City of Sugar Land – Council Chambers, February 13, 2025 – Ms. Michelle Fischer, National Map Liaison for AR, LA, OK, & TX at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) presented to the Fort Bend GIS Consortium on the wide variety of topographic information available through USGS’ National Map. Beyond the data itself, members were briefed on the National Geospatial Program and their four As; Authoritative, Accessible, Available, Accurate. Ms. Fischer informed us of both the specifications at which different data are collected as well as the efforts USGS goes through to promote public partnerships that both increase the coverage of their data and reduce the fiscal burden of data collection projects through cost-sharing and reductions of duplicated efforts among public entities.

The Geospatial Information Response Team (GIRT) was also introduced to members. Presenting on the heels of a major ice event with another on the horizon, GIRT provided our public members with an additional tool when responding to natural disasters in our local Fort Bend area jurisdictions, improving our capability to serve our citizens in times of need.

At the heart of the presentation, were the topographic products and services offered publicly through the National Map. The products and services offer a free and accessible source of data for local Fort Bend jurisdictions to utilize in pre-planning and site study projects, potentially offsetting local data-collection costs through the use of their high-resolution topographic data.

To learn more about the USGS and The National Map, you can view the presentation slides by clicking here.