Research Guides: CITY 298: Advanced Research Methods (BMC): Maps and Geography

Current Maps and Geography

National Atlas of the United States of America This link opens in a new window
Describes the "National Atlas of the United States of America," a project of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Reston, Virginia. Includes a FAQ section, atlas development news, selected maps, and a list of publishing partners.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) This link opens in a new window
The U.S. Geological Survey provides the Nation with reliable, impartial information to describe and understand the Earth. This information is used to: minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; enhance and protect the quality of life; and contribute to wise economic and physical development.

Historical Maps & Geography

Social Explorer
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Offers access to reports and interactive maps for the U.S. Census (1790-present), World Development Indicators (1960-2013), and Eurostat (European Union data), among others. A project of Queens College, sponsored by the New York Times and the National Science Foundation.
PolicyMap
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PolicyMap is an online data and mapping application that gives access to over 15,000 indicators related to demographics, housing, crime, mortgages, health, jobs and more. Data is available at all common geographies (address, block group, census tract, zip code, county, city, state, MSA) as well as unique geographies like school districts and political boundaries.
David Rumsey Map Collection This link opens in a new window
Find 18th and 19th century historical maps at the city, country, and continent levels for North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania.

Old Maps Online
A very easy to use portal to digitized maps from many libraries around the world. Allows you to easily identify maps related to the region and time period you are studying.

American Memory This link opens in a new window
Provides information on, and access to, digitized versions of primary-source collections on American history and culture, including photographs, documents, sound recordings, and motion pictures.
Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection This link opens in a new window
Provides more than 11,000 digital images produced from originals in the map collections of the University of Texas. Physical, political, historical, topical and thematic maps from nearly every region in the world are included.

Hypercities
Hypercities is a globally-oriented platform that reaches deeply into archival collections and aggregates a wide range of media content (including broadcast news, photograph archives, 3D reconstructions, user-created maps, oral histories, GIS data, and community stories). Currently includes partners for Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Rome, Lima, Ollantaytambo, Berlin, Tel Aviv, Tehran, Saigon, Toyko, Shanghai, Seoul.
NHGIS - National Historic Geographic Information System
The National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) provides, free of charge, aggregate census data and GIS-compatible boundary files for the United States between 1790 and 2010.
American Association of Geographers' Historical GIS Clearinghouse
This great resource list points you to historical GIS and mapping projects. Find links to everything from the Animated Atlas of African History to the Voting America project.
A Handsome Atlas: The US Census Statistical Atlas
An interesting source for exploring late 19th century US Census data. Published in 1870, 1880, and 1890 (reborn as the Census Atlas in 2000), the Statistical Atlas offers visualizations of Census data related to population, religion, ethnicity, education, and more.
NYPL Map Warper
The NYPL Map Warper is a tool for digitally aligning ("rectifying" or "georectifying") historical maps from the NYPL's collections to match today's precise maps. Visitors can browse already rectified maps or assist the NYPL by aligning a map. Watch a video to tour the site and learn how to rectify a map yourself.