This month the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) rolled out
topoView 2.1, a modern web application built on an open source mapping platform that lets users discover, interact, and download historical USGS maps
free of charge. TopoView provides tools that let users easily compare historic maps with maps of modern day to reveal changes in the landscape throughout history. Access nearly 180,000 maps from the USGS Historical Map Collection published between 1884 and 2006.
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Comparing modern-day Philadelphia to the historical map of the area in 1891. TopoView lets users easily visualize changes to areas that were mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey throughout history.
About
Topoview, a product of the U.S. Geological Survey, lets you access and download maps free of charge from USGS’s historical topographic map collection. We’ve redesigned TopoView at version 2.1 with a new user interface that’s faster, easier to use, and more intuitive. The new version is full of enhancements based on hundreds of your comments and suggestions. We've added the ability to preview maps within the interface and give you tools to compare any historical map with maps of the present. Filters and searches work seamlessly with the map records table to get you the info you want with just a few clicks. Accessing the information you need is easier and quicker than ever.
About the Historical Topographic Map Collection
TopoView highlights one of the USGS's most important and useful products, the topographic map. In 1879, the USGS began to map the Nation's topography. This mapping was done at different levels of detail, in order to support various land use and other purposes. As the years passed, the USGS produced new map versions of each area. The most current maps are available from The National Map. TopoView shows the many and varied older maps of each area, and so is useful for historical purposes—for example, the names of some natural and cultural features have changed over time, and the 'old' names can be found on these historical topographic maps. Learn more about the Historical map Collection and the history of topographic mapping at the USGS.