Yes, US Topo products are available for all of Alaska. Publication of 1:25,000-scale US Topo maps in Alaska began in 2013. The production schedule is determined by availability of IFSAR elevation data and SPOT imagery provided by the Alaska Statewide Digital Mapping Initiative.
To see an index map of publication dates for US Topos in Alaska, go to the National Map Downloader. Put a checkmark next to “US Topo” then select “Show Availability”.
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When was the 1:24,000-scale topographic map series for the United States and its territories completed?
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was created in 1879 and published it’s first topographic map in 1882. Systematic topographic mapping was authorized by Congress in 1884. Although 1:24,000-scale topographic maps were produced by the USGS as early as 1904, a formal program to provide primary topographic map coverage at that scale for the entire conterminous United States did not begin until 1947...
How do I find, download, or order topographic maps?
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been the primary civilian mapping agency of the United States since 1879. USGS topographic maps have been published at many scales, but 1:24,000 (also referred to as a 7.5-minute quadrangle) has been the standard topographic map scale since 1947. For Alaska the standard scale is 1:25,000. All dates and all scales of our topographic maps can be freely...
Will US Topo maps become part of the Historical Topographic Map Collection when a newer version is published?
Superseded US Topo maps will remain available for download, but will not become part of the Historical Topographic Map Collection, which is scans of USGS topographic quadrangles originally published as paper documents between 1884-2006. The first US Topo maps were published in 2009. They are updated and superseded every 3 years (maps for one third of the country are produced every year). This does...
How do US Topo maps differ from historical USGS topographic maps?
Historically, USGS topographic maps were made using data from primary sources including direct field observations. Those maps were compiled, drawn, and edited by hand. By today's standards, those traditional methods are very expensive and time-consuming, and the USGS no longer has funding to make maps that way. A new USGS topographic map series was launched in 2009 and branded "US Topo." Though...
How current are US Topo maps?
US Topo maps are updated on a three-year production cycle (maps covering one third of the country are updated each year). The US Topo production schedule follows the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) collection schedule. This does not include US Topos for Alaska, which are on a different schedule. The linework features shown on the maps are generated...
How can I find the source and vintage of each US Topo data layer?
US Topo maps have a credit legend in the lower left-hand corner of the map collar. This includes a short summary of data sources and data currency. More detailed source information is in an XML metadata file attached to each GeoPDF file. This file contains series-level, quad-level, and layer-level metadata, but US Topo does not preserve or track feature-level metadata. Open the GeoPDF map file in...
How accurate are US Topo maps, and why don't they have an accuracy statement?
US Topo maps are as accurate as the data sources used to make them, but because these sources are many and varied, it is not possible to make a single simple statement that the map as a whole meets a particular level of accuracy. US Topo maps, therefore, do not have a traditional accuracy statement in the map collar. Accuracy information for individual data sources is included in the metadata file...
US Topo—Topographic maps for the Nation
Map Scales
Related Content
- FAQ
When was the 1:24,000-scale topographic map series for the United States and its territories completed?
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was created in 1879 and published it’s first topographic map in 1882. Systematic topographic mapping was authorized by Congress in 1884. Although 1:24,000-scale topographic maps were produced by the USGS as early as 1904, a formal program to provide primary topographic map coverage at that scale for the entire conterminous United States did not begin until 1947...
How do I find, download, or order topographic maps?
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been the primary civilian mapping agency of the United States since 1879. USGS topographic maps have been published at many scales, but 1:24,000 (also referred to as a 7.5-minute quadrangle) has been the standard topographic map scale since 1947. For Alaska the standard scale is 1:25,000. All dates and all scales of our topographic maps can be freely...
Will US Topo maps become part of the Historical Topographic Map Collection when a newer version is published?
Superseded US Topo maps will remain available for download, but will not become part of the Historical Topographic Map Collection, which is scans of USGS topographic quadrangles originally published as paper documents between 1884-2006. The first US Topo maps were published in 2009. They are updated and superseded every 3 years (maps for one third of the country are produced every year). This does...
How do US Topo maps differ from historical USGS topographic maps?
Historically, USGS topographic maps were made using data from primary sources including direct field observations. Those maps were compiled, drawn, and edited by hand. By today's standards, those traditional methods are very expensive and time-consuming, and the USGS no longer has funding to make maps that way. A new USGS topographic map series was launched in 2009 and branded "US Topo." Though...
How current are US Topo maps?
US Topo maps are updated on a three-year production cycle (maps covering one third of the country are updated each year). The US Topo production schedule follows the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) collection schedule. This does not include US Topos for Alaska, which are on a different schedule. The linework features shown on the maps are generated...
How can I find the source and vintage of each US Topo data layer?
US Topo maps have a credit legend in the lower left-hand corner of the map collar. This includes a short summary of data sources and data currency. More detailed source information is in an XML metadata file attached to each GeoPDF file. This file contains series-level, quad-level, and layer-level metadata, but US Topo does not preserve or track feature-level metadata. Open the GeoPDF map file in...
How accurate are US Topo maps, and why don't they have an accuracy statement?
US Topo maps are as accurate as the data sources used to make them, but because these sources are many and varied, it is not possible to make a single simple statement that the map as a whole meets a particular level of accuracy. US Topo maps, therefore, do not have a traditional accuracy statement in the map collar. Accuracy information for individual data sources is included in the metadata file...
- Multimedia
- Publications
US Topo—Topographic maps for the Nation
Building on the success of 125 years of mapping, the U.S. Geological Survey created US Topo, a georeferenced digital map produced from The National Map data. US Topo maps are designed to be used like the traditional 7.5-minute quadrangle paper topographic maps for which the U.S. Geological Survey is so well known. However, in contrast to paper-based maps, US Topo maps provide modern technologicalAuthorsKristin A. Fishburn, William J. CarswellMap Scales
The proportion chosen for a particular map is its scale. Selecting the appropriate scale depends on the size of the sheet of paper and the accurate placement of features. Ground area, rivers, lakes, roads, distances between features, and so on must be shown proportionately smaller than they really are.Authors - News