Geology topics

Jennifer L. Walter

Publications and source records attributed to Jennifer L. Walter.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2019

US Topo Product Standard

This document defines a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) digital topographic map. This map product series, named “US Topo,” is modeled on the now historical USGS 7.5-minute (1:24,000 scale) topographic map series produced and printed by the USGS from 1947 to 2006. US Topo maps have the same extent, scale, and general layout as the historical topographic maps. US Topo maps incorporate an orthorectified image (hereinafter referred to as “orthoimage”) and shaded relief image along with a selection of data that were included in the historical 7.5-minute topographic maps. Between June and September of 2017, the USGS transitioned the format of US Topo maps to be published, by using a geospatial extension, in an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 32000-compliant Adobe® portable document format (PDF) that is called a “geospatial PDF.” Previously, US Topo maps were published, by using geospatial extensions patented by TerraGo® Technologies, in PDF in a format called a “GeoPDF®.” The geospatial PDF design allows a user to zoom in and out in a georeferenced environment, turn layers on and off, view or print any combination of layers, and print any portion of the map at the published scale. US Topo maps are intended to serve conventional map users by providing geographic information system (GIS) information in symbolized form in the customary topographic map layout. The maps are not intended for advanced GIS analysis applications. These products are built on standard coordinate systems and include full U.S. National Grid (USNG) lines, making US Topo maps particularly useful for emergency first-response operations. These maps are also used by traditional topographic map users, such as resource managers, planners, and recreational users who continue to have a need for the symbolized feature data contained in the 7.5-minute quadrangle maps. Full-size style sheet templates in PDF defining the placement of map elements, marginalia, and font sizes and styles accompany this standard. US Topo maps published as geospatial PDFs are fashioned to conform to these style sheets so that a user can print out a map at the 1:24,000, 1:25,000, or 1:20,000 scale using the dimensions of the traditional standard 7.5-minute quadrangle. Symbology and type specifications for feature content and detailed requirements for geospatial content will be published separately. This document is an update of the US Topo Product Standard published in 2011 (Cooley and others, 2011). It is applicable to all US Topo maps. Updates in this version include the introduction of an ISO 32000-compliant geospatial PDF as a new file format for published maps; new style sheet templates for 1:24,000-scale maps (conterminous United States and Hawaii), 1:25,000-scale maps (Alaska), and 1:20,000-scale maps (Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands); an updated US Topo Map Symbol attachment; minor updates to text, including changes to the features and layers included in the US Topo product and the sheet size of the US Topo maps; updated figures demonstrating the US Topo product; an updated metadata file containing map-specific information.

Techniques and Methods↗

USGS2014

Standard for the U.S. Geological Survey Historical Topographic Map Collection

This document defines the digital map product of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Historical Topographic Map Collection (HTMC). The HTMC is a digital archive of about 190,000 printed topographic quadrangle maps published by the USGS from the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884 until the last paper topographic map using lithographic printing technology was published in 2006. The HTMC provides a comprehensive digital repository of all scales and all editions of USGS printed topographic maps that is easily discovered, browsed, and downloaded by the public at no cost. Each printed topographic map is scanned “as is” and captures the content and condition of each map. The HTMC provides ready access to maps that are no longer available for distribution in print. A new generation of topographic maps called “US Topo” was defined in 2009. US Topo maps, though modeled on the legacy 7.5-minute topographic maps, conform to different standards. For more information on the HTMC, see the project Web site at: http://nationalmap.gov/historical/ .

Techniques and Methods↗

USGS2014

Specification for the U.S. Geological Survey Historical Topographic Map Collection

This document provides the detailed requirements for producing, archiving, and disseminating a comprehensive digital collection of topographic maps for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Historical Topographic Map Collection (HTMC). The HTMC is a digital archive of about 190,000 printed topographic maps published by the USGS from the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884 until the last paper topographic map using lithographic printing technology was published in 2006. The HTMC provides a comprehensive digital repository of all scales and all editions of USGS printed topographic maps that is easily discovered, browsed, and downloaded by the public at no cost. The HTMC provides ready access to maps that are no longer available for distribution in print. A digital file representing the original paper historical topographic map is produced for each historical map in the HTMC in georeferenced PDF (GeoPDF) format (a portable document format [PDF] with a geospatial extension).

Techniques and Methods↗

USGS2012

Structures data collection for the national map using volunteered geographic information

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has historically sponsored volunteered data collection projects to enhance its topographic paper and digital map products. This report describes one phase of an ongoing project to encourage volunteers to contribute data to The National Map using online editing tools. The USGS recruited students studying geographic information systems (GIS) at the University of Colorado Denver and the University of Denver in the spring of 2011 to add data on structures - manmade features such as schools, hospitals, and libraries - to four quadrangles covering metropolitan Denver. The USGS customized a version of the online Potlatch editor created by the OpenStreetMap project and populated it with 30 structure types drawn from the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), a USGS database of geographic features. The students corrected the location and attributes of these points and added information on structures that were missing. There were two rounds of quality control. Student volunteers reviewed each point, and an in-house review of each point by the USGS followed. Nine-hundred and thirty-eight structure points were initially downloaded from the USGS database. Editing and quality control resulted in 1,214 structure points that were subsequently added to The National Map . A post-project analysis of the data shows that after student edit and peer review, 92 percent of the points contributed by volunteers met National Map Accuracy Standards for horizontal accuracy. Lessons from this project will be applied to later phases. These include: simplifying editing tasks and the user interfaces, stressing to volunteers the importance of adding structures that are missing, and emphasizing the importance of conforming to editorial guidelines for formatting names and addresses of structures. The next phase of the project will encompass the entire State of Colorado and will allow any citizen to contribute structures data. Volunteers will benefit from this project by engaging with their local geography and contributing to a national resource of topographic information that remains in the public domain for anyone to download.

Denver↗