Topographic mapping

General Information Product
Archived Publication--Most of the information contained in this publication is no longer current and is not expected to be updated.
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Abstract

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) produced its first topographic map in 1879, the same year it was established. Today, more than 100 years and millions of map copies later, topographic mapping is still a central activity for the USGS. The topographic map remains an indispensable tool for government, science, industry, and leisure. Much has changed since early topographers traveled the unsettled West and carefully plotted the first USGS maps by hand. Advances in survey techniques, instrumentation, and design and printing technologies, as well as the use of aerial photography and satellite data, have dramatically improved mapping coverage, accuracy, and efficiency. Yet cartography, the art and science of mapping, may never before have undergone change more profound than today.
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Unnumbered Series
Title Topographic mapping
Series title General Information Product
DOI 10.3133/70037969
Year Published 2008
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Description HTML Document
Country United States
Additional Online Files (Y/N) Y
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