The National Cartographic Information Center (NCIC), established by the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior, in July 1974, provides a national information service to make cartographic data of the United States more easily accessible to the public and to various Federal, State, and local agencies. At present, more than 30 Federal agencies collect and prepare cartographic data. Existing data include more than 1.5 million maps and charts, 25 million aerial and space photographs, and 1.5 million geodetic control points.