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| GeoCommunity Mailing List |
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| Mailing List Archives |
| Subject: | RE: GISList: USGS data downloads |
| Date: |
08/02/2001 07:54:04 PM |
| From: |
Chris Markel |
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I've been following this debate and I'll chime in with my 2 cents, esp.
regarding Anthony's "use-tax". I wouldn't mind paying a fee to download data
that I may use, but in the case of USGS and similar data, I have already
paid for it. This data was developed with tax dollars, and the cost of
servers and miscellaneous other means of delivering this data to consumers
is part of the cost of that development. If the USGS chooses to offload the
delivery of the data to GISDataDepot or any other source, both USGS and the
delivery vendor have the responsibility to make sure that the
already-paid-for data can be responsibly provided to the users. I, and
anyone else, should have the opportunity to use this data for appropriate
purposes without paying an additional cost. I certainly don't expect to have
the speediest download capability, but I should have suitable download
capability. I guess that is measured by my patience.
Perhaps the USGS and similar groups should forsake the data development
process altogether? After all, tax funds are going to create data that many
people may not care about (though they may benefit from it). Qualified
private vendors can create all of these datasets, and more, if the users of
the data were willing to pay their share of creation costs. USGS would
certainly still use the data, and pay the fee, and could also serve as a
specifications and QA/QC mechanism. We could then shop for the best value
for our uses. Just a thought....
Chris Markel
-----Original Message-----
From: Anthony Quartararo [mailto:ajq3@tampabay.rr.com\
Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2001 4:38 PM
To: 'GIS List'
Subject: RE: GISList: USA Surface Geology
Bill, you seem to have a deeper concern for this than others posting to the
list, and since Glenn seems to be on holiday, he will no doubt have a lot to
answer for when he returns, why don't we wait to hear from GeoComm on this
topic, officially at least.
However, your comments cause me to ask, isn't the USGS policy more fiscally
responsible and more user-centric than it first appears to be? It seems to
boil down to a "use-tax", wherein those that consume the data in question
are the only ones to "pay" for it, whether "paying" is in slow download
speeds, or in cash for higher download speeds, those that do not "consume"
don't have to "pay". Now, if the USGS were to continue to host and serve
the data, albeit not at lightning fast speeds all the time either, the tax
burden, however seemingly insignificant per capita, to do so still exists
for EVERYONE, not just consumers of the data. This is not to say that
everything should be outsourced, but when something as long-standing and
"consumable" as the DEMs/DLGs datasets become such a commodity, it seems
pointless to have Government in the role of maintaining servers and
communications infrastructure solely for the purpose of allowing public
access to data, when a comparable solution exists in outsourcing that
service. There is no value-add in simply having the USGS serving bits to
the data to the public, and the budget (tax $) is better used in other
areas. I think? Anyway, climbing down off the soapbox now..
Anthony Q
-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Thoen [mailto:bthoen@ctmap.com\
Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2001 5:08 PM
To: GIS List
Subject: Re: GISList: USA Surface Geology
Diane True wrote:
>
>...Does anyone know of a free or reasonably priced source for geology that
is available for all the coterminous US? We need 1:100,000 or better.
You might try ftp://greenwood.cr.usgs.gov/pub/open-file-reports/.
Buried in here are the Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada
--and maybe others-- surface geology maps in E00 format. THese
wouldn't be very large scale (they cover a whole state), but it
may be useful as a first approx.
Since the USGS is giving away its option to serve public data
online to private companies, you'd better get these quick before
you have to pay a fee to download them with any speed.
--
- Bill Thoen
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mailto:bthoen@ctmap.com, http://www.ctmap.com/gisnet
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