Future Roles and Opportunities for the U.S. Geological Survey (2001) / Chapter Skim
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Executive Summary
Executive Summary
Pages 1-10
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From page 1... ...
to address the following issues related to the future roles, challenges, and opportunities of the agency: major social needs that the USGS should address; significant emerging scientific and technical issues that appear especially important in terms of their relevance to the mission of the USGS; opportunities for improving partnerships and other cooperative arrangements with federal agencies, state agencies, universities, and the private sector; appropriate international functions of the USGS; and
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Examples of natural science disciplines currently within the purview of the USGS include geology, hydrology, geography, biology, and geospatial information sciences. The committee chose this terminology after considering many other alternatives because it is a relatively succinct term that is generally understood to encompass all of the major scientific issues that are addressed by the USGS.
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From page 3... ...
By evolving into a natural science and information agency, the USGS will be able to play a leadership role in the elucidation of the geological, hydrological, geographical, and biological processes that are important to the nation and in the use of modem technology for the effective and efficient dissemination of this information. In upcoming decades, many of the relevant societal needs (see Chapter 3)
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These activities include the following overlapping categories: surveys, monitoring, data analysis, research, information dissemination, and product generation. Subject to the overriding requirement that the USGS fulfill its primary and high priority mission responsibilities, the committee believes that the USGS should continue to conduct each of these activities, but that the balance of activities should shift toward the value-added activities of data analysis, problem solving, and information dissemination.
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For many years, the USGS has provided national leadership in communicating natural hazards information in a timely and understandable manner to multiple and diverse client groups. This information assists in protecting lives and property.
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Because many of the natural science issues within the purview of the USGS are global in nature, there is a compelling argument for the USGS to increase its international work on activities that meet mission objectives. The USGS should develop international expertise in natural science problems relevant to the USGS mission.
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The most fundamental challenge is one of magnitude: the size of the agency's human and financial resources relative to the demands for its information, services, and products. Yet the agency's management also has to address problems of substance, such as those associated with the need to develop an innovative, strategic, and balanced program of problem-specific and core research.
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External advisory committees are a potentially powerful instrument both for making a public agency responsive to public perceptions about its mission, goals, and achievements and for demonstrating its concern about being responsive to public needs. As a major federal science agency, the USGS cannot afford to be without external advisory committees.
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Ib addition, future budget requests should contain sufficient flexibility to permit the USGS director to respond rapidly to new research challenges and opportunities. A fraction of the agency's operating costs could be set aside for new initiatives analogous to a venture capital fund in the private sector.
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From page 10... ...
In the future, the USGS will be asked increasingly to deal with questions about how natural systems affect human systems and how human actions modify natural systems. If it broadens the basis of inquiry to include integrative approaches involving natural and human sciences and becomes proficient at information management, the USGS will more fully realize its potential to provide the scientific information and knowledge essential to the future well-being of society.
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