To begin this process, we are working with selected partners in other Federal agencies (such as the Forest Service, Bureau of the Census, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), in State Governments (such as Texas and Delaware), and in local governments and agencies (such as Spokane County, Wash., and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Calif.-Nev.) to share and bring together data from the best available sources. These sources include our own national datasets, such as elevation and hydrography data and geographic names. We are creating a Web capability so that users can browse the available data, view and make maps from these data, and link to more detailed and more complete data sources.

Our initial Web application allows users to access these datasets through an interactive map viewer, using only their Web browser. This means that users do not have to have special software on their own computers. The current viewer demonstrates basic functions. We plan to enhance the viewer for advanced users and geographic information system (GIS) specialists.

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At this time, we are also offering nationwide coverage at limited resolutions for transportation, hydrography, elevation, land cover, and cultural features. Multiple sources of data are used, depending on the content and viewing scale of the data. Boundaries include county, State, and Federal lands and province, territory, and national boundary data from the National Atlas of the United States® (http://www.nationalatlas.gov/), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's Digital Chart of the World, and ESRI's Data and Maps 2000. Information on transportation, ranging from major highways to county roads, is from the National Atlas of the United States® and Geographic Data Technology, Inc. Hydrography data, which range from major rivers and lakes to small surface water features, are from the National Atlas of the United States® and the USGS National Hydrography Dataset. Elevation, represented as shaded relief (color and gray scale), is derived from the USGS Digital Terrain Elevation Dataset Level 1 and the USGS National Elevation Dataset. The USGS National Land Cover Dataset is the source of land cover information. Cultural features include populated places and cities derived from the National Atlas of the United States®, the USGS Geographic Names Information System, and ESRI's Data and Maps 2000.

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Eventually, much of the data for The National Map will be held, maintained, and served by our partners through The National Map Web home page. The USGS will provide users with the Web-based capability to bring together these data from different sources, to make them consistent, and to use them for creating accurate and complete maps for any area in the United States.

Incremental Implementation of The National Map by Phase

We welcome your ideas about how our Web interface should work. What capabilities are important to you? How can we make the tools that we provide simple enough to understand and use, yet powerful enough to provide choices that are useful for viewing the data and making maps? Please share your ideas with us by filling out the feedback form at the bottom of the map viewer page.

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