''The National Map'' is a collaborative effort of the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

(USGS) and other federal, state, and local agencies to improve and deliver topographic information for the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The purpose of the effort is to provide "...a seamless, continuously maintained set of public domain geographic base information that will serve as a foundation for integrating, sharing, and using other data easily and consistently". ''The National Map'' is part of the USGS National Geospatial Program. The geographic information available includes orthoimagery (

aerial photographs Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other airborne platforms. When taking motion pictures, it is also known as aerial videography. Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing aircra ...

), elevation, geographic names,

hydrography Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primar ...

, boundaries, transportation, structures and land cover. ''The National Map'' is accessible via the Web, as products and services, and as downloadable data. Its uses range from recreation to scientific analysis to emergency response. ''The National Map'' is a significant contribution to the

U.S. National Spatial Data Infrastructure The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) is a United States government committee which promotes the coordinated development, use, sharing, and dissemination of geospatial data on a national basis. Its 32 members are representatives from the E ...

(NSDI) from the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) and currently is being transformed to better serve the

geospatial Geographic data and information is defined in the ISO/TC 211 series of standards as data and information having an implicit or explicit association with a location relative to Earth (a geographic location or geographic position). It is also ca ...

community by providing high quality, integrated geospatial data and improved products and services including new generation digital

topographic map In modern mapping, a topographic map or topographic sheet is a type of map characterized by large- scale detail and quantitative representation of relief features, usually using contour lines (connecting points of equal elevation), but histori ...

s. In addition, the National Map is foundational to implementation of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Geospatial Modernization Blueprint. The USGS also utilizes data from ''The National Map'' Corps, which consists of volunteers who devote some of their time to provide

cartographic Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

information on structures. ''The National Map'' is the official replacement for the USGS topographic map program.

''The National Map'' Corps

''The National Map'' Corps consists of volunteers who devote some of their time to provide

information to the

U.S. Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and ...

. The only requirements to participate are having access to the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

and a current familiarity with the area being mapped. This data is used to update ''The National Map''. The program originally allowed volunteers to collect

geographic coordinates The geographic coordinate system (GCS) is a spherical or ellipsoidal coordinate system for measuring and communicating positions directly on the Earth as latitude and longitude. It is the simplest, oldest and most widely used of the various ...

(

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...

and

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east– west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lette ...

) via

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...

receivers. The data was entered in spreadsheet format or in

ESRI Esri (; Environmental Systems Research Institute) is an American multinational geographic information system (GIS) software company. It is best known for its ArcGIS products. With a 43% market share, Esri is the world's leading supplier of GIS ...

shapefile The shapefile format is a geospatial vector data format for geographic information system (GIS) software. It is developed and regulated by Esri as a mostly open specification for data interoperability among Esri and other GIS software product ...

s and submitted via e-mail to the USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center(s) in Denver, Colorado, and

Rolla, Missouri Rolla () is a city in, and the county seat of, Phelps County, Missouri, United States. The population in the 2020 United States Census was 19,943. Rolla is located approximately midway between St. Louis and Springfield along I-44. The Rolla ...

. During the registration process, prospective volunteers submitted a list of the 7.5 minute quadrangle maps on which they wished to work. Once accepted into the project, volunteers received their assignment and 1:24,000 scale

of their quad. While there was no deadline for completing maps, the project's administrators preferred volunteers to submit coordinates for all structures in the quad no more than one year after beginning work. In December 2006, a new Internet-based method for submitting information on structures was introduced. Using a web browser, volunteers are able to navigate maps and aerial photography, placing a point on the map and subsequently entering the name and type of structure. From August 2008, the program stopped accepting structure data collected via GPS, but continued to use the web-based collection site.

Types of structures mapped

The following is a list of structures that can be entered on the web site. The focus is significant man-made structures. The "other" category is for man-made structures not on this list and should not include locations such as homes, restaurants or other commercial establishments. * Education ** School ** College/University * Emergency Response and Law Enforcement ** Fire Station/EMS Station ** Law Enforcement ** Hospital ** Ambulance Service ** Correctional Facility * Government and Military ** State Capitol * Mail and Shipping ** Post Office * Public Attractions and Landmark Buildings ** Cemetery

References

External links

''The National Map''
(USGS)
National Geospatial Program
(USGS)

USGS Aerial Products

from the U.S. Department of the Interior * GeoSPARQLbr>webapp
for selected data sets {{DEFAULTSORT:National Map, The United States Geological Survey Topography Maps of the United States Collaborative mapping Aerial photography

''The National Map'' Corps

Types of structures mapped

See also

References

External links