Topo Maps
If you ever get lost in the wilderness with only a vague memory of where your buddy told you to go, it could take more than a Day-Glo breadcrumb trail to find your way back to civilization. With today’s navigational tools, there’s no reason to end up in that situation.
These Web sites offer a variety of maps and software, from simple topos to state-of-the-art GPS units and customizable maps. Some online features are free; others are not. So, if you’ve been wanting to upgrade your nav methods, you’ll undoubtedly find something here that works for you and your budget.
- TopoZone
- TopoZone has worked with the USGS to create the Web’s first interactive topo map of the entire United States. They also offer custom digital topographic data for Web, GIS and CAD applications. Their free “My TopoZone” feature lets users personalize their usage and save their map preferences. This site also claims to have every USGS topo map, orthophotomap and aerial photograph of the whole United States. Registration is free and provides access to many of the site’s features. The site’s subscription service, TopoZone Pro, is available for a single-user annual fee of $49.95.
- Mapping The Outdoors
- Jeep enthusiasts who enjoy hunting, hiking, camping and bike riding will appreciate the services of this Web site. Users can set up, view and order maps via a secure mapping application. Products include aerial photography and topo maps with roads, contours, jurisdictional boundaries, hydrology and more. By innovatively combining aerial photography with topo maps, this site allows users to identify locations for a wide variety of outdoor activities.
- Forestry Suppliers, Inc.
- Forestry Suppliers, Inc., offers for sale an assortment of orienteering and navigational tools as well as storage systems and other accessories. Their raised relief maps are essentially scale models of the terrain, with a wide selection of areas of the United States, both east and west. These maps include contour lines, roads, streams, woodlands, peaks, railroads, airports, lakes and reservoirs. Interesting stuff.
- MapMart
- If you’re seriously specific about your maps and need customization, MapMart might be the place for you. Users can search for their area of interest, choose the scale and format of the data, then check the price before ordering. Other options include high- or low-resolution images, instant digital download or online order for hardcopy, satellite imagery or aerial photography, both historical and current. The list goes on. Their specialty is USGS products—DLGs, DEMs, DRGs, and DOQQs—and custom mapping.
- Maptech MapServer
- Maptech’s MapServer is free and allows users to view, mark locations with an icon, link the icon to any URL, save your icon’s location in your personalized “My Maps” (complete with tutorial), and share with a friend or colleague. Users can also print and e-mail USGS topographic maps, digital orthophoto quadrangles, aero charts and NOAA nautical charts online. Maptech’s MapServer provides access to the largest online database of NOAA digital charts and USGS maps available in the world. The product line includes Terrain Navigator, Terrain Navigator Pro, National Park Digital Guide, custom-built waterproof topo maps and more.
- TerraFly
- TerraFly is an interactive “fly-over” application designed to aid in the dissemination and visualization of geospatial data via the Internet. The incorporation of USGS data could make TerraFly one of the largest databases on the Web. According to the site, “Subscribers see/fly-over clean non-watermarked imagery, can fly almost quota-free, get priority in data streaming (can fly faster), get advanced image manipulation features, get more details in popup demographic data, but DO NOT get free imagery downloads.” Be warned, though: subscription prices are salty. Even so, the free features are fun to use. It is an innovative way to “get around.”
- Trails
- This subscription-based Web site offers unlimited topo maps, 30,000 trails for an array of outdoor recreational activities and guidebooks. Current annual rate is $49.95.
- National Geographic
- It’s National Geographic. What more do we need to say? Nothing, really, except that you’ll also find NG’s TOPO! map series at the Base PX.
- MightyGPS
- This user-friendly site is interesting for naviphiles of all persuasions—off-road, golf, snowmobiling, fishing, hiking, you name it. Content includes articles, products, links, forums and other resources.
- MyTopo
- The maps from myTopo.com are made from the U.S.G.S. 7.5-minute quadrangles. They’re available in three sizes and four scales, are water- and tearproof, and range in price from $9.95 to $20. The site also has buyer testimonials. Among them: “...you have the killer app of all mapping.”
- DeLorme
- A pioneering force in digital mapping, DeLorme offers a variety of high-quality mapping tools (and is home to “Eartha, the world's largest revolving/rotating globe”). You’ll find mapping software, paper maps and GPS for laptops and PDAs. The company recently introduced 3D TopoQuads, version 2.0. This hybrid of USGS maps and DeLorme software engine has produced “USGS raster maps in 17 smooth-scrolling viewing levels in addition to 80 levels of updated DeLorme vector data.” They are available for all 50 of the United States.
- U.S. Geological Survey Topographic Maps
- The U.S. Geological Survey has produced literally millions of maps in an effort to map the nation. The 7.5-minute, 1:24,000-scale quadrangle series of maps are the best known, however, the site also features a multitude of others as well. You can go here to order topo maps or to obtain free map indexes and catalogs.