The Revolution in Mapping at the U.S. Geological Survey
by Susan P. Benjamin, Research Geographer
How can I download vector data from The National Map in bulk?
The USGS only offers vector downloads from The National Map in bulk by special request. For assistance, send an e-mail to tnm_help@usgs.gov and include your contact information, requested product, requested area, and download format.
Related
What sources of vector data were used to create base maps in The National Map? What sources of vector data were used to create base maps in The National Map?
Vector data for small scales are from The National Map Small-Scale Collection, while medium to large scales are comprised of The National Map themes, including the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) and Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) data. Other medium-to-large-scale vector features are from USGS edited versions of the U.S. Census Bureau's TIGER/Line data for Governmental Unit...
Where can I find a list of URLs for The National Map services? Where can I find a list of URLs for The National Map services?
See The National Map Services for a complete list of map service URLs. That includes available REST, WMS, WMTS (cached base maps only), WFS, WCS, and other service links. Learn more: Training videos for The National Map Products and Services The National Map Applications
What is the difference between tiled and dynamic services? What is the difference between tiled and dynamic services?
A tiled service contains cached tiles that render the map in small tile images. This allows the map to perform much faster when panning and zooming, compared to a dynamic service. Dynamic is considered an "older" way of displaying web maps, where each feature is called from the source data and drawn separately for every pan and zoom. Tiled base maps are cached from global scale to a scale of 1:9...
What map projections are used in The National Map tiled base map services and dynamic overlay services? What map projections are used in The National Map tiled base map services and dynamic overlay services?
The projection used for all tiled base map services in The National Map is the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84) Web Mercator (Auxiliary Sphere) so that base map services can be used in combination with other common viewers. See Spatial Reference SR-ORG:6928 and Spatial Reference SR-ORG:7483. Dynamic overlay services are in WGS84 (see Spatial Reference EPSG:4326) but can be reprojected as needed...
How often are The National Map's composite base maps and dynamic service overlays updated? How often are The National Map's composite base maps and dynamic service overlays updated?
Composite base maps are recached about once a year. Although data in dynamic service overlays are ideally updated quarterly, it can sometimes take up to six months. Please note that there will be times when composite base maps and dynamic service overlays are not in synchronization because of a difference in refresh cycles. Subscribe to the National Map Simple Notifcation Service (SNS) to stay in...
PubTalk 11/2004 — From Plane Tables to Pixels
The Revolution in Mapping at the U.S. Geological Survey
by Susan P. Benjamin, Research Geographer
Related
What sources of vector data were used to create base maps in The National Map? What sources of vector data were used to create base maps in The National Map?
Vector data for small scales are from The National Map Small-Scale Collection, while medium to large scales are comprised of The National Map themes, including the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) and Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) data. Other medium-to-large-scale vector features are from USGS edited versions of the U.S. Census Bureau's TIGER/Line data for Governmental Unit...
Where can I find a list of URLs for The National Map services? Where can I find a list of URLs for The National Map services?
See The National Map Services for a complete list of map service URLs. That includes available REST, WMS, WMTS (cached base maps only), WFS, WCS, and other service links. Learn more: Training videos for The National Map Products and Services The National Map Applications
What is the difference between tiled and dynamic services? What is the difference between tiled and dynamic services?
A tiled service contains cached tiles that render the map in small tile images. This allows the map to perform much faster when panning and zooming, compared to a dynamic service. Dynamic is considered an "older" way of displaying web maps, where each feature is called from the source data and drawn separately for every pan and zoom. Tiled base maps are cached from global scale to a scale of 1:9...
What map projections are used in The National Map tiled base map services and dynamic overlay services? What map projections are used in The National Map tiled base map services and dynamic overlay services?
The projection used for all tiled base map services in The National Map is the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84) Web Mercator (Auxiliary Sphere) so that base map services can be used in combination with other common viewers. See Spatial Reference SR-ORG:6928 and Spatial Reference SR-ORG:7483. Dynamic overlay services are in WGS84 (see Spatial Reference EPSG:4326) but can be reprojected as needed...
How often are The National Map's composite base maps and dynamic service overlays updated? How often are The National Map's composite base maps and dynamic service overlays updated?
Composite base maps are recached about once a year. Although data in dynamic service overlays are ideally updated quarterly, it can sometimes take up to six months. Please note that there will be times when composite base maps and dynamic service overlays are not in synchronization because of a difference in refresh cycles. Subscribe to the National Map Simple Notifcation Service (SNS) to stay in...
PubTalk 11/2004 — From Plane Tables to Pixels
The Revolution in Mapping at the U.S. Geological Survey
by Susan P. Benjamin, Research Geographer
The Revolution in Mapping at the U.S. Geological Survey
by Susan P. Benjamin, Research Geographer
Updated Date: June 26, 2025