Cartographic Information in Digital Form at the University of Chicago Map Collection
Cartographic information is increasingly stored as digital data. There are enormous advantages to this form of storage. Maps based on digital data can be updated or redesigned with a few keystrokes. Map users can control such elements as scale and color; can include only such information as they are interested in; and can use a "geographical information system" (GIS) to combine data from several different sources in one map.
The University of Chicago Map Collection has acquired a great deal of cartographic information in digital form as well as some software and hardware with which users may view and print maps generated from these data. This software will generally give you much more control over your maps than if you use the mapping software available at certain Web sites.
The following pages contain a description of parts of the Collection's holdings as of early 2004 (many additional holdings can be found in the Library's on-line catalog).
Some of this material can be used quite easily by clicking on the appropriate icon on the desktop on the Map Collection's public mapping computer. However, most mapping software is a little complicated to use. Map Collection staff are available to help. Map staff can also provide the necessary CD-ROMs. Note that it is sometimes necessary to schedule sessions.
Please note that, with very few exceptions, the Map Collection's paper map holdings can almost always provide spatial information in greater detail and for a wider variety of periods than its holdings of digital cartographic data. Digital cartography works wonderfully well for the production of thematic maps and base maps. There is still comparatively little really large-scale digital cartographic data available, and there is even less historic data.
Major Software Packages
Environmental Systems Research Institute. ArcGIS 9.3. Redlands, Calif. : ESRI, 2004. Can be used to make maps from a great number of different types of spatial data. including raster data. Spatial Analyst and 3-D Analyst extensions are also available.
Environmental Systems Research Institute. ArcView 3.3. Can be used to make maps from ArcView shapefiles, Arc/Info export-format coverages, and certain types of raster files. Redlands, Calif. : ESRI, 2002.
Selected ArcView/ArcGIS Data Sets
Australian Geological Survey Organisation. National Digital Geoscience Data Sets. [Canberra] : AGSO, 1998. Geology and other data sets for Australia for ArcView or Arc/Info.
Chalk Butte, Inc. World and U.S. Regional Topography. Boulder, WY : Chalk Butte, Inc., 1996. Georeferenced relief images of the world at various scales. Will run either with a drawing program or under ArcView.
Chalk Butte, Inc. U.S. Digital Topography : All States Except Alaska. Boulder, Wyo. : Chalk Butte, 1994. Images showing relief. Can be run under a drawing program, or, after the creation of a "world file," under ArcView.
[Chicago GIS data]. Miscellaneous spatial data files for the Chicago area, kept more or less permanently on the hard disks of the Map Collection's public user workstations. Most are available for ArcView. Some of these files come directly from various versions of the TIGER/line Files: these include files for political and census boundary polygons with associated attribute data, and files for roads, railroads, and hydrography. Map Collection staff have made a 1980 census tract boundary file; ward boundary files for 1986, 1992 and 1998; and a community area file. ArcView versions of these files are available for downloading. In addition, NIPC has provided files with CTA and Metra routes and much other data (some of which is described elsewhere). There are also files for CTA bus routes, 2002 wards, sections, etc.
Chishitsu Chosajo (Japan). Geological Map of Japan. 2nd ed. Tsukuba, Japan : Geological Survey of Japan, 1994. A geological map of Japan that runs under ArcView (see above). (An earlier edition is also available.)
Commission for the Geological Map of the World. Geological map of South America = Mapa geológico de América del Sur = Mapa geológico da América do Sul. [Paris] : CGMW, 2001. Boundary shapefiles.
Environmental Systems Research Institute. ArcAtlas. Redlands, Calif. : ESRI, 1996. Contains many layers of very generalized data on a world scale, including geology and vegetation data.
Earle, Carville. HUSCO, 1790-1999 : Historical United States Boundary Files. Baton Rouge : Geoscience Publications, 1999. Boundary files that will run under ArcView.
Environmental Systems Research Institute. ArcCensus. Redlands, Calif. : ESRI, 1992. Contains outline maps of California at the census-tract and block-group levels, as well as tables of social and demographic data from the 1990 census. (The same data are available more conveniently in other sources.)
Environmental Systems Research Institute. ArcScene. Redlands, Calif. : ESRI, 1992. Contains a dozen manipulatable satellite images of the United States.
Environmental Systems Research Institute. ArcUSA. Redlands, Calif. : ESRI, 1992. Contains outline maps of the United States at nominal scales of 1:2,000,000 and 1:25,000,000 as well as tables of county- and state-level social and demographic data.
Environmental Systems Research Institute. ArcWorld. Redlands, Calif. : ESRI, 1992. Contains outline maps of the world at nominal scales of 1:3,000,000 and 1:25,000,000 as well as tables of country- level social and demographic data.
Environmental Systems Research Institute. ArcWorld Supplement. Redlands, Calif. : ESRI, 1996. Includes (among other things) first- and sometimes second-order political boundaries, stored as polygons that can be joined with tabular data.
Environmental Systems Research Institute. Digital Chart of the World for Use with ARC/INFO Software. Redlands, Calif. : ESRI, 1993. Contains a world map at a scale of 1:1,000,000 (roughly equivalent to the Defense Mapping Agency's ONC maps). It includes political boundaries, settlements, transportation infrastructure, hydrography, hypsography (relief), and (in some cases) land use. The best digital spatial data available for much of the world.
Environmental Systems Research Institute. ESRI U.S. Streets Database. Redlands, Calif. : ESRI, 1997. U.S. streets. Runs under ArcView.
Geological Survey of Canada. Geological map of Canada. Ottawa : Geological Survey, 1997. Runs under ArcView.
Geological Survey (U.S). Conterminous U.S. Land Cover Characteristics Data Set. Reston, Va. : USGS, 1995. Land-cover data of various sorts in one-kilometer squares. Can be combined with vector data when run under ArcView.
Geological Survey (U.S.). DOQ: Digital Orthophoto Quadrangle Data, ... County, Illinois. Reston, Va. : USGS, 1994- Aerial photographs of Illinois counties in JPEG format. Can be viewed either with viewing software or through ArcView.
Geological Survey (U.S.). DRG: Digital Raster Graphic Data. Reston, Va. : USGS, 1996- Was intended eventually to constitute a set of raster images of the the entire set of U.S.G.S. topographic maps of the United States at nominal scales of 1:24,000 and 1:250,000. Disks contain .tif files that can be viewed with ArcView as well as with many drawing programs.
Geological Survey (U.S.), DRG: Digital Raster Graphic Data, Capitals of the United States. Reston, Va. : USGS, 1995. Aerial view of several U.S. cities. Can be used either with Viewing software or under ArcView.
Geological Survey (U.S.). Geology of the Conterminous U.S. at 1;2,500,000 Scale. Reston, Va. : USGS, 1998. A digital version of the 1974 geology map of the United States. Runs either under ArcView or various other mapping programs.
Geological Survey (U.S). Maps showing Geology, Oil and Gas Fields, and Geological Provinces of Africa. Denver : USGS, 1997. Runs under ArcView.
Geological Survey (U.S). Maps showing Geology, Oil and Gas Fields, and Geological Provinces of South America. Denver : USGS, 1999. Runs under ArcView.
Geological Survey (U.S). Maps showing Geology, Oil and Gas Fields, and Geological Provinces of South Asia. Denver : USGS, 1999. Runs under ArcView.
Geological Survey (U.S). Maps showing Geology, Oil and Gas Fields, and Geological Provinces of the Arabian Peninsula. Denver : USGS, 1999. Runs under ArcView.
Geological Survey (U.S). Maps showing Geology, Oil and Gas Fields, and Geological Provinces of the Asia Pacific Region. Denver : USGS, 1999. Runs under ArcView.
Geological Survey (U.S). Maps showing Geology, Oil and Gas Fields, and Geological Provinces of the Former Soviet Union. Denver : USGS, 1998. Runs under ArcView.
Geological Survey (U.S.), Preliminary digital geologic map database for Hunduras. [Reston, Va.?] : USGS, [1998]. Runs under ArcView.
GeoLytics. Census CD ... E. Brunswick, N.J. : GeoLytics, 1998-. 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2000 census data and spatial boundary files. Also includes some longitudinal data in consistent boundaries. Much easier to download from than the Census Bureau's Website or CD's.
GeoLytics. CensusCD Neighborhood Change Database (NCDB). E. Brunswick, N.J. : GeoLytics, 2003. Tract-level data, 1970-2000, in consistent (2000) boundaries.
Illinois. Dept. of Energy and Natural Resources. Illinois Geographic Information System : Digital Databases of Illinois. Springfield, Ill. : ENR, 1994- Spatial, social, and demographic data for Illinois, designed to run under ArcView.
Illinois. Dept. of Natural Resources. Illinois Geographic Information System, May 1996. Springfield, Ill. : ENT, 1996. Political boundaries (including state legislative district boundaries); geology; wetlands; fill sites; and much additional data for Illinois, designed to run under ArcView.
Illinois. Dept. of Resources. Office of Realty and Environmental Planning. Div. of Energy and Environmental Assesssment. Illinois Land Cover : An Atlas on Compact Disc. Springfield, Ill. : Office of Realty and Environmental Assesssment, [1996]. Illinois land use. Contains .gif files and coverages that run under ArcView.
Metro Data Resource Center. RLIS Lite : Data for Mapping and Analysis, Portland Region. Portland, Or. : Metro, 1999. Miscellaneous data for Portland area. Runs under ArcView.
ML-InfoMap. IndiaMap 2.1 for ArcView. New Delhi : ML-InfoMap, 1996. District- and state-level maps of India with accompanying data from the 1980s and 1990s. Runs under ArcView.
Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission. [1990 Land Use Inventory]. Chicago : NIPC, 1994. Land-use in the 6-county NIPC area. Runs under ArcView.
National Geophysical Data Center. Global Land One-Kilometer Base Elevation. Version 1.0. Boulder : National Geophysical Data Center, 1999. World relief in one-km pixels. Can be run either under ArcView or else quite independently.
Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission. Digital Map of the Region : Northeastern Illinois. Chicago : NIPC, 1999. Miscellaneous data for the 6-county NIPC area. Runs under ArcView. Also contains maps as .pdf files.
Rocky Mountain Research Station. Landtype Associations of the Northern Region. Helena : Rocky Mountain Research Station, 1997. Data set that can be run under ArcView.
Schruben, Paul G. Geology and Resource Assessment of Costa Rica at 1:500,000 Scale. Reston : U.S.G.S., 1996. Runs under ArcView.
United States. Bureau of the Census. Data Users Services Division. TIGER/line files. Washington : Bureau of the census, 1992- The basic digital map of the United States, of which several generations have been produced. TGR2SHP allows for the construction of ArcView files directly from the TIGER/line files.. There is also an extraction routine available for the Sammamish software.
United States. National Imagery and Mapping Agency. VMAP1. [S.l.] : GIS Data Dept, 1998? Digital map of about 40% of the world's land area at a nominal scale of ca. 1:250,000. Zipped, VP1 format.
Wessex, Inc. Tiger ... Winnetka, Ill. : Wessex, 1994- Various editions of the Tiger/line files including Zip+4 data that run under ArcView.
Zhongguo 2000 xian ji ren kou pu cha zi liao = China 2000 county population census. [China] : All China Marketing Research Co. ; Ann Arbor, MI : Distributed by University of Michigan, China Data Center, 2003. Shapefiles for Chinese counties and provinces, joined to 2000 census data. Runs under ArcView and ArcGIS.
Selected Stand-Alone Cartography Software
Agnese, Battista. Atlante. Firenze : Canal Multimedia, 1996. Scanned images from the 16th-century atlas.
Aktuelle Projekte und Planungen im Rahmen der Stadtentwicklung : [Wien]. Wien : Magistrat, 1999. Planning map of Vienna.
Australian Surveying and Land Information Group. Australia unfolded : interactive atlas of Australia. Version 2. Canberra : AUSLIG, 1999. Australian topos at 1:250,000 and 1:10,000,000.
Austria. Bundesamt fur Eich- und Vermessungswesen. Austrian Map. Wien : BEV, 1999. Scans of 1:50,000 and 1:200,000 Austrian topos.
Auto Mapa (Firm). Rutas de la Argentina. [Buenos Aires] : Auto Mapa, [1998?]. Road maps. Contains its own software.
Bayerisches Geologisches Landesamt. Geologie von Bayern. Munchen : Bayerisches Geologisches Landesamt, [1999?]. Contains its own software.
British Library. Image of the World : An Interactive Exploration of Ten Historic World Maps. London : British Library Board, 1995. Scanned images of ten maps.
British Oceanographic Data Center. GEBCO Digital Atlas. Birkenhead : British Oceanographic Data Center, 1994. Bathymetric map of the world. Contains its own software.
Canada. Surveys and Mapping Branch. Canada topo250. Scanned versions of all the 1:250,000 topos for Canada.
Cartographia Kft. Magyarorszag CD-atlasz = Hungary atlas. 2 kladas. Budapest : Cartographia, 2000. Maps of Hungary.
CartoVision. Le Quebec a dos de souris, atlas electronique. Aylmer, Quebec : CartoVision, [1997?]. Makes (rather simple) street and road maps of Quebec and its larger cities. Contains its own software.
China. Zhongguo ren min jie fang jun. Zong can mou bu. Ce hui ju.. Chengdu & environs. Burlington, N.C. : Omni, 2000. Scans from 1:50,000 topos.
China. Zhongguo ren min jie fang jun. Zong can mou bu bu. Ce hui ju. Chongqing, 1:50,000. Burlington, N.C. : Omni, 2000. Scans from 1:50,000 topos.
Chishitsu Chosajo (Japan). Digital Geologic Map of East and Southeast Asia. Tsukuba-shi : Chishitsu Chosajo, 1997. Geology map of Eastern Asia with its own (quirky) software. Nominal scale is 1:2,000,000.
Chishitsu Chosajo (Japan). Magnetic Anomaly Map of East Asia. Tsukuba, Japan : Geological Survey of Japan, 1996. Magnetic anomaly map of Eastern Asia, in .tif and other formats. Contains its own software.
Clockwork Software, Inc. Centennia for Windows. Chicago : Clockwork, 1995. A series of outline maps of Europe and the Middle East, for every year between 1000 and 1994. Contains its own software. (An earlier DOS version is also available.)
DeLorme Mapping Company. 3-D TopoQuads, Illinois. Freeport, Me. : DeLorme, 1999.
DeLorme Mapping Company. Eartha Global Explorer. Freeport, Me. : DeLorme, 1998. An update of the earlier simple world atlas in electronic form. Contains its own software.
DeLorme Mapping Company. Global Explorer. Freeport, Me. : DeLorme, 1993. A simple world atlas in electronic form. Contains its own software.
DeLorme Mapping Company. StreetAtlas USA. Freeport, Me. : DeLorme, 1999. A street atlas of the entire United States. It allows access by zip code, telephone number, or place. Contains its own software. Maps are easier to print from and annotate than was the case with the earlier (and still available) editions.
DeLorme Mapping Company. Topo USA. Version 2.0 Freeport, Me. : DeLorme, 1999. Scanned edition of all the USGS topos.
Digitale Atlas van Nederland. Weesp : Nilsson & Lamm, 1997. Contains its own software.
EduQuest. Atlas of Florida. Atlanta : EduQuest, 1994. Atlas of Florida containing maps of many types. Contains its own software.
Geocart (Firm). Belgium, Lexembourg Road & City Atlas. [Brussels?] : GeoCart, [1999?]. Road maps. Contains its own software.
Geological Survey of Canada. Geological Map of Canada. Ottawa : Geological Survey, 1997.
Geological Survey (U.S.). 1:2,000,000-scale Digital Line Graph. Reston, Va. : USGS, 1991. Roads, railroads, and hydrography for the entire United States, at a nominal scale of 1:2,000,000. Contains its own (inefficient) software.
Geological Survey (U.S.). 1:100,000-scale Digital Line Graph. Reston, Va. : USGS, 1991- Roads, railroads, and hydrography for the entire United States, at a nominal scale of 1:100,000. Comes with its own (awkward) software (it is better to use the Tiger files).
Germany. Bundesamt fur Kartographie und Geodasie. Amtliche Topographische Karten. Frankfurt-am-Main : Bundesamt [and state mapping agencies], 1996- Scans of German topos, by state, at 1:50,000 and 1:200,000. Not yet complete.
Germany. Bundesamt fur Kartographie und Geodasie. Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Top 200. Frankfurt-am-Main : Bundesamt, 1998. Scans of 1:200,000 topos.
Great Britain. Ordnance Survey. Discover London CD-ROM. Southampton : Ordnance Survey, 1997. Essentially an educational tool. Contains street map of London, with some interactive capabilities. Contains its own software.
Greninger, Mark L. Geographic information systems (GIS) compilation of geophysical, geologic, and tectonic data for the Circum-North Pacific. Menlo Park : USGS, 1999. Data for Russian Far East, Alaska, Western Canada, Cascades. Various formats
Guia Roji, s.a. CD por las Carreteras de Mexico. Mexico, D.F. : Guia Roji, 1987. Road maps of Mexico. Contains its own software.
Hema Maps. Atlas of Australia. Nelson, N.Z. : Polymedia, 1999. Road maps of Australia.
Hodler, T. W. The Interactive Atlas of Georgia. Athens : University of Georgia, 1996. Thematic maps of Georgia. Contains its own software.
Institut fur Angewandte Forschung. Digitaler Landschaftsokologischer Atlas Baden-Wurttemburg. Nurtigen : Institut fur Angewandte Forschung, 1996. Contains its own software.
Institut fur Landerkunde Leipzig. Bundesrepublik Deutschland Nationalatlas. Heidelberg : Spektrum, 2000- National atlas of Germany on 12 CD-ROMs (and 12 book volumes).
Institut geographique national (Belgium). 4x la Belgique = 4x Belgie. Bruxelles : IGN, 1999. Topographic and thematic maps of Belgium.
Institut geographique national (Belgium). Belgium, Luxembourg road & city atlas. [S.l.] : Geocart, 1999. Road maps of Belgium.
Instituto National de Estadistica, Geografia e Informatica (Mexico). Carta topografica. Serie I, Cobertura nacional, escala 1:1 000 000. Aguascalientes : INEGI, 1999. Scanned topos.
Istituto Geografico De Agostini. Italia : Guida Interattiva. Novara : De Agostini, 1995. Tourist information and maps.
Karttakeskus. GT Suomi genimap paikannuskartta. Vantaa : Karttakeskus, 1999. Finnish road maps.
Kort & Matrikelstyrelsen. Det levende Danmarkskort 2000. Kobenhavn : Kort & Matrikelstyrelsen, 2000. Maps of Denmark at various scales including 1:100,000 for all of continental Denmark.
Landesvermessungsamt Rheinland-Pfalz. Rheinland-Pfalz und Saarland in Digitaler Karten. Koblenz : Landesvermessungsamt Rheinland-Pfalz, 1997. Scanned topos.
Magyarorszag autoterkepe. Pawtucket : Quintin, 2000. Road maps of Hungary from the 1930s.
Malaysia. Jabatanarah Pemetaan Negara. Emap, peta elektronik. Kuala Lumpur : JUPEM, 2001. Maps of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, and Putrajaya.
MapArt (Firm). Canada Street Locator : Over 100,000 Streets. Oshawa : Peter Heiler ; MapArt, 2000. Street maps of most of Canada.
MapArt (Firm). Toronto & Area CD-ROM Atlas. Oshawa : MapArt, 1997. Street maps of Toronto and vicinity. Contains its own software.
Mercator, Gerardus. Atlas sive cosmographicae meditationes de fabrica mundi et fabricanti figura. Oakland : Octavo, [2000]. Electronic version of the Mercator atlas.
National Geographic Society (U.S.). Maps, Every Foldout Map from National Geographic Magazine. Washington, D.C. : National Geographic, 1998. Contains its own software.
National Geophysical Data Center. 30-Second Point Topography Data. Boulder : NGDC, 1982. Contains altitudes for points in the conterminous U.S. at 30" (ca. 1 kilometer) intervals. This program will not generate maps; it can only provide lists of altitudes for points in a defined area.
Satellitenatlas : [Europa]. Buggingen : Trend Verlagsgesellschaft, [2000?]. Satellite images of Europe.
Schwerdt Graphic Arts, Ltd. MapArt CD-ROM of Ontario Streets. Oshawa : MapArt, 1999. Simple street maps of Ontario.
Soviet Union. Sovetskaia Armiia. General'nyi shtab. The African continent : topographical maps (Russian military maps), scale 1:500,000. Seiligenstadt, Germany : Bunger PC-Service, 1999. Geographically-referenced scans of Soviet topos, accompanied by name index.
Spain. Ejercito. Servicio Geografico. Carta Digital de Espana. Eccentric digital maps of Spain. Contains its own software.
Spain. Instituto Geografico Militar. Mapa Militar Digital de Espana. Madrid : Ministerio de Defensa, 1998. Scans of Spanish topos.
Sweden. Statens Lantmateriverk. Sverigekartan. Road maps. Contains its own software/
Switzerland. Bundesamt fur Landestopographie. Atlas der Schweiz interaktiv. Wabern : Swiss Federal Office of Topography, 2000. Contains its own software.
Timberline Maps. California Topo Maps on CD, Boulder : Timberline, 1996. Raster images of USGS topos. Contains its own software.
Topware. D-SAT. Deutschland von Oben. Mannheim : Topware, 1997. Satellite images. Contains its own software.
United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. ESI Atlases. Washington, D.C., NOAA, 1996- Atlases, with own Software, focussing on hazards along Southeast U.S. coasts.
Universal Business Directories Pty. Ltd. Six cities 2001 street directories on CD-ROM : Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth & Sydney. Macquarie Park, NSW : UBD, [2001]. Street maps of the major Australian cities.
Printing
Many users print out maps on the Map Collection's HP 2500CM. This machine prints reasonably high-quality 8-1/2 x 11 inch or 11 x 17 maps.
Downloading Digital Data
Most mapping programs will generate electronic files containing cartographic data. Users are free to download data. The Map Collection has a CD burner, and its computers are equipped with USB ports into which you may plug flash drives. Alternatively, you can e-mail yourself smaller files. Another possibility is exporting your file into a graphics program with more flexible drawing capabilities than the mapping programs. Adobe Photoshop is available at the Map Collection. Note that not all mapping programs generate the same types of export files and that drawing programs vary in their ability to deal with files of different types.