A tutorial by USGS scientist and topoView developer Chris Garrity demonstrating how to use topoView version 2.1. TopoView let's you access and download maps free of charge from the USGS's Historical Topographic Map Collection, published between 1884 and 2006.
Resources:
An Introduction to TopoView (version 1.0)
How much distance does a degree, minute, and second cover on your maps?
The distances vary. A degree, minute, or second of latitude remains fairly constant from the equator to the poles; however a degree, minute, or second of longitude can vary greatly as one approaches the poles and the meridians converge.
At 38 degrees North latitude (which passes through Stockton California and Charlottesville Virginia):
- One degree of latitude equals approximately 364,000 feet (69 miles), one minute equals 6,068 feet (1.15 miles), and one-second equals 101 feet.
- One-degree of longitude equals 288,200 feet (54.6 miles), one minute equals 4,800 feet (0.91 mile), and one second equals 80 feet.
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UTM is the acronym for Universal Transverse Mercator, a plane coordinate grid system named for the map projection on which it is based (Transverse Mercator). The UTM system consists of 60 zones, each 6-degrees of longitude in width. The zones are numbered 1-60, beginning at 180-degrees longitude and increasing to the east. The military uses their own implementation of the UTM system, called the...
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TopoView - A look at version 2.1
A tutorial by USGS scientist and topoView developer Chris Garrity demonstrating how to use topoView version 2.1. TopoView let's you access and download maps free of charge from the USGS's Historical Topographic Map Collection, published between 1884 and 2006.
Resources:
An Introduction to TopoView (version 1.0)
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by Rian Bogle, Remote Sensing Specialist
Monitoring the Earth's Landscape with Low-Cost High-Tech
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USGS Topographer at Work
Topographer George Stanley Druhot with a plane table and alidade. Recorder R.H. Moore is sitting against the Pierce Arrow in the background. A stadia rod is visible on the second car.
Topographer George Stanley Druhot with a plane table and alidade. Recorder R.H. Moore is sitting against the Pierce Arrow in the background. A stadia rod is visible on the second car.
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- FAQ
What does the term UTM mean? Is UTM better or more accurate than latitude/longitude?
UTM is the acronym for Universal Transverse Mercator, a plane coordinate grid system named for the map projection on which it is based (Transverse Mercator). The UTM system consists of 60 zones, each 6-degrees of longitude in width. The zones are numbered 1-60, beginning at 180-degrees longitude and increasing to the east. The military uses their own implementation of the UTM system, called the...
How large is the North American Datum of 1927 (NAD 27) to NAD 83 shift?
Within the conterminous 48 states, the North American Datum of 1927 (NAD 27) to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83) shift of the latitude/longitude graticule (lines showing parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude for the earth) is in the range of 10-100 ground meters. Changes to UTM values are generally larger, around 200 meters, and changes for other coordinate systems are...
How are different map projections used?
The method used to portray a part of the spherical Earth on a flat surface, whether a paper map or a computer screen, is called a map projection. No flat map can rival a globe in truly representing the surface of the entire Earth, so every flat map misrepresents the surface of the Earth in some way. A flat map can show one or more--but never all--of the following: True directions True distances...
Do all USGS 7.5 minute topographic maps show the UTM grid?
Historical Topographic Map Collection (1884-2006) : The USGS policy about putting a full UTM grid on 7.5-minute (1:24,000-scale) topographic maps has changed over time. Beginning in the mid-1950s, the grid was indicated by blue ticks around the map at 1,000-meter spacing. In 1979, the ticks were replaced with a full-line black UTM grid. This decision was reversed in 1992, then reversed again in...
- Multimedia
TopoView - A look at version 2.1
A tutorial by USGS scientist and topoView developer Chris Garrity demonstrating how to use topoView version 2.1. TopoView let's you access and download maps free of charge from the USGS's Historical Topographic Map Collection, published between 1884 and 2006.
Resources:
An Introduction to TopoView (version 1.0)A tutorial by USGS scientist and topoView developer Chris Garrity demonstrating how to use topoView version 2.1. TopoView let's you access and download maps free of charge from the USGS's Historical Topographic Map Collection, published between 1884 and 2006.
Resources:
An Introduction to TopoView (version 1.0)
PubTalk 11/2010 — Silicon, Software, and ScienceMonitoring the Earth's Landscape with Low-Cost High-Tech
by Rian Bogle, Remote Sensing Specialist
Monitoring the Earth's Landscape with Low-Cost High-Tech
by Rian Bogle, Remote Sensing Specialist
PubTalk 11/2004 — From Plane Tables to PixelsThe 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
USGS Topographer at WorkTopographer George Stanley Druhot with a plane table and alidade. Recorder R.H. Moore is sitting against the Pierce Arrow in the background. A stadia rod is visible on the second car.
Topographer George Stanley Druhot with a plane table and alidade. Recorder R.H. Moore is sitting against the Pierce Arrow in the background. A stadia rod is visible on the second car.
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