FYI, almost all USGS web sites were disconnected last week, but most were back
on line by Monday. [I happened to be entering some data into the National
Geologic Mapping Database when the plug was pulled without warning.] Today's
Sacramento Bee advised that the judge modified his order to exempt USGS web
sites, especially in light of the real-time earthquake and flood information
that they dispense. GNIS (
http://gnis.usgs.gov) is operating (I just checked).
However, most Interior sites that have some sort of fiscal link (e.g., like
the campsite reservation system for the National Park System) remain off line.
-- Ted Smith, California Division of Mines & Geology
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tim Singleton" <tsingleton(a)iclub.org>
To: <INADAMS-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2001 3:10 PM
Subject: [INADAMS] FW: Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is down
Jane Torres was kind enough to pass this along. I forward it for your
information.
Tim Singleton, tsingleton(a)iclub.org
Volunteer INGenWeb Coordinator
Adams Co. -
http://www.rootsweb.com/~inadams
Randolph Co. -
http://www.rootsweb.com/~inrandol/
For those of you who use GNIS for find places (including historical), etc.
This information came from our map cataloger.
--Jane
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) of the U.S. Geological
Survey has been taken off the internet along with most of the U.S.
Department of Interior web sites by order of a U.S. Federal Judge until
further notice. The GEOnet names server with foreign names is not affected
because its servers are part of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency of
the Department of Defense.
This court order came about because of a lawsuit involving the Department
of Interior's handling of trust funds for Native Americans. A computer
security test found that computers that held trust fund accounts were
vulnerable to hackers via the internet. As a result the court ordered most
Department of Interior computers to be disconnected from the internet. This
includes the U.S. Geological Survey.
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