This website uses measurement and customization technology known as a "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 this website places on your web browser so it can gather an anonymous summary of demographic information and remember your browser when it is used to visit our site again. Use of these cookies does not involve the collection of a visitor's personally identifiable information (PII). These cookies uniquely identify a browser on a computer, but never a person. In other words, if the same person uses Chrome and Internet Explorer, two unique browser cookies will be assigned, one for each browser, so that person will be counted as two different visitors because visitors are based on browsers, not computers or persons.

Cookies are enabled by default to optimize website functionality and customize user experience. Users can choose not to accept the use of these cookies by changing the settings on their local computer's web browser. General instructions on how to opt out of cookies can be found by browser below. Opting out of cookies still 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 like page views, unique users, mobile vs. desktop visits, average time on page, bounce rate, number of downloads, etc. as well as dimensions like location, browser, and operating system of visitors. The DAP analytics tool meets strict security guidelines. The code has undergone multiple security scans, no personally identifiable information is collected, and IP addresses are anonymized. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency 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, please 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 analyizing 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/ . 

NGA.mil and other NGA platforms and pages may link to websites created and maintained by other public or private organizations and individuals. These external sites are identified by the [insert icon here] icon. 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. We do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of information contained on an external site.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) neither endorses nor guarantees in any way the external organizations, services, advice, or products included in these website links. Furthermore, the 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.​

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 Section 508 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 .

Section 508 requires that federal agencies' electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities, including employees and members of the public. Section 508 establishes requirements for any electronic and information technology developed, maintained, procured, 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 .

Many of the documents on our Web server are in basic HTML format. These formats are generally accessible to persons using screen reading software. We also have a large number of documents as Adobe Acrobat PDF (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 will 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 message to the Access server, giving the address of the document to be translated. The server will then get this document and translate it to either a Web page or a text (ASCII) document. Note that this is the only one of the three options that also gives the ability to produce a text document from the PDF file. (Click here for Adobe Instructions)
3. For systems which are 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 in which content is included in graphics files or for especially complex formatting. In these cases, we provide an alternative format for use with screen readers -- an HTML version -- where possible.

We have one general exception to our policy of making accessible versions available for all PDF documents. We are using the Adobe Acrobat PDF format as a means of distributing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 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 themselves to any non-graphical representation.

Section508.gov 
Download Adobe Reader 
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)