The following pages list the research and area frame projects by Section within the Research and Development Division. Projects associated with the Branch Chiefs, Chief Research Statistician, and Senior Research Statistician are also included.

The highest priority of the research agenda is to aid the NASS statistical program through development of better estimators at lower cost and with less respondent burden. This means greater efficiency in sampling, data collection, survey processing and estimation, coupled with higher quality data upon which to base the official estimates. In an environment of escalating demand for statistical information, continued service to users will be increasingly dependent upon methodological and technological efficiencies. Census responsibilities increase the scope of needed research.

Products, such as bi-weekly vegetative index maps on the NASS Web site and Landsat images categorized by specific crops, are meeting some of the increasing demand for spatial information on crops. A new initiative has been launched to develop external partnerships with several state governments that will increase remote sensing capabilities for several State Statistical Offices .

The highest priority of the area frame work is to support the Agency's ever changing program needs. Area segments, sampled with known probability of selection representing all land in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, are provided to State Statistical Offices for use in surveys and censuses.

Several Research and Development Division staff members also represent the Agency on intergovernmental and interdepartmental committees as well. Topics covered in this manner include remote sensing, geographic information systems, mathematical statistics curriculum and coordination, national vegetation classification system, and the national aerial photography program. Many of the research ideas are formed by good communications between researchers, SSO staff, and other Headquarters units, and now our web audience. Research management welcomes your observations about our program.

Please feel free to call or send electronic mail to research program managers with your comments, opinions, suggestions, and priorities.