The scientific nature of the USGS, its national perspective, and its non-regulatory role enable the USGS to provide information and understanding that is relevant to current policies but politically neutral.

Created by an act of Congress in 1879, the USGS has evolved over the ensuing 120 years, matching its talent and knowledge to the progress of science and technology. Today, the USGS stands as the sole science agency for the Department of the Interior. It is sought out by thousands of partners and customers for its natural science expertise and its vast earth and biological data holdings. The USGS is the science provider of choice in accessing the information and understanding to help resolve complex natural resource problems across the Nation and around the world.

The USGS serves the Nation as an independent fact-finding agency that collects, monitors, analyzes, and provides scientific understanding about natural resource conditions, issues, and problems. The value of the 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 management mandate, the USGS provides impartial science that serves the needs of our changing world. The diversity of scientific expertise enables the USGS to carry out large-scale, multi-disciplinary investigations that build the base of knowledge about the Earth. In turn, decision makers at all levels of government--and citizens in all walks of life--have the information tools they need to address pressing societal issues.

The USGS employs the best and the brightest experts who bring a range of earth and life science disciplines to bear on problems. By integrating its diverse scientific expertise, the USGS is able to understand complex natural science phenomena and provide scientific products that lead to solutions, making the job of partners and customers easier, whether it is restoring the Florida Everglades, conquering invasions of unwanted and threatening species, unraveling the implications of climate change, or assessing the vulnerability of large metropolitan areas to natural hazards.

The 10,000 scientists, technicians and support staff of the USGS are located in nearly 400 offices in every State and in several foreign countries. With a budget of more than $1 billion dollars a year, the USGS leverages its resources and expertise in partnership with more than 2,000 agencies of State, local and tribal government, the academic community, other Federal allies, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. Field investigations, direct observations of natural science processes and phenomena, and monitoring and data collection at the local scale are the scientific hallmarks of the USGS.