If the U.S. government agencies worked with a private firm and signed a contract with the understanding that whatever products they created belonged to the agencies, then those products should be in a public domain. Before the George W. Bush administration, most government aerial photographs and GIS data were acquired through this method, but this changed during and after the George W. Bush administration. The government agencies were encouraged to work with private firms to acquire images and implement the so-called cost cutting policy. Commercial companies collect images and sell the products to the government by signing a license agreement document. This method is supposed to be cheaper for government agencies but the public doesn't have free access to the images. GIS data and images are not copyrighted but licensed.

Tsering Wangyal Shawa

GIS and Map Librarian

Head, Map and Geospatial Information Center

Peter B. Lewis Library, Room 226

Washington Road & Ivy Lane

Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544

Telephone: 609-258-6804

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http://library.princeton.edu/collections/pumagic

From: Maps-L: Map Librarians, etc. <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Carlson, Tom <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2020 10:07 AM
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] air photo mosaics
 

Yes, those would be public domain data that anyone should be able to use. If you’re talking about counties and cities that have contracted flights, then due to the contract with the private firm they may have various licensing agreements that prohibit the use of the data, unless the public pays for it (again). USGS and other Federal agencies use public funds for data collection and in turn provide that data to the public.

 

Tom Carlson, PhD, GISP

Liaison for WA, OR, ID, and MT

National Geospatial Program

US Geological Survey

934 Broadway, Suite 300

Tacoma, WA 98402

253.552.1682 Office

253.302.1287 Cell

253.552.1581 Fax

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From: Maps-L: Map Librarians, etc. <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Christopher Thiry
Sent: Monday, August 17, 2020 3:56 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [EXTERNAL] air photo mosaics

 

 

 This email has been received from outside of DOI - Use caution before clicking on links, opening attachments, or responding.  

 

All,

 

Are the air photo mosaic (indexes) to U.S. Government agencies (Forest Service, USGS, BLM, SCS, etc.) in the public domain?  Or, because they say who (private companies) took the pictures, copywritten?

 

Most photos taken for U.S. Gov't agencies were contracted out.  They were flown, shot, developed, etc. by a private company, but the final results (photographs) became part of the public domain.

 

The photos, I believe, are in the public domain because they were paid for & delivered to a government agency.  It is rare that a non-government agency is listed on the photos themselves.

 

Christopher J.J. Thiry

Map & GIS Librarian

Academic Outreach Coordinator

Colorado School of Mines

Arthur Lakes Library

1400 Illinois

Golden, CO 80401

p. 303-273-3697

f. 303-273-3199