<descriptor thcode="2"><thesaurus thcode="2" name="USGS Thesaurus" scope="Topics and methods of scientific study carried out by USGS, with product types, scientific disciplines, geologic time, and types of institutional structure and activities.  Broad and shallow, used to help people find scientific information." creator="U.S. Geological Survey" rights="Public domain" edition="2.0" date="2020-01-09" codetype="number" prefix="topic" uri="https://www2.usgs.gov/science/USGSThesaurus" tblname="term" nonpref="nonpref" relterm="relterm" root_code="1" contact="pschweitzer"><category><term thcode="25" code="29" name="distinct labels" parent="26" scope="Preferred labels (descriptor texts) are distinct within the thesaurus. A concept can be specified either by its unique identifier (code) or by the text of its descriptor."/><term thcode="25" code="16" name="hierarchical" parent="11" scope="Substantive broader-narrower relationships exist among the terms."/><term thcode="25" code="13" name="transitive" parent="12" scope="Narrower terms have an &quot;is a&quot; relationship with their broader terms, and generally can be described as part-of, type-of, or instance-of the broader term."/><term thcode="25" code="21" name="disciplines" parent="2" scope="Broad categories of human inquiry or activity, such as scientific disciplines."/><term thcode="25" code="20" name="methods" parent="2" scope="Actions taken to obtain or analyze information"/><term thcode="25" code="19" name="organizational functions" parent="2" scope="Things that organizations do, typically including various types of programs, projects, and services."/><term thcode="25" code="7" name="temporal" parent="2" scope="Terms indicate periods of time, such as chronostratigraphic units, named historical periods or intervals surrounding known historical events, or seasons."/><term thcode="25" code="5" name="theme" parent="2" scope="Terms indicate domains of human concern, such as scientific discipline, societal problems, or characteristics of earth, space, oceans, and living things."/><term thcode="25" code="29" name="distinct labels" parent="26" scope="Preferred labels (descriptor texts) are distinct within the thesaurus. A concept can be specified either by its unique identifier (code) or by the text of its descriptor."/><term thcode="25" code="16" name="hierarchical" parent="11" scope="Substantive broader-narrower relationships exist among the terms."/><term thcode="25" code="13" name="transitive" parent="12" scope="Narrower terms have an &quot;is a&quot; relationship with their broader terms, and generally can be described as part-of, type-of, or instance-of the broader term."/><term thcode="25" code="21" name="disciplines" parent="2" scope="Broad categories of human inquiry or activity, such as scientific disciplines."/><term thcode="25" code="20" name="methods" parent="2" scope="Actions taken to obtain or analyze information"/><term thcode="25" code="19" name="organizational functions" parent="2" scope="Things that organizations do, typically including various types of programs, projects, and services."/><term thcode="25" code="7" name="temporal" parent="2" scope="Terms indicate periods of time, such as chronostratigraphic units, named historical periods or intervals surrounding known historical events, or seasons."/><term thcode="25" code="5" name="theme" parent="2" scope="Terms indicate domains of human concern, such as scientific discipline, societal problems, or characteristics of earth, space, oceans, and living things."/></category><altlabel><altlabel>USGSThesaurus</altlabel><altlabel>USGSThesaurus</altlabel></altlabel></thesaurus><term thcode="2" code="734" name="methods" parent="1" scope="Techniques, methods, procedures, or strategies for research, management, collection, or analysis of scientific information in USGS."/><bt><term thcode="2" code="1" name="Categories" scope="Thematic terms for categorizing information resources.  This thesaurus is intended to support finding and understanding scientific information."/></bt><nt><term thcode="2" code="189" name="computational methods" parent="734" scope="Mathematical techniques used to analyze numerical data."/><term thcode="2" code="2278" name="environmental proxies" parent="734" scope="Biological, chemical, or physical features whose presence, characteristics, or behavior reflect environmental parameters of interest that cannot be readily or efficiently observed or measured directly."/><term thcode="2" code="376" name="field methods" parent="734" scope="Research procedures and instrumental means to measure, collect data and samples, and observe in the natural areas where the materials, phenomena, structures, or species being studied occur."/><term thcode="2" code="619" name="laboratory methods" parent="734" scope="Techniques to analyze and test samples in a place equipped and designed for the work."/><term thcode="2" code="689" name="management methods" parent="734" scope="Techniques of judiciously controlling or directing resources for a predetermined goal."/><term thcode="2" code="2285" name="modeling" parent="734" scope="Human-constructed representation of processes, phenomena, or objects so that the behaviors, characteristics and relationships among things that are being studied can be understood without exhaustive data collection and analysis."/><term thcode="2" code="889" name="photography" parent="734" scope="Process of using digital or film cameras to collect images of objects."/><term thcode="2" code="981" name="remote sensing" parent="734" scope="Acquiring information about a natural feature or phenomenon, such as the Earth's surface, without actually being in contact with it. USGS remote sensing is usually carried out with airborne or spaceborne sensors or cameras."/><term thcode="2" code="2079" name="scientific interpretation" parent="734" scope="Application of scientific judgment as to the meaning of observations or models. Use for interpretations that are provided in formats similar to data, such as geospatial data."/><term thcode="2" code="1276" name="videography" parent="734" scope="The process of recording and editing analog or digital video."/></nt></descriptor>