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jfiPRS Workshop on Service and Application of Spatial Data Infrastructure. XXXVK4/W6), Oct.14-16. Hangzhou, China 
projection, WGS84 Datum, and GeoTiff format, those are the 
only parameters available for that image.) A large quantity of 
the data is in National Imagery Transmission Format (NITF). 
NITF is the digital imagery standard for the US intelligence 
community and is widely used by U.S. military commands, 
other U.S. Government departments and agencies, as well as 
international organizations such as North Atlantic Treaty 
Organization. The NITF standard provides a common basis for 
the storage and interchange of images and facilitates the use of 
multiple imagery sources and annotations. NITF files can 
contain multiple images as well as other information such as 
graphics and text. Current USGS Commercial Data Purchases 
(UCDP) imagery includes: 
• IKONOS: Since its launch in September 1999, Space 
Imaging's IKONOS Earth imaging satellite has 
provided a reliable stream of image data that has 
become the standard for commercial high-resolution 
satellite data products. IKONOS produces 1 meter 
black-and-white (panchromatic) and 4 meter 
multispectral (red, blue, green, near infrared) imagery 
that can be combined to accommodate a wide range 
of high-resolution imagery applications. 
• OrbView: ORBIMAGE's OrbView-3 satellite is 
among the world's first commercial satellites to 
provide high-resolution imagery from space. 
OrbView-3 produces one-meter resolution 
panchromatic imagery and 4 meter resolution 
multispectral imagery. One-meter panchromatic 
imagery enables the viewing of houses, automobiles, 
and aircraft, and creates highly precise digital maps 
and three-dimensional fly-through scenes. Four-meter 
multispectral imagery provides color and infrared 
information to further characterize cities, rural areas, 
and undeveloped land from space. 
• QuickBird: The DigitalGlobe QuickBird satellite is 
the first in a constellation of spacecraft. The company 
is developing that offers highly accurate, commercial 
high-resolution imagery of Earth. QuickBird's global 
collection of panchromatic and multispectral imagery 
is designed to support applications ranging from map 
publishing to land and asset management and 
insurance risk assessment. 
The U.S. Geological Survey’s EarthExplorer provides secure 
access to data in the UCDP archive. Users must register with 
the EarthExplorer system to identify the user’s civilian agency. 
Licensing of the data in the UCDP archive requires prior 
knowledge of the user. The user’s agency and the licensing of 
the data determines if the data is accessible. If the user meets 
the licensing guidelines of the data, the user can either 
download the data directly or request the data be copied to 
media, for a minimal charge. If the civilian user wishes to uplift 
the license of the data to make the data more accessible, the 
user can forward the request to a customer service 
representative to determine the cost through the USGS 
Commercial Remote Sensing Data Contracts (CRSDC). 
(http://geodatacontracts.er.usgs.gov/crsdc/index.html). 
• Transportation 
• Boundaries 
• Hydrography 
• Orthoimagery 
• Land Cover 
• Elevation 
To support relief efforts for natural disasters, such as floods, 
earthquakes, hurricanes, etc., the capability to look at potential 
problem areas affected is a feature of several Web services. 
The incorporation of national data sets, not only The National 
Map layers, but layers such as Advanced Very High Resolution 
Radiometer (AVHRR), Landsat, and higher resolution 
commercial imagery for hurricanes is a great asset to these Web 
services. The National Map Hazards Data Distribution System 
(HDDS) provides a dynamic online map interface that can be 
used to view USGS data sets that are part of The National Map 
(http://gisdata.usgs.net/website/Disaster_Response/). 
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Figure 2. The National Map Hazards Data Distribution System 
5.1 Hurricanes 
EROS has helped support emergency response efforts for 
hurricanes over a number of years. The USGS, through The 
National Map HDDS, continues to provide information 
regarding hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne, and 
Franklin. Support is also provided for other disasters such as 
fire, earthquakes, flooding, and other hazards that impact the 
lives and infrastructure of the United States. 
This information can be accessed by going to the site and 
clicking on "Eastern Hurricanes". FTP access to data is obtained 
by clicking on the FTP tool located to the left of the interactive 
map. Navigational help is available on the main page of the 
Disaster Response Web site. That page also contains a link to 
EROS Customer Services for additional assistance. The Web 
site may also be accessed through ESRI’s ArcMap tool. 
5. USGS EMERGENCY SUPPORT 
The USGS and the National Center for Earth Resources 
Observation and Science (EROS), in support of The National 
Map provides geospatial data access via downloads and Web 
services. Using the base layers of The National Map, web 
services and downloads provide instant data access in support 
of homeland security and emergency response issues. The base 
layers consist of the following framework categories: 
5.2 Fires 
Fire is an integral part of ecosystem functions and processes. 
The need to develop spatial information and technology lies in a 
fire's natural cycle: fire danger and live fire monitoring, post 
fire mapping of burn scars and analysis of fire effects, fire fuels 
characteristics and mapping. These activities form the core of of 
a strategy for USGS EROS fire research and development.