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The only reason for the government to use Tiff files is the plain vanilla tiff file is an uncompressed loss-less image storage file format. Later versions of Tiff added LZW and JPEG compression as part of the format options. While LZW is loss-less it is very slow.
We store many many terabytes of scanned aerial photographic negatives and they will not lose any detail from compression at all. There are many "flavors" of Tiff and not all of them will open in conventional programs. I suspect what the government stores is a one bit tiff with no grays. The pixel is either black or white and it is great for long term archival storage of drawings or documents.
The government will continue to use it and not change because it has always done it that way and helping the end user is not something they care anything about.
Try to deal with the national archives. Try to order an aerial image. You can't call them or email then, they only deal with a FAX or a paper letter. Really. It might take a month to receive a reply, and it will have no real helpful information.
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Glen
49 Year member of the Porsche Club of America
1985 911 Carrera; 2017 Macan
1986 El Camino with Fuel Injected 350 Crate Engine
My Motto: I will never be too old to have a happy childhood!
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