Useful Map Sites

Subject: Re: A Useful Map Site

Date: Sat, 13 Jun 98 00:07:14 -0500

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From: Neil Harrison 

To: "CANOETX" 

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Reply-To: Neil Harrison 



On 6/12/98 21:52PM, Bill Whitaker wrote:



>If anyone knows of a better source of info on USGS maps on the 

>Web (other than http://www.mapquest.com), I'd appreciate knowing 

>about it.



Bill;



Not sure what kind of maps you are looking for, but there is so much out 

there on the web that it's mind-boggling (and I'm a map junkie not easily 

impressed!).  Here's a few of sites that may interest you off the top of 

my head and out of my bookmarks.  There is some serious map stuff 

here...enough for several nights of serious map browsing on the web.



1) First of all, many people aren't aware that you can actually query the 

USGS map database directly and make your own topo maps right on your own 

home computer and  print them out, at no charge!  As you can imagine, 

it's quite time consuming and somewhat complicated, but it can be done.  

There is a site that (briefly) explains the basic process at this 

location:



PC Topography http://www.srv.net/~skips/pctopo.html  



Be warned that this guy wants you to send him 5.00 for complete 

instructions.  However, You can get the basic idea from this website and 

then go poke around the usgs sites and figure it for yourself for free, 

however.



2) Believe it or not, the US Census Bureau also operates a similar 

database, called the Tiger Map Server!  As an example, enter this url 

into your browser by cut and paste:



http://tiger.census.gov/cgi-bin/mapgen/.gif?lat=38.89&lon=-77.028&wid=.06&h

t=.01&iht=300&iwd=400&mark=-77.0364,38.8973,redpin,White+House;-77.01,38.88

95,blueball,Capitol



This will query the database and construct a map of Washington DC and the 

area around the Whitehouse with markers for the Capitol and the 

Whitehouse.



Complete instructions for this service can be found at this url:

http://tiger.census.gov/instruct.html



3) Another location to build your own maps is here at the USGS National 

Atlas site at his location:



http://www-atlas.usgs.gov/



4) Also, the USGS has a very cool map finder service for it's 7.5 minute 

topo's at this URL:



http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/Webglis/glisbin/finder_main.pl?dataset_name=MAPS_

LARGE



5) I don't know how to describe this site, except...WOW!  This is the url 

to the USGS Global Land Info System:   http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/webglis/



6) The main jumping off point for ALL of the USGS National Mapping Info 

is here:

http://mapping.usgs.gov/ 



7) Also, UT  has an online map depository, called the Perry-Casteneda map 

collection that is very cool if you like to look at neat maps:



http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/Map_collection.html



8) The EPA has a site that allows users to query a Geographic Information 

System [GIS] and search EPA data for a variety of environmental 

information on such topics as water and wastewater discharges adn 

watershed boundaries at this URL:



http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/mod/fdm/fdm.html



9) For commercial vendors of almost any kind of map you would ever need, 

Princeton U maintains a site of commercial vendors at this URL:



http://www.princeton.edu/~geolib/mapven.htm



Also, soon, I understand the USGS will have CD Roms of Topo's for the 

entire US that will be available on a state by state basis, for around 

59.95 (per state) or so, if my memory serves me correctly.  Don't 

remember all the details because it's late and I'm too lazy to dig up the 

info for you right now, but will post the info later when I get around to 

digging it out.



Hope this helps!



-------------------------------------------------------------------

                    Neil Harrison-Houston, Texas

          email: nil@nol.net   (@ @)  web: www.nol.net/~nil/   

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