and other 

future retirement benefits on behalf of Federal agencies. The Office of Personnel Management provided rates for 

recording the estimated cost of pension and other future retirement benefits paid by OPM on behalf of Federal 

agencies. The costs of these benefits are reflected as imputed financing in the consolidated financial statements. 

During FY2005, USGS prospectively implemented the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board’s Interpretation 

Number 6, Accounting for Imputed Intra-departmental Costs: An Interpretation of SFFAS Number 4. This 

implementation resulted in USGS recording $330 thousand in intra-departmental costs originating from services 

received by the Department’s Solicitor office.

Imputed financing costs for the years ended September 30, 2005 and 2004 consisted of:

2005 2004

FECA Actuarial liability $ 41,010 40,569 

FECA Workers compensation liability 7,330 7,941 

Total $ 48,340 48,510 

OPM: 2005 2004

 Pension expense $ 24,793 26,872

 Federal employees health benefits 37,459 34,250

 Federal employees group life insurance program 90 91

Total OPM 62,342 61,213

Intra-Departmental imputed costs 330 -

Non-reimburseable claims paid by the Treasury Judgment Fund 100 29

Total $ 62,772 61,242 
 Financial Information

Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands) 123

Note 11 Contingent and Environmental and Disposal Liabilities

The USGS is a party to various administrative proceedings, legal actions, environmental suits, and claims that may 

eventually result in the payment of substantial monetary claims to third parties, or in the unplanned reallocation of 

material budgetary resources to pay for the cleanup of environmentally damaged sites. 

USGS has accrued any legal liabilities deemed to be probable of loss in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. The 

payment of any judgments against USGS would be made from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Judgment Fund. 

Additionally, USGS has several cases that the Solicitor believes are reasonably possible of loss, some of which 

cannot be estimated. The range of loss for reasonably possible cases that could be estimated by the Solicitor is 

disclosed below.

The USGS has accrued the probable and estimable liability represented by environmental site cleanup. Additionally, 

USGS has several environmental cases that USGS experts believe the range of loss cannot presently be estimated.

Changes in existing estimated environmental and disposal costs are based on progress made in, and revision of, the 

cleanup plans assuming current technology, laws, and regulations. There are no material changes in total estimated 

cleanup costs that are due to changes in technology, laws, and regulations. Estimated contingent and environmental 

disposal liabilities at September 30, 2005 and 2004 are:

2005 Total estimated range of loss

Accrued liabilities Lower end of range Upper end of range

Contingent liabilities:

 Probable $ 2,208 $ 2,208 6,408

 Reasonably possible - -

Environmental and disposal liabilities:

 Probable 82 82 112

 Reasonably possible - -

Total contingent liabilities and 

environmental and disposal liabilities $ 2,290 $ 2,290 6,520

2004 Total estimated range of loss

Accrued liabilities Lower end of range Upper end of range

Contingent liabilities:

 Probable $ - $ - -

 Reasonably possible 3,005 9,100

Environmental and disposal liabilities:

 Probable 1,097 1,097 1,097

 Reasonably possible - -

Total contingent liabilities and 

environmental and disposal liabilities $ 1,097 $ 4,102 10,197
Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands)

Financial Information

124

Note 12 Leases and Occupancy Agreements

The USGS has many cancelable occupancy agreements with the General Services Administration (GSA), primarily 

for office space. Some of these agreements do not have a stated expiration. USGS also has many operating leases, 

primarily for storage and housing for employees working on location, with public entities. USGS has estimated its 

future minimum liability for GSA occupancy agreements by adding OMB approved inflationary rate increases per 

year to the FY2005 lease rental expense. Public operating leases were calculated based on lease agreement terms. 

Future estimated minimum operating lease payments as of September 30, 2005, are in the following table.

Rental expenses for occupancy agreements, operating leases, and exhibit hall space during FY2005 and FY2004 were 

approximately $86.2 and $75.4 million, respectively.

In some cases, USGS secures funds from GSA’s building fund to finance improvements made to space where USGS is the tenant. 

Because these improvements are made to convert the existing structures into workable space tailored to USGS needs, USGS is 

required to repay GSA the cost of the improvements over the term of the occupancy agreement, which is incorporated into the 

total rent payments billed to USGS by GSA. The principal loan balance of approximately $19 and $21.2 million at September 30, 

2005 and 2004, respectively, is recorded as a liability and the corresponding leasehold improvements are recorded in Property, 

Plant & Equipment, which are amortized over the period of the occupancy agreements.

Real property Personal property

Fiscal Year Federal Public Federal Public Total

2006 $ 64,309 2,185 - 5 $ 66,499

2007 59,735 1,999 - - 61,734

2008 54,787 1,954 - - 56,741

2009 38,660 1,787 - - 40,447

2010 34,815 1,425 - - 36,240

Thereafter 106,475 5,813 - - 112,288

Total Future Operating Lease Payments $ 358,781 15,163 - 5 $ 373,949

In recent years, while the total USGS Facilities budget has remained relatively constant, USGS facilities costs have continued 

to increase, resulting in a shortfall. To control or reduce cost, the USGS has developed a Strategic Facilities Management plan 

to achieve its facilities program goal to provide quality space to further science programs while optimizing facilities location, 

distribution, and use. The plan includes a set of basic operation and maintenance principles, a set of planning and management 

principles, a set of management actions, and redefined business practices.
 Financial Information

Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands) 125

Examples of some of USGS facilities are included below: 

Note 13 Statements of Net Cost by Segment

Consistent with the FY2004 presentation, USGS’s four responsibility segments within the Statement of Net Cost represent the 

major operating segments by which achievement of USGS’s mission and goals are measured: Biology, Water, Geology, and 

Geography. 

As discussed in the Performance Data and Analysis— Performance Plan Development section, DOI has four major GPRA goals 

as presented in the unified strategic plan for the Department as a whole. USGS activities correspond to all of the DOI GPRA 

goals (except providing recreation) and 6 of the DOI’s 17 end outcome goals. These six end outcome goals represent the major 

programs presented within the Statement of Net Cost. 

The following tables reflect USGS net cost by responsibility segment for the years ended September 30, 2005 and 2004, 

respectively. 

The Alaska Science Center— Biological Science Office provides biological information and research findings to resource managers, policymakers, 

and the public to support sound management of biological resources and ecosystems in Alaska.

The Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Data Center is a 

data management, systems development, and research field center 

for the USGS National Mapping Division. 

The U.S. National Ice Core Laboratory is a facility for storing, curating, and studying 

ice cores recovered from the polar regions of the world. It provides scientists with 

the capability to conduct examinations and measurements on ice cores, and it 

preserves the integrity of these ice cores in a long-term repository for current and 

future investigations. 

The Art Exhibit Hallway at the 

National Center in Reston is used 

to display arts and crafts from the 

community, as well as for outreach 

events where the USGS displays 

its products, services, research, 

and programs. These exhibits 

often include a display panel 

backdrop, computer with digital 

demonstrations, and publications. 

The National Wildlife Health Center is a biomedical laboratory 

dedicated to assessing the impact of disease on wildlife and 

to identifying the role of various pathogens in contributing to 

wildlife losses.
Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands)

Financial Information

126

Geology Water Geography Biology Eliminations Total

Improve Health of Watersheds and Landscapes

Intragovernmental cost $ - - - 28,852 $ 28,236 (616) 

Public cost - - - 84,026 - 84,026

Total cost - - - 112,878 (616) 112,262

Intragovernmental earned revenue - - - 29,729 (616) 29,113

Public earned revenue - - - 5,194 - 5,194

Total earned revenue - - - 34,923 (616) 34,307

Net Cost - - - 77,955 - 77,955

Sustain Biological Communities

Intragovernmental cost - - - 30,946 (637) 30,309

Public cost - - - 132,544 - 132,544

Total cost - - - 163,490 (637) 162,853

Intragovernmental earned revenue - - - 31,479 (637) 30,842

Public earned revenue - - - 3,770 - 3,770

Total earned revenue - - - 35,249 (637) 34,612

Net Cost - - - 128,241 - 128,241

Manage or Influence Resources— Energy

Intragovernmental cost 8,276 - - - (156) 8,120

Public cost 21,054 - - - - 21,054

Total cost 29,330 - - - (156) 29,174

Intragovernmental earned revenue 1,764 - - - (156) 1,608

Public earned revenue 86 - - - - 86

Total earned revenue 1,850 - - (156) 1,694

Net Cost 27,480 - - - - 27,480

Manage or Influence Resources— Non-Energy

Intragovernmental cost 18,444 - - - (394) 18,050

Public cost 49,659 - - - - 49,659

Total cost 68,103 - - (394) 67,709

Intragovernmental earned revenue 3,738 - - - (394) 3,344

Public earned revenue 732 - - - - 732

Total earned revenue 4,470 - - (394) 4,076

Net Cost 63,633 - - - - 63,633

Protect Lives, Resources, and Property

Intragovernmental cost 22,857 - - - (475) 22,382

Public cost 88,353 - - - - 88,353

Total cost 111,210 - - - (475) 110,735

Intragovernmental earned revenue 13,288 - - - (475) 12,813

Public earned revenue 1,792 - - - - 1,792

Total earned revenue 15,080 - - - (475) 14,605

Net Cost 96,130 - - - - 96,130

Advance Knowledge through Scientific Leadership

Intragovernmental cost 34,082 185,195 37,934 12,233 (37,153) 232,291

Public cost 96,753 434,398 159,402 37,084 - 727,637

Total cost 130,835 619,593 197,336 49,317 (37,153) 959,928

Intragovernmental earned revenue 11,133 133,158 31,005 5,480 (37,153) 143,623

Public earned revenue 7,795 149,247 15,714 248 - 173,004

Total earned revenue 18,928 282,405 46,719 5,728 (37,153) 316,627

Net Cost 111,907 337,188 150,617 43,589 - 643,301

Total

Intragovernmental cost 83,659 185,195 37,934 72,031 (39,431) 339,388

Public cost 255,819 434,398 159,402 253,654 - 1,103,273

Total cost 339,478 619,593 197,336 325,685 (39,431) 1,442,661

Intragovernmental earned revenue 29,923 133,158 31,005 66,688 (39,431) 221,343

Public earned revenue 10,405 149,247 15,714 9,212 - 184,578

Total earned revenue 40,328 282,405 46,719 75,900 (39,431) 405,921

Net Cost $ 299,150 337,188 150,617 249,785 $ 1,036,740 -

2005

The Department of Interior

United States Geological Survey

Consolidating Schedule of Net Cost

For the Years Ended September 30, 2005

(in thousands)
 Financial Information

Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands) 127

The Department of Interior

United States Geological Survey

Consolidating Schedule of Net Cost

For the Years Ended September 30, 2004

(in thousands)

Geology Water Geography Biology Eliminations Total

Improve Health of Watersheds and Landscapes

Intragovernmental cost $ - - - 34,400 $ 33,813 (587) 

Public cost - - - 89,414 - 89,414

Total cost - - - 123,814 (587) 123,227

Intragovernmental earned revenue - - - 36,873 (587) 36,286

Public earned revenue - - - 6,693 - 6,693

Total earned revenue - - - 43,566 (587) 42,979

Net Cost - - - 80,248 - 80,248

Sustain Biological Communities

Intragovernmental cost - - - 21,275 (631) 20,644

Public cost - - - 121,846 - 121,846

Total cost - - - 143,121 (631) 142,490

Intragovernmental earned revenue - - - 24,350 (631) 23,719

Public earned revenue - - - 1,765 - 1,765

Total earned revenue - - - 26,115 (631) 25,484

Net Cost - - - 117,006 - 117,006

Manage or Influence Resources— Energy

Intragovernmental cost 8,317 - - - (138) 8,179

Public cost 20,465 - - - - 20,465

Total cost 28,782 - - - (138) 28,644

Intragovernmental earned revenue 1,748 - - - (138) 1,610

Public earned revenue 83 - - - - 83

Total earned revenue 1,831 - - (138) 1,693

Net Cost 26,951 - - - - 26,951

Manage or Influence Resources— Non-Energy

Intragovernmental cost 20,768 - - - (354) 20,414

Public cost 45,371 - - - - 45,371

Total cost 66,139 - - (354) 65,785

Intragovernmental earned revenue 3,998 - - - (354) 3,644

Public earned revenue 558 - - - - 558

Total earned revenue 4,556 - - (354) 4,202

Net Cost 61,583 - - - - 61,583

Protect Lives, Resources, and Property

Intragovernmental cost 18,066 - - - (464) 17,602

Public cost 89,834 - - - - 89,834

Total cost 107,900 - - - (464) 107,436

Intragovernmental earned revenue 10,154 - - - (464) 9,690

Public earned revenue 1,440 - - - - 1,440

Total earned revenue 11,594 - - - (464) 11,130

Net Cost 96,306 - - - - 96,306

Advance Knowledge through Scientific Leadership

Intragovernmental cost 36,215 180,282 47,249 7,856 (36,465) 235,137

Public cost 98,391 436,399 177,662 42,047 - 754,499

Total cost 134,606 616,681 224,911 49,903 (36,465) 989,636

Intragovernmental earned revenue 10,877 140,591 36,348 4,633 (36,465) 155,984

Public earned revenue 6,639 139,495 19,961 76 - 166,171

Total earned revenue 17,516 280,086 56,309 4,709 (36,465) 322,155

Net Cost 117,090 336,595 168,602 45,194 - 667,481

Total

Intragovernmental cost 83,366 180,282 47,249 63,531 (38,639) 335,789

Public cost 254,061 436,399 177,662 253,307 - 1,121,429

Total cost 337,427 616,681 224,911 316,838 (38,639) 1,457,218

Intragovernmental earned revenue 26,777 140,591 36,348 65,856 (38,639) 230,933

Public earned revenue 8,720 139,495 19,961 8,534 - 176,710

Total earned revenue 35,497 280,086 56,309 74,390 (38,639) 407,643

Net Cost $ 301,930 336,595 168,602 242,448 $ 1,049,575 -

2004
Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands)

Financial Information

128

Note 14 Budgetary Resources

The USGS receives budgetary resources from appropriations, offsetting receipts, and reimbursable activities. At 

September 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively, approximately $116.3 and $120.3 million of the budgetary resources were 

unobligated. These amounts include expired budget authority of $30.6 and $25.2 million at September 30, 2005 and 

2004, respectively. The expired funds remain available for up to five years to pay expenses against obligations 

incurred. Recoveries of prior year obligations are comprised of canceled or downward adjustments of obligations 

incurred in prior years that were not subsequently disbursed. 

Apportionment categories of obligations incurred. USGS obligations incurred during FY2005 and FY2004 were all 

category B and were subject to apportionment. Obligations incurred balances at September 30, 2005 and 2004 are:

Permanent Indefinite Appropriations. Permanent indefinite appropriations refer to the appropriations that come from 

permanent public laws, which authorize USGS to retain certain receipts rather than a specific annually appropriatied 

amount. These funds do not require annual appropriation action by Congress as they are subject to the authorities 

of the permanent law. USGS has three permanent indefinite appropriations. The majority of funding is from the 

“Surveys, Investigations, and Research” appropriation used to conduct operations in topography, geology, hydrology, 

biology, and mineral and water resources.

Appropriations Received. Appropriations received on the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Net Position differs 

from that reported on the Combined Statements of Budgetary Resources because appropriations received on the 

Combined Statements of Budgetary Resources does not include budgetary entries for funds in which USGS is the 

child to parent funds of other agencies.

Legal Arrangements Affecting Use of Unobligated Balances. Unobligated balances, whose period of availability has 

expired are not available to fund new obligations but are available to pay for adjustments to obligations incurred 

prior to expiration. For a no-year account, the unobligated balance is carried forward indefinitely until (1) specifically 

rescinded by law; or (2) the head of the agency concerned or the President determines that the purposes for which 

the appropriation was made have been carried out and disbursements have not been made against the appropriation 

for 2 consecutive years.

For a fixed appropriation account, the balance can be carried forward for 5 fiscal years after the period of availability 

ends. At the end of the 5th fiscal year, the account is closed and any remaining balance is canceled. Canceled 

authority is returned to the U.S. Treasury at the end of the 5th year of availability for annual and multi-year funds 

under Public Law 101-510. Resources permanently not available were adjusted pursuant to Public Law 114 Stat 

2763A-214, SEC 1403. 

Explanation of Differences between the Combined Statement of Budgetary Resources and the Budget of the United 

States Government. The Combined Statement of Budgetary Resources (SBR) has been prepared to coincide with 

the President’s Budget (PB), the Budget of the United States Government). The FY2005 actual amounts as shown on 

the FY2007 President’s Budget were not available at the time the financial statements were prepared. The FY2007 

President’s Budget is expected to be available in February 2006 and will be located at http://www.whitehouse.gov/

omb.

Apportioned, Category B

Obligations incurred: 2005 2004

 Direct $ 946,344 982,482 

 Reimbursable 475,505 441,467

Total obligations incurred $ 1,421,849 1,423,949 
 Financial Information

Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands) 129

USGS had differences that existed between the FY2004 Statement of Budgetary Resources and the FY2004 actual 

amounts reported in the President’s FY2006 budget request. The differences relate to amounts included in the 

Statement of Budgetary Resources that are not reported in the President’s Budget. These amounts include expired 

amounts and cancelled authority, working capital fund obligation balances, and offsetting collections.

Note 15 Consolidated Statement of Financing Reconciling Items

There is a relationship between certain line items reported on the Consolidated Statement of Financing under “Total 

components of net cost of operations that will not require or generate resources in future periods” and the change 

in components of costs that are included in liabilities not covered by budgetary resources reported in Note 8. 

The USGS is a recipient of allocation transfers of funds from the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of 

State, and the DOI Office of the Secretary.

The total components of net cost of operations related to transfer accounts where budgetary activity is reported by 

parent Federal entities that occurred during the years ended September 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively, consist of:

There is a relationship between certain line items reported on the Consolidated Statement of Financing under “Total 

components of net cost of operations that will require or generate resources in future periods” and the change in 

components of costs that are included in liabilities not covered by budgetary resources reported in Note 8. 

Reconciling Amount

Appropriation

Trading Partner, 

Nature of Transfer 2005 2004

14-19-4-1082.08 State Department: 

American Section— International Commissions $ - 58

14x5198.008 DOI Departmental Offices:

Natural Resource Damage Assessment & Restoration 1,408 1,089

14-14x1618.008 DOI Departmental Offices:

Natural Resource Damage Assessment & Restoration 87 99

Total $ 1,495 1,246 

Amount per 

PB

Amount per 

SBR

Expected 

differences

Unobligated balance, beginning of fiscal year $ 110,000 155,481 45,481 (A)

Spending authority from offsetting collections 632,000 443,337 188,663 (B)

Unobligated balance not available 95,000 120,310 25,310 (A)

Obligated balance, net, end of fiscal year 92,000 103,752 11,752 (C)

(A) Amount of expired authority included in the SBR but not in the PB.

(B) Amount of collections included in the SBR but not in the PB.

(C) Amount of working capital fund obligations included in the SBR but not in the PB.
Notes to the Financial Statements—As of September 30, 2005 and 2004 (in thousands)

Financial Information

130

Deferred credits, deposit fund liabilities, and other liabilities representing amounts payable to Treasury are reflected 

as not covered by budgetary resources in Note 8; however, they are not presented as a reconciling item on the 

Consolidated Statement of Financing. 

The total components of net cost of operations related to changes in unfunded liabilities that occurred during the 

years ended September 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively, consist of:

2005 2004

Increase/

(Decrease)

Annual leave liability 59,712 57,652 2,060 

Environmental and disposal liabilities 82 1,097 (1,015)

Accrued payroll and benefits 2,889 2,297 592

Contract holdback liabilities 1,038 1,038 -

Contingent liabilities 2,208 - 2,208

Abandoned sites liabilities 21,459 20,971 488

GSA tenant improvement loans 19,051 21,216 (2,165)

FECA workers’ compensation liability 7,330 7,941 (611)

FECA actuarial liability 41,010 40,569 441

Total change in selected unfunded liabilties 154,779 152,781 1,998

Less: Exchange revenue from the public 503 79 424

Total $ 154,276 152,702 $ 1,574

2004 2003

Increase/

(Decrease)

Annual leave liability 57,652 54,390 3,262 

Environmental cleanup liabilities 1,097 507 590

Accrued payroll and benefits 2,297 4,161 (1,864)

Contract holdback liabilities 1,038 1,181 (143)

Contingent liabilities - - -

Abandoned sites liabilities 20,971 20,638 333

GSA tenant improvement loans 21,216 26,051 (4,835)

FECA workers compensation liability 7,941 7,929 12

FECA actuarial liability 40,569 42,816 (2,247)

Total change in selected unfunded liabilties 152,781 157,672 (4,891)

Less: Exchange revenue from the public 79 930 851

Total $ 152,702 156,742 $ (4,040)
 Financial Information

Required 

Supplemental 

Information

(Unaudited; see

Auditors’ Report)

This part of the Section III Financial 

Information contains our required 

supplemental information disclosures.

Contents include:

SBR by Major Budget Accounts ..................................................132

Working Capital Fund .....................................................................136

Deferred Maintenance ..................................................................139
Financial Information

132 Required Supplemental Information— SBR by Major Budget Accounts

Surveys, Investigations, and Research 

(Treasury Symbol 0804):

T

he United States Geological Survey (USGS) is 

primarily funded by the Surveys, Investigations, 

and Research (SIR) appropriation. The SIR 

appropriation is for expenses necessary for the USGS 

to perform surveys, investigations, and research 

covering topography, geology, hydrology, biology, 

and the mineral and water resources of the United 

States, its territories and possessions, and other areas 

authorized by law; classify lands as to their mineral 

and water resources; give engineering supervision 

to power permittees and Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission licensees; and to conduct inquiries 

into the economic conditions affecting mining and 

materials processing industries and related purposes 

as authorized by law. [Department of the Interior and 

Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004]

The following activities are funded by the SIR 

appropriation: Mapping, Remote Sensing, and 

Geographic Investigations; Geologic Hazards, 

Resources, and Processes; Water Resources 

Investigations Activity; Biological Research; Enterprise 

Information; Science Support; and Facilities. Each 

activity is described below.

Geography

The Mapping, Remote Sensing, and Geographic 

Investigations activity continues efforts to improve 

the Nation’s geospatial databases and their ascess, 

integration, and applications through implementation 

of the National Map, a network of integrated, high 

quality geospatial information covering all 50 States 

and commonwealths, and territories. Partnerships 

with other Federal, state, and local agencies, the 

private sector, and academia are the keystone for 

accomplishing this mission. 

USGS programs provide scientific information to 

describe and interpret America’s landscape by mapping 

the Nation’s terrain, monitoring changes over time, and 

analyzing how and why these changes have occurred. 

The knowledge gained through these activities is used 

to model the changes occurring across the Nation’s 

land and to forecast future changes. 

The Mapping, Remote Sensing, and Geographic 

Investigations activity is broken down into three 

subactivities: Cooperative Topographic Mapping, 

Land Remote Sensing, and Geographic Analysis and 

Monitoring.

Geology

The Geologic Hazards, Resources, and Processes 

activity provides the Earth science information needs 

for a wide variety of partners and customers, including 

Federal, State, and local agencies, non-government 

organizations, industry, and academia. This information 

is used by the USGS and its partners, cooperators, and 

customers in evaluating resource potential, defining 

and mitigating risks associated with natural hazards, 

and characterizing the potential impact of natural 

geologic processes on human activity, the economy, 

and the environment. 

USGS programs improve the safety of the United 

States from natural disasters and include efforts to (1) 

increase USGS ability to rapidly determine the location, 

size, and depth of large earthquakes, (2) discriminate 

kinds of earthquakes and geologic areas of the Pacific 

and Caribbean likely to cause tsunamis, (3) improve 

landslide models, assessments, and alert systems, (4) 

improve monitoring of the most dangerous volcanoes, 

and (5) work with Federal, local, and foreign partners to 

improve coordination, ensure timely warnings can be 

issued for all geologic hazards, and provide information 

so that informed community response plans can be 

developed and put in place. 

The Geologic Hazards, Resources, and Processes 

activity supports three subactivities: Geologic Hazard 

Assessments, Geologic Landscape and Coastal 

Assessments, and Geologic Resource Assessments. 

Water

The Water Resources Investigations activity funds work 

on issues related to water availability, water quality, 

and flood hazards. Over 4,000 scientific and support 

staff in offices located in every State support and/or 

perform work involving collection, management, and 

dissemination of hydrologic data; analysis of hydrologic 

systems through modeling or statistical methods; and 

research and development leading to new methods and 

new understanding. 
 Financial Information

Required Supplemental Information— SBR by Major Budget Accounts 133

USGS programs involve operating streamgages that 

measure the flow of rivers and provide data that are 

used in resource planning and dispute resolution, 

performs water-quality studies that have a strong 

connection to human health issues, and collects and 

provides data that enables citizens, communities, 

businesses, and local emergency-response agencies 

to make the best possible decisions about protecting 

lives and property in floods. The Water Resources 

Investigations activity supports three subactivies: 

Hydrologic Monitoring, Assessments, and Reseach, 

Cooperative Water Program, and the Water Resources 

Research Act Program.The Water Resources activity 

is funded in four subactivities: hydrologic monitoring, 

assessments and research, cooperative water 

program, and the Water Resources Research Act 

Program. 

Biology

The Biological Research activity generates and 

distributes information needed in the conservation 

and management of the Nation’s biological resources. 

Biological Research activities contribute to achieving 

improved management of the Nation’s water resources, 

availability of maps and map data, and improved 

decisionmaking regarding land and water use. 

USGS programs provide scientific information through 

research, inventory, and monitoring investigations, and 

increase the quantity of biological information available 

by improving access to and interactions with biological 

data. USGS biologists and information scientists, in 

partnership with many others, provide the scientific 

understanding and technologies necessary to support 

sound management and conservation of the Nation’s 

biological resources. Biological studies develop new 

methods and techniques to identify, observe, and 

manage fish and wildlife, including invasive species, 

and their habitats; inventory populations of animals, 

plants, and their habitats; and monitor changes in 

abundance, distribtuion, and health of biological 

resources through time. 

The Biological Research activity is broken down 

into three subactivities: Biological Research and 

Monitoring, Biological Information Management and 

Delivery, and Cooperative Research Units.

Support Services: Enterprise Information, Science Support, 

and Facilities

The Enterprise Information activity supports 

bureau-level activities and investments in the areas 

of information technology, information security, 

information management, information policy and 

standards, and information science. Enterprise 

Information is broken down into three subactivies: 

Enterprise Information Security and Technology, 

Enterprise Information Resources, and Federal 

Geographic Data Coordination.

The Science Support activity provides resources for 

the executive and managerial direction of the bureau 

and support services to all USGS scientific programs. 

Science Support is broken down into two subactivies: 

Bureau Operations and Payments to the National 

Business Center.

The Facilities activity provides workspace and 

facilities for accomplishing the bureau mission. The 

Facilities activity supports three subactivies: Rental 

Payments, Operations and Maintenance, and Deferred 

Maintenance and Capital Improvement.

Working Capital Fund (Treasury Symbol 4556):

The Working Capital Fund was established by law to 

provide USGS with the ability to finance a continuing 

cycle of operations in two components: Investments 

and Fee-for-Service. The Investment Component 

provides funding for Telecommunications, Equipment, 

Facilities, and Publications. The Fee-for-service 

component provides continuing funding for the National 

Water Quality Laboratory, the USGS Hydrologic 

Instrumentation Facility, Publications, bureau 

Laboratories, the National Training Center, Drilling, 

Landsat 7, and GSA Delegated Buildings.

Other Aggregated Accounts:

The USGS also receives a variety of other funding. 

Other appropriations include donations and 

contributions, reimbursables, miscellaneous receipts, 

natural resource damage assessment, and operations 

and maintenance of quarters. 
Financial Information

134 Required Supplemental Information— SBR by Major Budget Accounts

The Department of Interior

United States Geological Survey

Combining Statement of Budgetary Resources

For the Year Ended September 30, 2005 

(in thousands)

Fund 0804 Fund 4556

Other

Budgetary

Accounts Total

Budgetary resources:

Budget authority:

Appropriations received $ 958,021 - 2,353 $ 960,374

Net transfers, current year authority 5,437 - - 5,437

Unobligated balance:

Beginning of fiscal year 46,298 72,710 1,302 120,310

Spending authority from offsetting collections:

Earned:

Collected 411,119 53,688 - 464,807

Receivable from Federal sources (7,334) - - (7,334)

Change in unfilled customer orders:

Advance received 3,601 - - 3,601

Without advance from Federal sources 3,066 - - 3,066

Subtotal: Spending authority from offsetting collections 410,452 53,688 - 464,140

Recoveries of prior year obligations 8,158 375 37 8,570

Permanently not available (20,716) - - (20,716)

Total budgetary resources $ 1,407,650 126,773 $ 1,538,115 3,692

Status of budgetary resources:

Obligations incurred:

Direct $ 943,813 - 2,531 $ 946,344

Reimbursable 410,973 64,532 - 475,505

Total obligations incurrred 1,354,786 64,532 2,531 1,421,849

Unobligated balance:

Apportioned 22,242 62,241 1,161 85,644

Unobligated balance not available 30,622 - - 30,622

Total status of budgetary resources $ 1,407,650 126,773 3,692 $ 1,538,115

Relationship of obligations to outlays:

Obligations incurred $ 1,354,786 64,532 2,531 $ 1,421,849

Obligated balance, net, beginning of fiscal year 90,472 12,423 857 103,752

Obligated balance, net, end of fiscal year:

Accounts receivable 135,460 - - 135,460

Unfilled customer orders from Federal sources 45,780 - - 45,780

Undelivered orders (177,882) (12,925) (529) (191,336)

Accounts payable (100,388) (5,220) (211) (105,819)

Total obligated balance, net, end of fiscal year (97,030) (18,145) (740) (115,915)

Less: Spending authority adjustments (3,890) (375) (37) (4,302)

Outlays:

Disbursements 1,344,338 58,435 2,611 1,405,384

Collections (414,719) (53,690) (468,409) -

Net outlays before offsetting receipts 929,619 4,745 2,611 936,975

Less: Offsetting receipts - - (2,353) (2,353)

Net outlays $ 929,619 4,745 258 $ 934,622

2005

See accompanying Independent Auditors’ Report in Section V of this Performance and Accountability Report.
 Financial Information

Required Supplemental Information— SBR by Major Budget Accounts 135

The Department of Interior

United States Geological Survey

Combining Statement of Budgetary Resources

For the Year Ended September 30, 2004 

(in thousands)

Fund 0804 Fund 4556

Other

Budgetary

Accounts Total

Budgetary resources:

Budget authority:

Appropriations received $ 949,686 - 1,695 $ 951,381

Unobligated balance:

Beginning of fiscal year 78,629 74,704 2,148 155,481

Spending authority from offsetting collections:

Earned:

Collected 438,940 53,837 - 492,777

Receivable from Federal sources (31,514) - - (31,514)

Change in unfilled customer orders:

Advance received (1,165) - - (1,165)

Without advance from Federal sources (16,761) - - (16,761)

Subtotal: Spending authority from offsetting collections 389,500 53,837 - 443,337

Recoveries of prior year obligations 10,744 384 63 11,191

Permanently not available (17,131) - - (17,131)

Total budgetary resources $ 1,411,428 128,925 3,906 $ 1,544,259

Status of budgetary resources:

Obligations incurred:

Direct $ 979,877 - 2,605 $ 982,482

Reimbursable 385,252 56,215 - 441,467

Total obligations incurrred 1,365,129 56,215 2,605 1,423,949

Unobligated balance:

Apportioned 21,101 72,710 1,301 95,112

Unobligated balance not available 25,198 - - 25,198

Total status of budgetary resources $ 1,411,428 128,925 3,906 $ 1,544,259

Relationship of obligations to outlays:

Obligations incurred $ 1,365,130 56,215 2,604 $ 1,423,949

Obligated balance, net, beginning of fiscal year 26,311 9,325 1,592 37,228

Obligated balance, net, end of fiscal year:

Accounts receivable 142,793 - - 142,793

Unfilled customer orders from Federal sources 42,714 0 - 42,714

Undelivered orders (162,251) (7,383) (524) (170,158)

Accounts payable (113,727) (5,040) (334) (119,101)

Total obligated balance, net, end of fiscal year (90,471) (12,423) (858) (103,752)

Less: Spending authority adjustments 37,531 (384) (63) 37,084

Outlays:

Disbursements 1,338,501 52,733 3,275 1,394,509

Collections (437,777) (53,836) (491,613) -

Net outlays before offsetting receipts 900,724 (1,103) 3,275 902,896

Less: Offsetting receipts - - (1,695) (1,695)

Net outlays $ 900,724 (1,103) 1,580 $ 901,201

2004

See accompanying Independent Auditors’ Report in Section V of this Performance and Accountability Report.
Financial Information

136 Required Supplemental Information— Working Capital Fund

T

he Working Capital Fund (WCF) was established 

by Public Law (P.L.) 101-512 (November 5, 1990), 

as codified in 43 U.S.C. 50a. The fund was 

originally established to support the Washington 

Administrative Service Center (currently the National 

Business Center) and to support the replacement of 

the USGS mainframe computer, telecommunications 

equipment, and related Automated Data Processing 

equipment. Congress later expanded the existing 

Telecommunications Amortization Fund to establish 

the USGS Working Capital Fund by P.L. 103-332, dated 

September 30, 1994, which enabled USGS to use the 

WCF to fund laboratory modernization and equipment 

replacement; acquisition or development of software; 

facilities improvements; acquisition and replacement 

of computers, publications, scientific instrumentation, 

telecommunications, and other types of equipment 

replacement. 

The two operating components of the WCF are fee-forservice operations and investments.

Fee-for-Service:

WCF fee-for-service components operate in a 

business-like manner, recovering fees for services 

performed based on a fee schedule established 

through a rate-setting process. WCF fee-for-service 

components must operate in compliance with OMB 

Circular A-25, User Charges, and recover the full cost of 

goods, services, and resources provided to customers. 

User charges should be based on market prices and 

create neither a shortage nor surplus of the goods or 

services. For each component fund, an annual budget 

and pricing schedule is required. User charges are 

required to be reviewed no less than biannually. 

Fee-for-service component activities have been 

structured by use of seven funds, based on type of 

servicing activity: National Water Quality Laboratory, 

Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility, publications, 

research laboratories, National Training Center, drilling, 

and GSA delegated buildings.

Investments:

A key purpose of the WCF is to plan for long-term 

capital investments and accumulate the required funds 

over several fiscal years. The USGS is authorized 

to use the WCF to invest funds from appropriations 

and/or reimbursable agreements, without fiscal year 

limitations, for materials, supplies, telecommunications, 

and other equipment and facilities renovations in 

support of USGS programs and other agencies of the 

Federal Government. Normal operating expenses may 

not be funded through the WCF investment plans. All 

investments and expenditures from a WCF investment 

component must be documented in an approved, multiyear Investment Plan (IP). Investments must occur, at 

a minimum, in two fiscal years before acquisition can 

occur and are expected to be evenly balanced over the 

time period defined in the IP. Prior year contributions 

may not be withdrawn from the WCF under any 

circumstances; they must be expended from the WCF 

for an approved capital investment. Current year 

contributions may be withdrawn, subject to appropriate 

approvals, in rare instances.

Investment component activities have been structured 

by use of five funds, based on type of investment 

activity: telecommunications, equipment, facilities, 

publications, and Landsat 7.

The Working Capital Fund authority is a benefit allowed by Congress and the Office of Management 

and Budget, predicated on wise application to U.S. Geological Survey programs, exercised through 

prudent fiscal management. The fund provides a mechanism to assist USGS managers in planning for 

and acquiring goods and services that are too costly to acquire in a single fiscal year or that, due to the 

nature of services provided, must operate in a multiyear, as opposed to a single-year, basis of funding. 

In FY2005, we implemented a database tracking system to provide fiscal and program managers 

a sophisticated mechanism for monitoring fund plans, contributions, and expenditures, enabling 

managers to ensure the fund is used according to the guidelines established by Congress. 

Michael A. Kelley, Budget Officer 
 Financial Information

Required Supplemental Information— Working Capital Fund 137

The Department of Interior

United States Geological Survey

Working Capital Fund Balance Sheet

For the Years Ended September 30, 2005 and 2004

(in thousands)

2005 2004

Assets

Intragovernmental assets:

Fund balance with Treasury $ 80,386 $ 85,133

Total intragovernmental assets 80,386 85,133

Accounts and interest receivable, net 2 5

General property, plant, and equipment, net 9,382 8,234

Total assets $ 89,770 $ 93,372

Liabilities

Intragovernmental liabilities:

Accounts payable $ 870 $ 263

Other liabilities 114 98

Total intragovernmental liabilities 984 361

Accounts payable 3,691 4,225

Other liabilities 545 454

Total liabilities 5,220 5,040

Net position

Cumulative results of operations 84,550 88,332

Total liabilities and net position $ 89,770 $ 93,372

See accompanying Independent Auditors’ Report in Section V of this Performance and Accountability Report.

The National Training Center (one of our fee-for-service components) is located on the 2nd floor of Building 

53 on the Denver Federal Center. The training center provides quality customer service and a state-of-the-art 

bureau training facility with traditional and “virtual” classrooms that offer excellent learning opportunities for 

all USGS employees in every focus area, scientific, technical, administrative, leadership, management, etc.
Financial Information

138 Required Supplemental Information— Working Capital Fund

The Department of Interior

United States Geological Survey

Working Capital Fund Schedule of Net Costs

For the Years Ended September 30, 2005 and 2004

(in thousands)

Fee For 

Service Investments Total 

Full cost of goods and services provided $ 38,270 $ 54,187 15,917 

Related exchange revenues (40,784) - (40,784)

Excess of cost over revenues $ (2,514) $ 13,403 15,917 

Fee For 

Service Investments Total 

Full cost of goods and services provided $ 38,316 $ 52,170 13,854 

Related exchange revenues (38,451) (107) (38,558)

Excess of cost over revenues $ (135) $ 13,612 13,747 

2005

2004

See accompanying Independent Auditors’ Report in Section V of this Performance and Accountability Report.

In 1973, the USGS moved its National Headquarters to a new building in Reston, VA. The building, the John Wesley Powell

Building, was formally dedicated on March 3, 1974, as the fifth National Center. Architects worked with USGS scientists on 

designing specialized space. The seven-story main tower is an eight-pointed star oriented to the main points of the compass.
 Financial Information

Required Supplemental Information— Deferred Maintenance 139

“Executive Order 13327 establishes Government-wide requirements for real property asset management. 

In USGS, facilities costs are the largest single expenditure in the USGS budget after salary costs— an 

estimated $125 million in FY2005. Through asset management planning, we expect to control facilities 

costs while still meeting the unique facilities needs of a world-class science organization.” 

Keith Anderson, Chief, Office of Management Services

T

he Office of Management Services (OMS) at 

USGS provides for safe, functional, and highquality workspace for accomplishing the bureau’s 

science mission and ensuring that workspaces are 

maintained in compliance with applicable safety and 

other standards set by GSA and the Occupational 

Safety and Health Administration. 

The USGS has key science facilities that are mission 

critical, including those that are fundamental to 

providing timely warnings of geologic hazards, as well 

as scientific understanding and technologies needed 

to support the sound management and conservation 

of the Nation’s biological, energy, water, and mineral 

resources. The USGS is committed to improving the 

maintenance of existing facilities to ensure the health 

and safety of the public and employees, protection of 

cultural and natural resources, and compliance with 

building codes and standards. 

USGS developed a “Five-Year Deferred Maintenance 

and Capital Improvement Plan” to provide necessary 

up-keep on property and equipment and to provide 

facilities that will best fulfill our mission. Deferred 

maintenance is work that was not performed when it 

was or should have been scheduled, often because 

of funding or priority ranking of work, and was thus 

delayed to a future period. Capital improvements 

include the construction of new facilities or the 

alteration of an existing facility to accommodate a 

change of function or unmet programmatic need. All 

capital improvement components of projects were 

excluded from the estimate in this report. 

The Five-Year Plan is re-evaluated annually pursuant 

to the budget process and is subject to adjustments 

at that time depending on funding levels and revised 

priorities. Estimations on deferred maintenance 

are based on condition assessment surveys that 

are conducted every 5 years at each USGS site to 

determine the current condition of facilities and 

the estimated cost to correct deficiencies. These 

surveys are conducted by an independent architect/

engineering firm and are supplemented by annual 

condition surveys performed by USGS personnel. 

These installation-wide, building specific assessments 

are the linchpin of the DOI program to establish core 

data on the condition of the Department’s constructed 

assets. 

The FY2007 budget formulation process was used to 

establish the base from which the FY2005 deferred 

maintenance priority listing was derived. OMS, 

which formulates the bureau’s deferred maintenance 

budget, collected project proposals from regional and 

headquarters facilities projects for possible inclusion 

in the bureau plan for FY2006 – FY2010, which were 

then ranked to reflect the criticality of the health 

and safety deficiencies being addressed. A project 

that addressed a critical health and safety deferred 

maintenance need received a higher ranking than one 

addressing a critical mission deferred maintenance 

need. Teams of regional and headquarters facility 

and safety specialists reviewed the ranked proposals 

to confirm the accuracy of rankings and otherwise 

ensure the adequacy of the project proposals. Due to 

funding constraints, USGS addresses the most critical 

maintenance and capital improvement needs first.

A summary of the USGS deferred maintenance 

estimate at September 30, 2005, is reflected below. The 

amount of the total estimated as of September 30, 2005, 

is presented as the low estimate range and the high 

estimate range is based on the low estimate plus future 

funding requests of $1.5 million per year through 2029, 

including inflation.

(in thousands)

Low High

Buildings $ 29,249 35,911 

Other Structures 8,891 10,916

Total 38,140 46,827
Required 

Supplemental 

Stewardship

Information

(Unaudited; see

Auditors’ Report)

This part of the Section III Financial 

Information contains our required 

supplemental stewardship information 

disclosures.

Contents include:

General Stewardship Information ................................................141

Museum Collections .......................................................................142

Library Collections ..........................................................................144

Research and Development Investments ...................................146
 Financial Information

Required Supplemental Stewardship Information— General Information 141

T

he USGS serves the citizens of the United 

States as steward for a large, varied, and 

scientifically important body of heritage assets, 

and in conducting research and development 

that is critical to the health of our country and in 

understanding the Earth. Each year the USGS makes 

a substantial investment while fulfilling its stewardship 

responsibilities for the benefit of the Nation.

Costs associated with stewardship initiatives are 

treated as expenses in the financial statements in 

the year the costs are incurred. However, these 

investments in stewardship are intended to provide 

long-term benefits to the public and are included as 

required supplementary stewardship information (RSSI) 

reporting to highlight their long-term-benefit nature 

and to demonstrate our accountability over them. 

Stewardship resources are not required to be included 

in the assets reported in our financial statements; 

they are, however, important to understanding the 

operations and financial condition of USGS. 

Stewardship assets often have physical properties 

that resemble those of the general property, plant, 

and equipment that is traditionally capitalized in the 

financial statements of Federal entities. However, 

due to the nature of these assets, valuation would be 

difficult and matching costs with specific periods would 

not be meaningful. Heritage assets have one or more 

of the following characteristics: historical or natural 

significance; special cultural, educational, or aesthetic 

value; or significant architectural characteristics. 

USGS has heritage assets in two categories: museum 

collections and scientific library collections. The 

mission-related importance of these assets is 

described in the following pages.

Investments in research and development are 

expenses incurred to support the search for new or 

refined knowledge and ideas, the application or use 

of such knowledge and ideas, and the development 

of new or improved products or processes with the 

expectation of maintaining or increasing national 

economic productive capacity or yielding other future 

benefits.

Research and development activities are a vital part of 

work performed in accomplishing our mission.

Making science fun is the first requirement when communicating science to youngsters. Science Camp, 

a partnership between the USGS and Reston Association, offers 8-to-12-year-old children an opportunity 

to meet scientists, participate in science experiments, learn and practice new computer skills, create 

a newspaper, take field trips, and participate in swimming, boating, crafts, and sports. Science 

Camp demonstrates the many exciting scientific activities in which the USGS is involved. Meeting 

real scientists and specialists working at the USGS is a vital part of our camp program, providing 

opportunities for children to think about pursuing a career in science.

USGS research and development activities encompass a wide range of studies that increase national economic capacity and yield other future benefits.
Financial Information

142 Required Supplemental Stewardship Information— Museum Collections

T

he USGS manages a widespread collection of 

natural history specimens and cultural objects 

that support the mission of the bureau in many 

science and administrative centers throughout the 

United States. These unique collections serve to 

illustrate important achievements and challenges to the 

Earth Sciences, to document the history of the USGS, 

and to enlighten those who use the collections. The 

collections also provide the public with an interpretive 

demonstration of the history and enterprise of the 

USGS. The museum collections are divided into two 

major categories: historical (including art, history, 

ethnography, and documents), and zoology.

Historical collections:

USGS manages hundreds of historical objects that 

are loaned to other institutions for exhibits and placed 

on exhibit in the USGS National Center in Reston, 

VA, hallways or lobbies in regional offices, and 

science centers around 

the country. These 

collections are evidence 

of the resources, events, 

and people associated 

with USGS activities, and 

are studied by historians 

and scientists alike.

Our collection includes many special objects related 

to the cultural history of USGS, including a hat 

(pictured above) worn by geologist Levi Noble while 

attending the 3rd Pan-Pacific Science Congress 

held in Tokyo, Japan, in 1927; oil paintings of many 

historical figures; a 1930 Model A Ford (pictured below) 

used to successfully map the geology of California 

deserts through the 1960s; and the Lunar Rover used 

in the southwestern deserts to train astronauts in the 

lunar landing program through the 1970s. USGS had 

previously loaned the lunar rover to NASA to conduct 

space suit ergonomic studies, fuel-cell power system 

studies, and vehicle operational capability studies in 

advance of NASA’s planned Mars exploration.

Other interesting objects in 

the collection include John 

Wesley Powell’s commission, 

one of the few documents 

signed by President James A. 

Garfield, appointing Powell 

as the second director of 

the USGS; an oak arm chair 

(pictured upper right) used 

by John Wesley Powell in 

his office when he served as 

USGS director from 1881 to 

1894; geologic field mapping 

equipment from Arnold 

Hague’s late 19th Century 

expedition to map Yellowstone 

National Park; a field desk 

(pictured lower right) used in 

the American West shortly 

after the turn of the century; 

and Director Thomas Nolan’s 

field equipment and academic 

robe from St. Andrew’s 

University in Scotland.

Zoology Collections:

Our zoology objects, which represent over 39,000 

natural specimens, are housed at the Biological 

Research Arid Lands Field Station of the Fort Collins 

Science Center. These zoological specimens were 

collected to document 

the status of the 

environment on our 

public lands. A USGS 

wildlife research 

biologist and USGS 

zoology museum 

specialist stationed 

at the University of 

New Mexico’s Museum 

of Southwestern Biology 

maintain this collection under a joint agreement 

between the USGS and the University of New Mexico 

at Albuquerque.

Geologist Levi Noble’s hat

1930 Model A Ford used to map the deserts of California

Sextant of finches from 1850

John Wesley Powell’s chair

Field desk used shortly after 

the turn of the century
 Financial Information

Required Supplemental Stewardship Information— Museum Collections 143

USGS also evaluates the condition of the locations 

housing the collections in accordance with 

Departmental guidelines. The evaluation is based on a 

lengthy list of conditions. We have objects housed in 

two non-storage facilities, which were both evaluated 

as good using the Department’s definitions. We also 

have objects housed in two storage facilities in which 

the collection’s environmental conditions are monitored 

by hydrothermographs. 

In response to two recent Executive Orders regarding 

preserving America and Federal assets management, 

USGS will be placing additional emphasis during 

FY2006 on identifying whether or not the buildings 

and structures owned by USGS are considered to be 

of historical significance. If necessary, USGS will 

evaluate whether or not the properties identified as 

historic would be eligible for placement on the National 

Register of Historic Places.

Museum Collections at a Glance:

Our museum collections are housed in both Federal 

and non-Federal institutions in an effort to maximize 

accessibility to the public. 

During both FY2004 and FY2005, USGS maintained four 

collections in bureau facilities and two collections in 

non-Federal facilities. Although there were additions of 

objects to the existing collections, there were no new 

collections added during FY2005. There were also no 

disposals of collections during FY2005.

Public Information:

The public has been granted access to view these 

collections through a new Web site (www.usgs.

gov/aboutusgs/who_we_are/museum) and can visit 

USGS facilities to see them on exhibit. During FY2005, 

USGS responded to dozens of requests for information 

on our museum collections. The most unusual request 

received resulted in an image from the collection being 

reproduced on the cover of a book printed in Japanese 

regarding the geology of Japan.

Of primary importance in our collection is the unique 

natural history collection of vertebrates that were used 

in support of food habit studies by researchers at the 

Department of Agriculture’s Food Habits Laboratory in 

Denver, CO. Transferred to Fort Collins in the mid-1970s 

and then to the University of New Mexico in the 1990s, 

this collection (pictured below) includes over 8,000 

fluid-preserved specimens of amphibians and reptiles, 

as well as mammal and avian skeletons and skins. 

Specimens have continued to be acquired as a result of 

the research emphasis to document mammal species 

from public lands in the West.

Condition Evaluations:

Cataloging efforts have also been a priority within 

USGS, as 100 percent of our museum collections have 

been catalogued. During the cataloging process, USGS 

evaluates the condition of each collection object. 

“Good” is considered to show little or no sign of aging 

or wear; “fair” applies to objects that are showing 

signs of deterioration such as faded color of fabric or 

wood, and “poor” objects that have missing parts or 

are extremely worn. Additions to the collection in the 

current year were donated. No deferred maintenance 

is necessary for our museum collections.

Condition Assessments

Total objects in 

collections Good Fair Poor 

40,136 40,004 114 18 

Fluid-preserved amphibian and reptile specimans storage

USGS personnel evaluating the condition of natural specimans
Financial Information

144 Required Supplemental Stewardship Information— Library Collections

USGS library holdings, collected during more 

than a century of providing library services, are 

an invaluable legacy to the Nation. Congress 

established the library in the 1879 legislation that 

founded the USGS. The Act decreed that copies of 

reports published by the USGS should be given to 

the library to exchange for publications of State and 

national geological surveys and societies. The USGS 

Library built from this notable and cost-effective 

exchange program, plus purchases and gifts, has 

become the world’s largest collection of earth science 

information. The library was originally located in 

Washington, D.C.; however, the library collection is now 

housed in four libraries across the country in Reston, 

VA, Menlo Park, CA, Denver, CO, and Flagstaff, AZ.

In addition to the annual purchases of serials, maps 

and books, the library has built its collection through 

exchange. Since its beginning, the library has 

administered a major program of international and 

domestic exchange of earth science publications 

authorized by the legislation that established USGS. 

The exchange program, with national and foreign 

geological surveys and research organizations, has 

enabled the library to collect materials published in 

small numbers, never widely distributed, and never 

reprinted. 

While responding to the current and anticipated 

subject interests of USGS researchers, such as those 

in ecology, geology, hydrology, health, and biology, the 

library maintains its heritage collection of core science 

publications dating back to the 17th century, providing 

a unique historical record of the progress of natural 

science. Besides providing resources for scientific 

investigations, the library’s multi-disciplinary collection 

provides access to geographical, technical, and 

historical literature in paper and electronic formats for 

the general public and industry. 

Library users bring their questions to the library daily, 

in person or by phone or email, and expert librarians 

assist them in using the wealth of well-organized 

information to find answers. 

During a century of collecting, the library has acquired 

many treasures such as the George F. Kunz collection. 

George F. Kunz was a former employee of the USGS, a 

vice-president of Tiffany & Co., and one of the world’s 

preeminent gem experts at the time of his death in 1932. 

The Kunz collection includes rare books on gemology, 

the lapidary arts, the folklore of gemstones through 

history, and archival gem trade records, including the 

original provenance of the Hope diamond. 

Another unusual acquisition was the group of books 

and maps known as the Heringen collection. These 

military geology texts and maps were looted by the 

Nazis from European libraries, including Russia, and 

hidden in a potash mine in Heringen, Heese, Germany. 

At the end of World War II they were transported by the 

U.S. military to the United States and are now part of 

the USGS library.

The map collections include an archival and working 

collection of USGS topographical maps, plus thematic 

and topographical maps of the United States and 

the World. These maps have provided invaluable 

aid to authorities and scientists in times of disasters 

and military interventions. Maps, photographs, and 

literature in the USGS library have provided evidence to 

solve boundary disputes and water rights litigation, to 

The reception desk at the National Center Library in Reston, Virginia.

Map collections at the National Center Library in Reston, VA.
 Financial Information

Required Supplemental Stewardship Information— Library Collections 145

trace geographic names, and to research natural and 

man-made changes in an area over time.

Our Field Records collection in Denver includes items 

such as field notes, field maps and sketches, and 

project-related correspondence created or collected 

by USGS scientists during official project work. The 

Photographic Archive provides the public with access 

to over 19,000 photographs and original sketches dating 

from 1868 to the present. Additionally, USGS maintains 

a collection of over 500,000 photographs taken during 

geologic studies of the U.S. and its territories dating 

from 1868 to present. Some photographs have been 

used to illustrate publications, but most have never 

been published.

The Library supports the research of the DOI and other 

government agencies, universities, and professional 

communities. Libraries throughout the world, including 

the largest and most renowned, borrow from our 

library’s unique collection. The USGS library has 

loaned scientific publications and objects to thousands 

of libraries in every State and in over 37 foreign 

countries that were public, State, Federal, nonprofit, 

company, and academic libraries. Although not 

defined by Congress as a national library, the library 

is recognized as the premier national collection of 

geologic and hydrologic publications, supplementing 

the Nation’s large library collections in major 

universities and government agencies. 

Condition Evaluations:

Careful consideration is given to assessing the 

condition of each item in the library collections. A 

category of “good” is defined as materials protected 

for reasonable use which includes publications bound 

or with sturdy covers, maps loosely shelved in drawers 

without crowding or in archival grade envelopes 

with minimal folds, photographs mounted in archival 

quality albums, or materials protected by archival 

quality paper or plastic sleeves or boxes. Materials 

evaluated as “fair” are those which can be circulated, 

but require binding or further treatment to ensure 

long-term protection. “Poor” materials are those that 

cannot be circulated or used without special attention 

until preservation repairs are made. This includes 

publications with old brittle or mottled paper, loose 

pages, loose or thin covers, tears, water-damage or 

other damage, improper binding with tight covers, 

flaking binding covers, loose photographs, nitrate or 

glass photograph negatives, and multimedia and digital 

disks without containers. No deferred maintenance is 

necessary for our library collections.

Library Collections at a Glance:

During both FY2004 and FY2005, USGS maintained 

library collections at four Federal facilities. Although 

there were additions of objects to the existing 

collections, there were no new library locations/ 

collections added during FY2005. There were also no 

disposals of library locations/collections during FY2005.

The USGS library system (four libraries) contains over 

1.2 million books and over 1.8 million non-book items, 

including maps, photographs, pamphlets, field record 

notebooks, digital media, and other collectible items, 

for a total of over 3 million items.

Materials are acquired from extensive exchange 

agreements with institutions and agencies worldwide, 

from research projects and purchases from a wide 

variety of publishers and institutions. Items are 

withdrawn only after the professional library staff has 

made a critical analysis of the collection. 

(in thousands)

Condition Assessments

USGS Library Items Good Fair Poor 

National Center Library 80% 15% 5%

Denver Branch Library 65% 20% 15%

Flagstaff Branch Library 80% 15% 5%

Menlo Park Branch Library 70% 20% 10%

Geologist Marcia Garcia at work in the library.
Financial Information

146 Required Supplemental Stewardship Information— Research and Development

T

he USGS is the earth and natural science 

research bureau of the Department and the only 

integrated natural science bureau in the Federal 

government. By combining biology, geology, hydrology, 

and geography in one agency, the USGS is uniquely 

positioned to provide science information and conduct 

scientific research that ensures an integrated approach 

to advance scientific knowledge and utilize the latest 

technologies to provide timely answers and products, 

and improve the quality of life for the communities we 

serve. USGS research and data products support the 

Department’s resource and land management needs 

and provide the science information needed by other 

Federal, State, tribal, and local government agencies to 

guide planning, management, and regulatory programs.

The USGS reviews Research and Development (R&D) 

investments and weighs the value of existing programs 

against changing needs and priorities. The Director 

prioritizes new initiatives on the basis of the following 

criteria: interdisciplinary science; collaboration 

and partnerships with Department bureaus, other 

government agencies, and universities (relevance, 

first of OMB’s three R&D investment criteria); results 

of program evaluations; and demonstration of progress 

toward meeting the Department’s performance (second 

of three OMB R&D criteria) goals and objectives. 

The Director then selects from among the prioritized 

initiatives those that can accommodate within the 

funding target. The Capital Planning and Investment 

Control process provides support for decisions on 

technology necessary to support science and the 

business processes of the bureau.

Peer review has been the quality (third OMB R&D 

criteria) standard for USGS scientific publications and a 

documented component of USGS policy throughout our 

126-year history. Our programs are cyclically evaluated 

to ensure the quality and timeliness of our science. The 

evaluations not only improve the accountability and 

quality of programs, but also identify and address gaps 

in programs; redirect or reaffirm program directions; 

identify and provide guidance for development of new 

programs; and review and (or) motivate managers and 

scientists. All of USGS programs evaluated by OMB’s 

PART process have received a “moderately effective” 

rating or better. These evaluations are the foundation 

on which USGS gauges performance relative to the 

Department End Outcome measure for soundness of 

methodology, accuracy, and reliability of science.

In accordance with OMB Circular No. A-11, USGS 

research activities are classified as basic, applied, or 

developmental research. A definition of each of the 

categories is below.

Basic – defines activities as systematic studies 

directed toward fuller knowledge or understanding 

of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of 

observable facts without specific applications toward 

processes or products in mind.

Applied – defines activities as systematic studies 

to gain knowledge or understanding necessary for 

determining the means by which a recognized and 

specific need may be met.

Developmental – defines activities as systematic 

application of knowledge or understanding, directed 

toward the production of useful materials, devices, and 

systems or methods, including design, development, 

and improvement of prototypes and new processes to 

meet specific requirements.

Our science is being used more and more in 

decisionmaking, and this is essential to our success in 

demonstrating relevance. That doesn’t mean that all 

of what we do needs to be applied; as former Director 

Walter C. Mendenhall said, “There can be no applied 

science unless there is science to apply.” 

Summary Information:

Total research and development investments were $809 

and $883 million during FY2005 and FY2004, respectively.

A summary table reflecting R&D stewardship 

investments by GPRA goal is presented at right.

Following the summary table are examples of how 

our research and development activities demonstrate 

results that are consistent with their intended purpose, 

and highlights from each science discipline’s FY2005 

research and development activities describing the 

research program. 

Additional outputs and outcomes demonstrating 

results that are consistent with the intended research 

program purpose beyond the examples provided are 

presented in Section II: Performance Data and Analysis 

– Performance Measure Results. 
 Financial Information

Required Supplemental Stewardship Information— Research and Development 147

(in millions)

DOI Goals and R&D Type 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Resource Protection 

Improve health of watersheds and landscapes $

Data not available by GPRA 

end outcome goals. 

USGS implemented 

a new strategic plan 

during FY2004, measuring 

performance under these 

end outcome goals.

 Basic research 10

 Applied research 71

 Developmental research 6

Sustain biological communities

 Basic research 13

 Applied research 115

 Developmental research 8

Resource Use

Manage or influence resources — Energy

 Basic research 5

 Applied research 19

 Developmental research -

Manage or influence resources — Non-Energy

 Basic research 10

 Applied research 44

 Developmental research 1

Serving Communities

Protect lives, resources, and property

 Basic research 4

 Applied research 45

 Developmental research 20

Advance knowledge through scientific leadership

 Basic research 37

 Applied research 364

 Developmental research 37

Total research and development

 Basic research 63 82 77 71 79

 Applied research 567 799 681 740 658

 Developmental research 53 83 101 72 72

Total $ 683 964 859 883 809
Financial Information

148 Required Supplemental Stewardship Information— Research and Development

this unique ecosystem. The USGS provides the primary 

science support to the Department for resource 

management and restoration in South Florida. These 

and other studies are providing the highest quality 

scientific research and scientific information so that 

our partners at Interior and State and local agencies 

can fulfill their resource management and technical 

responsibilities.

Mapping, Remote Sensing, and Geographic 

Investigations

The Mapping, Remote Sensing, and Geographic 

Investigations Activity transitioned into two unique 

activities, the National Geospatial Programs Office 

and Geographic Research. This move strengthens 

geographic research and consolidates geospatial 

activities. 

The Geographic Research Program comprises the Land 

Remote Sensing (LRS) program, Geographic Analysis 

and Monitoring (GAM) program, and Science Impact 

program focused on providing scientific information to 

describe and interpret America’s landscape by mapping 

the Nation’s terrain, monitoring changes over time, and 

analyzing how and why these changes have occurred. 

The knowledge gained through these activities is used 

to model the changes occurring across the Nation’s 

land and to forecast future changes. 

The following example demonstrates the relationship 

of USGS development and applied research in Alaska, 

the most seismically active State in the Nation. Today, 

Alaskans have a better network of seismic stations 

and an improved 

ability to monitor 

earthquake activity 

as a result of 

USGS partnerships 

with the State, 

the University of 

Alaska Fairbanks 

Geophysical 

Institute, and the 

city of Anchorage. 

In March 2004, as part of the commemoration of the 

anniversary of the 1964 magnitude-9.2 Good Friday 

earthquake in Anchorage (Prince William Sound), 

USGS and partners installed a 32-channel strongmotion instrument array in the Atwood Building, 

one of the tallest structures in Alaska, and installed 

instrument packages in six nearby boreholes in the 

ground. The borehole sensors and the instrumentation 

in the building will determine how the ground and 

the building respond to future earthquake shaking, 

information essential for engineers to mitigate property 

damage and loss of life. This was a critical first step in 

making the cities and the people in Alaska safer from 

the devastating effects of earthquakes. This enhanced 

seismic network is now allowing USGS and its partners 

to implement ShakeMap in the City of Anchorage. This 

tool will provide first responders with the information 

they need to assess the intensity and distribution of 

strong ground shaking in the critical minutes following 

an earthquake. The USGS scientist that developed 

ShakeMap—a rapidly generated computer map that 

shows the location, severity, and extent of strong 

ground shaking within minutes of an earthquake— 

earned the prestigious Legacy Award for his work. He 

not only developed the methodology behind ShakeMap, 

but also coordinated implementation of the system 

in emergency response centers across the western 

United States.

USGS efforts in restoring the Everglades is an 

outstanding example of basic research with science 

applications that address issues resulting from nearly a 

century of wetland drainage and impoundment and that 

provide the information needed to restore the health of 

Seismology lab, University of Alaska, 

Fairbanks, Geophysical Institute.

These two photographs of Miami, taken in 1912 and 1997, exemplify how 

dramatically urban expansion can alter the landscape, ecosystems, and 

human environment over time.
 Financial Information

Required Supplemental Stewardship Information— Research and Development 149

Under the National Geospatial Programs Office, the 

Cooperative Topographic Mapping (CTM) program 

continues the efforts to improve the Nation’s geospatial 

databases and their access, integration, and 

applications through implementation of The National 

Map, a network of integrated, high-quality geospatial 

information covering all 50 States and Commonwealths, 

Territories, and Freely Associated States. Partnerships 

with other Federal, State, and local agencies, the 

private sector, and academia are the keystone for 

accomplishing this mission. 

Implementation of The National Map within the CTM 

program focused on providing geospatial data and 

information using current technologies. The major 

goals of the program are to: (1) improve the value of 

the geospatial data available to natural resources 

decisionmakers and the public by building The 

National Map through partnerships with Federal, 

State, and local governments that collect and maintain 

higher-resolution, more current data; (2) ensure the 

availability, currentness, and archive of nationally 

consistent and integrated geospatial data across the 

country; and (3) lead the development and promote the 

use of international, national, and Federal Geographic 

Data Committee National Spatial Data Infrastructure 

standards among The National Map partners.

Most of the eight critical data themes (orthoimagery, 

elevation, hydrography, land cover, transportation, 

man-made structures, boundaries, and geographic 

names) are now available. Prototypes for the rest 

are being implemented. Geospatial data models and 

applications are being built from the higher-resolution 

data sets. Availability of The National Map allows 

USGS science programs and those of other Federal 

agencies to concentrate on producing information 

unique to their mission needs and to avoid expending 

resources to duplicate, develop, and integrate basic 

spatial data each time they are needed. The primary 

focus of this activity is developmental research, but 

applied research is also conducted.

The Land Remote Sensing (LRS) program acquires, 

archives, disseminates, and promotes the application 

of remotely sensed data of the Earth’s land surface. 

The program operates the Earth-observing satellites 

(Landsats 5 and 7) and acquires additional data through 

a multi-mission ground station. The research and 

development (R&D) activities in this program focus on 

the applied research and development of the scientific 

application of remotely sensed data. For example the 

USGS provides remotely sensed data products for use 

in fire applications. USGS scientists are working with 

fire specialists and managers from five national parks 

(Yosemite, Glacier, Great Basin, Lassen Volcanic, and 

Theodore Roosevelt) to enhance methods of remotely 

mapping characteristics of forest, shrub, and grassland 

fuels. Landsat satellite imagery supplemented with 

Airborne Visible and InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer 

hyperspectral data are being used to develop methods 

for determining the condition of fuels and how they 

change over time. In addition, the program is ensuring 

that alternative data sources and evolving technologies 

are evaluated and utilized to their maximum potential to 

meet our Nation’s land-remote-sensing requirements, 

such as the Landsat Data Continuity Mission.

The Geographic Analysis and Monitoring (GAM) 

program provides the analyses and applications 

needed to address natural and human-induced 

changes on the landscape. The program encompasses 

three fundamental science issues concerning changes 

to the Earth’s surface: (1) understanding changes 

that are occurring on the land surface and why; (2) 

understanding the positive and negative impacts of 

these land-surface changes on ecosystem health, 

climate variability, biogeochemical cycles, hydrology, 

and human health; and (3) using the best methods 

available to incorporate scientific findings in the 

decisionmaking process of natural resource managers 

and provide information to the public. 

Activities conducted in this program include producing 

a series of status and trends reports documenting a 

national assessment of land surface change, globalchange research, ecosystems research, and landcover applications. The program mainly conducts 

applied research as it assesses the Nation’s land 

resources at a range of spatial and temporal scales 

to understand the rates, causes, and consequences 

of landscape change over time. Long-term studies 

of land use and disturbance histories are underway, 

determining the reasons for change, leading to 

improved understanding and knowledge about 

landscape processes.

The Science Impact program, part of GAM activities, 

is a cross-discipline effort to increase the use and 

value of USGS science in informing decisionmaking at 
Financial Information

150 Required Supplemental Stewardship Information— Research and Development

Interior and other Federal, State, and local agencies, 

and by citizens. The effort encompasses developing, 

testing, evaluating, and applying improved methods and 

processes to enhance linkages between science and 

decisionmaking. The program conducts both basic and 

applied research in developing systematic applications 

to increase the use and value of science within 

decisionmaking.

Together, these programs directly support the 

President’s Management Agenda and priorities of 

the Secretary of the Interior for: (1) science-based 

decisionmaking, by making available to scientists 

and the public accurate and reliable base geospatial 

data and information produced through partnerships 

with organizations in every sector, and (2) electronic 

government, by simplifying and enhancing the delivery 

of geospatial data, information, and tools to citizens. 

They also support the DOI Serving Communities 

strategic goals of advancing knowledge through 

scientific leadership and informing decisions through 

the application of science.

Geologic Hazards, Resources and Processes

Geologic Hazards Assessment — The USGS geologic 

hazards programs conduct research, gather longterm data, operate monitoring networks, perform 

assessments and modeling, and disseminate findings to 

the public, enabling the Nation’s emergency response 

capabilities to warn of impending disasters, better 

define risk associated with natural hazards, encourage 

appropriate response, and mitigate damage and loss. 

These programs are designed to produce information 

and understanding that will lead to a reduced impact 

of natural hazards and disasters on human life and the 

economy. 

The United States is subject to a variety of natural 

hazards (earthquakes, floods, hurricanes (coastal 

erosion), landslides, tsunamis, volcanoes, and wildland 

fires) that can result in considerable human suffering 

and billions of dollars in property and business losses. 

The occurrence of these hazardous events is inevitable 

and uncontrollable. However, the extent of damage 

and loss of life can be reduced through preventative 

planning; social, economic, and engineering 

adaptations; provision of real-time warning capabilities; 

and more effective post event emergency response. 

Central to this pre-planning is the availability of 

accurate, scientifically based geologic hazards 

assessments and real-time warning systems that 

define the nature and degree of risk or potential 

damage. The more precisely risks can be defined, 

the greater the likelihood that appropriate mitigation 

strategies will be adopted (e.g., building codes for 

new construction and retrofitting; land-use plans; and 

design and location/routing of critical infrastructure 

such as highways, bridges, subways, water, sewer, 

gas, electric, local zoning regulations, and petroleumdistribution networks). The sooner information reaches 

emergency response centers, the sooner teams can 

be dispatched to resolve time sensitive medical, utility, 

or other infrastructure problems. These programs 

support DOI’s Serving Communities strategic goal to 

protect lives, resources, and property, which is aimed 

at making information available to communities to use 

in developing hazard mitigation, preparedness, and 

avoidance plans. The primary focus of this subactivity 

is applied research, but also conducts basic and 

developmental research.

Geologic Landscape and Coastal Assessments 

— These programs focus on understanding geologic 

processes at or near the Earth’s surface through basic 

and applied research, monitoring, and assessment 

of the landscape. Information and modeling derived 

from these geologic process studies allow scientists 

to distinguish the effects of human activities from 

natural changes and enable more effective, adaptive, 

and efficient resource and environmental management 

decisions. These programs support DOI’s Serving 

Communities strategic goals of advancing knowledge 

through scientific leadership and informed decisions 

through the applications of science, which is aimed 

at improving the information base, information 

management, and technical assistance. The primary 

focus of this subactivity is applied research, but also to 

conduct basic and developmental research.

Geologic Resources Assessment — USGS geologic 

resources programs assess the availability and quality 

of the Nation’s mineral and energy resources, including 

the economic and environmental effects of resource 

extraction and use. The availability and cost (both 

economic and environmental) of energy and mineral 

resources and their extraction and use are limiting 

factors to human development. 
 Financial Information

Required Supplemental Stewardship Information— Research and Development 151

Throughout its history, the Nation has faced important, 

and often controversial, decisions regarding the 

competing uses of Federal lands, the environmental 

consequences of resource development, and the 

supply of energy and mineral resources to sustain 

development and enable growth. Federal landmanagement agencies are required to develop plans 

that reconcile competing demands for resource 

development with other human activities while 

recognizing environmental values and providing for the 

sustainability of resources and natural environments. 

These two programs support DOI’s Resource Use 

strategic goal to manage or influence resource use 

to enhance public benefit, promote responsible use, 

and ensure optimal-value energy and non-energy 

minerals, which is aimed at ensuring data are available 

for managers to make informed decisions about use 

of resources. The primary focus of this subactivity is 

applied research, but basic research is also conducted.

Water Resources Investigations

Hydrologic Monitoring, Assessments, and Research

— The USGS has the principal responsibility within 

the Federal government to provide the hydrologic 

information and understanding needed by others to 

achieve the best use and management of the Nation’s 

water resources. To accomplish this mission, Water 

Resources Investigations, in cooperation with State, 

local, and other Federal agencies: (1) systematically 

collects and analyzes data to evaluate the quantity, 

quality, and use of the Nation’s water resources; (2) 

conducts water-resources appraisals describing the 

occurrence, availability, and physical, chemical, and 

biological characteristics of surface water and ground 

water; and (3) conducts basic and problem-oriented 

research that aids in alleviating water resources 

problems and provides an understanding of hydrologic 

systems sufficient to predict their response to natural 

or human-caused stress.

The Cooperative Water Program provides reliable, 

impartial, and timely information needed to understand 

the Nation’s water resources through shared efforts 

and funding with State, tribal, and local partners. With 

states and localities paying at least half the cost of 

the work that the USGS performs, the Cooperative 

Program funds about 65 percent of USGS streamgaging 

activities, as well as a variety of focused water 

resource investigations in collaboration with State 

and local water management agencies and Tribal 

organizations, with the goal of seeking solutions to 

water-resource issues of national concern.

USGS administers grants for 54 State Water Resources 

Research Institutes designated by the Water Resources 

Research Act. The program supports academic 

research to aid in the resolution of State and regional 

water problems and related land problems, promotes 

technology transfer, and provides for the training of 

scientists and engineers.

These programs support DOI’s Serving Communities 

strategic goals of advancing knowledge through 

scientific leadership and informing decisions through 

the application of science. The primary focus of these 

programs is applied research.

Biological Research

Research and Monitoring — The USGS serves the 

biological research needs of DOI bureaus and others 

by providing scientific information through research, 

inventory, and monitoring investigations. Biological 

studies develop new methods and techniques to 

identify, observe, and manage fish and wildlife, 

including invasive species, and their habitats; inventory 

populations of animals, plants, and their habitats; and 

monitor changes in abundance, distribution, and health 

of biological resources through time. 

DOI land and resource managers use USGS biological 

science to maintain the health, diversity, and ecological 

balances of biological resources while meeting public 

needs, such as game harvests and the use of public 

lands and waters, all of which enable the managers to 

address the DOI strategic goals of improving the health 

of watersheds, landscapes, and marine resources and 

of sustaining biological communities. This subactivity 

supports the DOI’s Resource Protection strategic 

goal by providing the natural resource management 

community with scientific information to improve the 

health of watersheds and landscapes. This subactivity 

also supports the DOI’s Resource Protection strategic 

goal by providing the natural resource management 

community with scientific information to implement 

sound resource management to sustain biological 

communities on DOI lands and influenced land and 

waters. The primary focus of this subactivity is applied 

research, but basic and developmental research are 

also conducted.
Financial Information

152 Required Supplemental Stewardship Information— Research and Development

Information Management and Delivery — Sciencebased decisionmaking is a DOI priority, particularly as 

it pertains to the conservation, management, and use 

of the Nation’s natural resources. To facilitate this, the 

USGS is committed to making available the data and 

information that are critical to scientific discovery and 

application. Data sets, maps, and other information on 

products are vital to achieve this goal. This subactivity 

supports DOI’s Serving Communities strategic goals of 

advancing knowledge through scientific leadership and 

informed decisions through the applications of science 

by increasing the quantity of biological information 

available by improving access to and interactions with 

biological data. The primary focus of this subactivity is 

applied research, but basic research is also conducted.

Cooperative Research Units — This cooperative 

program allows government and nongovernmental 

entities with common interests and responsibilities for 

natural resource management to address biological 

resources issues. Through this unique program, 

biologists from Federal and State governments and 

academia are able to work as a team and focus their 

expertise and creativity on the resolution of biological 

resources issues. This subactivity supports the DOI’s 

Resource Protection strategic goal of sustaining 

biological communities on DOI-managed and 

influenced lands and waters by providing the naturalresource management community with scientific 

information and trained personnel to implement 

sound resource management to sustain biological 

communities on DOI lands and influenced lands and 

waters. The primary focus of this subactivity is applied 

research, but basic and developmental research are 

also conducted.

Enterprise Information

Federal Geographic Data Coordination — The Federal 

Geographic Data Coordination subactivity provides for 

operational support and overall executive management 

for the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC). 

This leadership role is specified as a DOI responsibility 

under OMB Circular A–16. 

The FGDC is an interagency and intergovernmental 

committee that encourages Federal, State, Tribal, 

and local governments, academia, the private sector, 

and nonprofit organizations to work together within 

a geographic area to make geospatial data available 

to all through the National Spatial Data Infrastructure 

(NSDI), Geospatial One Stop (GOS), and The National 

Map. The GOS is a focused set of collaborative 

activities designed to accelerate the development 

and advance the use of the NSDI as a fundamental 

building block for Electronic Government. The 

Department serves as the managing partner of the 

GOS E-Government Quicksilver Project. The USGS 

provides the operational support and overall executive 

management for the GOS project on behalf of the 

Department. 

FGDC participates actively in related international 

activities including the Global Spatial Data 

Infrastructure, Group on Earth Observation (GEO) 

comprised of the United Nations and European 

Commission members, and in the development of 

a 10-year implementation plan for the Global Earth 

Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). New 

partnerships with National Geospatial-Intelligence 

Agency and the Department of Homeland Security 

will be implemented to support national security 

requirements. This programs support DOI’s Serving 

Communities strategic goal of advancing knowledge 

through scientific leadership and informed decisions 

through the application of science. Developmental 

research is the primary focus of this program.
Appendices

Contents

Appendix A — Glossary of Acronyms ........................................................................................ 154

Appendix B — Significant Accomplishment by a USGS Employee ...................................... 156

USGS scientist retrieves portable seismic recorders, which had recorded seismicity of explosive charges 

as well as earthquakes, following an eruption of the Redoubt Volcano in Alaska.

153
Appendix A 

154 Glossary of Acronyms

ABC/M Activity-Based Costing/Management

ANSS Advances National Seismic System

APA American Planning Association

APS Administrative Policy and Services

A/R Accounts Receivable 

BASIS+ Budget and Science Information System

BFC Big File Cabinet

BOR U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

BLM U.S. Bureau of Land Management

BRD Biological Resources Division

CA Condition Assessment

CAP Cooperative Agreements Program

CBP Chesapeake Bay Program

CERP Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan

CINDI Center for Integration of Natural Disaster Information

CISN California Integrated Seismic Network

CMGP Coastal and Marine Geology Program

COTS Commercial Off-the-Shelf 

CPIC Capital Asset Planning and Investment Control

CREW Cascadia Regional Earthquake Workgroup

CSRS Civil Service Retirement System

CTM Cooperative Topographic Mapping

DCIA Debt Collection Improvement Act

DOD Department of Defense

DOI U.S. Department of the Interior

DSS Decision Support System

EFT Electronic Funds Transfer

EHP Earthquake Hazards Program

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

EPCA Energy Policy and Conservation Act

EROS Earth Resources Observation and Science

ERP Energy Resources Program

ESN Enterprise Services Network

ETM+ Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus

FAIR Federal Activities Inventory Reform

FASAB Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board

FBMS Financial Business Management System

FBWT Fund Balance with Treasury

FCI Facilities Condition Index

FECA Federal Employee Compensation Act

FEGLI Federal Employees Group Life Insurance

FEHB Federal Employees Health Benefit

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency

FERS Federal Employees Retirement System

FFMIA Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996

FGDC Federal Geographic Data Committee

FICA Federal Insurance Contributions Act

FISC Florida Integrated Science Center

FISMA Federal Information Security Management Act

FMFIA Federal Managers’ Financial Integrity Act of 1982

FMMS Facilities Maintenance Management System

FWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

GAAP Generally Accepted Accounting Principles

GAM Geographic Analysis and Monitoring Program

GAO Government Accountability Office

GCP Global Change Program

GIO Geospatial Information Office

GIS Geographic Information System

GOS Geospatial One Stop

GPRA Government Performance and Results Act

GPS Global Positioning System

GSA General Services Administration

GSN Global Seismographic Network

HHS Health and Human Services

IP Investment Plan

IRIS Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology

InSAR Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar

JWP John W. Powell

KSAs Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

IT Information Technology

LiDAR Light Detecting and Ranging

LHP Landslide Hazard Program
 Appendix A

Glossary of Acronyms 155

LMV Lower Mississippi Valley

LRS Land Remote Sensing

LTRMP Long-Term Resource Monitoring Program 

MD&A Management’s Discussion and Analysis

MRERP Mineral Resources External Research Program

MRP Mineral Resources Program

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NAWQA National Water Quality Assessment

NBC Dept. of Interior - National Business Center

NBII National Biological Information Infrastructure

NCGMP National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program

NEHP National Earthquake Hazards Program

NGIC National Geomagnetic Information Center

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NPS U.S. National Park Service

NRC National Research Council

NSDI National Spatial Data Infrastructure

NSF National Science Foundation

NSIP National Streamgage Information Program

NWIS National Water Information System

NWQL National Water Quality Laboratory

NWS National Weather Service

OAFM USGS Office of Accounting and Financial Management

OBP USGS Office of Budget and Performance 

OIG Office of the Inspector General

OMB Office of Management and Budget

OMS Office of Management Services

OPM Office of Personnel Management

PART Program Assessment Rating Tool

PGV Peak Ground Velocity

PMA President’s Management Agenda

PP&E Property, Plant, and Equipment

PTWC Pacific Tsunami Warning Center

R&D Research and Development

REX Regional Executive

RLA Resource Lands Assessment

RSSI Required Supplementary Stewardship Information

RTS Reports Tracking System (Water Resources)

SAFOD San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth

SAIN Southern Appalachian Information Node

SCEC Southern California Earthquake Center

SETAC Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

SFMP Strategic Facilities Master Plan

SFWMD South Florida Water Management District

SLC Scan Line Corrector

SGL Standard General Ledger

SIR Surveys, Investigations, and Research

SPRESO South Pole Remote Earth Science Observatory

SRTM Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission

STEP Short-Term Earthquake Probability

TCUs Tribal Colleges and Universities

TES Threatened and Endangered Species

TLSA Teshekpuk Lake Special Area

TNM The National Map

TRIP The Road Indicator Project

TROR Treasury Report on Receivables

TRPA Tahoe Regional Planning Agency

TSP Thrift Savings Plan

USCOE U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers

USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture

USFS U.S. Forest Service

USGCRP U.S. Global Change Research Program

USGS U.S. Geological Survey 

VHP Volcano Hazards Program

V&V Validation and Verification

WAN Wide Area Network

WCF Working Capital Fund

WNV West Nile Virus

WRD Water Resources Division

WPA World Petroleum Assessment 2000

WRIR Water Resources Investigation Report
Appendix B

156 Significant Accomplishment by a USGS Employee

Brian Atwater Recognized Among the World’s 100 Most Influential People

On April 18, 2005, TIME Magazine released a special issue with the cover title The TIME 100: The lives and 

ideas of the world’s most influential people (below). USGS scientist Dr. Brian Atwater is featured in the 

category of “Scientists and Thinkers.” 

Atwater earned his place on the list from a seemingly humble place, a well-used aluminum canoe. The 

TIME article describes how Atwater paddled around the salt marshes and tidal flats of Washington 

State, discovering devastating evidence of past tsunamis. For nearly 20 years Atwater’s paleoseismic 

investigations of great Cascadia megathrust earthquakes throughout the 600-mile-long Cascadia 

Subduction Zone (that was once thought by some to be relatively harmless) have helped to convince other 

scientists and the general public of the fact that very large megaearthquakes do indeed occur in Cascadia, 

and that these earthquakes 

can be accompanied 

by large, damaging 

tsunamis. Atwater helped 

demonstrate that the fault 

line is capable of producing 

powerful earthquakes and 

tsunamis that can not only 

infiltrate and change the 

landscape in Washington, 

but can also travel across 

the ocean, inflicting 

widespread damage to 

distant shorelines. 

Atwater’s work in the 

world’s subduction zones 

combined with a strong 

personal desire to explain 

how scientists weave 

together pieces of geologic 

evidence made Atwater 

a natural spokesperson 

following the devastating 

December 26, 2004, 

Indonesian earthquake.
Satellite Images from the USGS Earth as Art Collection — Left to right, clockwise:

West Fjords (Iceland), Greenland Coast, Ghadamis River (Libya), Namib Desert (Namibia), Demini River 

(Brazil), Lena Delta (Russia), Malaspina Glacier (Alaska), and Parana River Delta (Argentina).

We Welcome Your Comments!

Thank you for your interest in the U.S. Geological Survey’s FY2005 Performance and Accountability 

Report. We welcome your comments on how we can make this report a more informative 

document for our readers. We are particularly interested in your comments on the usefulness of the 

information and the manner in which it is presented. Please send your comments to: 

 U.S. Geological Survey

 Office of Accounting and Financial Management

 Mail Stop 270

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 Reston, VA 20192