Research Guides: Maps & Geography: Digital Maps

Current Maps and Geography

National Atlas of the United States of America This link opens in a new window
Use the Mapmaker to view layers of federal data including Agriculture, Environment, Reference Maps, Biology, Geology, People, Boundaries, Government, Transportation, Climate, History, Water.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) This link opens in a new window
The USGS has topographic, aerial and satellite imagery available. Use the Earth Explorer to find and download them.
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.
Social Explorer
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Create your own custom maps from U.S. Census data, 1790-present. Social Explorer offers an easy way to get started with mapping data.

Historical Maps & Geography

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
The American Memory Collection of archival and primary source materials pertinent to American culture and history. Includes maps as well as manuscripts, artifacts, etc.
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.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Sanborn maps convey detailed information about building types, materials, street widths. This digitized collection contains maps from the early 1900s-1920s (also maps of all of Pennsylvania).