Privacy Policy

This website is provided as a public service by NGA’s Office of Corporate Communications. Information presented on this website is considered public information and may be distributed or copied unless otherwise specified. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credits is requested.

1. Information we learn from your visit depends on the functions you perform during your visit.
2. Information is collected for statistical purposes and website management. This government system uses software programs to create summary statistics, which are used for assessing what information is of most and least interest, determining technical design specifications, and identifying system performance or problem areas, and website management
3. NGA automatically collects and stores the following information: 
   • The Internet domain ("xcompany.com" or "yourschool.edu") and IP address (an IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you surf the Web);
   • The type of browser and operating system;
   • The date and time;
   • The pages visited; and
   • Any website address from which the NGA was accessed.

NGA uses this information to help make our website more useful to visitors. NGA does not track or record information about individuals.

This Website uses measurement and customization technology known as "cookies." Cookies are used to remember a user's online interactions with a website or online application in order to conduct measurement and analysis of usage or to customize the user's experience. 
There are two kinds of cookies used on the NGA.mil website:

1. A single-session cookie (Tier 1) is a line of text that is stored temporarily on a user's computer and deleted as soon as the browser is closed.
2. A persistent or multi-session cookie (Tier 2) is a small text file that is placed on your web browser to gather an anonymous summary of demographic information and remembers your browser when it is used to visit our site again. Use of these cookies does not involve the collection of personally identifiable information (PII). 

Cookies are enabled by default to optimize Website functionality and customize user experience. Users can choose not to accept the use of cookies by changing the settings on their local computer's web browser. The USA.gov Website, https://www.usa.gov/optout-instructions , provides general instructions on how to opt-out of cookies and other commonly used web measurement and customization technologies. Opting out of cookies permits users to access comparable information and services; however, it may take longer to navigate or interact with the website if a user is required to fill out certain information repeatedly. 

NGA.mil uses a customized Google Analytics tool through GSA’s Digital Analytics Program (DAP), as required by the Office of Management and Budget’s November 8, 2016 memorandum ‘Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites and Digital Services’. DAP’s analytics solution provides access to a common set of web metrics to include:  page views, unique users, mobile vs. desktop visits, average time on page, bounce rate, number of downloads, etc., as well as the following dimensions: location, browser, and operating system. The DAP analytics tool meets strict security guidelines. NGA does not gather, request, record, require, collect or track any Internet users' PII through these processes.

Opt-Out Notice

Google Opt-Out:

Visitors to NGA.mil have the ability to prevent their data from being used by Google Analytics via the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

If you would like to opt-out, download and install the add-on for your web browser. The browser is designed to be compatible with Chrome, Internet Explorer 11, Safari, Firefox, and Opera. To learn more about the opt-out and how to properly install the browser add-on,  visit https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/181881?hl=en .

Matomo Opt-Out:
Visitors to NGA.mil have the ability to prevent their data from being captured by Matomo analytics via the Matomo opt-out iframe.

This opt-out option is available here.  By unchecking the box titled "Opt-out of website tracking", you may prevent this website from aggregating and analyzing the actions you take on NGA.mil.

Third-party websites and applications that are not owned, operated, or controlled by the Department of Defense are integral to Internet-based operations across the DoD. These capabilities include social networking services, wikis, photo- and video-hosting services, data mash-ups, and so forth. A list of all Defense Department official pages across various social media networks can be found at https://dodcio.defense.gov/Social-Media/ . 

Voluntary information submitted, including personal information, may be shared within NGA, as well as with other federal or state agencies, if necessary, to address matters raised by your submission, or should release of the information be otherwise required by law. If applicable, such information is protected in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 and DoD privacy policies. Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, no other attempts are made to identify individual users or their usage habits. Raw data logs are used for no other purposes and are scheduled for regular destruction in accordance with National Archives and Records Administration guidelines. NGA does not collect, give, sell, or rent any personal information to third parties for commercial marketing.

NGA.mil and other NGA platforms and pages may link to websites created and maintained by other public or private organizations and individuals. When you follow a link to an external site, you are leaving NGA.mil and are subject to the external site’s privacy and security policies. NGA does not control nor guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of information contained on external sites.

NGA neither endorses nor guarantees in any way the external organizations, services, advice, or products included in external website links. Furthermore, NGA neither controls nor guarantees the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of the information contained in external website links. It is the responsibility of the user to evaluate the content and usefulness of information obtained from other sites. 

For site security purposes, and to ensure this service remains available to all users, this government computer system employs commercial software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage.

Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, no other attempts are made to identify individual users or their usage habits.

Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information on this service are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act.

A variety of physical, electronic and procedural safeguards are maintained to protect information. For example, commercially releasable tools and techniques are used to protect against unauthorized access to NGA systems.

NGA.mil complies with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998 that helps to protect the safety and privacy of children online. COPPA and its accompanying FTC regulation constitute United States Federal law that protects the privacy of children using the Internet. Personal information from children under the age of 13 is not knowingly collected, nor are children under the age of 13 knowingly contacted by NGA.mil. NGA.mil does not intend to solicit information of any kind from children under the age of 13. If an email is received from a child under the age of 13, NGA will obtain parental consent or the email will be deleted from the email box servicing NGA.mil.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is committed to making every document on its Website accessible to the widest possible audience, including persons with visual disabilities. The agency's new website ensures NGA meets or exceeds the requirements of https://www.access-board.gov/law/ra.html as amended in 1998.

Section 508 requires that federal agencies' information and communications technology is accessible to everyone including individuals with disabilities. Equal access to information must be provided to everyone including employees and members of the public. Section 508 establishes requirements for any information and communications technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by the Federal government.

Information pertaining to the Department of Defense (DoD) Section 508/Accessibility Policy can be viewed on the DoD Chief Information Office page at https://dodcio.defense.gov/DoDSection508/Std_Stmt.aspx.

For information or questions concerning 508 compliance at NGA, please contact the 508 Compliance Team at NGASection508Office@nga.mil. 

Reviewed/Updated: August 25 2022 

Many documents on our Web server are in basic HTML format. These formats are generally accessible to persons using screen reading software. We also have Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format files. Persons using screen reading devices generally cannot directly read documents in PDF format. Adobe Systems, Inc., provides a free translation service through their Access Web pages which translate PDF files to Web pages (HTML documents). This can be used in one of three ways:

1. The user can go to the Access server and fill out a form. When this form is submitted, the server will go get the PDF document, translate it, and return it to the user.
2. The user can send an email to the Access server, giving the address of the document to be translated. The server will then get the document and translate it to either a Web page or a text (ASCII) document. Note: this is the only option that also gives the ability to produce a text document from the PDF file. (Click here for Adobe Instructions )
3. For systems not connected to the Internet, Adobe has a free downloadable accessibility plug-in, called Adobe Access, for use with the latest versions of the Adobe Acrobat Reader for Microsoft Windows 3.1, Windows 95/98, or Windows NT. This plug-in helps to overcome some of the problems of reading PDF documents with screen readers, but for systems with Internet access, Adobe recommends using the on-line Access translation service instead.

These methods of making PDF files accessible are adequate for many documents. However, they are not adequate for PDF documents containing graphics files or especially complex formatting. In these cases, an HTML version, with screen readers is available where possible.

NGA has one general exception to our policy of making accessible versions available for all PDF documents. NGA utilizes Adobe Acrobat PDF format as a means of distributing Freedom of Information Act documents. These are electronic images of the forms which are intended to be printed and used as any other paper form, and do not lend to non-graphical representation.

The NGA.mil privacy policy will be revised or updated if practices change, or if better ways to keep you informed are developed. Refer to this page often for the latest information and the effective date of any changes. If changes are made to this policy, a new policy will be posted on our site. Changes to the policy will not apply retroactively.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact NGAPrivacy@nga.mil.