An interesting update came our way via the USGS as more than 50% of the Nation is now "covered" by new USGS digital maps; either the US Topo or earlier released "Digital Map - Beta". The number of quads available for free download from the US Store is actually much more than half the contiguous US!
What Makes the USGS US Topo Different from Other Electronic Maps?
- Richer content, multiple layers of data, more than a street map
- Can be used on the computer or printed to scale
- Looks and feels like legacy paper USGS topographic maps but has technical advantages
- Nationally consistent data quality assured to high standards
- Downloadable free from the USGS Store
- Free, downloadable user tools
- Users can select from various reference systems: Latitude/Longitude, UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator), and MGRS (Military Grid Reference System)
- Direct "mash-up" capabilities with Google Maps®
- Continuous evolution and incorporation of additional data layers
See more here
US Topo A New Generation of Maps
