National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC)
I want to make a map...
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) offers several mapping products.
The National Map is now offering a collection of small-scale datasets, originally developed for the 1997-2014 Edition of the National Atlas of the United States, available to users.
If you want the most up-to-date edition of our famous topographic quadrangle map that contains the latest digital improvements to include an image layer, try the US Topo.
To search for, view, and download any of the more than 200,000 USGS Topographic Maps dating back to 1884, go to the Historical Topographic Map Collection.
To preview and download data that is available in the public domain, more experienced
map makers and professional geographic information users should try
The National Map Viewer.
News you can use about USGS Mapping Products
April 2, 2015
US Topo Update: Production and release of the USGS's new series of digital topographic maps, the US Topo started in October 2009. In October 2012, the project met its very aggressive long-term goal of replacing all quads in the lower 48 states in three years with the new GeoPDF maps. Thus, the second cycle of US Topo map production has started, beginning with Kansas. Also, all previous "Digital Map–Beta" products have been removed from distribution. The National Geospatial Technical Operations Center reports the following US Topo maps are loaded to the Map Locator of the USGS Store (as of 4-2-15):
Kansas: 100% complete - 1,403 quadrangles
Oklahoma: 100% complete - 1,149 quadrangles
Texas: 100% complete - 4,208 quadrangles
New York: 100% complete - 972 quadrangles
Kentucky: 100% complete - 671 quadrangles
Tennessee: 100% complete - 694 quadrangles
Iowa: 100% complete - 1.011 quadrangles
Indiana: 100% complete - 640 quadrangles
North Carolina: 100% complete - 883 quadrangles
Virginia: 100% complete - 729 quadrangles
Pennsylvania: 100% complete - 804 quadrangles
Wisconsin: 100% complete - 1,109 quadrangles
Colorado: 100% complete - 1,794 quadrangles
Minnesota: 100% complete - 1,689 quadrangles
Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands: 100% complete - 97 quadrangles
Alaska: 6% complete - 709 quadrangles (estimated total maps when complete: 11,275)
Ohio: 100% complete - 748 quadrangles
New Mexico: 100% complete - 1,980 quadrangles
Idaho: 100% complete - 1,563 quadrangles
Washington: 100% complete - 1,446 quadrangles
Utah: 100% complete - 1,476 quadrangles
West Virginia: 100% complete - 418 quadrangles
New Jersey: 100% complete - 150 quadrangles
Georgia: 100% complete - 952 quadrangles
North Dakota: 100% complete - 1,402 quadrangles
Delaware: 100% complete - 38 quadrangles
Maryland: 100% complete - 213 quadrangles
Montana: 100% compete - 2,913 quadrangles
Arkansas: 100% compete - 874 quadrangles
South Carolina: 100% compete - 519 quadrangles
Oregon: 100% compete - 1,835 quadrangles
Michigan: 100% compete - 1,290 quadrangles
Maine: 100% compete - 715 quadrangles
Alabama: 100% compete - 840 quadrangles
Arizona: 100% compete - 1,885 quadrangles
Nebraska: 100% compete - 1,376 quadrangles
Nevada: 100% compete - 1,376 quadrangles
Missouri: 100% compete - 1,196 quadrangles
California: 99% compete - 2,795 quadrangles
US Topo Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection News:
Golden State Quads Add Trails: Newly released US Topo maps for California
now feature selected trails and other substantial updates. Several of the 2,798 new US Topo quadrangles for the state now display public trails along with segments of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. Also the new maps now show improved data layers such as public land survey information, map symbol redesign, enhanced railroad information and new road source data. Some of the data for the trails is provided to the USGS through a nationwide “crowdsourcing” project managed by the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA). on.doi.gov/1GL6Gbg
More Than 18 Million Served: The USGS, through the National Geospatial Program, has delivered more than 18 million US Topo quadrangles and Historic Topographic maps in the past six years. Can you guess the top download locations? Hints: The most accessed digital US Topo map features a city with many monuments, and the most popular historical scan is in the west, dating back to 1909. For the answers to those questions, and how to download your own maps, for free, go to the most recent USGS Top Story: on.doi.gov/1OvyHqA
Show Me New Data for Show-Me State Maps: Several of the 1,196 new US Topo quadrangles for the state of Missouri will display selected trails along with other improved data layers and PLSS. The trail data is provided through a partnership with the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) and MTB Project. During the past two years, the IMBA has been building a detailed national database of mountain bike trails with the aid and support of the MTB Project. This “crowdsourced” activity allows local IMBA chapters, IMBA members, and the public to provide trail data and descriptions through their website. on.doi.gov/1G2eseC
Copper Engravings for Sale: From the 1880s to the 1950s, the USGS used engraved copper plates as part of the process to print topographic maps, geologic maps and other scientific illustrations. Thousands of these hand-crafted engravings were used, but eventually replaced by advances in mapping and printing technologies. To clear the aging inventory, the USGS first offered the engraved plates to Federal, state and nonprofit organizations. After that process, the General Services Agency is now selling the remaining sets to the public. More information: on.doi.gov/1BJbk43
3DEP Moving Forward:
Latest 3DEP State Fact Sheets: During the past month, the 3D Elevation Program, known as 3DEP has added two more states to its rapidly growing selection of state-specific fact sheets that features the applications, benefits, and examples of 3DEP. Iowa, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Nevada join the mounting list of 47 state Fact Sheets. All are available for viewing and download from The National Map or 3DEP websites.
First Round of Lidar BAA Awards Released: The USGS National Geospatial Program has announced the first round of awards resulting from the USGS Broad Area Announcement (BAA) for the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), initially issued on July 18, 2014. The BAA is a publicly accessible process to develop partnerships for the collection of lidar and derived elevation data for 3DEP. The primary goal of 3DEP is to systematically collect nationwide lidar coverage (ifsar in Alaska) over an 8-year period to provide more than $690 million annually in new benefits to government entities, the private sector and citizens. 3DEP presents a unique opportunity for collaboration between all levels of government to leverage the services and expertise of private sector mapping firms that acquire the data, and to create jobs now and in the future. on.doi.gov/18X6HLE
More 3DEP in the News: Updated Lidar Base Specs Urges Consistent Data Collection Practices published in the Earth Imaging Journal: bit.ly/1ak1y1p
Landsat Data Easier to Access and Visualize: Although Landsat data has been free to the public since 2008, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has recently made the vast collection of Landsat imagery easier to obtain and customize with several web services. Users can now access the more than 85,000 Landsat 8 scenes through the AWS Public Data Set. The Landsat program of Earth observation, conducted jointly by USGS and NASA, creates moderate-resolution satellite imagery of all land on Earth every 16 days. The program has been running since 1972, the longest ongoing project to collect land imagery. Landsat data are the foundation for research and applications in many global sectors, including agriculture, cartography, geology, forestry, regional planning, disaster response, and education. Computer World article: bit.ly/1BEQMbs
How Pittsburgh got its “H” Back: In 1891, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (USGN), acting on a request of the Postal Service, eliminated the “h” from the end of Pittsburgh, mainly to save space. Unlike most other USGN decisions, this action to standardize names across the federal government did not sit well with many prominent Pittsburgh institutions and residents. Under some consistent petitioning and references to historical documentation, the Board reinstated the Steel City’s “h’ on July 19, 1911. However, there are still some artifacts and publications that have the “h” missing. Summary: bit.ly/1E9aIaP
New Map Shows the World's Ecosystems in Unprecedented Detail: The USGS and Esri have partnered to produce the Global Ecological Land Unit map; a cutting-edge, detailed look at the Earth’s ecosystems. The USGS gathered diverse ecological databases like soil surveys, digital elevation models, satellite images, among others, and then partnered with Esri, who provided additional expertise and distribution. Wired magazine article: wrd.cm/1EK0EnT
Trivia Challenge: From winter 2014 to summer 2015, 30 seismometers from the USGS will monitor ground tremors in what U.S. city not known for earthquakes? For the answer to this – and other fun science trivia questions - go to the Science.gov website. The USGS, as part of 16 other Federal science and research agencies who make up the Science.gov alliance, is sponsoring a “trivia challenge”. The questions are posted on the Science.gov Twitter site. To get the answer to these questions, you will be taken to the Science.gov Trivia Challenge page, where you can get the correct answer, more details and see previous questions from other agencies. So, go ahead, and take the challenge! go.usa.gov/b2u5
Happy Birthday JWP: March 24 marks the birthday of John Wesley Powell (born 1834). Powell was a prominent scientist, explorer, geographer, and even lost an arm as a Civil War hero. He is recognized as one of the leaders of national topographic mapping and was the 2nd director of the USGS. In 1894, to gain funding for a systematic study and classification of the nation’s increasing lands, Powell said to Congress, “A Government cannot do any scientific work of more value to the people at large than by causing the construction of proper topographic maps of the country.” After leaving the USGS, Powell helped establish the National Geographic Society and is a past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Hat’s off to you, Major Powell! on.doi.gov/1FzQ1Ir
NHD Newsletter: The most recent edition of the NHD Newsletter has been posted. The monthly bulletin highlights Hydrography Seminar series, update on hydrography requirements and benefits study, partnership funding, WBD status report, Esri’s Living Atlas and other current hydrography related news. Newsletter readers are encouraged to send in articles on their work to help spread the word of how the NHD and WBD are contributing to water management and science. To view past newsletters go to nhd.usgs.gov/newsletter_list.html
Heading for 3,880! The National Map Twitter site is continuing to grow. Thanks to all who have joined us on @USGSTNM. Are you part? If not, sign up today and help us reach 4,000!
US Topo Update: Production and release of the USGS's new series of digital topographic maps, the US Topo started in October 2009. In October 2012, the project met its very aggressive long-term goal of replacing all quads in the lower 48 states in three years with the new GeoPDF maps. Thus, the second cycle of US Topo map production has started, beginning with Kansas. Also, all previous "Digital Map–Beta" products have been removed from distribution. The National Geospatial Technical Operations Center reports the following US Topo maps are loaded to the Map Locator of the USGS Store (as of 4-2-15):
Kansas: 100% complete - 1,403 quadrangles
Oklahoma: 100% complete - 1,149 quadrangles
Texas: 100% complete - 4,208 quadrangles
New York: 100% complete - 972 quadrangles
Kentucky: 100% complete - 671 quadrangles
Tennessee: 100% complete - 694 quadrangles
Iowa: 100% complete - 1.011 quadrangles
Indiana: 100% complete - 640 quadrangles
North Carolina: 100% complete - 883 quadrangles
Virginia: 100% complete - 729 quadrangles
Pennsylvania: 100% complete - 804 quadrangles
Wisconsin: 100% complete - 1,109 quadrangles
Colorado: 100% complete - 1,794 quadrangles
Minnesota: 100% complete - 1,689 quadrangles
Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands: 100% complete - 97 quadrangles
Alaska: 6% complete - 709 quadrangles (estimated total maps when complete: 11,275)
Ohio: 100% complete - 748 quadrangles
New Mexico: 100% complete - 1,980 quadrangles
Idaho: 100% complete - 1,563 quadrangles
Washington: 100% complete - 1,446 quadrangles
Utah: 100% complete - 1,476 quadrangles
West Virginia: 100% complete - 418 quadrangles
New Jersey: 100% complete - 150 quadrangles
Georgia: 100% complete - 952 quadrangles
North Dakota: 100% complete - 1,402 quadrangles
Delaware: 100% complete - 38 quadrangles
Maryland: 100% complete - 213 quadrangles
Montana: 100% compete - 2,913 quadrangles
Arkansas: 100% compete - 874 quadrangles
South Carolina: 100% compete - 519 quadrangles
Oregon: 100% compete - 1,835 quadrangles
Michigan: 100% compete - 1,290 quadrangles
Maine: 100% compete - 715 quadrangles
Alabama: 100% compete - 840 quadrangles
Arizona: 100% compete - 1,885 quadrangles
Nebraska: 100% compete - 1,376 quadrangles
Nevada: 100% compete - 1,376 quadrangles
Missouri: 100% compete - 1,196 quadrangles
California: 99% compete - 2,795 quadrangles
February 2015 and Older Updates:
New US Topo Map Updates:
Biking, hiking or riding Arizona Trails: The US Topo map and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have updated the interactive map application to those home pages. The new series features five topographic maps (and layer variants) of the Black City, Arizona area. The quadrangles span more than 127 years and the 2014 US Topo map editions feature the Black Canyon Trail. Selected trails are a new addition to the US Topo products and use data provided by the International Mountain Bike Association. These flash thumbnails of original scanned maps display all available versions of the Black City area quadrangles in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger version of the map and go directly to the free download services. 1.usa.gov/jtRGVx, 1.usa.gov/HgbHNw
New Nebraska Maps Feature Trails: Several of the 1,376 new US Topo quadrangles for the state of Nebraska will display mountain bike trails along with other improved data layers. The mountain bike trail data is provided through a partnership with the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) and MTB Project. During the past two years, the IMBA has been building a detailed national database of mountain bike trails with the aid and support of the MTB Project. This activity allows local IMBA chapters, IMBA members, and the public to provide trail data and descriptions through their website. on.doi.gov/1Abl2ut
New Nevada Maps Include Trails: Several of the 1,785 new US Topo quadrangles for the state of Nevada will display mountain bike trails along with other improved data layers and PLSS. The mountain bike trail data is provided through a partnership with the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) and MTB Project. During the past two years, the IMBA has been building a detailed national database of mountain bike trails with the aid and support of the MTB Project. This “crowdsourced” activity allows local IMBA chapters, IMBA members, and the public to provide trail data and descriptions through their website. on.doi.gov/16S4X5b
Citizen Scientists Submit More Than 100,000 Points: The U.S. Geological Survey’s citizen science project, The National Map Corps, has reached another milestone. In less than two years, the volunteer based project, using “crowd-sourcing” techniques, has gathered more than100,000 “points” from participants. Each points represent a structure or manmade feature on a map that has been verified and updated, and then submitted to support The National Map and US Topo maps. Participants who submit points through the system can receive badges and recognition. on.doi.gov/1CCvW11
Latest 3DEP State Fact Sheets: During the past few months, the 3D Elevation Program or 3DEP has added four more states to its rapidly growing selection of state-specific fact sheets that features the applications, benefits, and examples of 3DEP. Nebraska, Vermont, Utah and New Hampshire join the mounting list of 43 state Fact Sheets. All are available for viewing and download from The National Map or 3DEP websites.
fconley Soars: The USGS crowdsourcing project called The National Map Corps uses citizen scientists to validate or edit structures to improve topographic maps. To reward and recognize those volunteers, TNMCorps assigns points to the submissions which lead to virtual badges. One of the most active data providers to reach the new top award, the Squadron of Biplane Spectators, goes by the handle of “fconley”. His story: "I am retired from an unrelated field, but I have loved maps and travel all my life,” says the intrepid contributor. “When I saw that USGS was looking for volunteers I immediately joined, first of all working with paper maps and quads. As digital mapping, satellite imagery, and GPS became more available I was enthralled. With the imagery now accessible it is almost like being able to travel sitting at my desk. At times, locating structures seems similar to solving puzzles or detective work. This whole project is not only enjoyable but it makes me feel that I am making a lasting and useful contribution. I am thankful for the opportunity to be involved in this fascinating endeavor." You can assist FConley along with hundreds of others and contribute to The National Map. Join The National Corps and begin editing points today! bit.ly/11e0VLu
Trivia Challenge: According to the USGS, which state hosts the geographic center of the contiguous United States: Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas or Iowa? For the answer to this – and other fun science trivia questions - go to the Science.gov website. The USGS, as part of 16 other Federal science and research agencies who make up the Science.gov alliance, is sponsoring a “trivia challenge”. The questions are posted on the Science.gov Twitter site. To get the answer to these questions, you will be taken to the Science.gov Trivia Challenge page, where you can get the correct answer, more details and see previous questions from other agencies. So, go ahead, and take the challenge! go.usa.gov/b2u5
Media Interview - Big Data: Dr. Lynn Usery, the Director of the USGS Center for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS) will be interviewed by Patrick Marshall of Government Computer News concerning the CEGIS Data Integration project. A casestudy story is planned to cover perceived data needs, project goals, accomplishments, future milestones and collaboration with the FGDC National Geospatial Data Asset Management Plan. bit.ly/1uK4pV1
NHD Newsletter: The most recent edition of the NHD Newsletter has been posted. The monthly bulletin highlights some new NHD tool updates, network improvements, GeoConflation Process overview, initial NHD planning for the year and other current hydrography related news. Newsletter readers are encouraged to send in articles on their work to help spread the word of how the NHD and WBD are contributing to water management and science. To view past newsletters go to nhd.usgs.gov/newsletter_list.html
Heading for 3,680! The National Map Twitter site is continuing to grow. Thanks to all who have joined us on @USGSTNM. Are you part? If not, sign up today and help us reach 4,000!
More
US Topo Update: Production and release of the USGS's new series of digital topographic maps, the US Topo started in October 2009. In October 2012, the project met its very aggressive long-term goal of replacing all quads in the lower 48 states in three years with the new GeoPDF maps. Thus, the second cycle of US Topo map production has started, beginning with Kansas. Also, all previous "Digital Map–Beta" products have been removed from distribution. The National Geospatial Technical Operations Center reports the following US Topo maps are loaded to the Map Locator of the USGS Store (as of 4-2-15):
Kansas: 100% complete - 1,403 quadrangles
Oklahoma: 100% complete - 1,149 quadrangles
Texas: 100% complete - 4,208 quadrangles
New York: 100% complete - 972 quadrangles
Kentucky: 100% complete - 671 quadrangles
Tennessee: 100% complete - 694 quadrangles
Iowa: 100% complete - 1.011 quadrangles
Indiana: 100% complete - 640 quadrangles
North Carolina: 100% complete - 883 quadrangles
Virginia: 100% complete - 729 quadrangles
Pennsylvania: 100% complete - 804 quadrangles
Wisconsin: 100% complete - 1,109 quadrangles
Colorado: 100% complete - 1,794 quadrangles
Minnesota: 100% complete - 1,689 quadrangles
Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands: 100% complete - 97 quadrangles
Alaska: 6% complete - 709 quadrangles (estimated total maps when complete: 11,275)
