

Exclusive to the topoBuilder application is the ability to center maps wherever users choose. These maps utilize the best available data from The National Map. OnDemand Topos enable users to request customized USGS-style topographic maps.

The Historical Topographic Map Collection is scanned images of maps originally published (at all scales) as paper documents in the period 1884-2006. US Topo maps are the current topographic map series, published as digital documents (that can also be printed) from 2009 to the present. Within this domain there are three product categories: That covers a quadrangle that measures 7.5 minutes of longitude and latitude on all sides, so these are also referred to as 7.5-minute maps, quadrangle maps, or “quad” maps (modern topographic maps for Alaska have a scale of 1:25,000 and cover a variable distance of longitude). Each topographic map has a unique name. The phrase "USGS topographic map" can refer to maps with a wide range of scales, but the scale used for all modern USGS topographic maps is 1:24,000. Those will be added to more current maps over time.

#Interior contour definition manual
However, manual inputs would still be required both before and after auto-propagation. Auto-contouring is reliable and efficient, producing accurate contours with better consistency compared to manual contours. Older maps (published before 2006) show additional features such as trails, buildings, towns, mountain elevations, and survey control points. Additionally, contouring duration was reduced with auto-contouring although long computation time could present as a bottleneck. USGS topographic maps also show many other kinds of geographic features including roads, railroads, rivers, streams, lakes, boundaries, place or feature names, mountains, and much more. Contours make it possible to show the height and shape of mountains, the depths of the ocean bottom, and the steepness of slopes. Elevation contours are imaginary lines connecting points having the same elevation on the surface of the land above or below a reference surface, which is usually mean sea level. The distinctive characteristic of a topographic map is the use of elevation contour lines to show the shape of the Earth's surface.
