Future Challenges for the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resources Program (2003) / Chapter Skim
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4 The Minerals Information Team
4 The Minerals Information Team
Pages 79-94
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From page 79... ...
, this chapter deals specifically with information collected and disseminated by the MIT, which focuses on minerals and materials production, consumption, international trade, and other economic data. "Minerals information," as used in this chapter, does not refer to geological, geochemical, biogeochemical, geophysical, and other scientific data and information that are generated, compiled, and analyzed in the research activities of the MRP.
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From page 80... ...
economy and national security. MIT activities are guided in part by statutory requirements in laws and executive orders, which assign the DeparDnent of the Interior responsibilities linked to national security and emergency preparedness specifically, to provide data on national defense industrial base capacity and expansion capabilities and to provide guidance to the minerals industry for ensuring continuity of production (see Sidebar 4.1~.
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From page 81... ...
The MIT employs 180 staff, including mineral commodity and country specialists (metals, industrial minerals, and international minerals) , minerals and materials analysts, and various support personnel who engage in data collection, publication, statistical analysis, and electronic data processing (John DeYoung, USGS, personal communication, 2002)
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From page 82... ...
The survey frequency is as follows: Monthly Quarterly Semiannually Annually 17,604 904 126 17,591 Company surveys are kept proprietary, which MIT personnel believe is an important factor in producing high response rates (John DeYoung, USGS, personal communication, 2002~. The Office of Management and Budget requires that a survey achieve at least a 75 percent re
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From page 83... ...
Unlike the mineral commodity specialists, they are responsible for the entire range of mineral commodities produced in their countries. They are responsible for the accuracy of the data on minerals production, industry structure, international trade, and government policies affecting the minerals sector in their country or region.
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From page 84... ...
Not only do mineral commodity and country specialists have primary responsibility for the accuracy of the data on their industries and countries, they also, in effect, become the federal government's experts on their commodities and countries. They are consulted by professionals in other federal entities, including the Commerce Department, Congress, Federal Reserve Board, Treasury Department, and Environmental Protection Agency.
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From page 85... ...
Mineral Commodity Summaries is perhaps the most used annual report emanating from the USGS on mineral industry data. For each of more than 80 mineral commodities, earliest possible world production and resources statistics are combined with the most recent domestic supply, apparent consumption, and price information in a two-page synopsis.
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From page 86... ...
USGS mineral statistics are also used and printed in many other annual publications, such as The Work/ A1/[manac and the National Mining Association's State Mining Annua1/t Minera1/t & Coa1/t Statistics. Approximately 740 minerals information publications, counting special reports, etc., are published annually by the MIT.
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From page 87... ...
A minerals information system timeliness report is issued monthly. The Office of Management and Budget requires that data collected under the Paperwork Reduction Act be made available to the public promptly.
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From page 88... ...
In some respects the minerals and materials analysis section represents MIT's attempt to maintain an analytical, as compared to data-collecting, capability. Studies of material flows have been done on arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, manganese, mercury, salt, sulfur, tungsten, vanadium, and zinc.
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From page 89... ...
Federal Reserve Board, which uses MIT data as inputs to the indexes of industrial production index and capacity utilization. · International Trade Commission, which makes extensive use of data on international trade in minerals and on minerals production outside the United States.
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From page 90... ...
Trade associations (e.g., American Iron and Steel Institute, National Mining Association, National Stone Association) Educational institutions, including universities General public (including requests under the Freedom of Information Act)
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From page 91... ...
Several of the agency representatives stated that the advice and information provided informally by the mineral commodity and country specialists were just as valuable as the published data. The committee conc1/~des that the MIT has done a good job of making the transition from the Bureau of Mines to the USGS and, moreover, has performed very we11~11t in helloing the USGS and its partner agencies meet their goa1/ts.
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From page 92... ...
The MIT, as do all statistical agencies, always has to deal with the more purely statistical issues such as survey response rates, format of data delivery, and timeliness of data release. These functions need to be carried out optimally to increase time for research and advisory activities.
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From page 93... ...
The committee recommends that the MIT's analytical activities and capabilities be strengthened so that mineral commodity specialists, country specialists, and other MIT researchers can conduct more material flows studies and work more directly with the mineral assessment and environmental scientists in their basic research. Integration Relocation of the MIT within the MRP of the USGS provides an opportunity for collaboration with other parts of the MRP, which in turn could enable a beneficial broadening of the role of the MIT in satisfying national needs.
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From page 94... ...
establish an advisory committee to ensure that MRP activities are fully updated and of relevance to its user base, (2) strengthen MIT's analytical activities and capabilities so that mineral commodity and country specialists and other MIT researchers can conduct more material flows studies and work more directly with the mineral assessment and environmental scientists in their basic research, and (3)
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