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PC Globe Freeware 3-D Globes, Video Globes, Digital Globes, Virtual Earth...Google Earth - NASA World WindInteractive Satellite Photos, Aerial Photos, & City Street MapsGoogle Maps allows you to search for interactive satellite photos or street maps (of many cities), or a hybrid of both.To get the widest view, press F11 to full-screen your browser. Microsoft Bing Maps also allows you to search for interactive aerial photos of cities and areas worldwide, or street maps, or a hybrid of both. Press F11 for full-screen. |
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Interactive US MapsUS Geological Survey (USGS):National Map Viewer National Geologic Map Database Printable Maps of CanadaThe NRC Atlas of Canada has free downloadable Reference Maps and Map Archives (1906-1995).Natural Resources Canada: Toporama free online topo maps Geography Network Canada Maps of the United KingdomUK Ordnance Survey: Get-a-MapMaps of Australia & New ZealandAustralia Highway Map - Geoscience Australia MapsNew Zealand Topo - Topomap.nz World WMS Web Map ServersNASA Worldview - GLOBE Visualization SystemOpenLayers free dynamic map embeds | ||||||||||||||||||
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Maps of India Ukrainian Map Server Maps of Mexico - Peter Loud's Maps World City Street Maps & Driving DirectionsVia Michelin - MapQuestAustralia: Street Directory NASA's Visible Earth is "a consistently updated, central point of access to the superset of NASA's Earth science-related images, animations, and data visualizations. These images are considered to be public domain and, as such, are freely available to the interested public-at-large, the media, scientists, and educators for re-use and/or re-publication." The results include images from the Terra & Aqua earth observation satellites, and more, at last count totaling 32,120 images, over 45 gigabytes in volume. Other Interactive World MapsZoom Earth is an experimental, but functional, browser app that displays satellite/aerial images.TerraFly provides animated "flying" over USGS aerial photos. Non-Interactive Printable MapsUnited Nations Dept. of Cartography provides maps of many (not all) nations in .pdf format, over 100 maps in all. Select the map you need below; it will load in a new window.USGS Printable Maps of the US can be downloaded free in .pdf or .gif formats. The CIA World Factbook provides 15 good maps of the world and world regions, in both .pdf and .html format. All are public domain. The Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection at the U. of Texas, Austin, has over 2400 Public Domain Maps including political, physical, topographical, economic, relief, and historical maps (all public domain), and the number is still growing. Weller Cartographic (MapMatrix) offers good, free .pdf maps of Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Tokyo, Beijing, Rio De Janeiro, US states, much of Canada, and other locations. They request a donation if you can afford it. The NOAA Historical Map & Chart Project is a searchable directory of free, public domain, downloadable historic maps and oceanic charts. The downloads are typically 6 to 8 MB in size. This Dynamic Planet, from the USGS, is a 3.3 MB 9-page .pdf which include a large color world map of volcanoes, earthquakes, impact craters, and plate tectonics, and explanatory text. The US Library of Congress American Memory Map Collections: 1500-2004 include countless classic maps of the US and places around the world, many of which can be downloaded in very high resolutions. The collections are browsable by geographic locations, subjects, creators or titles. The National Archives of Japan Digital Archive has historical maps of Japanese provinces. The David Rumsey Map Collection has over 11,000 maps that are viewable online, primarily rare 18th and 19th century maps of North and South America, plus some of the World, Europe, Asia & Africa. |
Geographic Information ServicesWikipedia: Geographic Info Services - NCSU Libraries GIS InfoSee also: Reference Search & Links - News Search - News Archives Search Photo Search Engines - Government & Military Search - Science Search |
Acronyms
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MrSID = Multi-resolution Seamless Image DB DOQ = Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles |
DOQQ = Digital Orthophoto Quarter Quad. MDOQ = Mosaicked DOQ |
GeoTIFF =Geo Tagged-Image File Format NAIP = National Agriculture Imagery Prog. |
Berkeley geography acronyms | geography glossary
Sources of free US aerial photos (orthophoto imagery)
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"A conventional perspective aerial photograph contains image distortions caused by the tilting of the camera and terrain relief (topography). It does not have a uniform scale. You cannot measure distances on an aerial photograph like you can on a map. An aerial photo is not a map. The effects of tilt and relief are removed from the aerial photograph by a mathematical process called rectification. An orthophoto is a uniform-scale image. Since an orthophoto has a uniform scale, it is possible to measure directly on it like other maps. An orthophoto may serve as a base map onto which other map information may be overlain." --USGS |
US National Map gives access to high resolution orthoimagery, mostly with .03 meter resolution.
State-by-state sources of free US aerial photos (adapted from World Wind Central)
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ALABAMA Alabama Air Photo Archive statewide low-res B&W photos from 1942-1970 ARKANSAS GeoStor - On-Line Mapping NW Arkansas Orthophotography, Color 2004, GeoTIFF or MrSID, Pulaski County Orthophotography, 2004, GeoTIFF CALIFORNIA California Geoportal Napa County GIS 04/2002 1-foot, color orthophotos, MrSid Sonoma County free reg req, April & May 2000 1 & 2-foot res, BW, MrSID for entire county COLORADO City of Fort Collins 1999 & 2002, 1/2 foot, color, MrSID CONNECTICUT UConn MAGIC provides access to Connecticut aerial imagery including online photo-maps from 1934, 1990, 2004, 2006, and 2008. DELAWARE Delaware Geological Survey Digital Datasets Delaware Geologic Information Resource (DGIR) - DGIR Map Viewer State of Delaware 1997 DOQs, 5-meter, JPEG (with ArcView World File) FLORIDA Land Boundary Information System includes aerial imagery from many years Manatee County GIS 2003 1-foot color, MrSID Lake County 1941, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 ftp:// HAWAII Honolulu and some Oahu coastline MrSID, JPEG IDADHO Idaho Geospatial Data 1-2 meter, natural color, MrSID, NAIP, online map viewer ILLINOIS Illinois Geospatial Data Clearinghouse has online photo-maps INDIANA Indiana Spatial Data Portal (ISDP) - Indiana Spatial Data - aerial photo viewer IOWA Iowa Geographic Map Server 2004 color, 2-meter, NAIP KANSAS Kansas Data Access & Support Center Sedgwick County, Kansas GIS 1997 BW GeoTIFF, 2000/2003 MrSID, color MAINE Maine GIS Data Catalog MASSACHUSETTS Office of Geographic Information (MassGIS) - Map Viewer - nautical charts |
MINNESOTA DNR Maps Aerial Photography of Minnesota MISSISSIPPI MARIS - Mississippi Automated Resource Information System - imagery MISSOURI Missouri Spatial Data Information Service (MSDIS) MONTANA Montana State Library NR Info System NEBRASKA Nebraska FSA Digital Imagery 1993 through 2012 1 & 2-meter NEW JERSEY New Jersey Graphic Information Network NEW MEXICO Bernalillo County RGIS New Mexico Resource Geographic Information System NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh & Wake County map viewer NORTH DAKOTA ND GIS Downloads OKLAHOMA statewide 2015 NAIP, color, MrSID OREGON Corvallis 1999, 2004, 2010, 2012 GeoTIFF, color PENNSYLVANIA Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access RHODE ISLAND URI Environmental Data Center - MrSID, summer 2003, 1-meter, color SOUTH DAKOTA South Dakota Geological Survey Program TEXAS Texas General Land Office GIS Texas Photo-Map Viewer UTAH Utah Automated Geo Ref Ctr 2003 2-meter color MrSID, 2004 1-meter color MrSID, 2006, 2009, 2012 WASHINGTON Washington State GIS Data WEST VIRGINIA statewide West Virginia State GIS Tech Ctr, Spring 2003, 2-foot, color, MrSID |
Free Geographic Information Service Software - GIS Freeware
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Diva-GIS mapper, good with biodiversity data Forestry GIS (fGIS) GIS viewer-query tool & shapefile editor 3DEM Terrain Visualization & Flyby Animation Microdem display & merge digital elevation models, satellite pics, scans, GIS data... GPSU manage & map your GPS info Marplot NOAA-EPA mapping app for Mac & Windows |
Integrated Data Viewer Java-based geoscience data viewer 3D Field contour surface plotter, 3-D viewer ER Viewer multi-format viewer, pan-zoom large files SeeMyEnc chart viewer for Electronic Navigational Charts in S-57 formats Irfanview freeware image viewer & processor |
Directory of Geoscience Organizations of the World lists 460 organizations in 169 countries, plus 15 int'l orgs. From the Geological Survey of Japan.
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TIME Magazine, May 23, 1949, p. 63: THE PRESS: Geography for Everyman When Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor took over the National Geographic in 1899, he likes to recall, the circulation was so small (900) that "I could carry the entire issue on my back." Today, says Grosvenor, who share his magazine's passionate addiction to detail, "A single issue would form a pile more than eight miles high, or 79 piles each as tall as the Washington Monument." In its familiar yellow-bordered, arorn-decorated wrapper, this month's issue reached 2,150,000 living rooms, libraries, throne rooms and dentist's offices from Maine to Monaco. This week, in recognition of his responsibility for this fine growth, and in tribute to his 50 years of service, the National Geographic Society will present President and Editor Grosvenor with a special medal at a jubilee celebration in Washington's Constitution Hall. What Bell Wrought. At 73, Editor Grosvenor is a frail-looking, energetic man with a neat white mustache, a Phi Beta Kappa key and the manner of a Boston Brahmin. Grosvenor was born (with a twin brother now dead) in Constantinople, where his father was a professor at Robert College. Fittingly enough, from his nursery window the future geographer could see two continents. Soon after graduating from Amherst College, Gilbert fell in love with Elsie May Bell, daughter of Telephone Inventor Alexander Graham Bell, who was president of the National Geographic Society. When Bell offered Grosvenor a job on the Geographic, he took it (just to be near "Ellie," whom he soon married) and has been there ever since. The turn-of-the-century Geographic was a stodgy scientific journal, written with old-fashioned protentousness, and floundering in debt. Grosvenor stuck to the pattern for six years. One day in 1905, a packet of photographs from Tibet landed on his desk. Grosvenor was fascinated by the rugged Tibetan scenery and the Dalai Lama's palace. On an impulse, he spread the pictures across eleven pages. The issue created a sensation: almost by accident, Grosvenor had discovered how to make geography popular. What the Lama Brought. In subsequent issues, Editor Grosvenor has stretched his romantic, unscientific definition of geography to cover everything under (and above) the sun. To the Geographic, geography means kites and cats, ostriches and insanity, the Bagdad market and the Berlin airlift, eruptions of volcanoes, bathyspheres and the stratosphere, fishing, fine arts and the sex life of savages. Peripatetic, insatiably curious Gilbert Grosvenor has written 300 articles and taken 200 of the photographs. He was the first U.S. editor to use natural color photographs (a 24-page spread on China and Korea in 1910). He has built the National Geographic Society to a reserve fund of $10 million, mostly from the Geographic's tax-free earnings (it is classed as an educational institution). Besides the magazine, the society also publishes books, bulletins and maps, maintains a 20,000-volume library... ...Most articles and "legends" (captions) are written by the studious, well-paid editorial staff of 149. Grosvenor sets the tone, which is frequently florid, sometimes quaint, always polite. Says Grosvenor: "We prefer to print only what is of a kindly nature..." |