BONUS EPISODE: New Online Service for FREE Custom Recreational Maps from the USGS

05/09/2025 26 min
BONUS EPISODE: New Online Service for FREE Custom Recreational Maps from the USGS

Listen "BONUS EPISODE: New Online Service for FREE Custom Recreational Maps from the USGS"

Episode Synopsis

Feliks Banel’s guest on this BONUS EPISODE of CASCADE OF HISTORY is Ariel Doumbouya, Cartographic Products Lead for the United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Geospatial Program.

The USGS has just introduced a new and completely free custom map service aimed at hikers and others who depend on accurate maps for recreational purposes. The custom maps are available to anyone via an online application called topoBuilder.

Link to topoBuilder:
https://www.usgs.gov/programs/national-geospatial-program/topobuilder

Ms. Doumbouya also shares the science behind more than a century of USGS maps, and defines many common terms used when discussing topographic maps in particular. We also talked about the huge online archive of USGS maps, also available in digital form, via the online application called Topo View. It's a priceless resource for historians, and also just fun to explore.

Link to topoView:
https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/


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