Maps and Mapping

OnDemand Topos are USGS topographic maps generated on demand (at no cost) using the topoBuilder application and the best available data from The National Map. The ability to customize your map and center it wherever you choose is exclusive to topoBuilder. OnDemand Topo map extents do not need to align with the traditional grids utilized by US Topos and other USGS topographic maps. Once a map has...

In the making of topographic maps, the USGS subdivides the United States by using Latitude and Longitude lines to form the boundaries of four-sided figures called “quadrangles”. The maps are often referred to as quadrangle maps (or quad maps). Different sizes of quadrangles have been used over time, for example the 30-minute quadrangle (30 minutes of latitude or longitude on each side) and the 15...

The decisions of the BGN are immediately official for federal use. However, if a Tribe, a member of the public or another interested party believes the replacement name is not the most appropriate choice, they are welcome to propose to the BGN that it be changed to a different name. Such proposals should be submitted to the BGN through the conventional process and the BGN’s usual review process...

No. The names of cultural or man-made features, such as roads, streets, shopping centers, churches, schools, hospitals and airports are not under the Board on Geographic Names’ (BGN’s) purview. The naming and renaming of these entities are the responsibility of the agency or office that manages them.

The BGN’s Principles, Policies, and Procedures document includes a Policy on Derogatory and Offensive Names. As of 2023, three words are declared derogatory in all occurrences: In 1963, the BGN, at the request of the Secretary of the Interior, mandated that the pejorative form of the word “Negro” be eliminated from all federal maps and publications. The word was replaced with “Negro” for all...

Secretary's Order 3404 outlined a process that concluded in 2022. The Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force reviewed all candidate names, including those generated by the U.S. Geological Survey, received by the Board on Geographic Names (BGN) as part of a formal proposal prior to January 24, 2022, or contributed through a public comment period (February 23 to April 25, 2022) or Tribal...

Each state has a  state naming authority responsible for management of geographic names within its boundaries. Several of these authorities initiated efforts to generate possible replacement names, or advised stakeholders to submit recommendations directly to the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force during the public comment period.

All of the changes to the former “sq___” names are reflected in the GNIS, the authoritative database of names for federal use. Federal agencies must use GNIS for the publication of map, products or other services. The decisions of the Board on Geographic Names (BGN) are only binding to federal departments and agencies. A state may maintain its own names database or have other policies that govern...

The Board on Geographic Names (BGN) has purview over the names of geographic features on all lands, i.e., federal, state, Tribal, county, local and private land. This purview applies to all natural features (i.e., lakes, mountains, etc.), as well as canals, channels and reservoirs in the United States and its territories and outlying areas. Civil features (i.e., counties, minor civil divisions...

Secretary's Order 3404 and the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force considered only the word “sq___” to be within its scope. Secretary’s Order 3405, also issued on November 19, 2021, created an Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names for DOI to receive input from interested parties regarding additional derogatory terms; derogatory terms applied to federal land units; and to establish...

Secretary's Order (S.O.) 3404, issued on November 19, 2021, declared the word “sq___” to be derogatory and directed a series of Department of the Interior (DOI) actions to replace the word in all geographic names used by the federal government.    S.O. 3404 established a  13-member Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force to reconcile the derogatory geographic feature names. It included...

In the lower 48 States, orthoimages (rectified air photographs) for US Topo maps and OnDemand Topo maps comes from the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP). There are areas over some military installations where NAIP imagery is not available. In these locations, the OnDemand Topo maps will either not include imagery or contain partial imagery. US Topo maps are only produced for areas that...