FREE USGS Digital Topographic Maps

[n2nh]

Quote[/b] ]It's now easy to find, get, and use topographic maps on your computer! And it's free! Search anywhere in the US by place name or zip code or mark a place on a map. Then download the PDF file or order the paper map.

Topographic maps show elevation and many land features. Follow the instructions at the site and download free .pdf (Adobe Acrobat format) digital Topographic Maps from the USGS. No catches.

<a href="http://store.usgs.gov/locator/?store_url=http://store.usgs.gov/scripts/wgate/zww200b91168d/~flNlc3Npb249UFJEOklHU0tBSENJR1NTQVAwMjowMDAzLjAwM 2YuYjQzYmE1YTguOWJhZSZ*aHR0cF9jb250ZW50X
2NoYXJzZXQ9aXNvLTg4NTktMSZ*U3RhdGU9Mjg3MjUuMDAxLjA zLjA2====?~okcode=SESH" target="_blank">FREE USGS Digital Topo Maps</a>

[kf6rdn]

Wait, this isn't a political thread? If I click on that, will it a page about how evil republicans are pop up suddenly?
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[n2nh]

Quote[/b] (kf6rdn @ Oct. 17 2007,02:22)]Wait, this isn't a political thread? If I click on that, will it a page about how evil republicans are pop up suddenly?
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
Sorry to disappoint. Just getting in touch with my cartographers side.

I'll try harder next time. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[W4INF]

We as taxpayers already paid for the maps, they should be free anyway.

[W3MIV]

Thanks for the information, but the maps are digitized verisons of existing USC&amp;GS topos most of which are very far out of date. My local 7.5x15 quad, for example, is simply a digitized version of the same map I have on paper; the last update on that quad was made in 1974, and that was a partial correction to include some road changes. It still shows structures that were washed away in Hurricane Agnes in 1972! I have been in my home since 1987, and the map shows an empty farm field at that location.

I have a few hundred such maps. All are curiosities and not much more. If you want topo maps, go to DeLorme or other commercial outfit.

[W1GUH]

Very cool site, thanks for the link. I see there's at least one nay-sayer here about the utility of the maps there, but this is a tremendous convenience. It's usually a royal pain to find these maps to buy or order, and here's a way to &quot;see befory you buy.&quot; Guess some people have to find fault with everything. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Thanks again.

[W3MIV]

Quote[/b] (W1GUH @ Oct. 17 2007,08:50)]Very cool site, thanks for the link. #I see there's at least one nay-sayer here about the utility of the maps there, but this is a tremendous convenience. #It's usually a royal pain to find these maps to buy or order, and here's a way to &quot;see befory you buy.&quot; #Guess some people have to find fault with everything. #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Thanks again.
What good is a map from 1974 for any use other than historical interest?

[W1GUH]

Quote[/b] (W3MIV @ Oct. 16 2007,06:58)]Quote[/b] (W1GUH @ Oct. 17 2007,08:50)]Very cool site, thanks for the link. #I see there's at least one nay-sayer here about the utility of the maps there, but this is a tremendous convenience. #It's usually a royal pain to find these maps to buy or order, and here's a way to &quot;see befory you buy.&quot; #Guess some people have to find fault with everything. #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Thanks again.
What good is a map from 1974 for any use other than historical interest?
Historical interest is useless and bad?

[W3MIV]

Quote[/b] (W1GUH @ Oct. 17 2007,09:00)]Quote[/b] (W3MIV @ Oct. 16 2007,06:58)]Quote[/b] (W1GUH @ Oct. 17 2007,08:50)]Very cool site, thanks for the link. #I see there's at least one nay-sayer here about the utility of the maps there, but this is a tremendous convenience. #It's usually a royal pain to find these maps to buy or order, and here's a way to &quot;see befory you buy.&quot; #Guess some people have to find fault with everything. #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Thanks again.
What good is a map from 1974 for any use other than historical interest?
Historical interest is useless and bad?
Absolutely, if your need is for a map to be used as a map, and not as a curiosity. Better off with DeLorme or a commercial outfit.

[N4AUD]

Quote[/b] (W3MIV @ Oct. 17 2007,09:09)]Quote[/b] (W1GUH @ Oct. 17 2007,09:00)]Quote[/b] (W3MIV @ Oct. 16 2007,06:58)]Quote[/b] (W1GUH @ Oct. 17 2007,08:50)]Very cool site, thanks for the link. I see there's at least one nay-sayer here about the utility of the maps there, but this is a tremendous convenience. It's usually a royal pain to find these maps to buy or order, and here's a way to &quot;see befory you buy.&quot; Guess some people have to find fault with everything. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Thanks again.
What good is a map from 1974 for any use other than historical interest?
Historical interest is useless and bad?
Absolutely, if your need is for a map to be used as a map, and not as a curiosity. Better off with DeLorme or a commercial outfit.
They are free, and for outdoorsmen things like mountains and rivers are still there...probably. National Forests and other public land haven't changed that much.

[kq9j]

Quote[/b] (W3MIV @ Oct. 17 2007,05:58)]Quote[/b] (W1GUH @ Oct. 17 2007,08:50)]Very cool site, thanks for the link. #I see there's at least one nay-sayer here about the utility of the maps there, but this is a tremendous convenience. #It's usually a royal pain to find these maps to buy or order, and here's a way to &quot;see befory you buy.&quot; #Guess some people have to find fault with everything. #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Thanks again.
What good is a map from 1974 for any use other than historical interest?
A lot of good as they show the terrain which does not change much over the years.

Except for those numbnuts who are afraid to venture more than 100 yards from the nearest interstate highway.

[kn4ds]

Quote[/b] (kq9j @ Oct. 17 2007,10:02)]Except for those numbnuts who are afraid to venture more than 100 yards from the nearest interstate highway.
It is a well known and observed fact that the earth ends just over 100 yards from any interstate highway.

[w3bny]

Now ifin you folks had to do morse code like we did at 50wpm you wouldnt need maps.

code/no-code hijack

[KD6NIG]

Quote[/b] (w3bny @ Oct. 17 2007,07:43)]Now ifin you folks had to do morse code like we did at 50wpm you wouldnt need maps.

code/no-code hijack
I find navigating with a compass while driving on the freeway at 70 mph to be difficult also, but dangit, its the most reliable way!

(/sarcasm)

[KB9YCO]

Very cool, nice quality maps too, a little more clarity than the Google satellite maps. I didn't notice that they were too out of date, I clicked on some local areas by me where there is constant new building and what I saw wasn't that far out of date.
Thanks for the link.

[KB1KIX]

The government shouldn't be in the map making business.

Obligatory conservative remark! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

Thanx for the link.

I've been here in the past - but the layout is MUCH better now.

I had no idea how much more usable it is.

Jonathan

[AE6IP]

Quote[/b] (W4INF @ Oct. 17 2007,02:56)]We as taxpayers already paid for the maps, they should be free anyway.
The USGS is dramatically underfunded, and the funding does not include the costs of printing and distributing paper editions of the maps.

We did not already pay for the maps, but only for preparing the data -- which has been available freely in DEM format for as long as it has been feasible to do so.

[AE6IP]

Quote[/b] (W3MIV @ Oct. 17 2007,04:09)]Thanks for the information, but the maps are digitized verisons of existing USC&amp;GS topos most of which are very far out of date. My local 7.5x15 quad, for example, is simply a digitized version of the same map I have on paper; the last update on that quad was made in 1974, and that was a partial correction to include some road changes. It still shows structures that were washed away in Hurricane Agnes in 1972! I have been in my home since 1987, and the map shows an empty farm field at that location.

I have a few hundred such maps. All are curiosities and not much more. If you want topo maps, go to DeLorme or other commercial outfit.
The reliability of USGS maps, roughly, is inversely proportional to the rate of urbanization in the area of the map.

I've just spot checked several quads in Montana, and all of them were updated in the 90s, and from my own ground truth reamin accurate.

As far as commercial map sources, their reliability varies widely, but few, if any, are keeping up with urban growth. Even the latest Thomas and DeLorme maps of this area fail to show road changes made in the 90s.

Most of the commercial purveyors of maps obtain their data from one or two suppliers and simply reformat it and those suppliers start from the USGS DEMS and the Tiger database.

It is sad that as the ability to do GIS becomes greater the interest in doing it well and disseminating the results becomes less and so map quality hasn't really kept up with the technology.

[AE6IP]

Quote[/b] (n2nh @ Oct. 16 2007,22:22)]Quote[/b] ]It's now easy to find, get, and use topographic maps on your computer! And it's free! Search anywhere in the US by place name or zip code or mark a place on a map. Then download the PDF file or order the paper map.

Topographic maps show elevation and many land features. Follow the instructions at the site and download free .pdf (Adobe Acrobat format) digital Topographic Maps from the USGS. No catches.

<a href="http://store.usgs.gov/locator/?store_url=http://store.usgs.gov/scripts/wgate/zww200b91168d/~flNlc3Npb249UFJEOklHU0tBSENJR1NTQVAwMjowMDAzLjAwM 2YuYjQzYmE1YTguOWJhZSZ*aHR0cF9jb250ZW50X

2NoYXJzZXQ9aXNvLTg4NTktMSZ*U3RhdGU9Mjg3MjUuMDAxLjA zLjA2====?~okcode=SESH" target="_blank">FREE USGS Digital Topo Maps</a>
Cool.

Thanks for the link. I hadn't realized that the USGS had done this.

[KG4JYD]

Awesome. Thanks for the link.