Of course everyone has heard of the Department of Defense or the Central Intelligence Agency, but there are many more United States government entities that are not as commonly known by the general public. While they are a bit more obscure, that is not to say that they are not important. Here are some descriptions of some of those agencies with which you might be more unfamiliar.
You probably know that our nation has a Department of Commerce, but it might interest you to note that this agency oversees many other agencies, including NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA tracks storms and weather conditions both on sea and land. NOAA also oversees some agencies, including the National Geodetic Survey, a group that creates charts and also maps as well as defining latitude, longitude, gravity and other aspects of our national coordinate system.
As the name suggests, many of the employees are trained surveyors, using a variety of surveying tools such as theodolites, inclinometers and total stations. Among the many tasks of this agency are providing the exact location of airports and runways, as well as quickly providing aerial images of areas affect by any type of natural disaster and providing pinpoint locations as to what areas are most affected.
You can probably imagine how important accurate and standard weight and measurement units would be to commerce, as all goods need to be precisely weighed and measured. The Department of Commerce established the National Institute of Standards and Technology in 1901. Prior to that, the Office of Standard Weights and Measures was operated by the U.S. Treasury Department. NIST operates six different laboratories including a well-known laboratory in Boulder, Colorado. At this NIST lab, scientists operate the atomic clock, which is the highly precise clock that is used to set the official time of the United States.
There are also many different types of national laboratories scattered around the United States that are under the direction of the Department of Energy. Scientists at these labs study everything from particle physics to plasma physics to environmental remediation, as well as developing nuclear technology for energy or weaponry. The laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, is probably the best known of these labs, as it was here that the atom bomb was first developed as part of the Manhattan Project during World War II.
For obvious reasons, the Defense Clandestine Service is not well known to most U.S. citizens. This agency is the clandestine branch of the Defense Intelligence Agency, which is pretty much equally as obscure to most Americans. As one might expect, the Defense Clandestine Service is one which conducts various espionage activities. The employees consist of both military personnel and civilians, and they basically are spies, gathering intelligence on countries such as Iran and China, among others.
You probably know that our nation has a Department of Commerce, but it might interest you to note that this agency oversees many other agencies, including NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA tracks storms and weather conditions both on sea and land. NOAA also oversees some agencies, including the National Geodetic Survey, a group that creates charts and also maps as well as defining latitude, longitude, gravity and other aspects of our national coordinate system.
As the name suggests, many of the employees are trained surveyors, using a variety of surveying tools such as theodolites, inclinometers and total stations. Among the many tasks of this agency are providing the exact location of airports and runways, as well as quickly providing aerial images of areas affect by any type of natural disaster and providing pinpoint locations as to what areas are most affected.
You can probably imagine how important accurate and standard weight and measurement units would be to commerce, as all goods need to be precisely weighed and measured. The Department of Commerce established the National Institute of Standards and Technology in 1901. Prior to that, the Office of Standard Weights and Measures was operated by the U.S. Treasury Department. NIST operates six different laboratories including a well-known laboratory in Boulder, Colorado. At this NIST lab, scientists operate the atomic clock, which is the highly precise clock that is used to set the official time of the United States.
There are also many different types of national laboratories scattered around the United States that are under the direction of the Department of Energy. Scientists at these labs study everything from particle physics to plasma physics to environmental remediation, as well as developing nuclear technology for energy or weaponry. The laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, is probably the best known of these labs, as it was here that the atom bomb was first developed as part of the Manhattan Project during World War II.
For obvious reasons, the Defense Clandestine Service is not well known to most U.S. citizens. This agency is the clandestine branch of the Defense Intelligence Agency, which is pretty much equally as obscure to most Americans. As one might expect, the Defense Clandestine Service is one which conducts various espionage activities. The employees consist of both military personnel and civilians, and they basically are spies, gathering intelligence on countries such as Iran and China, among others.
About the Author:
Carey Bourdier enjoys writing about precision scientific instruments. For further information about alignment tools like a maple wood Jacob staff, or to find additional information about a telemetric alignment system, check out the Warren Knight site today.
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