The USGS research infrastructure encompasses various assessment frameworks and performance metrics for evaluating funded programs, including climate research and hazard assessments. It allocates resources through 17 financial assistance programs to support R&D opportunities across multiple scientific domains. The document discusses measures for assessing data usability and completion rates in key areas of geological and environmental research.

1. USGS Research Infrastructure
and Assessment Framework
Sky Bristol, Madison
Langseth, Tamar
Norkin
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
USGS Core Science Analytics,
Synthesis and Libraries

2. AGU Fall Meeting 2016
USGS Research Infrastructure
Assessment Context
• What is the USGS Research Infrastructure?
• Legislated Authorities & Assessment
Mechanisms
– Funded Programs and performance metrics
– Fundamental Science Practices
– RGE, EDGE, and EPAP
– Funding Opportunity programs and assessment

3. AGU Fall Meeting 2016

4. AGU Fall Meeting 2016

5. AGU Fall Meeting 2016
Example Performance Measures
• Percent of Climate Research & Development program
products cited/used within 3 years of publication
• Percent completion of earthquake and volcano hazard
assessments for moderate to high hazard areas.
• Cost of collection and processing of Light Detecting and
Ranging (LIDAR) data for coastal characterization and
impact assessments (per megabyte of data collected)
(CMGP)

6. AGU Fall Meeting 2016
Funding Opportunities
• USGS funds R&D opportunities through 17
“Financial Assistance Programs” and several
other authorities
• E.g.,
– National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program
– National Geological and Geophysical Data
Preservation Program
– Water Resource Research Institutes
– Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units

7. AGU Fall Meeting 2016
Fundamental Science Practices

8. AGU Fall Meeting 2016
“New” Product Policies and
Procedures – Data and Software
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Number of data releases by hosted domain for a subset of USGS data releases