New US Topo Map Updates:

By Bike, Foot or Hoof: New Arizona Maps Feature Trails: Newly released US Topo maps for Arizona now feature mountain bike trails, segments of the Arizona National Scenic Trail and Public Land Survey System data. Arizona is the first US Topo map series to display the mountain bike trails which are provided through a partnership with the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) and MTB Project. This unique "crowdsourcing" project has allowed availability of mountain bike trail data though mobile and web apps, and the revised US Topo maps. http://on.doi.gov/141jKsQ


• National Scenic Trails Added to Maine Maps: Newly released US Topo maps for Maine now feature segments of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (A.T.) In partnership with The National Park Service and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, several of the 715 new US Topo quadrangles for the state now display parts of the A.T. The A.T. is the is longest of the 11 National Scenic Trails extending more than 2,100 miles through 14 states, meandering from Maine to Georgia. The maps can be viewed and downloaded for free from the US Topo map website. http://on.doi.gov/1tAr7Bq


• Latest Alabama Quads Available: New US Topo maps for Alabama (840 quadrangles) have been posted to the USGS Map Locator & Downloader and are also accessible through The National Map viewer. The revised maps feature a new design that was launched earlier this year and replace the first edition US Topo maps for the state. The new design presents a crisper and cleaner presentation which enhances the readability of the maps for online and printer use. http://on.doi.gov/1rfvtJw

3DEP in the News: The national 3D elevation program (3DEP) project is designed to satisfy the growing demand for consistent, high-quality elevation data and a wide range of other three-dimensional representations of the Nation's natural and constructed features. Among the applications that will benefit from 3DEP data are flood risk management, agriculture, water supply, homeland security, renewable energy, aviation safety, and other areas. During the past few months, 3DEP has increased visibility and importance to include a Congressional Briefing series and mentions by the Administration:

• 3DEP article in Lidar News: "3DEP Draws National Interest and Attention" http://www.lidarnews.com/content/view/11046/


• Google Earth Blog: USGS 3D Elevation Program: http://bit.ly/1IyMaYS


• What Are We Doing with 3D Elevation Data? An Update and a Request – Leaders Blog by Kevin Gallagher (Internal access only) http://internal.usgs.gov/thecore/leaders/2014/12/15/guest-weekly-message-what-are-we-doing-with-3d-elevation-data-an-update-and-a-request/t


• Latest 3DEP State Fact Sheets: During the past few months, the 3D Elevation Program or 3DEP has added five more states to its rapidly growing selection of state-specific fact sheets that features the applications, benefits, and examples of 3DEP. Wyoming, Kansas, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan join the mounting list of 39 state Fact Sheets. All are available for viewing and download from The National Map or 3DEP websites.

Global Ecological Land Units maps:The USGS and Esri are pleased to announce the publication of the most detailed global ecological land units map in the world. This exciting new global data set provides a science platform for better understanding and accounting of the world’s resources as well as assessments of ecosystem services, such as carbon storage, soil formation and environmental degradation. Esri has created a Story Map and custom app that allow for additional exploration and insight. Scientists, land managers, conservationists, developers, and the public can use this map to improve regional, national, and global resource management, planning, and decision making. http://bit.ly/1zoMk3G

TIGER Turns 25, Added to TNM: In conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) database, the U.S. Census Bureau and the USGS are issuing a joint release to announce that The National Map Viewer and US Topo maps will use TIGER data starting in 2015. The TIGER roads layer, which consists of all roads in the US, joins the TIGER governmental unit boundaries layer as an authoritative source of current, accurate and high-quality geospatial data for reliable map products. http://1.usa.gov/1F4h7UV

Where is Monson? The US Topo map and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have updated the interactive map application to those home pages. The new series features nine topographic maps of the Monson, Maine area. The quadrangles span more than 63 years and the 2014 editions feature segments of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. These flash thumbnails of original scanned maps display all available versions of the Monson 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. http://1.usa.gov/jtRGVx, http://1.usa.gov/HgbHNw

Trivia Challenge: There are just over how many counties in U.S.: 3,000; 12,000 or 27,000? 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! http://go.usa.gov/b2u5

3DEP in the News: The national 3D elevation program (3DEP) project is designed to satisfy the growing demand for consistent, high-quality elevation data and a wide range of other three-dimensional representations of the Nation's natural and constructed features. Among the applications that will benefit from 3DEP data are flood risk management, agriculture, water supply, homeland security, renewable energy, aviation safety, and other areas. During the past few months, 3DEP has increased visibility and importance to include a Congressional Briefing series and mentions by the Administration:

History of America’s Maps: Esri, one of the world’s leading geospatial corporations, has developed an application to better access and manipulate maps from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection. The USGS Historical Topographic Map Explorer allows users to access the historical maps as high resolution georeferenced images for use in web mapping apps and features a timeline to easily select the desired maps. The HTMC contains more than 178,000 legacy maps scans dating from late 1884 to 2006. More product improvements to include the ability to bring the HTMC maps into a GIS environment are expected to be announced soon. http://bit.ly/1iVSBhQ

• Track a Century of U.S. Development With a Tool That Centralizes Old Maps
• The Power of Maps, Past and Present
• Massive New Tool Lets You Look at Maps of Your Town Over 100 Years

The National Map Corps “crowdsourcing” project in the news:

Bienvenidos PR: The National Map Corps is happy to announce the addition of Puerto Rico to the continually growing Volunteer Geographic Information project. Using crowd-sourcing techniques, the initiative encourages citizen volunteers to collect data about man-made structures to update and validate the USGS National Map. To date, more than 58,320 structures and features have been submitted through TNMCorps web editor. Anyone with access to a computer is welcome to join the fun and earn "badges". http://on.doi.gov/1qKT0WE (Spanish version also available: http://on.doi.gov/TAyBWi)


• Take a Trip to the Islands: The National Map Corps is happy to announce the addition of the US Virgin Islands to the continually growing Volunteer Geographic Information project. Using crowd-sourcing techniques, the initiative encourages citizen volunteers to collect data about man-made structures to update and validate the USGS National Map. To date, more than 60,500 structures and features have been submitted through TNMCorps web editor. Anyone with access to a computer is welcome to join the fun and earn "badges" (works best with Chrome browser). http://on.doi.gov/WN0eNY


• Crowdsourcing Awards Take to the Air: The National Map Corps (TNMCorps) data volunteers continue to make significant additions to the USGS’s ability to provide accurate mapping information and data to the public. To reward those citizen scientists, TNM Corps has issued virtual badges to those participants that reach certain point (structure data submission) levels. Since a number of contributors have surpassed the current seven badges, the project has moved to develop and announce new badges, this time featuring hot air balloons, carrier pigeons, rockets and bi-planes at 1,000 point increments. Using crowd sourcing techniques, volunteers have verified, corrected, or collected more than 62,000 manmade structures providing data for the National Geospatial Program’s web-based The National Map (TNM) and ultimately US Topo maps. http://on.doi.gov/1xlmX00

New US Topo maps:

Oregon Trails: Newly released US Topo maps for Oregon now feature segments of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. Several of the 1,835 new US Topo quadrangles for the state now display parts of the Trail along with other improved data layers. The PCNST is a treasured pathway through some of the most scenic terrain in the nation, stretching more than 2,650 miles from Mexican border to Canada. The new maps also include Public Land Survey System (PLSS) data. http://on.doi.gov/1nXvlgx


• National Scenic Trails Added to Michigan Maps: Newly released US Topo maps for Michigan now feature segments of the North Country National Scenic Trail. In partnership with The National Park Service and local organizations, several of the 1,290 new US Topo quadrangles for the state now display parts of the Trail along with PLSS and other improved data layers. The North Country Trail is longest one of the 11 National Scenic Trails extending over seven states from New York to North Dakota. The maps can be downloaded for free at: http://nationalmap.gov/ustopo/ News Release: http://on.doi.gov/1BduMXH


• Latest Arkansas and South Carolina Quads Available: New US Topo maps for Arkansas (874 maps) and South Carolina (519 maps) have been posted to the USGS Map Locator & Downloader and are also accessible through The National Map viewer. The revised maps feature a new design that was launched earlier this year and replace the first edition US Topo maps for those states. The new design presents a crisper and cleaner presentation which enhances the readability of the maps for online and printer use. http://on.doi.gov/1ns5RGy

Lidar vs LiDAR: Should it be LiDAR, lidar, LIDAR, LiDar or another version? There are currently at least used seven forms of the acronym for “light detection and ranging”; a method of obtaining topographic elevation using light pulses, similar to radar. To make the case for a common and consistent usage of the acronym, two USGS researchers have put forth a rationale and justification for a collective term. Which version won? Go to: http://bit.ly/1lTzHcY

Heading for 3,500! The National Map Twitter site has surpassed its goal of 3K followers and 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 3,500! Heading for 3,500! The National Map Twitter site has surpassed its goal of 3K followers and 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 3,500!

Discover the Northwest with Revised Montana Maps: Just in time to explore the great outdoors this summer, 2,913 newly designed US Topo maps covering Montana are now available for free download. The new quadrangles have a crisper, cleaner design - enhancing readability of maps for online and printed use. The previous versions of US Topo maps for Montana and scanned images of the entire USGS map library of topographic maps from the period 1884-2006 can be downloaded from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection. These scanned images of legacy paper maps, as well as the US Topo maps, are available at no cost from The National Map and the USGS Map Locator & Downloader websites. http://on.doi.gov/1l5i4DS

Want to know how elevation will benefit your state? The USGS National Geospatial Program is advancing the 3D Elevation Program, known as 3DEP, in response to the growing need for high-quality three-dimensional representations of the Nation's natural and constructed features. 3DEP uses modern technologies like lidar and ifsar to collect high-density elevation data over the U.S. These data are essential to a broad range of applications and support a large range of business uses including national security, wildlife and habitat management, water resource management, and geologic hazards mitigation, to name a few. Currently, there are 24 3DEP state-specific fact sheets available on the 3DEP or The National Map websites. http://on.doi.gov/1loqqCZ

Trivia Challenge: The USGS online service called Streamer lets users visualize what? For the answer to this - and other fun science trivia question - go to the Science.gov website. The USGS, as part of 15 Federal science and research agencies who make up the Science.gov alliance, is sponsoring "trivia challenge" questions that 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! http://go.usa.gov/b2u5

Antietam Battlefield Area - 130 Years of Maps: The US Topo map and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have updated the interactive map application to those home pages. The new series features 11 topographic maps of the Keedysville, Maryland area, which features parts of the Antietam Civil War battlefield. The maps range from 1884 to the present and include different scales. These flash thumbnails of original scanned maps display all available versions of the Keedysville/Antietam/Middletown/Harper's Ferry 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. http://1.usa.gov/jtRGVx, http://1.usa.gov/HgbHNw

Latest North Dakota, Delaware and Maryland Quads Available: New US Topo maps for North Dakota (1,402 maps), Delaware (38 maps) and Maryland (213 maps) have been posted to the USGS Map Locator & Downloader and are also accessible through The National Map Viewer. The new maps feature a new design that was launched earlier this year and replace the first edition US Topo maps for those states. The new design presents a crisper and cleaner presentation which enhances the readability of the maps for online and printer use. http://on.doi.gov/1nusTyk

3DEP in the News:

• Lidar News: An article titled "Government: Now is the Time for the Geospatial Community to Contact Congress in Support of 3DEP" appeared in the most recent edition of Lidar News. The national 3D elevation program (3DEP) project is designed to satisfy the growing demand for consistent, high-quality elevation data and a wide range of other three-dimensional representations of the Nation's natural and constructed features. Among the applications that will benefit from 3DEP data are flood risk management, agriculture, water supply, homeland security, renewable energy, aviation safety, and other areas.

• Earth Imaging Journal: A short summary, with relevant links, titled, "How Will 3DEP Benefit Your State" is featured in the current edition of the Earth Imaging Journal.

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 http://nhd.usgs.gov/newsletter_list.html

Hey, Developers - Changes to USGS National Map elevation point query service: The very popular USGS elevation query service which averages over 8 million hits per month is being replaced with a new updated web query service for finding point elevations. The current service URL at http://gisdata.usgs.gov/xmlwebservices2/elevation_service.asmx is being retired by the end of June 2014. A new service that replaces the previous web query service is now available at http://ned.usgs.gov/epqs/ for your usage. However, be aware that it doesn't exactly replicate the older service's behavior so we recommend that users switch over to the new service prior to the end of June. Please contact <tnm_help@usgs.gov> if you have questions or need additional support.

Nearing 3,000! The National Map Twitter site is just a couple followers shy of 3,000. Thanks to all who have joined us on @USGSTNM. Are you part? If not, sign up today and help us reach 3K!

You Can Contribute to National Mapping: This April marks the one year anniversary of the USGS's The National Map Corps (TNMCorps) transition from a small regional pilot project in the heart of Denver, Colo., into a very successful nation-wide project. During the past year, civilian volunteers in every state have increasingly provided accurate mapping data to the The National Map. Some numbers: 1,422 volunteers; 33,698 points edited; 18 volunteers who have earned more than 500 points. Earn points, get badges! http://on.doi.gov/1heH7y1

KY, ME, MO, MT, OR & TN 3DEP Fact Sheets: Increasing the pace of production, he 3D Elevation Program or 3DEP has added six more states to its rapidly growing selection of state-specific fact sheets that features the applications, benefits, and examples of 3DEP. This data is critical in such fields as agriculture, precision farming, natural resources conservation, flood risk management, infrastructure and construction management, water supply and quality, and other business uses. The Kentucky 3DEP Fact Sheet, the Maine 3DEP Fact Sheet, the Missouri 3DEP Fact Sheet, the Montana 3DEP Fact Sheet, the Oregon 3DEP Fact Sheet, and the Tennessee 3DEP Fact Sheet join the mounting list of 21 state Fact Sheets. All are available for viewing and download from The National Map website.

ASPRS Elections: USGS Physical Scientist Jason Stoker has been elected as the Assistant Director of the Lidar Division of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS). Jason is currently at the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center and is former Director of the USGS Center for Lidar Information Coordination and Knowledge (CLICK). He has been a conference keynote speaker for ASPRS and guest editor for Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (PE&RS;), the Journal of the Imaging and Geospatial Information Society. Additionally, USGS Research Physical Scientist Lynn Usery, who was elected as the ARPRS Vice President last year, has been elevated to President-Elect. http://bit.ly/1dNRaj4

NHD Newsletter: The most recent edition of the NHD Newsletter has been posted. The monthly bulletin highlights people and programs involved in the National Hydrography Dataset and Watershed Boundary Dataset. To this point, more than 740 pages of information have been written about these programs. 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 http://nhd.usgs.gov/newsletter_list.html

The National Map and National Atlas Merge: During this year, National Atlas of the United States and The National Map will transition into a combined single source for geospatial and cartographic information. This transformation is projected to streamline access to maps, data and information from the USGS National Geospatial Program (NGP). This action will prioritize our civilian mapping role and consolidate core investments while maintaining top-quality customer service. http://on.doi.gov/1bS7luv

Border Waters: The U.S. and Canada recently completed a trans-continental project to join digital surface waters along the International Boundary. This linking of water systems data makes it easier to solve cross-border water quality issues and improve environmental coordination. The principle agencies involved in this effort are the USGS and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), with oversight by the International Joint Commission (IJC). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Agricultural Foods Canada, and Environment Canada also participated throughout the process. http://on.doi.gov/N9WTDp

NHD in the News: USGS Physical Scientist Pater Steeves was interviewed for, and quoted in an article in the Montana Missoulian. The feature titled, "USGS releases watershed maps that cross U.S. - Canada border", highlights the real benefits of the USGS and Canadian border "harmonization" project.

New York and Maryland 3DEP Fact Sheets: The 3D Elevation Program or 3DEP has added the "Empire State" and "The Old Line State" to its growing selection of state-specific fact sheets that features the applications, benefits, and examples of 3DEP. This data is critical in such fields as agriculture, precision farming, natural resources conservation, flood risk management, infrastructure and construction management, water supply and quality, and other business uses. The New York 3DEP Fact Sheet and the Maryland 3DEP Fact Sheet join the growing list of 15 total state Fact Sheets. All are available for viewing and download from The National Map website.

3DEP in the News:

• National Geospatial Program Director Mark DeMulder and senior NGP advisor Larry Sugarbaker were interviewed for and quoted in the February 27 edition of Government Computer News. The article titled, "Alaska's scale put USGS mapping systems to the test" looks at the advantages and challenges of the collection of Lidar and Ifsar data through the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) over the U.S. and especially Alaska.
• DeMulder, Sugarbaker and 3DEP were also featured in a February 20 GCN article labeled, "Flood-risk planners await next-generation laser mapping".

The National Map Corps in the News: Shawana Johnson, the President of Global Marketing Insights cited the USGS "crowdsouring" project during an interview with the most recent edition of Earth Imaging Journal. She noted that the growing project has resulted in improving map data and government/private sector relations even in an era of budgetary restrictions.

New NGAC Appointments: Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell has appointed 17 new and continuing members to the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC). The advisory committee provides recommendations on geospatial policy and management issues to the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), the interagency executive group responsible for providing leadership and direction in federal geospatial programs.

Demand for Elevation Data: National Geospatial Program geographers David Saghy and Allyson Jason were quoted in an article titled, "Demand for Elevation Data is on the Rise" in the January 2014 edition of Point of Beginning (POB) Magazine, p. 14. The report highlighted the benefits 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) to a wide variety of management, hazards and infrastructure matters. It also discusses the interagency cooperation and involvement in the developing program.

Has the Grand Teton Grown?: USGS geographer Steve Reiter was quoted in feature story "It's the same old Grand, only now it's 5 feet grander" that appeared in the Jackson Hole News & Guide. The story looks at a recent release of information indicating that official height of the Grand Teton is now 13,775 feet - up from the previous 13,770 feet. The column further describes the height difference in not a result of mountain growth or new technology, but is due to a more accurate definition of mean sea level, known as the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88).

Crowd-Sourcing the Nation update: The National Map Corps (TNMCorps) has just passed an exciting milestone. Using crowd-sourcing techniques, the USGS' Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) project has surpassed 25,000 manmade feature edits since 2011. Structures being updated include schools, hospitals, post offices, police stations and other important public buildings. Tools on TNMCorps web site explain how a volunteer can edit any area, regardless of their familiarity with the selected structures. Becoming a volunteer for TNMCorps is easy; go to The National Map Corps web site to learn more and to sign up as a volunteer. Participants are enrolled in a recognition program that awards "virtual" badges to volunteers as they submit map edits. http://on.doi.gov/1dODMX8

South Dakota 3DEP Fact Sheet: The 3D Elevation Program or 3DEP has added the "Mount Rushmore" state to its growing selection of state-specific fact sheets that feature the applications, benefits, and examples of 3DEP. This data is critical in such fields as agriculture, precision farming, natural resources conservation, flood risk management, infrastructure and construction management, water supply and quality, and other business uses. The South Dakota 3DEP Fact Sheet, along with the preceding 12 state Fact Sheets, are available for viewing and download from The National Map website.

Thirteen Years of Publication: The December edition of the NHD Newsletter marks the start of the thirteenth year of publication. The monthly bulletin has highlighted people and programs involved in the National Hydrography Dataset and Watershed Boundary Dataset. To this point, more than 720 pages of information have been written about these programs. 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 http://nhd.usgs.gov/newsletter_list.html

Florida 3DEP Fact Sheet: The 3D Elevation Program or 3DEP has added the "Sunshine" state to its growing selection of state-specific fact sheets that feature the applications, benefits, and examples of 3DEP. This data is critical in such fields as agriculture, precision farming, natural resources conservation, flood risk management, infrastructure and construction management, water supply and quality, and other business uses. The Florida 3DEP Fact Sheet, along with the preceding 11 state Fact Sheets, are available for viewing and download from The National Map website.

Henry Gannett Award: Dr. Cynthia Brewer, an affiliate faculty member who works with the USGS Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science, has been awarded the 2013 Henry Gannett Award. The award, presented by the National Geospatial Program, recognizes exceptional contributions to topographic mapping. Dr. Brewer is cited for her involvement in the development of new symbology for the US Topo map project. Additionally, Dr. Brewer directly involves students, both at the graduate and undergraduate level at Penn State University, in her designs and research work, providing a foundation, education and training for the next generation of mapping professionals. http://on.doi.gov/1hIiJvo

Where is Frazeyburg, Ohio? The US Topo map and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have updated the interactive map application to their home pages. The new series is nine topographic maps of the Dresden, Ohio area maps - ranging from 1910 to the present. The earliest version of the map is centered on Frazeyburg. These flash thumbnails of original scanned maps display all available versions of the featured state quadrangles in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger "browse" versions of each map, and go directly to the download services. http://1.usa.gov/jtRGVx, http://1.usa.gov/HgbHNw

Alabama 3DEP Fact Sheet: The 3D Elevation Program or 3DEP has added the "Yellowhammer" state to the collection of state-specific fact sheets that feature the applications, benefits, and examples of 3DEP. This data is critical in such areas as agriculture, precision farming, natural resources conservation, flood risk management, infrastructure and construction management, water supply and quality, and other business uses. The Alabama 3DEP Fact Sheet, along with the preceding 10 state Fact Sheets, are available for viewing and download from The National Map website.

Let's Talk Turkey Across the Landscape: For Thanksgiving connections to the names of America's places, check out the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), the national database for standard geographic names. According to the GNIS database, the word "Turkey" appears in Virginia 83 times, Missouri at 118, and 150 instanes on maps of Oklahoma. Texas is the state with the most "Turkey" placenames at nearly 190. So, what's interesting about Thanksgiving names in your state? Or maybe you'd like to find geographic names that match your family name. You can begin looking through the Geographic Names Information System web portal. Complete story: http://on.doi.gov/1ejT4Ur

Trivia Challenge: Which famous explorer was the second director of the USGS? For the answer to this - and other fun science trivia question - go to: http://www.science.gov/trivia. The USGS, as part of 15 Federal science and research agencies who make up the Science.gov alliance, is sponsoring "trivia challenge" questions that 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!

Mount McKinley Not Shrinking: Alaska Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell, while addressing the International Map Collectors Society, stated that Mt. McKinley was 83 feet shorter that previously thought, and cited USGS data as the source. A resulting article in the Anchorage Daily News, and ensuing articles by Reuters and the Associated Press, caused a media storm. Within two days, more than 500 major media outlets printed or broadcast versions of the story. To clarify the issue, Kari Craun, the Director of the National Geospatial Technical Operations Center, fielded several media interviews to place the issue into perspective and simply explain that the USGS is not disputing the current "spot" Denali elevation of 20,320 feet. A National Geographic article is a good, fairly simple narrative to summarize the matter as a more official response is being drafted for placement on the Alaska Mapping Initiative website.

Bringing Home the Gold: The USGS was awarded the gold medal at the recent International Map and Trade Association "Americas" Conference in Boston. The marketing and communications plan for, and subsequent execution of, The National Map Corps (#TNMCorps) Crowdsourcing or Volunteer Geographic Information project garnered first place in the "Best Marketing or Promotional Program" category. TNMCorps structures program went nation-wide in mid-August and now has nearly 940 volunteers who have contributed more than 16,900 points. The volunteer process is easy, with virtual awards available for participation. Sign up today and give it a try!

Alaska and Minnesota 3DEP Fact Sheets: The "Frontier State" and the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" have been added to the collection of state-specific Fact Sheets that feature the applications, benefits, and examples of 3D elevation data or 3DEP. This data is critical in such areas as agriculture, precision farming, natural resources conservation, flood risk management, infrastructure and construction management, water supply and quality, and other business uses. The AK 3DEP Fact Sheet and MN 3DEP Fact Sheet, along with the preceding six state Fact Sheets, are available for viewing and downloading from The National Map website.

New maps for Colorado and Minnesota, with CO FS trails: Updated US Topo quadrangles covering Colorado (1,794 maps) and Minnesota (1,689 maps) are now available and replace the first edition US Topo maps for those states. For the first time, the new Colorado US Topo quads include recreational trails in National Forests, provided by the U.S. Forest Service. The new maps also feature a crisper, cleaner design - enhancing readability of maps for online and printed use. http://on.doi.gov/1d7Uz7H

Redrawing America: The USGS support of Hurricane Sandy relief and the employment of new technologies were cited in a recent feature titled, "A Huge Laser-Mapping Project Is Redrawing America". The article also discussed increasing use of lidar (light detection and imaging radar) and the emerging 3D Elevation Program.

Where is Mount Massive? The US Topo map and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have updated the interactive map application to their home pages. The new series is 12 topographic maps of the Mount Massive, Colorado area maps - ranging from 1889 to the present. Earlier versions of the map include Leadville and Mount Elbert. These flash thumbnails of original scanned maps display all available versions of the featured state quadrangles in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger versions and the map and go directly to the download services. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

• News Release: http://on.doi.gov/14gYQpa
• Anchorage Daily News front page article: http://bit.ly/166ia6V

We Will Rock You - Geologic Map Day: The USGS is again partnering with the American Geosciences Institute, the Association for American State Geologists and others to promote the importance of geologic mapping to society by celebrating the 2nd annual Geologic Map Day on October 18, as a part of the Earth Science Week 2013 activities. Geologic maps are vital to education, science, business, and public policy concerns. Geologic Map Day will focus the attention of students, teachers, and the general public on the study, uses, and significance of these tools, by engaging audiences through educational activities, print materials, online resources, and public outreach opportunities. More info: http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=3695

• Washington: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2013/3057/
• Idaho: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2013/3053/
• Virginia: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2013/3052/
• Colorado: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2013/3050/

Top TNMCorps Award: Don Kloker, a very active volunteer with The National Map Corps, has reached the program's top recognition badge, the Theodolite Assemblage, after contributing more than 2,000 points!! "I enjoy mapping structures, it's a unique combination of validating structures from aerial photography and web-based sources," says Kloker, "My structures contributions have provided me with an excellent geography lesson and I have learned many things about communities that I most likely would not have been otherwise able to experience." Please join Don in helping us to update The National Map!

Mapping 111 Years of Norfolk: The US Topo map and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. The flash thumbnails of original scanned maps display all available versions of the featured state quadrangles in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger versions and the map and go directly to the download services. The new series is 12 topographic maps of Norfolk, Virginia area maps - ranging from 1902 to the present. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

New State 3DEP Fact Sheets: Rhode Island is the second state to have a state-specific Fact Sheet to feature the applications, benefits, and examples of 3D elevation data. This data is critical in such areas as agriculture, precision farming, natural resources conservation, flood risk management, infrastructure and construction management, water supply and quality, and other business uses. The Fact Sheets are available for viewing and downloading from The National Map website. http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2013/3040/

On the Radio: USGS Graphics Specialist Kristen Fishburn was interviewed by Jodi Henke, host of "Living the Country Life" for a segment titled, "Reading a Topographic Map". The radio program is the largest rural radio network in the nation and airs twice daily on more than 300 stations in 37 states. The program aired the week of June 3. http://www.livingthecountrylife.com/country-life/reading-topographic-map/

Mapping On the Radio: Kevin Gallagher, Associate Director of the Core Science Systems (CSS) at the USGS, which encompasses the National Geospatial Program (NGP), was featured on Federal News Radio. Kevin interview included the Alaska Mapping Initiative, the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), highlighting the geospatial platform and new data management strategies. The title of the program is, "USGS mashing up data to create new views of the country."

Trivia Challenge: What is the largest volcano on Earth? For the answer to this - and other fun science trivia question - go to: http://www.science.gov/trivia .The USGS, as part of 15 Federal science and research agencies who make up the Science.gov alliance, is sponsoring "trivia challenge" questions that 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!

VGI "Top Story": The National Map Corps (TNMCorps) volunteer geographic information (VGI) project is a featured "Top Story" on the USGS main website. Titled, "USGS Needs YOU! Help Our National Mapping Efforts By Adding Your Community's Landmarks and Buildings", the story and graphics give greater detail to the soon-to-be national effort. The article provides information on how citizens can volunteer to gather structures data and also highlights the "recognition" program, where volunteers can earn virtual "badges" of increasing importance by earning points for data submission.

"Streamer" Launched: National Atlas of the United States® has released a new on-line service called Streamer. Streamer is a new way to visualize and understand water flow across America. With Streamer you can explore our Nation's major streams by tracing upstream to their source or downstream to where they empty. In addition to making maps, Streamer creates reports about your stream traces and the places they pass through simply by picking a point on a stream. The reports include hydrographic and political features encountered along each trace, as well as USGS streamflow gaging stations. http://go.usa.gov/jjc6

Crowd-Sourcing the Nation - More States Added: The USGS volunteer mapping program known as The National Map Corps (TNMCorps) has added 16 more states to the data collection effort. The program encourages citizens to collect and update structures data such as schools, hospitals, post offices, police stations and other important public buildings to augment The National Map. New states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming, bringing the total number of states available for updating to 35. The tools on TNMCorps website explain how a volunteer can edit any area, regardless of where they live. Rewards are available to participants. News Release.

Mapping Solves Cold Case: Aerial images from the USGS were cited as critical in a story about a 30-year-old St. Louis murder investigation in the June 18 edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. http://bit.ly/10ybrm1

New State 3DEP Fact Sheets: Wisconsin is the first state to have a state-specific Fact Sheet to feature the applications, benefits, and examples of 3D elevation data. This data is critical in such areas as agriculture, precision farming, natural resources conservation, flood risk management, infrastructure and construction management, water supply and quality, and other business uses. The Fact Sheets are available for viewing and downloading from The National Map website. http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2013/3032

NED Release: The June update of the National Elevation Dataset (NED) 1-, 1/3- and 1/9-arc-second collections have been posted. This release incorporates 16,439 square miles of new light detection and ranging (lidar) data into the NED 1/9-arc-second layer primarily over CONUS. The NED 1- and 1/3-arc-second layers were updated with 10,338 square miles of migrated high-resolution source data and 3,776 square miles of 5-meter Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (ifsar) source data over Alaska. The update also includes 6,023 square miles of topobathymetric data centering over the San Francisco Bay, California. All NED data are available via The National Map Viewer: http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/

Find Points, Get Points: To recognize the important work being done by volunteers who are providing mapping data to The National Map, The USGS The National Map Corps is launching a recognition program based on the number of points a volunteer contributes. Levels of recognition are displayed in the form of icons or badges of antique catalog drawings of different and increasingly sophisticated pieces of surveying equipment. As a volunteer attains each level, a congratulations email is sent, and the accomplishments are recognized via The National Map Twitter site (#TNMCorps) and the USGS Facebook page. http://go.usa.gov/bacT

"USGS Topo Data on the Go": Got a smart phone and want to use USGS topographic data for navigation? Now you can. The USGS has published information on how to leverage USGS topographic mapping data into mobile devices, and using the power of the device's GPS to find precise locations while hiking, biking, running or other outside activities. The National Map data is available on devices that are using the Android operation system or iOS. http://go.usa.gov/Tmne

Sequestration Impacts: Mark DeMulder, the Director of the USGS National Mapping Program, responded to a query from GIM International asking about the impacts of sequestration on the USGS as well as the greater geomatics/geospatial community. The question was partly due to the postponement of this year's The National Map Users Conference and decreased participation in other geospatial related conferences and meetings because of reduced travel and sponsorship funds. http://bit.ly/ZWpDT5

New elevation data released: The April 2013 update of the National Elevation Dataset (NED) 1-, 1/3- and 1/9-arc-second collections has been posted. The release incorporates 27,895 square miles of new light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data into the NED 1/9-arc-second layer primarily over CONUS. The NED 1- and 1/3-arc-second layers were updated with 54,762 square miles of migrated high resolution source data and 13,700 square miles of 5-meter Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IFSAR) source data over Alaska. The update also includes topobathymetric data covering the North Carolina Outer Banks. April Release Notes. NED data are available via The National Map Viewer

ASPRS Awards: The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) recently presented the 2013 Outstanding Service Award to USGS scientist: George Y. G. Lee for his service as Technical Editor of the Manual of Photogrammetry and his dedicated efforts to fully endow the Francis H. Moffitt Memorial Scholarship. Also, USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) Director Kari Craun was recognized for her achievements as part of a working group which developed guidelines for procurement of commercial geospatial mapping products. http://bit.ly/10W7SX7

New Database Maps Biodiversity: The UGS Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation (BISON) system allows users - often land managers, researchers, refuge managers, citizen scientists, agriculture professionals, fisheries managers, water resource managers, educators and others - to search for hundreds of thousands of species records in search fields ranging from the entire country and U.S. territories down to specific towns or parks. BISON displays search results in list or interactive map formats, and each species occurrence point can be clicked on to find more information about who provided or collected the data. http://go.usa.gov/TETj

USGS Cited in GCN: The USGS-sponsored National Enhanced Elevation Assessment was referenced in the recent edition of Government Computer News. The study found that a national program of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data collection could result in net benefits ranging from $116 - $620 million per year. Biggest savings would be found in flood risk management, infrastructure and construction management, natural resources conservation, agriculture and water supply management. http://bit.ly/13MZQwu

Aerial Scans of Sandy's Destruction: USGS researchers coordinated and are analyzing before-and-after lidar images of Hurricane Sandy in at Ocean Bay Park on Fire Island National Seashore. The lidar data will check the accuracy of storm predictions, improve future USGS storm modeling and can help scientists and decision-makers identify the areas along the shore that have been made more vulnerable to future coastal hazards in the storm's wake. http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/sandy/lidar/

NAS Report: The National Academy of Sciences recently released a report on the USGS titled, "Advancing Strategic Science: A Spatial Data Infrastructure Roadmap for the U.S. Geological Survey". The report examines the USGS Science Strategy and supports the framework of spatial data, metadata, tools, and a user community that is interactively connected to use spatial data in an efficient and flexible way--known as a spatial data infrastructure (SDI) http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13506

Landsat 8: Launched by NASA, the new Landsat 8 satellite is expected to transmit images and data about the Earth within 100 days. Landsat data from more than 3 million current and archived images of Earth - available free of charge the USGS - have spurred extensive research and innovations, ranging from scientific investigations around the globe to the development of applications like Google Earth. If you missed the launch, you can access a replay at: http://1.usa.gov/VRsblN

New lidar data: The February, 2013 update of the National Elevation Dataset (NED) 1-, 1/3- and 1/9-arc-second collections has been released. This marks the 70th update of the 1-arc-second layer since bi-monthly revisions began in June, 2000. This release incorporates 22,996 square miles of new light detection and ranging (lidar) data into the NED 1/9-arc-second layer. The NED 1- and 1/3-arc-second layers were updated with 18,613 square miles of migrated high resolution source data. All NED data are available via The National Map Viewer: http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/

New Fact Sheet: A new fact sheet titled "USGS Natural Hazards Response", is now available. The primary goal of USGS Emergency Operations is to ensure that the disaster response community has access to timely, accurate, and relevant geospatial products, imagery, and services during and after an emergency event: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2012/3061/

3DEP Reports: "The Benefits of Improved National Elevation Data" by USGS scientist Gregory Snyder is featured in the current issue of Photogrammetric Engineering andRemote Sensing (PE&RS) Magazine along with a forward by USGS scientist Jason Stoker, titled, "Are We Moving Past the Pixel?" (p. 133) .Elevation data are essential for flood hazard mitigation, agricultural productivity, infrastructure and energy development, resource conservation, national security, and many other applications. Under the leadership of the USGS and the National Digital Elevation Program (NDEP), Federal agencies, State agencies, and others work together to acquire high-quality elevation data for the US its territories.

2013 Gannett Award: The USGS is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the 2013 Henry Gannett award. This award commemorates the first USGS Chief Geographer, (1882-1914) Henry Gannett, and his tremendous contributions to topographic mapping in the United States. The Henry Gannett award is designed to recognize and celebrate talented individuals or groups of individuals for outstanding accomplishments to the topographic mapping mission of the USGS. Individuals, both internal and external to the USGS are eligible to make nominations or receive this award. The call for nominations is made biennially through the USGS National Geospatial Program (NGP). Each nomination package must be submitted no later than February 26. 2013. Details on award criteria and processes are found at http://nationalmap.gov/gannett/. The award will be presented at The National Map Users Conference and Community for Data Integration Workshop and Training during an award ceremony in May 2013. This is a unique opportunity for the USGS to honor significant contributions in our community. We look forward to receiving a broad range of nominations of individuals that have furthered USGS topographic mapping of the Nation.

USGS ASPRS Fellow: Scientist Dr. George Y. Lee, national lead for the USGS orthoimagery program, has been named a 2013 Fellow in the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. The award is in recognition of more than 38 years of professional service and excellence to science, the ASPRS and the USGS. Among his various accomplishments, Lee was instrumental in the development and implementation of a program to complete first time national coverage with Digital Othrophoto Quarter Quadrangles (DOQQ's). More information: http://www.asprs.org/Press-Releases/ASPRS-2013-Fellows-Named.html

"Science.gov: The Power of 10": Science.gov - the Federal government's "one stop" real-time science data website, is now celebrating its 10th anniversary. The USGS is a founding member of Science.gov and, along with 12 other Federal agencies, has created a web portal to provide wide, public access and a unified search of the government's vast stores of scientific and technical information. Moving into its second decade, the website recently launched a Spanish language version and added multimedia content such as videos, images and audio files. Also, to highlight interesting science facts from the Alliance members, the website added "cool stuff" webpage: http://go.usa.gov/gXxF

Aerial Scans of Sandy's Destruction: USGS researchers coordinated and are analyzing before-and-after lidar images of Hurricane Sandy in at Ocean Bay Park on Fire Island National Seashore. The lidar data will check the accuracy of storm predictions, improve future USGS storm modeling and can help scientists and decision-makers identify the areas along the shore that have been made more vulnerable to future coastal hazards in the storm's wake. http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/sandy/lidar/

NAS Report: The National Academy of Sciences recently released a report on the USGS titled, "Advancing Strategic Science: A Spatial Data Infrastructure Roadmap for the U.S. Geological Survey". The report examines the USGS Science Strategy and supports the framework of spatial data, metadata, tools, and a user community that is interactively connected to use spatial data in an efficient and flexible way--known as a spatial data infrastructure (SDI) http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13506

2013 Gannett Award: The USGS is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the 2013 Henry Gannett award. This award commemorates the first USGS Chief Geographer, (1882-1914) Henry Gannett, and his tremendous contributions to topographic mapping in the United States. The Henry Gannett award is designed to recognize and celebrate talented individuals or groups of individuals for outstanding accomplishments to the topographic mapping mission of the USGS. Individuals, both internal and external to the USGS are eligible to make nominations or receive this award. The call for nominations is made biennially through the USGS National Geospatial Program (NGP). Each nomination package must be submitted no later than February 26. 2013. Details on award criteria and processes are found at http://nationalmap.gov/gannett/. The award will be presented at The National Map Users Conference and Community for Data Integration Workshop and Training during an award ceremony in May 2013. This is a unique opportunity for the USGS to honor significant contributions in our community. We look forward to receiving a broad range of nominations of individuals that have furthered USGS topographic mapping of the Nation.

USGS ASPRS Fellow: Scientist Dr. George Y. Lee, national lead for the USGS orthoimagery program, has been named a 2013 Fellow in the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. The award is in recognition of more than 38 years of professional service and excellence to science, the ASPRS and the USGS. Among his various accomplishments, Lee was instrumental in the development and implementation of a program to complete first time national coverage with Digital Othrophoto Quarter Quadrangles (DOQQ's). More information: http://www.asprs.org/Press-Releases/ASPRS-2013-Fellows-Named.html

"Science.gov: The Power of 10": Science.gov - the Federal government's "one stop" real-time science data website, is now celebrating its 10th anniversary. The USGS is a founding member of Science.gov and, along with 12 other Federal agencies, has created a web portal to provide wide, public access and a unified search of the government's vast stores of scientific and technical information. Moving into its second decade, the website recently launched a Spanish language version and added multimedia content such as videos, images and audio files. Also, to highlight interesting science facts from the Alliance members, the website added "cool stuff" webpage: http://go.usa.gov/gXxF

Aerial Scans of Sandy's Destruction: USGS researchers coordinated and are analyzing before-and-after lidar images of Hurricane Sandy in at Ocean Bay Park on Fire Island National Seashore. The lidar data will check the accuracy of storm predictions, improve future USGS storm modeling and can help scientists and decision-makers identify the areas along the shore that have been made more vulnerable to future coastal hazards in the storm's wake. http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/sandy/lidar/

NAS Report: The National Academy of Sciences recently released a report on the USGS titled, "Advancing Strategic Science: A Spatial Data Infrastructure Roadmap for the U.S. Geological Survey". The report examines the USGS Science Strategy and supports the framework of spatial data, metadata, tools, and a user community that is interactively connected to use spatial data in an efficient and flexible way--known as a spatial data infrastructure (SDI) http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13506

NGMDB Gets a Face Lift: In concert with the inaugural, multi-agency Geologic Map Day - October 19 - the USGS and Association of American State Geologists will release a significantly updated infrastructure and a new "look" to the National Geologic Map Database (NGMDB). The MapView features a visually compelling interface that uses the latest technology to portray the Nation's geologic maps published by the USGS, the state geological surveys, and many others. These maps, available from the NGMDB in several popular and easy to use formats, can be viewed in detail and downloaded from the various publishers. http://go.usa.gov/YQsV

URISA GIS Hall of Fame: Owing to 50 years of cutting-edge developments and significant contributions in advancing the field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and geospatial sciences, the USGS has been selected to enter the Urban and Regional Information System Association GIS Hall of Fame. The USGS was cited as a major contributor and driver to GIS progress across the government and the private sector. The formal nomination statement and other award details are available on the URISA Award website http://www.usgs.gov/ngpo/urisa/

USGS ASPRS Fellow: Scientist Dr. George Y. Lee, national lead for the USGS orthoimagery program, has been named a 2013 Fellow in the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. The award is in recognition of more than 38 years of professional service and excellence to science, the ASPRS and the USGS. Among his various accomplishments, Lee was instrumental in the development and implementation of a program to complete first time national coverage with Digital Othrophoto Quarter Quadrangles (DOQQ's). More information: http://www.asprs.org/Press-Releases/ASPRS-2013-Fellows-Named.html

"Science.gov: The Power of 10": Science.gov - the Federal government's "one stop" real-time science data website, is now celebrating its 10th anniversary. The USGS is a founding member of Science.gov and, along with 12 other Federal agencies, has created a web portal to provide wide, public access and a unified search of the government's vast stores of scientific and technical information. Moving into its second decade, the website recently launched a Spanish language version and added multimedia content such as videos, images and audio files. Also, to highlight interesting science facts from the Alliance members, the website added "cool stuff" webpage: http://go.usa.gov/gXxF

Aerial Scans of Sandy's Destruction: USGS researchers coordinated and are analyzing before-and-after lidar images of Hurricane Sandy in at Ocean Bay Park on Fire Island National Seashore. The lidar data will check the accuracy of storm predictions, improve future USGS storm modeling and can help scientists and decision-makers identify the areas along the shore that have been made more vulnerable to future coastal hazards in the storm's wake. http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/sandy/lidar/

NAS Report: The National Academy of Sciences recently released a report on the USGS titled, "Advancing Strategic Science: A Spatial Data Infrastructure Roadmap for the U.S. Geological Survey". The report examines the USGS Science Strategy and supports the framework of spatial data, metadata, tools, and a user community that is interactively connected to use spatial data in an efficient and flexible way--known as a spatial data infrastructure (SDI) http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13506

NGMDB Gets a Face Lift: In concert with the inaugural, multi-agency Geologic Map Day - October 19 - the USGS and Association of American State Geologists will release a significantly updated infrastructure and a new "look" to the National Geologic Map Database (NGMDB). The MapView features a visually compelling interface that uses the latest technology to portray the Nation's geologic maps published by the USGS, the state geological surveys, and many others. These maps, available from the NGMDB in several popular and easy to use formats, can be viewed in detail and downloaded from the various publishers. http://go.usa.gov/YQsV

URISA GIS Hall of Fame: Owing to 50 years of cutting-edge developments and significant contributions in advancing the field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and geospatial sciences, the USGS has been selected to enter the Urban and Regional Information System Association GIS Hall of Fame. The USGS was cited as a major contributor and driver to GIS progress across the government and the private sector. The formal nomination statement and other award details are available on the URISA Award website http://www.usgs.gov/ngpo/urisa/

NGMDB Gets a Face Lift: In concert with the inaugural, multi-agency Geologic Map Day - October 19 - the USGS and Association of American State Geologists will release a significantly updated infrastructure and a new "look" to the National Geologic Map Database (NGMDB). The MapView features a visually compelling interface that uses the latest technology to portray the Nation's geologic maps published by the USGS, the state geological surveys, and many others. These maps, available from the NGMDB in several popular and easy to use formats, can be viewed in detail and downloaded from the various publishers. http://go.usa.gov/YQsV

URISA GIS Hall of Fame: Owing to 50 years of cutting-edge developments and significant contributions in advancing the field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and geospatial sciences, the USGS has been selected to enter the Urban and Regional Information System Association GIS Hall of Fame. The USGS was cited as a major contributor and driver to GIS progress across the government and the private sector. The formal nomination statement and other award details are available on the URISA Award website http://www.usgs.gov/ngpo/urisa/

On the Radio; "Citizen Cartographer": Kari Craun, the Director of the USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) was recently featured on Federal News Radio "Federal Drive Interview". The interview focused on pilot projects in the Denver area to harness the power of "crowdsourcing" in improving structures data for The National Map and other mapping applications. Volunteers are currently being accepted through The National Map Corps and if successful, the project may go nation-wide.

Feds Embrace "Nerds of the Internet": Federal agencies are turning to the public to fill information gaps and promote their data, crowdsourcing experts said at a panel sponsored by NextGov in Washington DC, Sept 6, 2012. Kari Craun, Director of the USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center, provided insights into USGS efforts in engaging citizen volunteers for mapping information and a current crowdsouring pilot program in the Denver area. Short summary: shar.es/umCmT (Video of the presentation pending).

Distinguished Career Award: Dr. E. Lynn Usery, Director of the USGS Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS) received the Distinguished Career Award from the Cartographic and Geographic Information Society. The exclusive award was presented at the recent AutoCarto International Symposium. Dr. Usery was recognized for his research accomplishments, vision, and leadership in academia and government, as well as for his outstanding service to the Society and the international geospatial community. Due to the stringent nomination requirements, this is the first time since 2008 that the award has been conferred.

"Crowdsourcing": Looking at New Ways to Map Structures in Colorado In light of technical changes and increasing uses of social networking, the USGS is exploring a new approach to the volunteer program —the National Map Corps - and is launching a project to test options for volunteer participation in providing data to The National Map. The project uses internet mapping applications to add or corrected information to man-made structures and facilities, such as schools and fire stations, in the state of Colorado. News Release. Video Link.

Find 1, Get 1, Use 1: The National Atlas has released new sets of digital cartographic frameworks at the one million-scale, which is twice the detail of previous versions. Users can now easily find "one" using popular search engines; get it as documented data or Web map services; and use "one" in their geospatial analyses, maps, or map mashups. News Release: http://on.doi.gov/MDT0BJ

New NHD Publication: The analysis of surface-water systems optimized by using the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) as the common national framework has provided improved data maintenance, better tools and reduced costs. To portray the complex water data, often from many agencies, the NHD has developed and refined a linear referencing system. Fact Sheet: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2012/3068/

Tweet us! The National Map Twitter site has steadily increased to more than 970 followers in just over a year. Let’s make it to 1,000 @USGSTNM. Sign up today and join in the conversation!

Geospatial Technology Workshop: The USGS will be offering a workshop titled "Introduction to Geospatial Semantics and Technology" preceding the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science Symposium on May 29, 2012 in Washington D.C. The Workshop is an introductory tutorial on geospatial semantics with hands-on exercises using standard Web browsers. The workshop is divided into two major sections: general semantics on the Web, and specific examples of geospatial semantics using data from The National Map of the USGS. The general section will include information and access to publicly available semantic archives. The specific session will include information on geospatial semantics with access to semantically enhanced data for hydrography, transportation, boundaries, names, and land cover. Details: http://www.ucgis.org/Events/moreinfo.asp?ID=304

USGS Scientist Receives "High" Water Award: USGS cartographer Jeff Simley, the product lead for the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) received the Maidment Award at this year’s American Water Resources Association (AWRA) GIS specialty conference for water resources in New Orleans. The prestigious award acknowledges his contributions to the water resources field as a key player in establishing a Stewardship program that partners many federal, state, and local agencies all with a common goal to improve and maintain a hydrography GIS layer for the nation. http://nhd.usgs.gov/

NHD/WBD in the Big Easy: The USGS will be hosting the 4th bi-annual National Hydrography Dataset (NHD)/ Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) Stewardship Conference in New Orleans, March 29-30, 2012. The conference is in conjunction with the American Water Resources Association's 2012 Spring Specialty Conference on Geographic Information Systems and Water Resources. The NHD is the surface water component of The National Map to be used in general mapping and in the analysis of surface-water systems by geographic information systems (GIS). Conference agenda: http://bit.ly/zNXixX

ASPRS Fellow Award: Kari Craun, Director of the USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) has been named as one of two 2012 American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) Fellow Award winners. The ASPRS hilghly selective designation of Fellow is awarded to active Society members who have performed exceptional service in advancing geospatial science and use of the mapping sciences. News release: http://bit.ly/zW7xXg

USGS at Esri FedUC: The USGS played a prominent role at the 2012 Esri Federal Users Conference in Washington, DC this past week. The USGS sponsored two exhibits featuring new and improved geospatial products and services from the National Geospatial Program and the National Atlas ®. Also, the USGS was involved in several presentations and technical sessions throughout the Conference. http://bit.ly/qgNZJs

CEGIS Researcher Honored: Kristina Yamamoto, a student geographer with the USGS Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS) is featured this month in the "Students at USGS" on the USGS main website. As part of her experience with the National Geospatial Program (NGP), she is conducting remote sensing research, including soil moisture and LiDAR projects. She is also PhD candidate at the University of Denver in the geography department, with her dissertation topic covering sea turtle nesting beach characteristics in southern Florida.

New NHD Tools: The National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) contains detailed geospatial information about the Nation's surface water. Ensuring the accuracy of these data is an ongoing task as the landscape changes and users demand greater accuracy. To better support and grow the NHD stewardship program, the USGS has reinvented both the process and tools involved in maintaining the NHD. More information: http://bit.ly/dZZZ33

USGS Geospatial Data Contract Website: The National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) has linked a new Geospatial Data Contract website to The National Map website. The Geospatial Product and Service Contracts (GPSC) is a suite of contracts, broad in scope, that can accommodate activities related to standard, nonstandard, graphic, and digital cartographic products. Services provided may include: photogrammetric mapping and aerotriangulation; orthophotography; thematic mapping (for example, land characterization); digital imagery applications; IFSAR and LiDAR; geographic information systems development; surveying and control acquisition, including ground-based and airborne GPS; and much more.

FGDC Launches New Geospatial Website: The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), in conjunction with several geospatial partners has released a prototype Geospatial Platform website providing an initial view of the future of user-friendly, integrated, federal data collections on common geographic maps. Through the website, users can create their own maps by combining their data with public domain data and can collaborate in public and private groups with others who share their interests. Maps assembled through the Geospatial Platform can be shared with others through web browsers and mobile technologies. All of this is possible without requiring users to install software on their own computers. News Release.

Volunteer Geographic Information: Since 1994, citizen volunteers have helped the USGS improve its topographic maps. A new fact sheet has been released to explain the current status of volunteer map data collection, pilot projects and the possible future of The National Map Corps.

Geospatial Summit and Radio Interview: Mark DeMulder, the Director of the National Geospatial Program gave a keynote presentation on "Mapping the Future" at the inaugural Geospatial Summit, September13 in Herndon, VA. Prior to the Summit, he was featured in a radio interview on Federal News Radio. Articles: http://bit.ly/nDP4WR http://bit.ly/pi7Qhq

NGP Standards: Standards and specifications are essential to facilitate the development and sharing of geospatial data and products. The USGS standards and specifications that define the requirements to ensure that all products and data prepared by the USGS under the National Geospatial Program are consistent in accuracy, structure, format, style, and content can now be found on The National Map website.

Bridging the Gap – The National Map Now Serving Complete Data for the US-Canadian Border: Since 2007 the USGS has partnered with the International Joint Commission of Canada and the U.S. (IJC) to extend National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) and WBD interpretations into Canada. This effort involves complex negotiations between State, Provincial and Federal agencies, resulting in the ability for users of the National Map to view, download and use Hydrologic Units and Hydrographic layers that were previously limited to the International Boundary. Identical interpretations are currently available on Natural Resources Canada's data portal GeoBase.

The National Map Corps Update: The USGS National Geospatial Program (NGP) sponsored volunteer map data collection projects for 20+ years. Citizen mappers revised many maps, but the program was suspended in 2008 due to funding. New technologies and social media have made volunteered geographic information (VGI) a possibility. As a result, the USGS has launched a pilot project to explore the future citizen participation. http://1.usa.gov/pkNgfi

Emergency Response Fact Sheet: The USGS National Geospatial Program (NGP) has released a new fact sheet listing the most popular web based resources for emergency responders and others to get timely and relevant information concerning earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanoes, wildfires, terrorist attacks and accidental oil spills. http://on.doi.gov/iEmVfo

Conference Posters: Pictures of winning and other selected posters from the 2011 USGS GIS Workshop and The National Map User Conference Poster Session released on the Conference website: http://bit.ly/pFwucn

Conference Pictures Posted! Hundreds of pictures from The National Map Users Conference (TNM UC) and the 2011 GIS Workshop have been posted to the Conference website. The pictures are arranged by day or major event and can be viewed as a slide show or thumb-nail set through Flickr.

Safest City: What is the "Safest City, USA"? Recently, a reporter from MSNBC posed that question to the USGS, looking for a map that depicts all the potential natural hazards and climatic impacts. Although the USGS has several data sets, there is currently no map that combines all of the various scenarios. Given the list of probable calamities, could your city or state be the "safest"?

Videos Released: Selected videos from The National Map Users Conference (TNM UC) have been posted to the Conference website. The recently released presentations include the plenary sessions for Day 1 and Day2, the Gannett Awards Ceremony, the Closing session and a montage of attendee feedback called TNM UC Experience. Photos, presentations and more from the Conference will be posted soon.

What is a Map? Renowned author Frederick Reuss advances, "The Question, What is a Map? Is More Relevant than Ever" in a new video from The National Map Users Conference.

SUCCESS! The National Map Users Conference (TNM UC) for 2011 is now in the books. The inaugural event took place May 12-13 in Denver with more than 425 participants. The over-capacity crowd included 16 Federal agencies, state and local government, academic institutions, vendors and international representatives. The fast-paced program included 66 concurrent sessions, panel discussions, three listening sessions, product review opportunities, the Gannett Award ceremony and plenty of networking. The Conference was preceded by the two-day, technology-focused GIS Workshop held at the nearby Denver Federal Center. Videos, pictures, presentation slides, Conference proceedings and other information products will be posted to the Conference website as they become available.

Gannett Award winners: Tommy Dewald of the EPA and Keven Roth "semi-retired" USGS are the co-recipients of this year's Henry Gannett Award, presented at The National Map Users Conference. Roth and Dewald were cited for their development of the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). More updated post Conference info at http://nationalmap.gov/uc/.

New Website Face: An updated version of The National Map website (nationalmap.gov) was rolled out in conjunction with The National Map Users Conference. The new home page includes an user-specified map selection menu, easier to read navigation tabs, a search box, refined news section and a real-time Twitter feed. Check it out comments welcome!

• Kansas: 98% complete - 1,378 quadrangles
• Oklahoma: pending
• New York: pending

New lidar data: The National Elevation Dataset (NED) has posted the October 2012 Release Notes featuring new light detection and ranging (lidar) data for the epicenter area of the 2011 Virginia earthquake. The USGS has placed a high priority on understanding why earthquakes are occurring in this region and the lidar data will hopefully allow for new understanding of the earthquake hazard there. Also the release contains more than 3800 square miles of the San Luis Valley in Colorado, the largest alpine valley in the world. This area provides the setting for a wide range of scientific applications involving eight other Federal and state agencies. All NED data are available via The National Map Viewer: http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/

On the Radio; "Citizen Cartographer": Kari Craun, the Director of the USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) was recently featured on Federal News Radio "Federal Drive Interview". The interview focused on pilot projects in the Denver area to harness the power of "crowdsourcing" in improving structures data for The National Map and other mapping applications. Volunteers are currently being accepted through The National Map Corps and if successful, the project may go nation-wide.

US Topo Video: US Topo is the next generation of topographic maps from the USGS. To support the ongoing transformation to digital mapping, The National Geospatial Program has released an informative and entertaining video to demonstrate the advantages, capabilities and opportunities provided by US Topo electronic maps. http://gallery.usgs.gov/videos/568 Also available on YouTube.

Uplifting Video: Elevation data has been an important component of USGS topographic maps since the 1880's. A topographic map without elevations in the form of contours is simply not a topographic map. The National Geospatial Program has launched a short video that emphasizes the relevance of elevation data not only to mapping, but to other areas of science and everyday life like flood insurance, climate change and environmental monitoring. http://gallery.usgs.gov/videos/567 . Also available on Youtube.

Feds Embrace "Nerds of the Internet": Federal agencies are turning to the public to fill information gaps and promote their data, crowdsourcing experts said at a panel sponsored by NextGov in Washington DC, Sept 6, 2012. Kari Craun, Director of the USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center, provided insights into USGS efforts in engaging citizen volunteers for mapping information and a current crowdsouring pilot program in the Denver area. Short summary: shar.es/umCmT (Video of the presentation pending).

Distinguished Career Award: Dr. E. Lynn Usery, Director of the USGS Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS) received the Distinguished Career Award from the Cartographic and Geographic Information Society. The exclusive award was presented at the recent AutoCarto International Symposium. Dr. Usery was recognized for his research accomplishments, vision, and leadership in academia and government, as well as for his outstanding service to the Society and the international geospatial community. Due to the stringent nomination requirements, this is the first time since 2008 that the award has been conferred.

Sunshine state Maps: The full set of US Topo maps for Florida has been released and are available for free download from the USGS Store. The addition of 1,025 revised quadrangles from the land of the 'gaters rises the count of US digital topographic maps to more than 53, 650. http://1.usa.gov/82461k

Wyoming Map Featured: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. The flash thumbnails of original scanned maps display all available versions of the featured state quadrangles in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger versions and the map and go directly to the download services. The new series is six topographic maps of the Lewis Falls maps in Wyoming - ranging from 1886 to the present. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

"Crowdsourcing": Looking at New Ways to Map Structures in Colorado In light of technical changes and increasing uses of social networking, the USGS is exploring a new approach to the volunteer program —the National Map Corps - and is launching a project to test options for volunteer participation in providing data to The National Map. The project uses internet mapping applications to add or corrected information to man-made structures and facilities, such as schools and fire stations, in the state of Colorado. News Release. Video Link.

LiDAR Publication Released: A new USGS publication from the National Geospatial Program titled, "LiDAR Base Specification Version 1.0" is now available for free download. This officially replaces what is widely known as "the v13 Spec", a draft LiDAR base specification that has been largely adopted by many US Federal agencies and private industry. That formative document has been completely reformatted and re-edited, and now includes a glossary, a metadata template, and a metadata example file. LiDAR continues to be a rapidly evolving technology, and the NGP anticipates periodic future revisions to this document as changes in the technology, data, applications, and program requirements dictate. Report link.

Northern Plains Data Improved - plus PLSS: New US Topo maps for Wyoming and South Dakota are available (News Release), with more than 3,230 revised digital quadrangles added to the collection. Wyoming is the first state to have Public Land Survey System (PLSS) data added to US Topo maps. The PLSS is a way of subdividing and describing land in the United States. All lands in the public domain are subject to subdivision by this rectangular system of surveys, which is regulated by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The maps are available for free download from the USGS Map Store website.

PR Historical Maps: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Puerto Rico has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these 611 quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to nearly 164,000, covering the lower 48 states and Hawaii. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

MI and SD State Maps: The full sets of US Topo maps for Michigan and South Dakota have been released and are available for free download from the USGS Store. The 1,319 revised quadrangles from the Great Lakes State and the1,445 topo maps from the Mount Rushmore have been added to the more than 51,600 US digital topographic maps. http://1.usa.gov/82461k

Find 1, Get 1, Use 1: The National Atlas has released new sets of digital cartographic frameworks at the one million-scale, which is twice the detail of previous versions. Users can now easily find "one" using popular search engines; get it as documented data or Web map services; and use "one" in their geospatial analyses, maps, or map mashups. News Release: http://on.doi.gov/MDT0BJ

New Maps for New England: Nearly 690 revised digital maps covering Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont have been added to approximately 51,000 maps currently covering the lower 48 states and are available for free download from the website.

Legacy Maps in the News: The Historical Topographic Map Collection, with more than 167,335 scanned and referenced USGS topo quadrangles available for free download, has recently been featured in several publications, including the Smithsonian "Constant Traveler", PC World, the Verge and the IMTA update.
Traveler link: http://bit.ly/O0AmFt

USGS Mapping Alaska: In conjunction with nearly 20 Federal Agencies and representatives from the state of Alaska, the USGS sponsored an Alaska Mapping Roundtable to discuss collaborative funding strategies for Alaska's Statewide Digital Mapping Initiative. The meeting, convened by Lt. Gov Mead Treadwell and DOI Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, Anne Castle, was also featured in the July 5 edition of The Seward Phoenix Log.

New NHD Publication: The analysis of surface-water systems optimized by using the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) as the common national framework has provided improved data maintenance, better tools and reduced costs. To portray the complex water data, often from many agencies, the NHD has developed and refined a linear referencing system. Fact Sheet: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2012/3068/

Passed 50,000: The US Topo map project has produced more than 50,000 revised digital topographic maps since late-2009, keeping pace with the complete coverage goal of the continental US by the end 2012. Users from almost every state can now access and download new US Topo maps for free from the USGS Store map locator. To see if your desired map is available, go to: http://on.doi.gov/ctQcJG

Connecticut Quads Featured: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. The flash thumbnails of original scanned maps display all available versions of the featured state quadrangles in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger versions and the map and go directly to the download services. The new series is six topographic maps of the Old Lyme maps in Connecticut - ranging from 1893 to the present. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

US Topo Update: New maps for Wyoming and South Dakota are nearly half way complete. More than 36 states containing more than 40,700 quadrangles are now partially or almost totally covered by the new USGS digital electronic topographic map, the US Topo. Free download from the USGS Store. Complete listing. Is your state covered? http://1.usa.gov/82461k

Bay State Maps: The full set of US Topo maps for Massachusetts has been released. The 196 revised quadrangles have been added to the more 49,800 US digital topographic maps available for free download from the USGS Store. http://1.usa.gov/82461k

TopoBathy added to the NED: The first set of topobathymetric data has been added to the National Elevation Dataset (NED). Topobathymetric data are created by merging topography (land elevation) and bathymetry (water depth) into a seamless elevation product useful for applications such as modeling sea level rise and storm surge. The initial dataset is centered over Mobile Bay, Alabama and was constructed using a combination of 71 disparate topographic and bathymetric datasets from the USGS, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; ranging in temporal variation from 1917 to 2011. It was developed in collaboration between the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) and the USGS National Geospatial Program. In the next five years, the CMGP has plans to expand its research and modeling along the northern Gulf of Mexico coastline, and San Francisco and Chesapeake Bays. Release notes: http://bit.ly/K5RCEE

Ocean State Maps: The full set of US Topo maps for Rhode Island has been released. The 27 revised quadrangles have been added to the more 48,900 US digital topographic maps available for free download from the USGS Store. http://1.usa.gov/82461k

Hawaii Historical Maps Available: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Hawaii has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to nearly 167,000, with only one more state left to completing coverage for the entire US and territories. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Constitution State Maps: The full set of US Topo maps for Connecticut has been released. The 94 revised quadrangles have been added to the more 48,900 US digital topographic maps available for free download from the USGS Store. http://1.usa.gov/82461k

California Quads Featured: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. The flash thumbnails of original scanned maps display all available versions of the featured state quadrangles in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger versions and the map and go directly to the download services. The new series is six topographic maps of the Yosemite/Half Dome maps in California - ranging from 1897 to the present. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

New Maps for CA, LA and MS Rolled Out: Complete sets of US Topo maps for California, Louisiana and Mississippi have been released. They join the growing list of other states. The 4,300 new maps have been added to the more than 48,580 digital topographic quadrangles now available for free download from the USGS Store. News Release with quotes from the USGS Director: http://on.doi.gov/LmdbjB

Arizona quads complete: After a short delay, the finished set of US Topo maps numbering more than 1,880 updated digital topographic quadrangles for Arizona have been loaded to the USGS Store for free download. http://1.usa.gov/lvbSol

More New England States Started: US Topo maps for the states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire are starting to be posted to the US Topo quadrangle collection. Currently, more than 275 digital topographic maps from those New England states are available for free download from the USGS Store. http://1.usa.gov/lvbSol

Elevation Study Results: The USGS completed a National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (NEEA) in December 2011. The assessment was the most comprehensive investigation of options for improving the availability and quality of national elevation data. Research participants included 34 federal agencies, 50 states, and selected local governments and tribes, as well as private and not-for-profit organizations. The study and other resources will be available through a NEEA website (coming soon!). In the interim, the full report from Dewberry can be found at: http://bit.ly/JNlGcj

Golden State Coverage: The state of California is now completely covered with new US Topo maps. More than 2,800 California digital topographic quadrangles are now available for free download from the USGS Store. The improved maps feature contours, updated hydrography, woodland tint, additional critical structures, enhanced boundaries, commercial roads and new Forest Service data. Also, the US Topo allows for the addition of a high resolution aerial photography map layer, which is not available on older paper-based topographic maps. Download instructions: http://nationalmap.gov/ustopo/

Release of CA, LA and MS US Topo’s Soon: The release of US Topo maps for both California and Louisiana is currently at 98% complete, and Mississippi is close behind at 97%. All three should be finished soon! More than 40 states containing more than 47,754 quadrangles are now partially or almost totally covered by the new USGS digital electronic topographic map, the US Topo. The program is now replacing the former "Digital Map-Beta" maps with revised US Topo maps. Free download from the USGS Store. Complete listing. Is your state covered? http://1.usa.gov/lvbSol

Tweet us! The National Map Twitter site has steadily increased to more than 970 followers in just over a year. Let’s make it to 1,000 @USGSTNM. Sign up today and join in the conversation!

Records Set: USGS legacy topographic maps from the Historical Topographic Map Collection have set a record of more than 427,700 downloads during the month of April. This follows the completion of historical map coverage for the lower 48 states in a few weeks ago. The newest USGS topographic map, the US Topo, also set a personal best of nearly 174,000 downloads for the same period. Check out the mapping websites and see why they are becoming so popular. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Geospatial Technology Workshop: The USGS will be offering a workshop titled "Introduction to Geospatial Semantics and Technology" preceding the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science Symposium on May 29, 2012 in Washington D.C. The Workshop is an introductory tutorial on geospatial semantics with hands-on exercises using standard Web browsers. The workshop is divided into two major sections: general semantics on the Web, and specific examples of geospatial semantics using data from The National Map of the USGS. The general section will include information and access to publicly available semantic archives. The specific session will include information on geospatial semantics with access to semantically enhanced data for hydrography, transportation, boundaries, names, and land cover. Details: http://www.ucgis.org/Events/moreinfo.asp?ID=304

Alaska Mapping Interview: Mark DeMulder, Director of the USGS National Geospatial Program (NGP) was interviewed by KNTA Radio out of Talkeetna, Alaska about the new and ambitious USGS initiative to update and upgrade the topographic maps of the Alaskan region. The interactive discussion covers the history of mapping Alaska, the new US Topo digital map project, new cartographic technologies and proposed plans for the Alaskan Mapping Initiative. Interview and sound bites: http://bit.ly/HVcy4R

Border Elevation Improved: Updated elevation data along the U.S. and Canadian border have been added to the National Elevation Dataset (NED) layer as result of collaboration between U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN). Scientist from NRCAN Centre for Topographic Information and the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center improved the topographic information along the international border by making the U.S. and Canada elevation data seamless in the 1-arc-second NED. These data will complete the watersheds originating in the U.S. and fill a small void that existed between the two elevation datasets. The new Canada elevation data, as well as the latest elevation data for the contiguous U.S. added to the NED can be viewed at NED Release Notes for April. The next release of the NED, due in June, 2012, will include Canada elevation along the border of Alaska

CONUS Complete: The USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection is celebrating a major milestone, as the lower 48 states, spanning in excess of 130 years, are now available for free download from the Collection website. This Collection features well over 161,000 USGS legacy topographic maps in a digital format. Since September, more than 1.2 million maps have been downloaded from the Map Locator – an average of more than 5,700 maps per day! News Release

USGS Scientist Receives "High" Water Award: USGS cartographer Jeff Simley, the product lead for the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) received the Maidment Award at this year’s American Water Resources Association (AWRA) GIS specialty conference for water resources in New Orleans. The prestigious award acknowledges his contributions to the water resources field as a key player in establishing a Stewardship program that partners many federal, state, and local agencies all with a common goal to improve and maintain a hydrography GIS layer for the nation. http://nhd.usgs.gov/

The Last Piece of the Puzzle - USGS Historical Maps: A summary of the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, its status and relevance to many diverse audiences has been published as a "Top Story" on the USGS main website. The article outlines the goals of the Historical Collection program and a short history of The National Program for Topographic Mapping, which was established in 1884. Also, it reviews map changes over time, including scales and symbology. Article link.

Florida Historical Maps added, one state left: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Florida has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to nearly 164,000, with only one more state left to completing coverage for the lower 48 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

NHD/WBD in the Big Easy: The USGS will be hosting the 4th bi-annual National Hydrography Dataset (NHD)/ Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) Stewardship Conference in New Orleans, March 29-30, 2012. The conference is in conjunction with the American Water Resources Association's 2012 Spring Specialty Conference on Geographic Information Systems and Water Resources. The NHD is the surface water component of The National Map to be used in general mapping and in the analysis of surface-water systems by geographic information systems (GIS). Conference agenda: http://bit.ly/zNXixX

Wyoming Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Wyoming has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 154,000, covering 48 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Missouri/Illinois Quads Featured: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. The flash thumbnails of original maps display all available versions of the featured state quadrangles in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger versions and the map and go directly to the download services. The third showcased series is six topographic maps of the Columbia Bottoms area, straddling Missouri and Illinois - ranging from 1927 to the present. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Rhode Island and South Dakota Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Rhode Island and South Dakota have been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 149,800, covering 47 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

ASPRS Fellow Award: Kari Craun, Director of the USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) has been named as one of two 2012 American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) Fellow Award winners. The ASPRS hilghly selective designation of Fellow is awarded to active Society members who have performed exceptional service in advancing geospatial science and use of the mapping sciences. News release: http://bit.ly/zW7xXg

USGS at Esri FedUC: The USGS played a prominent role at the 2012 Esri Federal Users Conference in Washington, DC this past week. The USGS sponsored two exhibits featuring new and improved geospatial products and services from the National Geospatial Program and the National Atlas ®. Also, the USGS was involved in several presentations and technical sessions throughout the Conference. http://bit.ly/qgNZJs

Arizona Quad Featured: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites are now displaying the Phantom Ranch topographic quadrangle on their flash application. The maps cover the a series to quadrangles from 1967 to the present. ? http://1.usa.gov/lvbSol, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

CEGIS Researcher Honored: Kristina Yamamoto, a student geographer with the USGS Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS) is featured this month in the "Students at USGS" on the USGS main website. As part of her experience with the National Geospatial Program (NGP), she is conducting remote sensing research, including soil moisture and LiDAR projects. She is also PhD candidate at the University of Denver in the geography department, with her dissertation topic covering sea turtle nesting beach characteristics in southern Florida.

Vermont Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Vermont has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. That brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 147,300, covering 45 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Mississippi Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Mississippi has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. That brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 147,300, covering 45 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Louisiana Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Louisiana has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. That brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 147,300, covering 40 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Geospatial Websites Upgraded: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. The flash thumbnails of original maps display all available versions of the featured series in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger versions of the map and go directly to the download services. The second showcased series is six topographic maps of the Phantom Range, Arizona quadrangle (part of the Grand Canyon) - ranging from 1962 to the present. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

New NHD Tools: The National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) contains detailed geospatial information about the Nation's surface water. Ensuring the accuracy of these data is an ongoing task as the landscape changes and users demand greater accuracy. To better support and grow the NHD stewardship program, the USGS has reinvented both the process and tools involved in maintaining the NHD. More information: http://bit.ly/dZZZ33

Missouri and New Hampshire Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Missouri and New Hampshire have been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 141,000 , covering 41 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Connecticut Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Connecticut has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. That brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 149,190, covering 39 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Nebraska Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Nebraska has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. That brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 132,200, covering 38 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Geospatial Websites Upgraded: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. Thumbnail images of actual maps display all available versions of the featured series in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, view larger versions of each map, and an option to download the full-resolution version directly. This first showcase features six topographic maps from the Boothbay, Maine area - ranging from 1893 to the present.

Historical Map Video: The USGS has released the "Historical Topographic Map Collection-Distribution of USGS Maps- Old and New" video presentation. It features team lead Greg Allord at the recent International Map Trade Association (IMTA) Conference. The video covers the project history, goals, updates and examples.

US Topo Moving Forward: Nevada has started and Missouri is continuing! More than 36 states containing more than 41,000 quadrangles are now partially or almost totally covered by the new USGS digital electronic topographic map, the US Topo. The program is now replacing the former "Digital Map-Beta" maps with US Topo maps. Free download from the USGS Store. Complete listing. Is your state covered? http://1.usa.gov/lvbSol

New Heights of Accuracy for World Topography: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) have collaborated in the development of a much improved global elevation model, the Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010 (GMTED2010). GMTED2010 replaces the widely used, 15-year-old GTOPO30 terrain model as the best available global digital elevation model. All of the GMTED2010 data products are publicly available online with no redistribution restrictions. http://on.doi.gov/v0sreR

Arizona Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Arizona has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. That brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to nearly 130,000, covering 37 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

USGS Geospatial Data Contract Website: The National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) has linked a new Geospatial Data Contract website to The National Map website. The Geospatial Product and Service Contracts (GPSC) is a suite of contracts, broad in scope, that can accommodate activities related to standard, nonstandard, graphic, and digital cartographic products. Services provided may include: photogrammetric mapping and aerotriangulation; orthophotography; thematic mapping (for example, land characterization); digital imagery applications; IFSAR and LiDAR; geographic information systems development; surveying and control acquisition, including ground-based and airborne GPS; and much more.

Historical Maps Now Covering 36 States: The release of more than 13,688 historical topographic maps covering California highlights the rapid pace of the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection. Nearly 124,000 high resolution scans of historical USGS maps, some dating as far back as 1884, are now available online for free from the USGS Store. The electronic maps are georeferenced and can be used in conjunction with the new USGS digital topographic map, the US Topo.

FGDC Launches New Geospatial Website: The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), in conjunction with several geospatial partners has released a prototype Geospatial Platform website providing an initial view of the future of user-friendly, integrated, federal data collections on common geographic maps. Through the website, users can create their own maps by combining their data with public domain data and can collaborate in public and private groups with others who share their interests. Maps assembled through the Geospatial Platform can be shared with others through web browsers and mobile technologies. All of this is possible without requiring users to install software on their own computers. News Release.

Volunteer Geographic Information: Since 1994, citizen volunteers have helped the USGS improve its topographic maps. A new fact sheet has been released to explain the current status of volunteer map data collection, pilot projects and the possible future of The National Map Corps.

Historical Topographic Map Collection Update – over half way: More than 102,300high resolution scans of the more than 200,000 historical USGS topographic maps, some dating as far back as 1884, are now available online. The Historical Topographic Map Collection includes published U.S. maps of all scales and editions, and are offered as a georeferenced digital download or as a scanned print from the USGS Store.

There's A (M)app For That: Topographic maps from the USGS are now available as an app for Apple iOS devices including the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The new app, called PDF Maps, has been released though the iTunes App Store and allows free download of any available US Topo or USGS Historical maps from the USGS Store or Map Locator tool.

US Topo – Exceeding Goals: The US Topo crested an important milestone as the staff exceeded the ambitions goal of producing 18,500 digital quadrangles in one year. This brings the total of US Topos available for no-cost download to more than 36,200 maps covering 33 states. Recently, the program has started to replace the former "Digital Map Beta" prototypes with US Topo maps and have included a land cover layer. Also, the US Topo website has been updated to reflect significant product additions.

Geospatial Summit and Radio Interview: Mark DeMulder, the Director of the National Geospatial Program gave a keynote presentation on "Mapping the Future" at the inaugural Geospatial Summit, September13 in Herndon, VA. Prior to the Summit, he was featured in a radio interview on Federal News Radio. Articles: http://bit.ly/nDP4WR http://bit.ly/pi7Qhq

NGP Standards: Standards and specifications are essential to facilitate the development and sharing of geospatial data and products. The USGS standards and specifications that define the requirements to ensure that all products and data prepared by the USGS under the National Geospatial Program are consistent in accuracy, structure, format, style, and content can now be found on The National Map website.

Bridging the Gap – The National Map Now Serving Complete Data for the US-Canadian Border: Since 2007 the USGS has partnered with the International Joint Commission of Canada and the U.S. (IJC) to extend National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) and WBD interpretations into Canada. This effort involves complex negotiations between State, Provincial and Federal agencies, resulting in the ability for users of the National Map to view, download and use Hydrologic Units and Hydrographic layers that were previously limited to the International Boundary. Identical interpretations are currently available on Natural Resources Canada's data portal GeoBase.

The National Map Corps Update: The USGS National Geospatial Program (NGP) sponsored volunteer map data collection projects for 20+ years. Citizen mappers revised many maps, but the program was suspended in 2008 due to funding. New technologies and social media have made volunteered geographic information (VGI) a possibility. As a result, the USGS has launched a pilot project to explore the future citizen participation. http://1.usa.gov/pkNgfi

Emergency Response Fact Sheet: The USGS National Geospatial Program (NGP) has released a new fact sheet listing the most popular web based resources for emergency responders and others to get timely and relevant information concerning earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanoes, wildfires, terrorist attacks and accidental oil spills. http://on.doi.gov/iEmVfo

Conference Posters: Pictures of winning and other selected posters from the 2011 USGS GIS Workshop and The National Map User Conference Poster Session released on the Conference website: http://bit.ly/pFwucn

Conference Pictures Posted! Hundreds of pictures from The National Map Users Conference (TNM UC) and the 2011 GIS Workshop have been posted to the Conference website. The pictures are arranged by day or major event and can be viewed as a slide show or thumb-nail set through Flickr.

Safest City: What is the "Safest City, USA"? Recently, a reporter from MSNBC posed that question to the USGS, looking for a map that depicts all the potential natural hazards and climatic impacts. Although the USGS has several data sets, there is currently no map that combines all of the various scenarios. Given the list of probable calamities, could your city or state be the "safest"?

Videos Released: Selected videos from The National Map Users Conference (TNM UC) have been posted to the Conference website. The recently released presentations include the plenary sessions for Day 1 and Day2, the Gannett Awards Ceremony, the Closing session and a montage of attendee feedback called TNM UC Experience. Photos, presentations and more from the Conference will be posted soon.

What is a Map? Renowned author Frederick Reuss advances, "The Question, What is a Map? Is More Relevant than Ever" in a new video from The National Map Users Conference.

SUCCESS! The National Map Users Conference (TNM UC) for 2011 is now in the books. The inaugural event took place May 12-13 in Denver with more than 425 participants. The over-capacity crowd included 16 Federal agencies, state and local government, academic institutions, vendors and international representatives. The fast-paced program included 66 concurrent sessions, panel discussions, three listening sessions, product review opportunities, the Gannett Award ceremony and plenty of networking. The Conference was preceded by the two-day, technology-focused GIS Workshop held at the nearby Denver Federal Center. Videos, pictures, presentation slides, Conference proceedings and other information products will be posted to the Conference website as they become available.

Gannett Award winners: Tommy Dewald of the EPA and Keven Roth "semi-retired" USGS are the co-recipients of this year's Henry Gannett Award, presented at The National Map Users Conference. Roth and Dewald were cited for their development of the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). More updated post Conference info at http://nationalmap.gov/uc/.

New Website Face: An updated version of The National Map website (nationalmap.gov) was rolled out in conjunction with The National Map Users Conference. The new home page includes an user-specified map selection menu, easier to read navigation tabs, a search box, refined news section and a real-time Twitter feed. Check it out comments welcome!

• More than 53,658 US Topo maps are loaded to the Map Locator of the USGS Store (as of 09-24-12)
• Kansas was the first US Topo state, and is 100% complete (1,417 quadrangles) followed by:
• Oklahoma: 100% complete (1,087 quadrangles)
• New York: 100% complete (973 quadrangles)
• Texas: 100% complete (4,364 quadrangles)
• Kentucky: 100% complete (615 quadrangles)
• Iowa: 100% complete (1,056 quadrangles)
• Tennessee: 100% complete (719 quadrangles)
• Indiana: 100% complete (672 quadrangles)
• Pennsylvania: 100% complete (794 quadrangles)
• Wisconsin: 100% complete (1,062 quadrangles)
• Virginia: 100% complete (707 quadrangles)
• Ohio: 100% complete (737 quadrangles)
• Colorado: 100% complete (1,832 quadrangles)
• Minnesota: 100% complete (1,709 quadrangles)
• North Carolina: 100% complete (848 quadrangles)
• New Mexico: 100% complete (2,029 quadrangles)
• Idaho: 100% complete (1,479 quadrangles)
• Washington: 100% complete (1,373 quadrangles)
• Utah: 100% complete (1,549 quadrangles)
• West Virginia: 100% complete (468 quadrangles)
• Georgia: 100% complete (963 quadrangles)
• North Dakota: 100% complete (1,432 quadrangles)
• New Jersey: 100% complete (176 quadrangles)
• Delaware: 100% complete (31 quadrangles)
• Montana: 100% complete (2,991) quadrangles)
• Maryland: (Incl DC): 100% complete (254 quadrangles)
• Oregon: 100% complete (1,882 quadrangles)
• Arkansas: 100% complete (911 quadrangles)
• South Carolina: 100% complete (569 quadrangles)
• Michigan: 100% complete (1,319 quadrangles)
• Maine: 100% complete (708 quadrangles)*
• Alabama: 100% complete (843 quadrangles)*
• Arizona: 100% complete (1,883 quadrangles)*
• Nebraska: 100% complete (1,372 quadrangles)*
• Missouri: 100% complete (1,201 quadrangles)*
• Nevada: 100% complete (1,788 quadrangles)*
• California: 100% complete (2,800 quadrangles)*
• Louisiana: 100% complete (801 quadrangles)*
• Mississippi: 100% complete (770 quadrangles)*
• Vermont: 100% complete (201 quadrangles)*
• New Hampshire: 100% complete (174 quadrangles)*
• Connecticut: 100% complete (76 quadrangles)*
• Massachusetts: 100% complete (196 quadrangles)*
• Rhode Island: 100% complete (27 quadrangles)*
• Wyoming: 100% complete (1,779 quadrangles)*
• South Dakota: 100% complete (1,151 quadrangles)*
• Florida: 100% complete (1,025 quadrangles)*
• Illinois: 100% complete (990 quadrangles)*
• Pending: Hawaii

*Current "Digital Map - Beta" maps that are being updated to US Topo specifications

Note: As of October 25, 2010, the percentage of US Topos complete and total quadrangles loaded will include U.S. Forest Service lands.

Sunshine state Maps: The full set of US Topo maps for Florida has been released and are available for free download from the USGS Store. The addition of 1,025 revised quadrangles from the land of the ’gaters rises the count of US digital topographic maps to more than 53, 650. http://1.usa.gov/82461k

Wyoming Map Featured: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. The flash thumbnails of original scanned maps display all available versions of the featured state quadrangles in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger versions and the map and go directly to the download services. The new series is six topographic maps of the Lewis Falls maps in Wyoming - ranging from 1886 to the present. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

"Crowdsourcing": Looking at New Ways to Map Structures in Colorado In light of technical changes and increasing uses of social networking, the USGS is exploring a new approach to the volunteer program —the National Map Corps - and is launching a project to test options for volunteer participation in providing data to The National Map. The project uses internet mapping applications to add or corrected information to man-made structures and facilities, such as schools and fire stations, in the state of Colorado. News Release. Video Link.

LiDAR Publication Released: A new USGS publication from the National Geospatial Program titled, "LiDAR Base Specification Version 1.0" is now available for free download. This officially replaces what is widely known as "the v13 Spec", a draft LiDAR base specification that has been largely adopted by many US Federal agencies and private industry. That formative document has been completely reformatted and re-edited, and now includes a glossary, a metadata template, and a metadata example file. LiDAR continues to be a rapidly evolving technology, and the NGP anticipates periodic future revisions to this document as changes in the technology, data, applications, and program requirements dictate. Report link.

Northern Plains Data Improved – plus PLSS: New US Topo maps for Wyoming and South Dakota are available (News Release), with more than 3,230 revised digital quadrangles added to the collection. Wyoming is the first state to have Public Land Survey System (PLSS) data added to US Topo maps. The PLSS is a way of subdividing and describing land in the United States. All lands in the public domain are subject to subdivision by this rectangular system of surveys, which is regulated by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The maps are available for free download from the USGS Map Store website.

PR Historical Maps: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Puerto Rico has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these 611 quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to nearly 164,000, covering the lower 48 states and Hawaii. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

MI and SD State Maps: The full sets of US Topo maps for Michigan and South Dakota have been released and are available for free download from the USGS Store. The 1,319 revised quadrangles from the Great Lakes State and the1,445 topo maps from the Mount Rushmore have been added to the more than 51,600 US digital topographic maps. http://1.usa.gov/82461k

Find 1, Get 1, Use 1: The National Atlas has released new sets of digital cartographic frameworks at the one million-scale, which is twice the detail of previous versions. Users can now easily find "one" using popular search engines; get it as documented data or Web map services; and use "one" in their geospatial analyses, maps, or map mashups. News Release: http://on.doi.gov/MDT0BJ

New Maps for New England: Nearly 690 revised digital maps covering Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont have been added to approximately 51,000 maps currently covering the lower 48 states and are available for free download from the website.

Legacy Maps in the News: The Historical Topographic Map Collection, with more than 167,335 scanned and referenced USGS topo quadrangles available for free download, has recently been featured in several publications, including the Smithsonian "Constant Traveler", PC World, the Verge and the IMTA update.
Traveler link: http://bit.ly/O0AmFt

USGS Mapping Alaska: In conjunction with nearly 20 Federal Agencies and representatives from the state of Alaska, the USGS sponsored an Alaska Mapping Roundtable to discuss collaborative funding strategies for Alaska's Statewide Digital Mapping Initiative. The meeting, convened by Lt. Gov Mead Treadwell and DOI Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, Anne Castle, was also featured in the July 5 edition of The Seward Phoenix Log.

New NHD Publication: The analysis of surface-water systems optimized by using the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) as the common national framework has provided improved data maintenance, better tools and reduced costs. To portray the complex water data, often from many agencies, the NHD has developed and refined a linear referencing system. Fact Sheet: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2012/3068/

Passed 50,000: The US Topo map project has produced more than 50,000 revised digital topographic maps since late-2009, keeping pace with the complete coverage goal of the continental US by the end 2012. Users from almost every state can now access and download new US Topo maps for free from the USGS Store map locator. To see if your desired map is available, go to: http://on.doi.gov/ctQcJG

Connecticut Quads Featured: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. The flash thumbnails of original scanned maps display all available versions of the featured state quadrangles in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger versions and the map and go directly to the download services. The new series is six topographic maps of the Old Lyme maps in Connecticut - ranging from 1893 to the present. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

US Topo Update: New maps for Wyoming and South Dakota are nearly half way complete. More than 36 states containing more than 40,700 quadrangles are now partially or almost totally covered by the new USGS digital electronic topographic map, the US Topo. Free download from the USGS Store. Complete listing. Is your state covered? http://1.usa.gov/82461k

Bay State Maps: The full set of US Topo maps for Massachusetts has been released. The 196 revised quadrangles have been added to the more 49,800 US digital topographic maps available for free download from the USGS Store. http://1.usa.gov/82461k

TopoBathy added to the NED: The first set of topobathymetric data has been added to the National Elevation Dataset (NED). Topobathymetric data are created by merging topography (land elevation) and bathymetry (water depth) into a seamless elevation product useful for applications such as modeling sea level rise and storm surge. The initial dataset is centered over Mobile Bay, Alabama and was constructed using a combination of 71 disparate topographic and bathymetric datasets from the USGS, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; ranging in temporal variation from 1917 to 2011. It was developed in collaboration between the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) and the USGS National Geospatial Program. In the next five years, the CMGP has plans to expand its research and modeling along the northern Gulf of Mexico coastline, and San Francisco and Chesapeake Bays. Release notes: http://bit.ly/K5RCEE

Ocean State Maps: The full set of US Topo maps for Rhode Island has been released. The 27 revised quadrangles have been added to the more 48,900 US digital topographic maps available for free download from the USGS Store. http://1.usa.gov/82461k

Hawaii Historical Maps Available: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Hawaii has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to nearly 167,000, with only one more state left to completing coverage for the entire US and territories. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Constitution State Maps: The full set of US Topo maps for Connecticut has been released. The 94 revised quadrangles have been added to the more 48,900 US digital topographic maps available for free download from the USGS Store. http://1.usa.gov/82461k

California Quads Featured: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. The flash thumbnails of original scanned maps display all available versions of the featured state quadrangles in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger versions and the map and go directly to the download services. The new series is six topographic maps of the Yosemite/Half Dome maps in California - ranging from 1897 to the present. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

New Maps for CA, LA and MS Rolled Out: Complete sets of US Topo maps for California, Louisiana and Mississippi have been released. They join the growing list of other states. The 4,300 new maps have been added to the more than 48,580 digital topographic quadrangles now available for free download from the USGS Store. News Release with quotes from the USGS Director: http://on.doi.gov/LmdbjB

Arizona quads complete: After a short delay, the finished set of US Topo maps numbering more than 1,880 updated digital topographic quadrangles for Arizona have been loaded to the USGS Store for free download. http://1.usa.gov/lvbSol

More New England States Started: US Topo maps for the states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire are starting to be posted to the US Topo quadrangle collection. Currently, more than 275 digital topographic maps from those New England states are available for free download from the USGS Store. http://1.usa.gov/lvbSol

Elevation Study Results: The USGS completed a National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (NEEA) in December 2011. The assessment was the most comprehensive investigation of options for improving the availability and quality of national elevation data. Research participants included 34 federal agencies, 50 states, and selected local governments and tribes, as well as private and not-for-profit organizations. The study and other resources will be available through a NEEA website (coming soon!). In the interim, the full report from Dewberry can be found at: http://bit.ly/JNlGcj

Golden State Coverage: The state of California is now completely covered with new US Topo maps. More than 2,800 California digital topographic quadrangles are now available for free download from the USGS Store. The improved maps feature contours, updated hydrography, woodland tint, additional critical structures, enhanced boundaries, commercial roads and new Forest Service data. Also, the US Topo allows for the addition of a high resolution aerial photography map layer, which is not available on older paper-based topographic maps. Download instructions: http://nationalmap.gov/ustopo/

Release of CA, LA and MS US Topo’s Soon: The release of US Topo maps for both California and Louisiana is currently at 98% complete, and Mississippi is close behind at 97%. All three should be finished soon! More than 40 states containing more than 47,754 quadrangles are now partially or almost totally covered by the new USGS digital electronic topographic map, the US Topo. The program is now replacing the former "Digital Map-Beta" maps with revised US Topo maps. Free download from the USGS Store. Complete listing. Is your state covered? http://1.usa.gov/lvbSol

Tweet us! The National Map Twitter site has steadily increased to more than 970 followers in just over a year. Let’s make it to 1,000 @USGSTNM. Sign up today and join in the conversation!

Records Set: USGS legacy topographic maps from the Historical Topographic Map Collection have set a record of more than 427,700 downloads during the month of April. This follows the completion of historical map coverage for the lower 48 states in a few weeks ago. The newest USGS topographic map, the US Topo, also set a personal best of nearly 174,000 downloads for the same period. Check out the mapping websites and see why they are becoming so popular. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Geospatial Technology Workshop: The USGS will be offering a workshop titled "Introduction to Geospatial Semantics and Technology" preceding the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science Symposium on May 29, 2012 in Washington D.C. The Workshop is an introductory tutorial on geospatial semantics with hands-on exercises using standard Web browsers. The workshop is divided into two major sections: general semantics on the Web, and specific examples of geospatial semantics using data from The National Map of the USGS. The general section will include information and access to publicly available semantic archives. The specific session will include information on geospatial semantics with access to semantically enhanced data for hydrography, transportation, boundaries, names, and land cover. Details: http://www.ucgis.org/Events/moreinfo.asp?ID=304

Alaska Mapping Interview: Mark DeMulder, Director of the USGS National Geospatial Program (NGP) was interviewed by KNTA Radio out of Talkeetna, Alaska about the new and ambitious USGS initiative to update and upgrade the topographic maps of the Alaskan region. The interactive discussion covers the history of mapping Alaska, the new US Topo digital map project, new cartographic technologies and proposed plans for the Alaskan Mapping Initiative. Interview and sound bites: http://bit.ly/HVcy4R

Border Elevation Improved: Updated elevation data along the U.S. and Canadian border have been added to the National Elevation Dataset (NED) layer as result of collaboration between U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN). Scientist from NRCAN Centre for Topographic Information and the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center improved the topographic information along the international border by making the U.S. and Canada elevation data seamless in the 1-arc-second NED. These data will complete the watersheds originating in the U.S. and fill a small void that existed between the two elevation datasets. The new Canada elevation data, as well as the latest elevation data for the contiguous U.S. added to the NED can be viewed at NED Release Notes for April. The next release of the NED, due in June, 2012, will include Canada elevation along the border of Alaska

CONUS Complete: The USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection is celebrating a major milestone, as the lower 48 states, spanning in excess of 130 years, are now available for free download from the Collection website. This Collection features well over 161,000 USGS legacy topographic maps in a digital format. Since September, more than 1.2 million maps have been downloaded from the Map Locator – an average of more than 5,700 maps per day! News Release

USGS Scientist Receives "High" Water Award: USGS cartographer Jeff Simley, the product lead for the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) received the Maidment Award at this year’s American Water Resources Association (AWRA) GIS specialty conference for water resources in New Orleans. The prestigious award acknowledges his contributions to the water resources field as a key player in establishing a Stewardship program that partners many federal, state, and local agencies all with a common goal to improve and maintain a hydrography GIS layer for the nation. http://nhd.usgs.gov/

The Last Piece of the Puzzle - USGS Historical Maps: A summary of the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, its status and relevance to many diverse audiences has been published as a "Top Story" on the USGS main website. The article outlines the goals of the Historical Collection program and a short history of The National Program for Topographic Mapping, which was established in 1884. Also, it reviews map changes over time, including scales and symbology. Article link.

Florida Historical Maps added, one state left: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Florida has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to nearly 164,000, with only one more state left to completing coverage for the lower 48 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

NHD/WBD in the Big Easy: The USGS will be hosting the 4th bi-annual National Hydrography Dataset (NHD)/ Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) Stewardship Conference in New Orleans, March 29-30, 2012. The conference is in conjunction with the American Water Resources Association's 2012 Spring Specialty Conference on Geographic Information Systems and Water Resources. The NHD is the surface water component of The National Map to be used in general mapping and in the analysis of surface-water systems by geographic information systems (GIS). Conference agenda: http://bit.ly/zNXixX

Wyoming Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Wyoming has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 154,000, covering 48 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Missouri/Illinois Quads Featured: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. The flash thumbnails of original maps display all available versions of the featured state quadrangles in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger versions and the map and go directly to the download services. The third showcased series is six topographic maps of the Columbia Bottoms area, straddling Missouri and Illinois - ranging from 1927 to the present. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Rhode Island and South Dakota Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Rhode Island and South Dakota have been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 149,800, covering 47 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

ASPRS Fellow Award: Kari Craun, Director of the USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) has been named as one of two 2012 American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) Fellow Award winners. The ASPRS hilghly selective designation of Fellow is awarded to active Society members who have performed exceptional service in advancing geospatial science and use of the mapping sciences. News release: http://bit.ly/zW7xXg

USGS at Esri FedUC: The USGS played a prominent role at the 2012 Esri Federal Users Conference in Washington, DC this past week. The USGS sponsored two exhibits featuring new and improved geospatial products and services from the National Geospatial Program and the National Atlas ®. Also, the USGS was involved in several presentations and technical sessions throughout the Conference. http://bit.ly/qgNZJs

Arizona Quad Featured: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites are now displaying the Phantom Ranch topographic quadrangle on their flash application. The maps cover the a series to quadrangles from 1967 to the present. ? http://1.usa.gov/lvbSol, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

CEGIS Researcher Honored: Kristina Yamamoto, a student geographer with the USGS Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS) is featured this month in the "Students at USGS" on the USGS main website. As part of her experience with the National Geospatial Program (NGP), she is conducting remote sensing research, including soil moisture and LiDAR projects. She is also PhD candidate at the University of Denver in the geography department, with her dissertation topic covering sea turtle nesting beach characteristics in southern Florida.

Vermont Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Vermont has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. That brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 147,300, covering 45 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Mississippi Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Mississippi has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. That brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 147,300, covering 45 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Louisiana Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Louisiana has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. That brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 147,300, covering 40 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Geospatial Websites Upgraded: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. The flash thumbnails of original maps display all available versions of the featured series in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger versions of the map and go directly to the download services. The second showcased series is six topographic maps of the Phantom Range, Arizona quadrangle (part of the Grand Canyon) - ranging from 1962 to the present. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

New NHD Tools: The National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) contains detailed geospatial information about the Nation's surface water. Ensuring the accuracy of these data is an ongoing task as the landscape changes and users demand greater accuracy. To better support and grow the NHD stewardship program, the USGS has reinvented both the process and tools involved in maintaining the NHD. More information: http://bit.ly/dZZZ33

Missouri and New Hampshire Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Missouri and New Hampshire have been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 141,000 , covering 41 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Connecticut Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Connecticut has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. That brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 149,190, covering 39 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Nebraska Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Nebraska has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. That brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 132,200, covering 38 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Geospatial Websites Upgraded: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. Thumbnail images of actual maps display all available versions of the featured series in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, view larger versions of each map, and an option to download the full-resolution version directly. This first showcase features six topographic maps from the Boothbay, Maine area - ranging from 1893 to the present.

Historical Map Video: The USGS has released the "Historical Topographic Map Collection-Distribution of USGS Maps- Old and New" video presentation. It features team lead Greg Allord at the recent International Map Trade Association (IMTA) Conference. The video covers the project history, goals, updates and examples.

US Topo Moving Forward: Nevada has started and Missouri is continuing! More than 36 states containing more than 41,000 quadrangles are now partially or almost totally covered by the new USGS digital electronic topographic map, the US Topo. The program is now replacing the former "Digital Map-Beta" maps with US Topo maps. Free download from the USGS Store. Complete listing. Is your state covered? http://1.usa.gov/lvbSol

New Heights of Accuracy for World Topography: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) have collaborated in the development of a much improved global elevation model, the Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010 (GMTED2010). GMTED2010 replaces the widely used, 15-year-old GTOPO30 terrain model as the best available global digital elevation model. All of the GMTED2010 data products are publicly available online with no redistribution restrictions. http://on.doi.gov/v0sreR

Arizona Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Arizona has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. That brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to nearly 130,000, covering 37 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

USGS Geospatial Data Contract Website: The National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) has linked a new Geospatial Data Contract website to The National Map website. The Geospatial Product and Service Contracts (GPSC) is a suite of contracts, broad in scope, that can accommodate activities related to standard, nonstandard, graphic, and digital cartographic products. Services provided may include: photogrammetric mapping and aerotriangulation; orthophotography; thematic mapping (for example, land characterization); digital imagery applications; IFSAR and LiDAR; geographic information systems development; surveying and control acquisition, including ground-based and airborne GPS; and much more.

Historical Maps Now Covering 36 States: The release of more than 13,688 historical topographic maps covering California highlights the rapid pace of the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection. Nearly 124,000 high resolution scans of historical USGS maps, some dating as far back as 1884, are now available online for free from the USGS Store. The electronic maps are georeferenced and can be used in conjunction with the new USGS digital topographic map, the US Topo.

FGDC Launches New Geospatial Website: The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), in conjunction with several geospatial partners has released a prototype Geospatial Platform website providing an initial view of the future of user-friendly, integrated, federal data collections on common geographic maps. Through the website, users can create their own maps by combining their data with public domain data and can collaborate in public and private groups with others who share their interests. Maps assembled through the Geospatial Platform can be shared with others through web browsers and mobile technologies. All of this is possible without requiring users to install software on their own computers. News Release.

Volunteer Geographic Information: Since 1994, citizen volunteers have helped the USGS improve its topographic maps. A new fact sheet has been released to explain the current status of volunteer map data collection, pilot projects and the possible future of The National Map Corps.

Historical Topographic Map Collection Update – over half way: More than 102,300high resolution scans of the more than 200,000 historical USGS topographic maps, some dating as far back as 1884, are now available online. The Historical Topographic Map Collection includes published U.S. maps of all scales and editions, and are offered as a georeferenced digital download or as a scanned print from the USGS Store.

There's A (M)app For That: Topographic maps from the USGS are now available as an app for Apple iOS devices including the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The new app, called PDF Maps, has been released though the iTunes App Store and allows free download of any available US Topo or USGS Historical maps from the USGS Store or Map Locator tool.

US Topo – Exceeding Goals: The US Topo crested an important milestone as the staff exceeded the ambitions goal of producing 18,500 digital quadrangles in one year. This brings the total of US Topos available for no-cost download to more than 36,200 maps covering 33 states. Recently, the program has started to replace the former "Digital Map Beta" prototypes with US Topo maps and have included a land cover layer. Also, the US Topo website has been updated to reflect significant product additions.

Geospatial Summit and Radio Interview: Mark DeMulder, the Director of the National Geospatial Program gave a keynote presentation on "Mapping the Future" at the inaugural Geospatial Summit, September13 in Herndon, VA. Prior to the Summit, he was featured in a radio interview on Federal News Radio. Articles: http://bit.ly/nDP4WR http://bit.ly/pi7Qhq

NGP Standards: Standards and specifications are essential to facilitate the development and sharing of geospatial data and products. The USGS standards and specifications that define the requirements to ensure that all products and data prepared by the USGS under the National Geospatial Program are consistent in accuracy, structure, format, style, and content can now be found on The National Map website.

Bridging the Gap – The National Map Now Serving Complete Data for the US-Canadian Border: Since 2007 the USGS has partnered with the International Joint Commission of Canada and the U.S. (IJC) to extend National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) and WBD interpretations into Canada. This effort involves complex negotiations between State, Provincial and Federal agencies, resulting in the ability for users of the National Map to view, download and use Hydrologic Units and Hydrographic layers that were previously limited to the International Boundary. Identical interpretations are currently available on Natural Resources Canada's data portal GeoBase.

The National Map Corps Update: The USGS National Geospatial Program (NGP) sponsored volunteer map data collection projects for 20+ years. Citizen mappers revised many maps, but the program was suspended in 2008 due to funding. New technologies and social media have made volunteered geographic information (VGI) a possibility. As a result, the USGS has launched a pilot project to explore the future citizen participation. http://1.usa.gov/pkNgfi

Emergency Response Fact Sheet: The USGS National Geospatial Program (NGP) has released a new fact sheet listing the most popular web based resources for emergency responders and others to get timely and relevant information concerning earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanoes, wildfires, terrorist attacks and accidental oil spills. http://on.doi.gov/iEmVfo

Conference Posters: Pictures of winning and other selected posters from the 2011 USGS GIS Workshop and The National Map User Conference Poster Session released on the Conference website: http://bit.ly/pFwucn

Conference Pictures Posted! Hundreds of pictures from The National Map Users Conference (TNM UC) and the 2011 GIS Workshop have been posted to the Conference website. The pictures are arranged by day or major event and can be viewed as a slide show or thumb-nail set through Flickr.

Safest City: What is the "Safest City, USA"? Recently, a reporter from MSNBC posed that question to the USGS, looking for a map that depicts all the potential natural hazards and climatic impacts. Although the USGS has several data sets, there is currently no map that combines all of the various scenarios. Given the list of probable calamities, could your city or state be the "safest"?

Videos Released: Selected videos from The National Map Users Conference (TNM UC) have been posted to the Conference website. The recently released presentations include the plenary sessions for Day 1 and Day2, the Gannett Awards Ceremony, the Closing session and a montage of attendee feedback called TNM UC Experience. Photos, presentations and more from the Conference will be posted soon.

What is a Map? Renowned author Frederick Reuss advances, "The Question, What is a Map? Is More Relevant than Ever" in a new video from The National Map Users Conference.

SUCCESS! The National Map Users Conference (TNM UC) for 2011 is now in the books. The inaugural event took place May 12-13 in Denver with more than 425 participants. The over-capacity crowd included 16 Federal agencies, state and local government, academic institutions, vendors and international representatives. The fast-paced program included 66 concurrent sessions, panel discussions, three listening sessions, product review opportunities, the Gannett Award ceremony and plenty of networking. The Conference was preceded by the two-day, technology-focused GIS Workshop held at the nearby Denver Federal Center. Videos, pictures, presentation slides, Conference proceedings and other information products will be posted to the Conference website as they become available.

Gannett Award winners: Tommy Dewald of the EPA and Keven Roth "semi-retired" USGS are the co-recipients of this year's Henry Gannett Award, presented at The National Map Users Conference. Roth and Dewald were cited for their development of the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). More updated post Conference info at http://nationalmap.gov/uc/.

New Website Face: An updated version of The National Map website (nationalmap.gov) was rolled out in conjunction with The National Map Users Conference. The new home page includes an user-specified map selection menu, easier to read navigation tabs, a search box, refined news section and a real-time Twitter feed. Check it out – comments welcome!

• More than 53,652 US Topo maps are loaded to the Map Locator of the USGS Store (as of 09-10-12)
• Kansas was the first US Topo state, and is 100% complete (1,417 quadrangles) followed by:
• Oklahoma: 100% complete (1,087 quadrangles)
• New York: 100% complete (973 quadrangles)
• Texas: 100% complete (4,364 quadrangles)
• Kentucky: 100% complete (615 quadrangles)
• Iowa: 100% complete (1,056 quadrangles)
• Tennessee: 100% complete (719 quadrangles)
• Indiana: 100% complete (672 quadrangles)
• Pennsylvania: 100% complete (794 quadrangles)
• Wisconsin: 100% complete (1,062 quadrangles)
• Virginia: 100% complete (707 quadrangles)
• Ohio: 100% complete (737 quadrangles)
• Colorado: 100% complete (1,832 quadrangles)
• Minnesota: 100% complete (1,709 quadrangles)
• North Carolina: 100% complete (848 quadrangles)
• New Mexico: 100% complete (2,029 quadrangles)
• Idaho: 100% complete (1,479 quadrangles)
• Washington: 100% complete (1,373 quadrangles)
• Utah: 100% complete (1,549 quadrangles)
• West Virginia: 100% complete (468 quadrangles)
• Georgia: 100% complete (963 quadrangles)
• North Dakota: 100% complete (1,432 quadrangles)
• New Jersey: 100% complete (176 quadrangles)
• Delaware: 100% complete (31 quadrangles)
• Montana: 100% complete (2,991) quadrangles)
• Maryland: (Incl DC): 100% complete (254 quadrangles)
• Oregon: 100% complete (1,882 quadrangles)
• Arkansas: 100% complete (911 quadrangles)
• South Carolina: 100% complete (569 quadrangles)
• Michigan: 100% complete (1,319 quadrangles)
• Maine: 100% complete (708 quadrangles)*
• Alabama: 100% complete (843 quadrangles)*
• Arizona: 100% complete (1,883 quadrangles)*
• Nebraska: 100% complete (1,372 quadrangles)*
• Missouri: 100% complete (1,201 quadrangles)*
• Nevada: 100% complete (1,788 quadrangles)*
• California: 100% complete (2,800 quadrangles)*
• Louisiana: 100% complete (801 quadrangles)*
• Mississippi: 100% complete (770 quadrangles)*
• Vermont: 100% complete (201 quadrangles)*
• New Hampshire: 100% complete (174 quadrangles)*
• Connecticut: 100% complete (76 quadrangles)*
• Massachusetts: 100% complete (196 quadrangles)*
• Rhode Island: 100% complete (27 quadrangles)*
• Wyoming: 100% complete (1,779 quadrangles)*
• South Dakota: 100% complete (1,151 quadrangles)*
• Florida: 100% complete (1,025 quadrangles)*
• Illinois: 92% complete (916 quadrangles)*
• Pending: Hawaii

*Current "Digital Map - Beta" maps that are being updated to US Topo specifications

Note: As of October 25, 2010, the percentage of US Topos complete and total quadrangles loaded will include U.S. Forest Service lands.

• More than 53 "Digital Maps–Beta" are loaded to the Map Locator of the USGS Store
• State quad status, in order of loading to the Map Locator: (as of 09-10-12)
  • Illinois: 100% complete

Note: Forest Service quads in the above states are currently not included, which often gives a "missing quad" look. The USGS is working with the Forest Service so that maps made in 2010 and beyond will include lands administered by USFS.

The "Digital Map–Beta" is the initial electronic digital map. With the integration of the hydrography and contour layers, the maps produced after October 2009, and starting with Kansas, will be classified as US Topo.

LiDAR Publication Released: A new USGS publication from the National Geospatial Program titled, "LiDAR Base Specification Version 1.0" is now available for free download. This officially replaces what is widely known as "the v13 Spec", a draft LiDAR base specification that has been largely adopted by many US Federal agencies and private industry. That formative document has been completely reformatted and re-edited, and now includes a glossary, a metadata template, and a metadata example file. LiDAR continues to be a rapidly evolving technology, and the NGP anticipates periodic future revisions to this document as changes in the technology, data, applications, and program requirements dictate. Report link.

Northern Plains Data Improved – plus PLSS: New US Topo maps for Wyoming and South Dakota are available (News Release), with more than 3,230 revised digital quadrangles added to the collection. Wyoming is the first state to have Public Land Survey System (PLSS) data added to US Topo maps. The PLSS is a way of subdividing and describing land in the United States. All lands in the public domain are subject to subdivision by this rectangular system of surveys, which is regulated by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The maps are available for free download from the USGS Map Store website.

PR Historical Maps: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Puerto Rico has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these 611 quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to nearly 164,000, covering the lower 48 states and Hawaii. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

MI and SD State Maps: The full sets of US Topo maps for Michigan and South Dakota have been released and are available for free download from the USGS Store. The 1,319 revised quadrangles from the Great Lakes State and the1,445 topo maps from the Mount Rushmore have been added to the more than 51,600 US digital topographic maps. http://1.usa.gov/82461k

Find 1, Get 1, Use 1: The National Atlas has released new sets of digital cartographic frameworks at the one million-scale, which is twice the detail of previous versions. Users can now easily find "one" using popular search engines; get it as documented data or Web map services; and use "one" in their geospatial analyses, maps, or map mashups. News Release: http://on.doi.gov/MDT0BJ

New Maps for New England: Nearly 690 revised digital maps covering Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont have been added to approximately 51,000 maps currently covering the lower 48 states and are available for free download from the website.

Legacy Maps in the News: The Historical Topographic Map Collection, with more than 167,335 scanned and referenced USGS topo quadrangles available for free download, has recently been featured in several publications, including the Smithsonian "Constant Traveler", PC World, the Verge and the IMTA update.
Traveler link: http://bit.ly/O0AmFt

USGS Mapping Alaska: In conjunction with nearly 20 Federal Agencies and representatives from the state of Alaska, the USGS sponsored an Alaska Mapping Roundtable to discuss collaborative funding strategies for Alaska's Statewide Digital Mapping Initiative. The meeting, convened by Lt. Gov Mead Treadwell and DOI Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, Anne Castle, was also featured in the July 5 edition of The Seward Phoenix Log.

New NHD Publication: The analysis of surface-water systems optimized by using the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) as the common national framework has provided improved data maintenance, better tools and reduced costs. To portray the complex water data, often from many agencies, the NHD has developed and refined a linear referencing system. Fact Sheet: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2012/3068/

Passed 50,000: The US Topo map project has produced more than 50,000 revised digital topographic maps since late-2009, keeping pace with the complete coverage goal of the continental US by the end 2012. Users from almost every state can now access and download new US Topo maps for free from the USGS Store map locator. To see if your desired map is available, go to: http://on.doi.gov/ctQcJG

Connecticut Quads Featured: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. The flash thumbnails of original scanned maps display all available versions of the featured state quadrangles in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger versions and the map and go directly to the download services. The new series is six topographic maps of the Old Lyme maps in Connecticut - ranging from 1893 to the present. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

US Topo Update: New maps for Wyoming and South Dakota are nearly half way complete. More than 36 states containing more than 40,700 quadrangles are now partially or almost totally covered by the new USGS digital electronic topographic map, the US Topo. Free download from the USGS Store. Complete listing. Is your state covered? http://1.usa.gov/82461k

Bay State Maps: The full set of US Topo maps for Massachusetts has been released. The 196 revised quadrangles have been added to the more 49,800 US digital topographic maps available for free download from the USGS Store. http://1.usa.gov/82461k

TopoBathy added to the NED: The first set of topobathymetric data has been added to the National Elevation Dataset (NED). Topobathymetric data are created by merging topography (land elevation) and bathymetry (water depth) into a seamless elevation product useful for applications such as modeling sea level rise and storm surge. The initial dataset is centered over Mobile Bay, Alabama and was constructed using a combination of 71 disparate topographic and bathymetric datasets from the USGS, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; ranging in temporal variation from 1917 to 2011. It was developed in collaboration between the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) and the USGS National Geospatial Program. In the next five years, the CMGP has plans to expand its research and modeling along the northern Gulf of Mexico coastline, and San Francisco and Chesapeake Bays. Release notes: http://bit.ly/K5RCEE

Ocean State Maps: The full set of US Topo maps for Rhode Island has been released. The 27 revised quadrangles have been added to the more 48,900 US digital topographic maps available for free download from the USGS Store. http://1.usa.gov/82461k

Hawaii Historical Maps Available: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Hawaii has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to nearly 167,000, with only one more state left to completing coverage for the entire US and territories. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Constitution State Maps: The full set of US Topo maps for Connecticut has been released. The 94 revised quadrangles have been added to the more 48,900 US digital topographic maps available for free download from the USGS Store. http://1.usa.gov/82461k

California Quads Featured: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. The flash thumbnails of original scanned maps display all available versions of the featured state quadrangles in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger versions and the map and go directly to the download services. The new series is six topographic maps of the Yosemite/Half Dome maps in California - ranging from 1897 to the present. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

New Maps for CA, LA and MS Rolled Out: Complete sets of US Topo maps for California, Louisiana and Mississippi have been released. They join the growing list of other states. The 4,300 new maps have been added to the more than 48,580 digital topographic quadrangles now available for free download from the USGS Store. News Release with quotes from the USGS Director: http://on.doi.gov/LmdbjB

Arizona quads complete: After a short delay, the finished set of US Topo maps numbering more than 1,880 updated digital topographic quadrangles for Arizona have been loaded to the USGS Store for free download. http://1.usa.gov/lvbSol

More New England States Started: US Topo maps for the states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire are starting to be posted to the US Topo quadrangle collection. Currently, more than 275 digital topographic maps from those New England states are available for free download from the USGS Store. http://1.usa.gov/lvbSol

Elevation Study Results: The USGS completed a National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (NEEA) in December 2011. The assessment was the most comprehensive investigation of options for improving the availability and quality of national elevation data. Research participants included 34 federal agencies, 50 states, and selected local governments and tribes, as well as private and not-for-profit organizations. The study and other resources will be available through a NEEA website (coming soon!). In the interim, the full report from Dewberry can be found at: http://bit.ly/JNlGcj

Golden State Coverage: The state of California is now completely covered with new US Topo maps. More than 2,800 California digital topographic quadrangles are now available for free download from the USGS Store. The improved maps feature contours, updated hydrography, woodland tint, additional critical structures, enhanced boundaries, commercial roads and new Forest Service data. Also, the US Topo allows for the addition of a high resolution aerial photography map layer, which is not available on older paper-based topographic maps. Download instructions: http://nationalmap.gov/ustopo/

Release of CA, LA and MS US Topo’s Soon: The release of US Topo maps for both California and Louisiana is currently at 98% complete, and Mississippi is close behind at 97%. All three should be finished soon! More than 40 states containing more than 47,754 quadrangles are now partially or almost totally covered by the new USGS digital electronic topographic map, the US Topo. The program is now replacing the former "Digital Map-Beta" maps with revised US Topo maps. Free download from the USGS Store. Complete listing. Is your state covered? http://1.usa.gov/lvbSol

Tweet us! The National Map Twitter site has steadily increased to more than 970 followers in just over a year. Let’s make it to 1,000 @USGSTNM. Sign up today and join in the conversation!

Records Set: USGS legacy topographic maps from the Historical Topographic Map Collection have set a record of more than 427,700 downloads during the month of April. This follows the completion of historical map coverage for the lower 48 states in a few weeks ago. The newest USGS topographic map, the US Topo, also set a personal best of nearly 174,000 downloads for the same period. Check out the mapping websites and see why they are becoming so popular. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Geospatial Technology Workshop: The USGS will be offering a workshop titled "Introduction to Geospatial Semantics and Technology" preceding the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science Symposium on May 29, 2012 in Washington D.C. The Workshop is an introductory tutorial on geospatial semantics with hands-on exercises using standard Web browsers. The workshop is divided into two major sections: general semantics on the Web, and specific examples of geospatial semantics using data from The National Map of the USGS. The general section will include information and access to publicly available semantic archives. The specific session will include information on geospatial semantics with access to semantically enhanced data for hydrography, transportation, boundaries, names, and land cover. Details: http://www.ucgis.org/Events/moreinfo.asp?ID=304

Alaska Mapping Interview: Mark DeMulder, Director of the USGS National Geospatial Program (NGP) was interviewed by KNTA Radio out of Talkeetna, Alaska about the new and ambitious USGS initiative to update and upgrade the topographic maps of the Alaskan region. The interactive discussion covers the history of mapping Alaska, the new US Topo digital map project, new cartographic technologies and proposed plans for the Alaskan Mapping Initiative. Interview and sound bites: http://bit.ly/HVcy4R

Border Elevation Improved: Updated elevation data along the U.S. and Canadian border have been added to the National Elevation Dataset (NED) layer as result of collaboration between U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN). Scientist from NRCAN Centre for Topographic Information and the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center improved the topographic information along the international border by making the U.S. and Canada elevation data seamless in the 1-arc-second NED. These data will complete the watersheds originating in the U.S. and fill a small void that existed between the two elevation datasets. The new Canada elevation data, as well as the latest elevation data for the contiguous U.S. added to the NED can be viewed at NED Release Notes for April. The next release of the NED, due in June, 2012, will include Canada elevation along the border of Alaska

CONUS Complete: The USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection is celebrating a major milestone, as the lower 48 states, spanning in excess of 130 years, are now available for free download from the Collection website. This Collection features well over 161,000 USGS legacy topographic maps in a digital format. Since September, more than 1.2 million maps have been downloaded from the Map Locator – an average of more than 5,700 maps per day! News Release

USGS Scientist Receives "High" Water Award: USGS cartographer Jeff Simley, the product lead for the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) received the Maidment Award at this year’s American Water Resources Association (AWRA) GIS specialty conference for water resources in New Orleans. The prestigious award acknowledges his contributions to the water resources field as a key player in establishing a Stewardship program that partners many federal, state, and local agencies all with a common goal to improve and maintain a hydrography GIS layer for the nation. http://nhd.usgs.gov/

The Last Piece of the Puzzle - USGS Historical Maps: A summary of the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, its status and relevance to many diverse audiences has been published as a "Top Story" on the USGS main website. The article outlines the goals of the Historical Collection program and a short history of The National Program for Topographic Mapping, which was established in 1884. Also, it reviews map changes over time, including scales and symbology. Article link.

Florida Historical Maps added, one state left: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Florida has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to nearly 164,000, with only one more state left to completing coverage for the lower 48 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

NHD/WBD in the Big Easy: The USGS will be hosting the 4th bi-annual National Hydrography Dataset (NHD)/ Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) Stewardship Conference in New Orleans, March 29-30, 2012. The conference is in conjunction with the American Water Resources Association's 2012 Spring Specialty Conference on Geographic Information Systems and Water Resources. The NHD is the surface water component of The National Map to be used in general mapping and in the analysis of surface-water systems by geographic information systems (GIS). Conference agenda: http://bit.ly/zNXixX

Wyoming Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Wyoming has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 154,000, covering 48 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Missouri/Illinois Quads Featured: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. The flash thumbnails of original maps display all available versions of the featured state quadrangles in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger versions and the map and go directly to the download services. The third showcased series is six topographic maps of the Columbia Bottoms area, straddling Missouri and Illinois - ranging from 1927 to the present. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Rhode Island and South Dakota Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Rhode Island and South Dakota have been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 149,800, covering 47 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

ASPRS Fellow Award: Kari Craun, Director of the USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) has been named as one of two 2012 American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) Fellow Award winners. The ASPRS hilghly selective designation of Fellow is awarded to active Society members who have performed exceptional service in advancing geospatial science and use of the mapping sciences. News release: http://bit.ly/zW7xXg

USGS at Esri FedUC: The USGS played a prominent role at the 2012 Esri Federal Users Conference in Washington, DC this past week. The USGS sponsored two exhibits featuring new and improved geospatial products and services from the National Geospatial Program and the National Atlas ®. Also, the USGS was involved in several presentations and technical sessions throughout the Conference. http://bit.ly/qgNZJs

Arizona Quad Featured: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites are now displaying the Phantom Ranch topographic quadrangle on their flash application. The maps cover the a series to quadrangles from 1967 to the present. ? http://1.usa.gov/lvbSol, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

CEGIS Researcher Honored: Kristina Yamamoto, a student geographer with the USGS Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS) is featured this month in the "Students at USGS" on the USGS main website. As part of her experience with the National Geospatial Program (NGP), she is conducting remote sensing research, including soil moisture and LiDAR projects. She is also PhD candidate at the University of Denver in the geography department, with her dissertation topic covering sea turtle nesting beach characteristics in southern Florida.

Vermont Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Vermont has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. That brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 147,300, covering 45 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Mississippi Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Mississippi has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. That brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 147,300, covering 45 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Louisiana Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Louisiana has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. That brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 147,300, covering 40 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Geospatial Websites Upgraded: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. The flash thumbnails of original maps display all available versions of the featured series in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger versions of the map and go directly to the download services. The second showcased series is six topographic maps of the Phantom Range, Arizona quadrangle (part of the Grand Canyon) - ranging from 1962 to the present. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

New NHD Tools: The National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) contains detailed geospatial information about the Nation's surface water. Ensuring the accuracy of these data is an ongoing task as the landscape changes and users demand greater accuracy. To better support and grow the NHD stewardship program, the USGS has reinvented both the process and tools involved in maintaining the NHD. More information: http://bit.ly/dZZZ33

Missouri and New Hampshire Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Missouri and New Hampshire have been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 141,000 , covering 41 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Connecticut Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Connecticut has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. That brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 149,190, covering 39 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Nebraska Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Nebraska has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. That brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to more than 132,200, covering 38 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Geospatial Websites Upgraded: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. Thumbnail images of actual maps display all available versions of the featured series in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, view larger versions of each map, and an option to download the full-resolution version directly. This first showcase features six topographic maps from the Boothbay, Maine area - ranging from 1893 to the present.

Historical Map Video: The USGS has released the "Historical Topographic Map Collection-Distribution of USGS Maps- Old and New" video presentation. It features team lead Greg Allord at the recent International Map Trade Association (IMTA) Conference. The video covers the project history, goals, updates and examples.

US Topo Moving Forward: Nevada has started and Missouri is continuing! More than 36 states containing more than 41,000 quadrangles are now partially or almost totally covered by the new USGS digital electronic topographic map, the US Topo. The program is now replacing the former "Digital Map-Beta" maps with US Topo maps. Free download from the USGS Store. Complete listing. Is your state covered? http://1.usa.gov/lvbSol

New Heights of Accuracy for World Topography: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) have collaborated in the development of a much improved global elevation model, the Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010 (GMTED2010). GMTED2010 replaces the widely used, 15-year-old GTOPO30 terrain model as the best available global digital elevation model. All of the GMTED2010 data products are publicly available online with no redistribution restrictions. http://on.doi.gov/v0sreR

Arizona Historical Maps added: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Arizona has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. That brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to nearly 130,000, covering 37 states. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

USGS Geospatial Data Contract Website: The National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) has linked a new Geospatial Data Contract website to The National Map website. The Geospatial Product and Service Contracts (GPSC) is a suite of contracts, broad in scope, that can accommodate activities related to standard, nonstandard, graphic, and digital cartographic products. Services provided may include: photogrammetric mapping and aerotriangulation; orthophotography; thematic mapping (for example, land characterization); digital imagery applications; IFSAR and LiDAR; geographic information systems development; surveying and control acquisition, including ground-based and airborne GPS; and much more.

Historical Maps Now Covering 36 States: The release of more than 13,688 historical topographic maps covering California highlights the rapid pace of the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection. Nearly 124,000 high resolution scans of historical USGS maps, some dating as far back as 1884, are now available online for free from the USGS Store. The electronic maps are georeferenced and can be used in conjunction with the new USGS digital topographic map, the US Topo.

FGDC Launches New Geospatial Website: The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), in conjunction with several geospatial partners has released a prototype Geospatial Platform website providing an initial view of the future of user-friendly, integrated, federal data collections on common geographic maps. Through the website, users can create their own maps by combining their data with public domain data and can collaborate in public and private groups with others who share their interests. Maps assembled through the Geospatial Platform can be shared with others through web browsers and mobile technologies. All of this is possible without requiring users to install software on their own computers. News Release.

Volunteer Geographic Information: Since 1994, citizen volunteers have helped the USGS improve its topographic maps. A new fact sheet has been released to explain the current status of volunteer map data collection, pilot projects and the possible future of The National Map Corps.

Historical Topographic Map Collection Update – over half way: More than 102,300high resolution scans of the more than 200,000 historical USGS topographic maps, some dating as far back as 1884, are now available online. The Historical Topographic Map Collection includes published U.S. maps of all scales and editions, and are offered as a georeferenced digital download or as a scanned print from the USGS Store.

There's A (M)app For That: Topographic maps from the USGS are now available as an app for Apple iOS devices including the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The new app, called PDF Maps, has been released though the iTunes App Store and allows free download of any available US Topo or USGS Historical maps from the USGS Store or Map Locator tool.

US Topo – Exceeding Goals: The US Topo crested an important milestone as the staff exceeded the ambitions goal of producing 18,500 digital quadrangles in one year. This brings the total of US Topos available for no-cost download to more than 36,200 maps covering 33 states. Recently, the program has started to replace the former "Digital Map Beta" prototypes with US Topo maps and have included a land cover layer. Also, the US Topo website has been updated to reflect significant product additions.

Geospatial Summit and Radio Interview: Mark DeMulder, the Director of the National Geospatial Program gave a keynote presentation on "Mapping the Future" at the inaugural Geospatial Summit, September13 in Herndon, VA. Prior to the Summit, he was featured in a radio interview on Federal News Radio. Articles: http://bit.ly/nDP4WR http://bit.ly/pi7Qhq

NGP Standards: Standards and specifications are essential to facilitate the development and sharing of geospatial data and products. The USGS standards and specifications that define the requirements to ensure that all products and data prepared by the USGS under the National Geospatial Program are consistent in accuracy, structure, format, style, and content can now be found on The National Map website.

Bridging the Gap – The National Map Now Serving Complete Data for the US-Canadian Border: Since 2007 the USGS has partnered with the International Joint Commission of Canada and the U.S. (IJC) to extend National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) and WBD interpretations into Canada. This effort involves complex negotiations between State, Provincial and Federal agencies, resulting in the ability for users of the National Map to view, download and use Hydrologic Units and Hydrographic layers that were previously limited to the International Boundary. Identical interpretations are currently available on Natural Resources Canada's data portal GeoBase.

The National Map Corps Update: The USGS National Geospatial Program (NGP) sponsored volunteer map data collection projects for 20+ years. Citizen mappers revised many maps, but the program was suspended in 2008 due to funding. New technologies and social media have made volunteered geographic information (VGI) a possibility. As a result, the USGS has launched a pilot project to explore the future citizen participation. http://1.usa.gov/pkNgfi

Emergency Response Fact Sheet: The USGS National Geospatial Program (NGP) has released a new fact sheet listing the most popular web based resources for emergency responders and others to get timely and relevant information concerning earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanoes, wildfires, terrorist attacks and accidental oil spills. http://on.doi.gov/iEmVfo

Conference Posters: Pictures of winning and other selected posters from the 2011 USGS GIS Workshop and The National Map User Conference Poster Session released on the Conference website: http://bit.ly/pFwucn

Conference Pictures Posted! Hundreds of pictures from The National Map Users Conference (TNM UC) and the 2011 GIS Workshop have been posted to the Conference website. The pictures are arranged by day or major event and can be viewed as a slide show or thumb-nail set through Flickr.

Safest City: What is the "Safest City, USA"? Recently, a reporter from MSNBC posed that question to the USGS, looking for a map that depicts all the potential natural hazards and climatic impacts. Although the USGS has several data sets, there is currently no map that combines all of the various scenarios. Given the list of probable calamities, could your city or state be the "safest"?

Videos Released: Selected videos from The National Map Users Conference (TNM UC) have been posted to the Conference website. The recently released presentations include the plenary sessions for Day 1 and Day2, the Gannett Awards Ceremony, the Closing session and a montage of attendee feedback called TNM UC Experience. Photos, presentations and more from the Conference will be posted soon.

What is a Map? Renowned author Frederick Reuss advances, "The Question, What is a Map? Is More Relevant than Ever" in a new video from The National Map Users Conference.

SUCCESS! The National Map Users Conference (TNM UC) for 2011 is now in the books. The inaugural event took place May 12-13 in Denver with more than 425 participants. The over-capacity crowd included 16 Federal agencies, state and local government, academic institutions, vendors and international representatives. The fast-paced program included 66 concurrent sessions, panel discussions, three listening sessions, product review opportunities, the Gannett Award ceremony and plenty of networking. The Conference was preceded by the two-day, technology-focused GIS Workshop held at the nearby Denver Federal Center. Videos, pictures, presentation slides, Conference proceedings and other information products will be posted to the Conference website as they become available.

Gannett Award winners: Tommy Dewald of the EPA and Keven Roth "semi-retired" USGS are the co-recipients of this year's Henry Gannett Award, presented at The National Map Users Conference. Roth and Dewald were cited for their development of the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). More updated post Conference info at http://nationalmap.gov/uc/.

New Website Face: An updated version of The National Map website (nationalmap.gov) was rolled out in conjunction with The National Map Users Conference. The new home page includes an user-specified map selection menu, easier to read navigation tabs, a search box, refined news section and a real-time Twitter feed. Check it out – comments welcome!

• More than 53,375 US Topo maps are loaded to the Map Locator of the USGS Store (as of 08-30-12)
• Kansas was the first US Topo state, and is 100% complete (1,417 quadrangles) followed by:
• Oklahoma: 100% complete (1,087 quadrangles)
• New York: 100% complete (973 quadrangles)
• Texas: 100% complete (4,364 quadrangles)
• Kentucky: 100% complete (615 quadrangles)
• Iowa: 100% complete (1,056 quadrangles)
• Tennessee: 100% complete (719 quadrangles)
• Indiana: 100% complete (672 quadrangles)
• Pennsylvania: 100% complete (794 quadrangles)
• Wisconsin: 100% complete (1,062 quadrangles)
• Virginia: 100% complete (707 quadrangles)
• Ohio: 100% complete (737 quadrangles)
• Colorado: 100% complete (1,832 quadrangles)
• Minnesota: 100% complete (1,709 quadrangles)
• North Carolina: 100% complete (848 quadrangles)
• New Mexico: 100% complete (2,029 quadrangles)
• Idaho: 100% complete (1,479 quadrangles)
• Washington: 100% complete (1,373 quadrangles)
• Utah: 100% complete (1,549 quadrangles)
• West Virginia: 100% complete (468 quadrangles)
• Georgia: 100% complete (963 quadrangles)
• North Dakota: 100% complete (1,432 quadrangles)
• New Jersey: 100% complete (176 quadrangles)
• Delaware: 100% complete (31 quadrangles)
• Montana: 100% complete (2,991) quadrangles)
• Maryland: (Incl DC): 100% complete (254 quadrangles)
• Oregon: 100% complete (1,882 quadrangles)
• Arkansas: 100% complete (911 quadrangles)
• South Carolina: 100% complete (569 quadrangles)
• Michigan: 100% complete (1,319 quadrangles)
• Maine: 100% complete (708 quadrangles)*
• Alabama: 100% complete (843 quadrangles)*
• Arizona: 100% complete (1,883 quadrangles)*
• Nebraska: 100% complete (1,372 quadrangles)*
• Missouri: 100% complete (1,201 quadrangles)*
• Nevada: 100% complete (1,788 quadrangles)*
• California: 100% complete (2,800 quadrangles)*
• Louisiana: 100% complete (801 quadrangles)*
• Mississippi: 100% complete (770 quadrangles)*
• Vermont: 100% complete (201 quadrangles)*
• New Hampshire: 100% complete (174 quadrangles)*
• Connecticut: 100% complete (76 quadrangles)*
• Massachusetts: 100% complete (196 quadrangles)*
• Rhode Island: 100% complete (27 quadrangles)*
• Wyoming: 100% complete (1,779 quadrangles)*
• South Dakota: 100% complete (1,151 quadrangles)*
• Florida: 99% complete (1,023 quadrangles)*
• Illinois: 68% complete (680 quadrangles)*
• Pending: Hawaii

*Current "Digital Map - Beta" maps that are being updated to US Topo specifications

Note: As of October 25, 2010, the percentage of US Topos complete and total quadrangles loaded will include U.S. Forest Service lands.

• More than 271 "Digital Maps–Beta" are loaded to the Map Locator of the USGS Store
• State quad status, in order of loading to the Map Locator: (as of 08-30-12)
  • Illinois: 100% complete

Note: Forest Service quads in the above states are currently not included, which often gives a "missing quad" look. The USGS is working with the Forest Service so that maps made in 2010 and beyond will include lands administered by USFS.

The "Digital Map–Beta" is the initial electronic digital map. With the integration of the hydrography and contour layers, the maps produced after October 2009, and starting with Kansas, will be classified as US Topo.

MI and SD State Maps: The full sets of US Topo maps for Michigan and South Dakota have been released and are available for free download from the USGS Store. The 1,319 revised quadrangles from the Great Lakes State and the1,445 topo maps from the Mount Rushmore have been added to the more than 51,600 US digital topographic maps. http://1.usa.gov/82461k

Find 1, Get 1, Use 1: The National Atlas has released new sets of digital cartographic frameworks at the one million-scale, which is twice the detail of previous versions. Users can now easily find "one" using popular search engines; get it as documented data or Web map services; and use "one" in their geospatial analyses, maps, or map mashups. News Release: http://on.doi.gov/MDT0BJ

New Maps for New England: Nearly 690 revised digital maps covering Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont have been added to approximately 51,000 maps currently covering the lower 48 states and are available for free download from the website.

Legacy Maps in the News: The Historical Topographic Map Collection, with more than 167,335 scanned and referenced USGS topo quadrangles available for free download, has recently been featured in several publications, including the Smithsonian "Constant Traveler", PC World, the Verge and the IMTA update.
Traveler link: http://bit.ly/O0AmFt

USGS Mapping Alaska: In conjunction with nearly 20 Federal Agencies and representatives from the state of Alaska, the USGS sponsored an Alaska Mapping Roundtable to discuss collaborative funding strategies for Alaska's Statewide Digital Mapping Initiative. The meeting, convened by Lt. Gov Mead Treadwell and DOI Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, Anne Castle, was also featured in the July 5 edition of The Seward Phoenix Log.

New NHD Publication: The analysis of surface-water systems optimized by using the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) as the common national framework has provided improved data maintenance, better tools and reduced costs. To portray the complex water data, often from many agencies, the NHD has developed and refined a linear referencing system. Fact Sheet: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2012/3068/

Passed 50,000: The US Topo map project has produced more than 50,000 revised digital topographic maps since late-2009, keeping pace with the complete coverage goal of the continental US by the end 2012. Users from almost every state can now access and download new US Topo maps for free from the USGS Store map locator. To see if your desired map is available, go to: http://on.doi.gov/ctQcJG

Connecticut Quads Featured: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. The flash thumbnails of original scanned maps display all available versions of the featured state quadrangles in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger versions and the map and go directly to the download services. The new series is six topographic maps of the Old Lyme maps in Connecticut - ranging from 1893 to the present. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

US Topo Update: New maps for Wyoming and South Dakota are nearly half way complete. More than 36 states containing more than 40,700 quadrangles are now partially or almost totally covered by the new USGS digital electronic topographic map, the US Topo. Free download from the USGS Store. Complete listing. Is your state covered? http://1.usa.gov/82461k

Bay State Maps: The full set of US Topo maps for Massachusetts has been released. The 196 revised quadrangles have been added to the more 49,800 US digital topographic maps available for free download from the USGS Store. http://1.usa.gov/82461k

TopoBathy added to the NED: The first set of topobathymetric data has been added to the National Elevation Dataset (NED). Topobathymetric data are created by merging topography (land elevation) and bathymetry (water depth) into a seamless elevation product useful for applications such as modeling sea level rise and storm surge. The initial dataset is centered over Mobile Bay, Alabama and was constructed using a combination of 71 disparate topographic and bathymetric datasets from the USGS, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; ranging in temporal variation from 1917 to 2011. It was developed in collaboration between the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) and the USGS National Geospatial Program. In the next five years, the CMGP has plans to expand its research and modeling along the northern Gulf of Mexico coastline, and San Francisco and Chesapeake Bays. Release notes: http://bit.ly/K5RCEE

Ocean State Maps: The full set of US Topo maps for Rhode Island has been released. The 27 revised quadrangles have been added to the more 48,900 US digital topographic maps available for free download from the USGS Store. http://1.usa.gov/82461k

Hawaii Historical Maps Available: The complete series of USGS Historical Topographic Maps for Hawaii has been loaded for free download from the USGS Store Map Locator. The addition of these quadrangles brings the total number of historical, legacy topographic maps to nearly 167,000, with only one more state left to completing coverage for the entire US and territories. The historical maps are available in a GeoPDF format and can be searched by state name, scale or map name. The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 200,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884. http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

Constitution State Maps: The full set of US Topo maps for Connecticut has been released. The 94 revised quadrangles have been added to the more 48,900 US digital topographic maps available for free download from the USGS Store. http://1.usa.gov/82461k

California Quads Featured: The US Topo and Historical Topographic Map Collection websites have added an interactive map application to their home pages. The flash thumbnails of original scanned maps display all available versions of the featured state quadrangles in an animated format. The display allows the user to view the maps in chronological order, access larger versions and the map and go directly to the download services. The new series is six topographic maps of the Yosemite/Half Dome maps in California - ranging from 1897 to the present. http://1.usa.gov/82461k, http://1.usa.gov/oSPTDv

New Maps for CA, LA and MS Rolled Out: Complete sets of US Topo maps for California, Louisiana and Mississippi have been released. They join the growing list of other states. The 4,300 new maps have been added to the more than 48,580 digital topographic quadrangles now available for free download from the USGS Store. News Release with quotes from the USGS Director: http://on.doi.gov/LmdbjB

Arizona quads complete: After a short delay, the finished set of US Topo maps numbering more than 1,880 updated digital topographic quadrangles for Arizona have been loaded to the USGS Store for free download. http://1.usa.gov/lvbSol

More New England States Started: US Topo maps for the states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire are starting to be posted to the US Topo quadrangle collection. Currently, more than 275 digital topographic maps from those New England states are available for free download from the USGS Store. http://1.usa.gov/lvbSol

Elevation Study Results: The USGS completed a National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (NEEA) in December 2011. The assessment was the most comprehensive investigation of options for improving the availability and quality of national elevation data. Research participants included 34 federal agencies, 50 states, and selected local governments and tribes, as well as private and not-for-profit organizations. The study and other resources will be available through a NEEA website (coming soon!). In the interim, the full report from Dewberry can be found at: http://bit.ly/JNlGcj

Golden State Coverage: The state of California is now completely covered with new US Topo maps. More than 2,800 California digital topographic quadrangles are now available for free download from the USGS Store. The improved maps feature contours, updated hydrography, woodland tint, additional critical structures, enhanced boundaries, commercial roads and new Forest Service data. Also, the US Topo allows for the addition of a high resolution aerial photography map layer, which is not available on older paper-based topographic maps. Download instructions: http://nationalmap.gov/ustopo/

Release of CA, LA and MS US Topo’s Soon: The release of US Topo maps for both California and Louisiana is currently at 98% complete, and Mississippi is close behind at 97%. All three should be finished soon! More than 40 states containing more than 47,754 quadrangles are now partially or almost totally covered by the new USGS digital electronic topographic map, the US Topo. The program is now replacing the former "Digital Map-Beta" maps with revised US Topo maps. Free download from the USGS Store. Complete listing. Is your state covered? http://1.usa.gov/lvbSol

Tweet us! The National Map Twitter site has steadily increased to more than 970 followers in just over a year. Let’s make it to 1,000 @USGSTNM. Sign up today and join in the conversation!