USGS National Structures Dataset for Emergency Planning

USGS Structures from The National Map provides names, functions, and locations for selected manmade facilities across all U.S. states and territories. The dataset includes 29 specific structure types, such as schools, hospitals, and government buildings, designed for disaster planning and emergency response. It is maintained by the Department of the Interior and is commonly combined with other geospatial themes for mapping.

Use Cases

• Map and analyze the distribution of specific structure types like Fire Station/EMS Station or Hospital/Medical Center for emergency service planning.
• Combine structure location data with other geospatial layers, such as transportation or hydrography, for risk assessment in disaster scenarios.
• Identify and visualize concentrations of critical infrastructure, such as School:Elementary or Law Enforcement facilities, for community resource analysis.

Strengths

• Covers all U.S. states and territories, providing national spatial coverage.
• Defines 29 distinct structure types, including detailed classifications like School:Elementary and State Capitol.
• Designed for integration with other National Map data themes like boundaries and elevation.

Limitations

• The specific number of records (rows) and data attributes (columns) are not provided.
• Data is provided in XML format, which may require conversion for use in common GIS or analysis tools.
• Relies on preliminary building polygon data from FEMA, which may have varying accuracy or completeness.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Geospatial Program.

Collection Method

Compiled for The National Map, with a feature class of preliminary building polygons provided by FEMA.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-01-22.

Geography

All U.S. states and territories.