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Step 1: Check for Missing Structure Points

By The National Map Corps

This section will walk you through the process of determining if a structure point is missing from the map.

To check if a structure point is missing from the map, first find an authoritative source listing the structure’s name and address (or location if the structure in question does not have a complete physical address, as is the case with many cemeteries). Then, search for the address or set of coordinates in the editor to identify the location of the structure using an aerial imagery base layer:

Search by address with the Places search bar
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The Inspire Elementary School opened recently in Denver, Colorado. Since this is a very new school, it likely isn’t yet represented by a point in the editor. After finding their official website, we selected “Places” as the appropriate search bar in the TNMCorps editor and searched for the school’s official address. After entering search criteria into the search bar, click on the “Zoom to structure” button. There doesn’t appear to be a point representing this school, however, to make sure there isn’t an incorrectly located point, we can zoom in and out and pan around the area.

 

After determining that there is not already a point representing the structure in the editor, determine the exact location of the structure. To do so, you can use additional map sources, aerial imagery, and on-the-ground map views:

An aerial photo of Inspire Elementary School
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
First, we want to examine the building using an aerial imagery layer in the editor. Does it have features identifying it as a school, such as playground equipment, large parking lots, and/or sports fields? This building appears to be the correct one, however we can conduct additional research to make sure.  

 

Latitude and Longitude query parameters for Inspire Elementary school in the TNMCorps editor url
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Second, we can copy the coordinates from the editor URL and paste them into the search bar of a commercial mapping service to compare imagery.

 

Searching by Latitude and Longitude coordinate in Google Maps™ search bar
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
You can also copy the address listed on the authoritative source and paste into a commercial mapping service. Inspire Elementary School is marked in Google Maps™, however we cannot assume that the labels in any commercial mapping service are accurate (and they are copyrighted information). We need to do a little more checking.

 

School building sign for Inspire Elementary seen in Google Street View (TM)
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Using Google Street View™, we identified a sign on the building confirming the location of Inspire Elementary School. The location marked in Google Maps corresponds with the address posted on the school’s official website, so we can confirm we’ve found the correct building on which to place a new point.  

 

REMINDER: We will be utilizing Google Maps™ in our examples, however we do not endorse the use of any particular third-party company or website providing map services. Never take information directly from a commercial mapping service without cross-referencing that information with an authoritative source. Commercial mapping services should ONLY be used to confirm information found on authoritative sources.