CARTOGRAPHIC RESEARCH AT THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION SCIENCE

E.L. Usery, M.P. Finn

U.S. Geological Survey, Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science, USA

usery@usgs.gov

In February 2006, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Geospatial Information Office established the Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS). The vision for CEGIS is to conduct, lead, and influence the research and innovative solutions required by the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) of the USA and the emerging GeoSpatial Web. The mission is to 1) provide leadership to identify, conduct, and collaborate on GIScience research issues of national importance; 2) to assess, influence, and recommend for implementation technological innovations for geospatial data and applications; and 3) to maintain world class expertise, leadership, and a body of knowledge in support of the NSDI. To accomplish this mission much of the research of CEGIS is cartographic in nature. Current cartographic projects include research investigations of data integration, generalization, multi-resolution raster projection in near real-time using parallel and grid computing on the World Wide Web, fractal and variogram analysis of scale and resolution effects on geospatial processes, and developing an ontology for The National Map. This paper and presentation will provide the scientific hypotheses, approach, and results of several of these investigations. Examples of cartographic products generated from these research investigations will be presented and the significance of those products to serve as prototypes for system developments for the USGS effort to develop The National Map and the NSDI will be provided.