[federal government]
A multidisciplinary scientific agency of the United States government, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, focused on biology, geography, geology, geospatial information, and water. The U.S. Geological Survey is the primary civilian mapping agency in the United States. It produces digital and paper map products; aerial photography; and remotely sensed data for land cover, hydrology, geology, biology, and geography; it is also the agency responsible for the national topographic map series.