Data Portals/The National Map (USGS)

The National Map (USGS)

The USGS source for authoritative national base layers — elevation, hydrography, transportation, boundaries, land cover, and high-resolution imagery for the United States.

Use data in Atlas

Visit The National Map (USGS)

The National Map is the U.S. Geological Survey's program for delivering foundational geospatial base data for the United States. Through its download client you can pull standardized national layers: the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) DEMs and lidar point clouds, the National Hydrography Dataset, transportation, governmental boundaries, structures, land cover, and orthoimagery.

Because everything is produced to consistent national specifications and released into the public domain, The National Map is the go-to source when you need authoritative, license-free base layers for the U.S. — whether you are building terrain analysis, watershed models, or a cartographic basemap in Atlas.

Frequently Asked Questions

The National Map is a USGS data program delivering authoritative national base layers (elevation, hydrography, imagery, etc.). Data.gov is a government-wide catalog that links to many sources, including The National Map.

Yes. The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) provides lidar point clouds (LAS/LAZ) and derived digital elevation models for much of the country.

Yes. USGS data is in the U.S. public domain and free to use for any purpose, including commercial projects.

Details

AgencyU.S. Geological Survey

LevelNational

RegionNorth America

CoverageUnited States

LicenseU.S. Public Domain

Formats

GeoTIFFShapefileGeoPackageLAS/LAZ

Update FrequencyPeriodic

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