Disclaimer:
This DVD-ROM publication was prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof nor any of their employees makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof.
Although all data and software published on this DVD-ROM have been used by the USGS, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS as to the accuracy of the data and related materials and (or) the functioning of the software. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the USGS in the use of these data, software, or related materials.
Information contained within this electronic publication is considered public information and may be distributed or copied, and may not be copyrighted. We request that Public re-use of these materials bear a USGS byline/photo/image credit line.
This disc includes links to internet Web sites. These links will not function unless the user has internet access with an active connection.
Accessibility:
Section 508 and Accessibility at the USGS
The USGS is committed to and is making every possible effort to ensure that all electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by the USGS is accessible to people with disabilities, including both employees and the customers we serve.
If you cannot fully access the information on this DVD, please e-mail the contact person or group named in the contact information provided on this DVD, and they will help you. This may include providing the information to you in an alternate format.
For further information and to learn more about the regulations governing the accessibility of Federal electronic information products, visit the Section 508 Web pages listed below:
Section 508 home page - http://www.section508.gov/
Access Board -http://www.access-board.gov/508.htm
Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) - http://www.w3.org/WAI/
Privacy
The USGS Web site which referred you to this document conforms to the general U.S. Department of Interior policy on privacy as outlined in the DOI Privacy Statement and as detailed below.
How we handle the information we gather when you visit our Web site-
Web server activity logs
Like most Web servers on the Internet, our servers collect and store all of the information that your Web browser sends when it requests a Web page, including:
- the name, domain, and numerical internet address of the "host" computer (typically a computer belonging to your Internet Service Provider and not your personal computer) from which you access the Internet;
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the date and time you accessed our site;
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the Internet address of the Web page that you came from;
the page you requested from our site and the number of characters sent to your computer; and
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the information your Web browser software sends as its so-called "User Agent," which typically identifies the browser software and may also indicate the operating system and type of CPU used in your personal computer.
It is impossible to determine the actual identity of an individual user from this information.
The logs are periodically summarized and analyzed in order to study site usage over time and to perform other studies to help us improve the site's organization, performance, and usefulness.
Electronic mail
When you send us personal identifying information via e-mail (that is, in a message containing a question or comment, or by filling out a form that e-mails us this information), we use it to respond to your requests. We may forward your e-mail to other Government employees or contract personnel who are better able to answer your questions. We do not retain or distribute lists of e-mail addresses to any parties outside of the USGS except as necessary to conduct official U.S. Government business. In no event, do we distribute lists of e-mail addresses to non-Government entities.
File transfer protocol (FTP)
Many USGS sites using the file transfer protocol may also store your e-mail address if your Web browser is configured to provide it. By default most Web browser software does not send your e-mail address; this option is configured through your browser preferences. In Netscape Navigator, for example, this option must be set by you through the Advanced preferences category by the item labeled, "Send email address as anonymous FTP password."
Online surveys
When you voluntarily provide us with personal information as part of an online survey, we use it to perform various quantitative and qualitative analyses to improve customer service and satisfaction. We may forward the information collected to other Government employees or contract personnel to perform the actual analysis. You are under no obligation to participate in such surveys. Non-participation will not inhibit your use of our Web site in any way. If you provided the information to us in error, you may request its removal at any time.
Ordering products
When you voluntarily provide us with personal information such as name, shipping and billing address, and credit card number when ordering products online, we use the information to fulfill your order. We may forward the information collected to other Government employees or contract personnel or to other computer systems (such as secure electronic commerce servers) to complete the requested transaction.
Marketing information
We may collect information from you, with your permission, that will allow us to provide various customer services, such as promotional materials and product availability notices. We may forward the information collected to other Government employees or contract personnel to provide specific marketing services. We will remove such information at your request.
Collection and release of gathered information
We want to make it clear that we will not obtain personal identifying information about you when you visit our Web sites, unless you choose to provide such information to us. Except in the course of officially authorized law enforcement investigations, or in the event of a suspected attempt to deliberately circumvent our system's security with the intent to gain unauthorized access or to do physical damage (for example, an attack by hackers), we do not attempt to identify individual users or share any information we receive with any parties outside of the USGS. In the latter case, collected information associated with a suspected intruder might be shared through the USGS's Bureau Information Resources Security Administrator with an incident response service such as the CERT&#reg; Coordination Center.
Retention of collected information
Cookies - Some applications may save a "cookie" on your computer's hard disk to provide a temporary history of actions taken. A common example is the tracking of items placed in an online "shopping basket." We do not retain any record of "cookies" beyond what is necessary for running the application.
Web server activity logs - Monthly extracts of the log files are archived and stored off-line at our discretion for an indefinite period of time. Some statistical summaries derived from these data may be retained online or off-line at our discretion for an indefinite period of time.
E-mail - Information collected via e-mail will be retained at our discretion in a directly readable form for as long as necessary to complete our response. The e-mail itself may be retained in an archival form as required by Federal laws and regulations governing the retention of historical records of government agencies. For more information, please refer to the National Archives and Records Administration's Records Management Program.
Online surveys - Information collected via online surveys may be maintained at our discretion for an indefinite period of time.
Marketing information - Such information may be maintained at our discretion for an indefinite period of time.
Links to Non-USGS Sites
Links and pointers to non-USGS sites are provided for information only and do not constitute endorsement, express or implied, by the USGS, U.S. Department of the Interior (USDOI), or U.S. Government, of the referenced organizations, their suitability, content, products, or services, whether they are governmental, educational, or commercial.
Non-Endorsement of Commercial and Other Non-USGS Products and Services
Hypertext links and other references to non-USGS products and services are provided for information only and do not constitute endorsement or warranty, express or implied, by the USGS, USDOI, or U.S. Government, as to their suitability, content, usefulness, functioning, completeness, or accuracy.
USGS Public-Domain Software
Links are provided to public-domain software developed by or for the USGS. Although these programs have been used by the USGS, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS as to the accuracy and functioning of the programs and related program material, nor shall the fact of distribution constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the USGS in connection therewith.
Content Accuracy, Completeness, and Usability of USGS Data and Information
We make every effort to provide and maintain accurate, complete, usable, and timely information on our Web sites. However, some USGS data and information accessed through these pages may, of necessity, be preliminary in nature and presented prior to final review and approval by the Director of the USGS. These data and information are provided with the understanding that they are not guaranteed to be correct or complete. Users are cautioned to consider carefully the provisional nature of these data and information before using them for decisions that concern personal or public safety or the conduct of business that involves substantial monetary or operational consequences. Conclusions drawn from, or actions undertaken on the basis of, such data and information are the sole responsibility of the user.
Copyrights and Trademarks
USGS-authored or produced data and information are in the public domain. While the content of most USGS Web pages is in the public domain, not all the information on our site is in the public domain. Some images/graphics are used by USGS with permission. For other uses, you may need to obtain permission from the copyright holder under the copyright law.
You are welcome to make a link to any of the Web pages USGS has published on the Internet. There is no need to request permission.
The USGS identifier is trademarked and must be used in accordance with the rules outlined at Visual Identity System. Information on who may use the USGS identifier and how to obtain a copy of it is available at Use of the Trademarked USGS Identifier by Outside Organizations.
We will identify material we use from sources outside of USGS, and request others do the same when using information published by USGS. Credit can be provided by including on the page (or via a link to a credits page) a citation such as:
Credit: U. S. Geological Survey
U. S. Geological Survey/photo by Jane Doe (if the artist is known)
USGS/Ft. Collins, CO (if originating office but not the artist is known)
Liability
Neither the U.S. Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, contractors, or subcontractors, make any warranty, express or implied, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, nor represent that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights.
Freedom of Information
The USGS maintains a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
(http://www.usgs.gov/foia/) Electronic Reading Room on the Web that provides information on how to request USGS records and also provides links to Laws and Regulations governing USGS Activities and other information about the FOIA (http://www.usgs.gov/laws/index.html).
USGS FOIA Officer (jcordyac@usgs.gov)
Mail Stop 807
National Center
Reston, VA 20192
To Contact Us
If you have questions concerning the use of USGS materials, contact the Office of Communications (kwood@usgs.gov, gwendt@usgs.gov>). | 