This Web site contains information on activities of the National Geologic Map Database Project (NGMDB). The NGMDB is a collaborative effort primarily involving the USGS and the Association of American State Geologists. This Web site contains informal, generally time-sensitive material intended for project members, cooperators, and interested parties.

The Database map catalog is designed to provide users with information about all geologic and related maps that are available, either for purchase or from a library. These maps may be in:

• formal or open-file series,
• state geological survey map series,
• book publications,
• student theses,
• other publications.

Please read the map catalog introductory manual. Then, you may choose to enter map records in one of two ways:

• through an online web form (useful for an entry or two at a time), or
• you may send us a formatted file (TEXT or EXCEL only -- see format specifications) containing your publications list, which we will reformat and return to you for completion (because your publications list may not have all the information we need, such as map coordinates, or county).

When each geological survey has entered into the NGMDB map catalog all relevant maps, we, as a community, need to ensure that the catalog is kept current, by entering into the catalog all new published maps. This will require periodic attention from each agency, and we ask that you keep the map catalog in mind, as new maps are published by your agency or by other entities in your state. Also, when a map publication is given a Web presence (could be an image of the map or a collection of map data files, etc.), or the URL of that map is changed, we ask that you notify us through a data entry form that we are designing, so that we can update the map's record in the catalog. An example record of a map publication that has an online version can be seen at http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_18910.htm.

NOTES:

• When perusing the Database catalog, especially if you search by publisher, you'll notice that we likely already have at least one publication for each state GS. Early in this project, we decided that we should provide to the user at least the state geologic map, so we created a catalog record for those maps. Please let us know if any corrections are needed.
• For the map catalog's Product Description Page (e.g., for example, see the page http://ngmdb.wr.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_37.htm) for the state map, for the link to "Publishing Organization:" and "This Product Is Available, Contact:" we likely have linked, respectively, to your agency's Web home page and sales office. Please advise us if our links are incorrect.
• For background information on the Database, and progress reports, please see http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Info/.