Using the National Atlas to Locate and Display Topographic Maps and Digital Aerial Photographs

Instructions for Topographic Maps
Instructions for Digital Aerial Photographs

Find a Topographic Map

Find by Map
Find by Place
Notes

Find by Map

1. Load the National Atlas Map Maker.  Wait for all the frames to load. 
2. Click the + symbol next to the map layer theme named Reference in the right-hand frame.
3. Click one or both check boxes next to Index to Topographic Maps - 1:24,000 and Other Large Scales and Index to Topographic Maps - 1:100,000 Scale in that frame.
4. Using the map control buttons next to the map canvas, click the button labeled Zoom to State and select Minnesota from the pull-down menu and release.  A map covering all of Minnesota will appear. (This example uses Minnesota because we know that topographic maps and digital aerial photographs are available for all of Minnesota.)
5. The index to topographic maps does not appear at this resolution. Select Zoom In and click anywhere within Minnesota. A new map centered on that point will appear.
6. Click the Identify button next to the map canvas and then click anywhere on the map. The name of the "identified" topographic map will appear will appear in a pop-up window. Click on its name to display this topographic map on the Microsoft TerraServer in a pop-up browser window.
   

Find by Place

1. Load the National Atlas Map Maker. Wait for all the frames to load. 
2. Click the Find a Place button that is to the right of the map canvas.
3. In the right-hand frame, enter the place of interest in the input box labeled Feature Name. Click the Submit Query button. After a brief search, a table will appear listing all features that include the place name entered. If no matches are found, either the name does not appear in our data base or it may have been misspelled. You can click the Build New Query button to try again.
4. Find the place of interest in the table. You may have to scroll down in the table to find it. Click on its record number. This will display information about that feature in a new table in the right-hand frame.
5. Click the Show Topographic Map button to display this map on the Microsoft TerraServer in a pop-up browser window.

Notes:

• The following type of error message on Microsoft TerraServer indicates that no topographic map is available for your area of interest:
  Could not locate a Topo Map image at Scale=11 X=1024 Y=16640 Zone=7
• Your place of interest may not be centered on the map. Use TerraServer's controls to re-center your view and zoom in or out.
• Once you've seen how the map index works, you'll probably want to turn on other National Atlas map layers (like roads, streams, cities and towns) to help you search by map.

Find a Digital Aerial Photograph

Find by Map
Find by Place
Notes

Find by Map

1. Load the National Atlas Map Maker. Wait for all the frames to load. 
2. Click the + symbol next to the map layer theme named Reference in the right-hand frame.
3. Click the check box next to Index to Digital Aerial Photographs in that frame.
4. Using the map control buttons next to the map canvas, click the button labeled Zoom to State and select Minnesota from the pull-down menu and release. A map covering all of Minnesota will appear. (This example uses Minnesota because we know that topographic maps and digital aerial photographs are available for all of Minnesota.)
5. The index to digital aerial photographs does not appear at this resolution. Select Zoom In and click anywhere within Minnesota. A new map centered on that point will appear.
6. Click the Identify button next to the map canvas and then click anywhere on the map. The name of the "identified" digital aerial photograph will appear a pop-up window. Click on its name to display this digital aerial photograph on the Microsoft TerraServer in a pop-up browser window.
   

Find by Place

1. Load the National Atlas Map Maker. Wait for all the frames to load. 
2. Click the Find a Place button that is to the right of the map canvas.
3. In the right-hand frame, enter the place of interest in the input box labeled Feature Name. Click the Submit Query button. After a brief search, a table will appear listing all features that include the place name entered. If no matches are found, either the name does not appear in our data base or it may have been misspelled. You can click the Build New Query button to try again.
4. Find the place of interest in the table. You may have to scroll down in the table to find it. Click on its record number. This will display information about that feature in a new table in the right-hand frame.
5. Click the Show Aerial Photograph button to display this map on the Microsoft TerraServer in a pop-up browser window.

Notes:

• The following type of error message on Microsoft TerraServer indicates that no aerial photograph is available for your area of interest:
  Could not locate an Aerial Photo image Scale=12 X=378 Y=5232 Zone=18
• Your place of interest may not be centered on the photo. Use TerraServer's controls to re-center your view and zoom in or out.
• Once you've seen how the map index works, you'll probably want to turn on other National Atlas map layers (like roads, streams, cities and towns) to help you search by map.