Selected Online Mapping, Geographic, & Earth Sciences Resources
The incredible proliferation of all types of information on the World Wide Web may have left you wondering where in the world to find the information you seek. This page introduces some selected sites that provide access to virtual map collections topographic maps, satellite images interactive, street mappingor data mapping, online gazetteers, as well as other geographic information sites.
Virtual Map Collections
The ability to scan paper maps and make them available on the Internet means you can view some maps even when the collection is far away or your local library is closed.
Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection (http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/Map_collection.html), from the University of Texas at Austin, includes many electronic versions of printed maps for all regions of the world, many of which are scanned CIA maps. Additionally, the historical maps section provides maps which are from the 19th and early 20th centuries and includes some covering time periods dating back to 980 C.E. Links to many other sites with electronic maps are included.
The David Rumsey Collection (http://www.davidrumsey.com) is an ever growing (over 15,000 maps included to date) collection of primarily 18th and 19th century North and South American cartographic materials. The collection includes atlases, globes, maritime charts, and a variety of separate maps including pocket, wall, children's and manuscript maps. Images are easily viewed through your browser or via specialized software available for download at the site.
The Library of Congress American Memory Map Collections (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/gmdhome.html) provides access to digital representations of maps found in the Geography and Maps Division of the Library of Congress and covering the years 1500-1999. Search using keywords or browse the subject, title, creator and geographic indexes to find maps that are focused on Americana and cartographic treasures found in the Library of Congress.
The CIA World Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html) is the online version of a classic resource. Quality geographic information on countries as well as high quality maps of regions and individual countries. Map images are available as JPEG or PDF format.
United Nations Cartographic Section (http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/english/htmain.htm) provides access too more than 100 non-U.S. maps organized by regions and country. Maps open as PDF files so printing is easy. You will also find peacekeeping maps as well as a select number of thematic maps available at this site.
Montana State Data Center (http://www.ceic.mt.gov/Maps_Gis.asp), from the Montana Department of Commerce provides pre-made maps of demographic information about Montana. From the main page, click on Data Mapsto view both GIF and PDF versions of maps on a variety of subjects. Information on State Data Centers throughout the United States can be found at Census State Data Centers. Not all state data centers provide maps, but they are excellent resources for demographic information of all kinds.
Topographic Maps & Satellite Images [^]
Montana Natural Resources Information System (http://nris.state.mt.us), a service of the Montana State Library, is designed to make information on Montana's natural resources easily and readily accessible. This information includes numerous mapping and data resources. Serving government agencies, business and industry, and private citizens, NRIS operates a clearinghouse and referral service to link users with the best sources of information and service.
TopoZone (http://www.topozone.com) is a commercial site (part of the USGS Digital Cartographic Business Partner program) that provides access to USGS topographic quadrangle maps in the United States. Search by map name, by name of a city or place, or even by entering the name of a geographic feature. The maps have good resolution on screen and you can pan the four directions from the point you start at to get a look at the map. Maps print reasonably well. You can also pick a new scale on the fly and zoom in or out as you please. TopoZone Pro, a fee based subscription service provides upgraded access to full resolution 1 meter USGS aerial photos (DOQQs), infrared aerial photos, shaded relief photos, topos and street maps and many other features.
MapTech MapServer's Online Maps (http://mapserver.maptech.com/homepage/index.cfm) is a commercial site that provides access to topographic maps, nautical charts as well as aerial photos, called NavPhotos, which cover coastal regions exclusively. This site allows the user to search for maps by place name and state. Multiple map scales are available and placing your cursor over the map image will generate coordinates for that point on the map. Maps print well and there is an email option for sending the image to a friend.
Microsoft's TerraServer http://terraserver.microsoft.com/), provides free public access to maps and aerial photography of the United States. Search for a specific city or click the green areas on the map to zoom into a location of interest.
NASA's Planetary Photojournal (http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/), provides access to satellite imagery of earth and the solar system and are organized by planet. Select a planet and choose from a menu of spacecraft/instruments use to obtain the images. Additional search options are available. Also try NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Multimedia page to find media organized by category.
Interactive Street Mapping [^]
There are two types of interactive mapping sites: those that enable the user to map street addresses (primarily within the United States), and those that permit the mapping of data, such as demographic data, crime statistics, or earth science data.
MapQuest (http://www.mapquest.com) is an easy to use popular site that includes three main components: online maps, driving directions, and travel guides. The maps are clean, accurate and a printer friendly map format is provided. Try the International Web Sites link at the bottom of the page to get maps for England, France, or Germany. The World Atlas and Road Atlas links provide additional map resources, some supplemented with aerial photos.
MSN Maps & Directions (http://mappoint.msn.com/(j0av3s451oyqfc4543mckne2)/home.aspx) also maps addresses or cities and will produce driving directions. This is the best site for locating maps of foreign cities. Note: due to colors used in creating the online maps, printouts tend to be washed out and difficult to read.
Yahoo Maps (http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py) Maps is Yahoo's contribution to street mapping with a similar interface and features as the other sites. Map Canadian and several western european countries with this tool!
Interactive Data Mapping [^]
American Fact Finder (http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html) from the US Census Bureau is the site to visit for 2000 Census data and provides both Reference Maps which show basic boundary information (cities, counties, census tracts, etc.) as well as Thematic Maps. The Thematic Map option allows the user to select the geographic area of coverage, select from a limited number of themes and then view the results. Changing items such as geography, theme and data sets is done following a series of steps with straightforward directions. Data tables are also available at this site. Output options include printing and saving to a file.
National Atlas of the United States of America (http://www.nationalatlas.gov/) from the US Geological Survey is an online "cousin" to the original National Atlas of the United States produced in the 1970s. Choose "Atlas Maps" to use the National Atlas Map Browser to build, view, and print maps using a variety of information layers. There are a number of multi-media maps available at this site that combine graphical representations of data with animation as well as links for finding additional information. While there are a limited number of mapping options, users can download National Atlas map layers for personal use or find information on availability of paper maps.
Wetlands Interactive Mapper Tool (http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/launch.html) from the National Wetlands Inventory Center of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides access to National Wetlands Inventory Maps in digital format. Select a county, city, zip code, refuge or lat/long and submit your query. Where available link to aerial photography from Microsoft's TerraServer or view a topographic map of the area. While these will not replace the detailed paper maps the site is a nice place to start for wetlands information. Not all locations are available yet so check out the Current NWI Status Map from the main page to find out if digital maps are available in your area.
Social Explorer (http://www.socialexplorer.com/pub/home/home.aspx) based at Queens College of the City University of New York provides access to interactive data maps back to 1940. Users can access data on population, age, sex, education, marital status, employment and much more on a national level or zoom in to state, city or street level. Maps can be printed or downloaded into a slideshow.
TIGER Mapping Service (http://tiger.census.gov/cgi-bin/mapbrowse-tbl) from the US Census Bureau is one of the original interactive mapping sites on the Web. Users can map a limited number of census variables to geographic map areas such as U.S. Congressional Districts, zip code areas and more standard census and blockgroup areas. Cultural features such as highways and parks are also available for mapping. Search by city or provide a specific set of coordinates. Major updates are not planned for this site, but it remains a useful resource.
Online Gazetteers [^]
A gazetteer is the equivalent of a geographical dictionary, which includes names of places and geographic features. Like dictionaries, gazetteers are still available in print format, and a printed gazetteer may still be preferable for historical place name research.
Geographic Names Information System (http://geonames.usgs.gov/), from the US Geological Survey, enables you to query a database containing nearly 2 million physical and cultural geographic features within the United States. To start your GNIS query, click on the Domestic Names link and then the Search GNIS link. Fill out the form provided. Usually you only need to fill out the Feature name box on the form to begin a query. The output will include information such as the feature's official name, the feature type, its elevation (where available), latitude and longitude, population, and the name of the USGS topographic map sheet on which the feature may be found.
GEOnet Names Server (GNS) (http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/index.html), from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, provides worldwide coverage excluding the United States and Antarctica. To begin your query click on the GNS Search link at the top of the page. The interface allows you to query a single place name and specify the country, but also enables more sophisticated queries using menus. The reply to a query will verify the feature name (or tell you the appropriate name to search under), supply the feature designation (such as PPL for populated place), and give the place's latitude and longitude.
The Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names On Line (http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/tgn/index.html) from the Getty Research Institute, includes nearly 900,000 place name entries. The Thesaurus also provides vernacular and English names of places, variant names in other languages, and whenever possible, historical names. The record for a place may also contain geographical coordinates, dates, and notes.
Other Sites for Locating Maps & Geographic Information [^]
To learn more about the types of geographic information and data available on the World Wide Web, the following sites are good starting points.
Odden's Bookmarks (http://oddens.geog.uu.nl), is a classic in the world of geography for not only providing links to map resources but links to the entire world of cartography and geography. Under Browse, select Maps & Atlases and choose the type you want to find. There are 10,479 Electronic Atlases and 175 entries in the On-line Map Creating category. Long lists but some real gems can be found here.
Maps on Other Web Sites (http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/map_sites/map_sites.html) is a nice listing of maps by categories available on the web.
Yahoo's Geography section (http://www.yahoo.com/Science/Geography/)
Nice Geography Sites (http://www.frw.ruu.nl/nicegeo.html), a site from Utrecht University in the Netherlands that provides alphabetical listings of academic geography departments around the world, geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing web sites, and geography and GIS newsgroups.
State Data Centers (http://www.census.gov/sdc/www/) often provide canned maps which focus on socio-economic data or natural resources. This site provides information for state data centers in all 50 states. Note that not all states provide web sites, data or maps. It is a good starting point when searching for maps/data of census information for a particular state.