USGS Mapping Center Appears Headed To Denver

It appears the United States Geological Survey (USGS) will be consolidating its National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) in Denver. The government's mapping agency has released the results of its review of the decision to consolidate operations in Denver. In a summary memorandum transmitted along with the 41-page report, acting director P. Patrick Leahy said, "the process leading to the site selection for NGTOC was open, fair, and adequate to support the decision."

The memo did admit the site selection could have been handled better however. The review found, "...weaknesses in the coordination of internal communications throughout much of the process leading to the announcement of a site selection contributed to employees having assumptions and expectations not supported by the full documentation and those communications could have been improved."

In January of 2005, USGS announced plans to consolidate its four mapping centers into the NGTOC. Last September, Denver was announced as the choice for NGTOC. The decision meant that mapping centers in Rolla, Missouri, Reston, Virigian, and Menlo Park, California, would be closed. When some Missouri politicians complained that the process was unfair to Rolla, and would cost the rural community 200 jobs, USGS decided to review the decision.

With that review complete, USGS appears ready to move forward with consolidating operations in Denver. The Rolla Daily News reports that USGS Director Leahy has directed Karen Siderelis, associate director for Geospatial Information, to resume the process of consolidating the geospatial operation and production functions in Denver and resume the A-76 competitive sourcing process.

Some of Missouri's representatives remained unimpressed and vowed to continue fighting the move. U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson told the News. “Even though we feel like the door has been slammed in our face, I want to try to open that door once again. I want to review the paperwork regarding the USGS internal review, which has not yet been provided to me, and I want to see the outcome of the Inspector General’s investigation.”

Denver vs. Rolla

	Phelps County, MO (Rolla)	Denver County, CO
Population	39,825	554,636
% W/Bachelor’s Degrees	21.1%	34.5%
Median value of homes	$74,800	$165,800
Median household income	$29,378	$39,500
% below poverty line	16.4%	14.3%

Source: U.S. Census