Organizational Milestones

The National Geodetic Survey was established as the Survey of the Coast by President Thomas Jefferson in 1807. It was the country’s first civilian scientific agency, and its mission was to survey the U.S. coastline and increase maritime safety.

As the nation expanded westward, surveys of the U.S. interior began to expand as well. In 1878 the agency was renamed the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (USC&GS), a name it maintained until 1970.

In 1970, a federal agency reorganization created the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Today’s National Geodetic Survey remains part of NOAA’s National Ocean Service.

Learn more about the evolution from the Survey of the Coast founded in 1807 to today’s National Geodetic Survey which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).