What is the purpose of the USGS Thesaurus?
The USGS Thesaurus is specifically intended to help people outside USGS find information on USGS web sites without specific knowledge of the organizational structure and operations of the USGS. For those inside USGS, the thesaurus provides a source of consistent index terms that spans the full range of USGS activities; such terms can be used to refine or clarify labels, to support internet search, and the relationships among them suggest linkages across programs. Thesaurus interfaces such as Science Topics are not intended to replace traditional search or browse interfaces. In concert with the new “USGS by State” and “About USGS” sites, they supplement existing navigational aids to USGS web information.
