News
Press Releases: Government to Government
November 13, 2007
National Archives Joins Geospatial One Stop (GOS) Web Portal
Washington, DC - The National Archives has joined Geospatial One Stop’s (GOS) web portal. Select National Archives holdings are now searchable from the GOS Historical Collections Channel, which the National Archives and the Library of Congress jointly manage.
This new channel grants unprecedented access to data across a wide number of categories and format types, including administrative and political boundaries, environmental information, ocean and coast maps, and data files. Assistant Archivist Michael Kurtz praised this new union and promised to work with partner agencies “to make the GOS Historical Collections Channel the first place that the historical geographer will want to go.”
The Historical Collections Channel enables the National Archives to provide broader access to unique historic documents in its custody. National Archives holdings include maps and other kinds of data with a geographic component, and the agency regularly receives transfers of digital cartographic data from other agencies. This new partnership greatly facilitates communication and sharing of geographic data and resources between government agencies and the public.
Dr. Kurtz heads the National Archives Geospatial Data Initiatives Team. Comprised of staff members from cartographic, electronic and special media, modern records, policy and web design areas, this group manages National Archives activities on GOS. Other libraries and federal agencies have joined the newly-launched Historical Collections channel. The National Archives encourages others to participate on the site as well.
Geospatial One-Stop (GOS) http://gos2.geodata.gov/wps/portal/gos
Geospatial One-Stop is a geographic information system portal that serves as a public gateway for improving
access to geospatial information and data. This portal makes it easier, faster, and less expensive for all
levels of government and the public to access geospatial information. GOS provides web access to maps, data
and other geospatial services from all levels of government. The Historical Collections link is under the
“special interest” category on the left side of the main page.
Archives.gov http://www.archives.gov
Archives.gov is the main public web site for the National Archives. This user-friendly public web site
grants visitors immediate access to the nation’s treasures and the National Archives most-requested
information. The web site features information for the general public, genealogists, veterans and their
families, educators and students, researchers, records managers, preservation and archives professionals,
information security specialists, federal employees, Members of Congress, and the media. Visitors can easily
access National Archives news and locations, the calendar of events, information on public programs, and much
more.
