National Water-Quality Assessment Program.... Toxic Substances Hydrology.... Hydrologic Research and Development National Streamflow Information Program. Hydrologic Networks and Analysis . USGS Government Performance and Results Act Consolidated Report General Statement General Statement Vision: The USGS is a world leader in the natural sciences through our scientific excellence and responsiveness to society's needs. 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. In combination with its traditional scientific strengths, the USGS is pursuing new approaches for meeting customer needs and communicating scientific information to those who need it. The USGS is working more closely with external partners and listening closely to what they have to say about their information needs. Effective communication has been a focus at USGS for a long time, but significant progress continues to be made in this arena. The USGS is reaching out more effectively to the news media and the general public, seeking greater visibility for the science support the USGS provides the Nation. The USGS is working proactively with Congress to develop a better understanding of its scientific work and the way that science benefits all parts of society. In addition to new approaches for supporting the science needs of customers, the USGS is also instituting management reforms to address the tenants of the President's management agenda. The commitment to excellence and relevance demonstrated in the accomplishments of the USGS programs has led to a high degree of reliance by partners and stakeholders on USGS science and monitoring, and awareness of the value of USGS science is increasing nationwide. Mission: The USGS serves the Nation by providing relevant, impartial scientific information to: Describe and understand the Earth; ⚫ minimize loss of life and property ⚫ manage water, biological, energy, ⚫ enhance and protect our quality of life. 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. Its 123-year history of excellence in the earth and biological sciences has endowed the USGS with a solid foundation for providing integrated scientific solutions to many national and international issues. More than ever, the USGS, through its scientific activities-insightful monitoring and data collection, innovative research and process understanding, and informative assessment and interpretive studies-is well poised to provide the integrated natural science that society demands to address such issues as mitigating the impacts of earthquakes, developing strategies for the detection and control of harmful invasive species, developing a better knowledge base for the sustained development of the Nation's ground-water supplies, and providing information on the availability, quality, and development impacts of energy resources. As the science bureau of the Department of the Interior (DOI), USGS provides information and technologies that are critical to achieving the missions of the Department's land and resource management bureaus. The USGS and these bureaus have formalized a process to provide USGS science support to the DOI bureaus that ensures that the increasingly complex management requirements of Interior's vast resources are informed by credible science. This process supports the Administration's commitment to base land and resource management decisions on sound science, as stated in 305 Departmental Manual2; "...science shall be fully integrated and effectively used in the land and resource regulatory and management policies, practices, and decisions of the Department and its bureaus." |