Next Generation of Topographic Maps

Electronic Topographic Quadrangle Map As presently envisioned, the 1:24,000-scale topographic map produced from The National Map data will portray contours, hydrography, transportation, boundaries, structures, geographic names, and land cover in the customary 7.5-minute by 7.5-minute quadrangle format. The quality of the map products depends on the accuracy and currentness of the data used to make them. The file format will be georereferenced GeoPDF, GeoTIFF, and ESRI shape. The USGS plans on releasing the first of these maps in a developmental web site in the spring of 2009. Distribution will be in a digital form.

Image Maps The Image Map will be a 7.5-minute by 7.5-minute product based on the best available orthoimage and features content at a 1:24,000-scale. The image will be either natural color or false color infrared. Planned layers include the National Grid, roads, selected structures and/or names, and selected hydrographic data. Every quad is based on North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83) and shows the three coordinate systems traditionally shown on USGS quadrangle maps: geographic corner coordinates and 2.5-minute tics, Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) 1,000-meter grid conforming to the USNG standard, and State Plane Coordinate System (SPCS) ticks. The file format will be standard PDF, georereferenced GeoPDF, GeoTIFF and ESRI shape. The first of these products should be available in the fall of 2008 and will be available for sale and download through the online USGS Store at: http://store.usgs.gov/.

Research also is underway to create a "custom map" service that would allow users to re-center, resize, and add layers to the map. User-created maps will adhere to the same basic product standards and be available in the same formats as the standard products. Current plans forecast a prototype custom map service available in early 2010.