Indiana Natural History: GIS Maps

1. Indiana Geological Survey http://igs.indiana.edu/
2. Indiana Map Viewer: http://inmap.indiana.edu/viewer.htm
• Can zoom in
• Note various layers available
• m = metadata
• d = download
• ↑or ↓shows legends, more/less detail

1. Click on National Map http://nationalmap.gov/
2. Click on National Map Viewers
3. “Click Here to Open Viewer”
4. Narrow the US map by typing in selection in the “Find a Place” box
• Map zooms in
5. Look at “Content” at bottom
• Choose the layers you want to see
• Downloading – assumes you have GIS software loaded (e.g., ESRI ArcGIS)
• Play with it awhile: you’ll discover a lot more tools.

1. National Atlas http://nationalatlas.gov/ 
2. Click on MapMaker http://nationalatlas.gov/natlas/Natlasstart.asp  
3. Choose map layers to display what you want to see.
4. Draw the map; can also click on the legend to explain symbols.
5. Play with it…

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) (http://soils.usda.gov/)

Follow the “List of Published Soil Surveys” on the left.  Pick your state and county. 

Some links will take you to PDF versions of what we have on the third floor.  They may take awhile to download (some files are 20 MB).  (I actually found the paper version easier to use; your mileage may vary.)  For full search functionality and navigation, download the thing to your hard drive. 

Other links will take you to the Web Soil Survey (http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/).  (I use Cook County, IL as example.)   Just follow the instructions on the web page.  Funny thing is, the instructions won’t make sense unless you start the WSS app.  (Fortunately, it opens in a separate tab or window, so you can easily switch back and forth.)  Each step can take awhile to load.  Don’t forget the Legend tab when you construct your map.

Play with it a while – you’ll discover it can do a lot of interesting things.