United States
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), a civilian Federal agency, produces several national series of topographic maps which vary in scale and extent, with some wide gaps in coverage, notably the complete absence of 1:50,000 scale topographic maps or their equivalent. The largest (both in terms of scale and quantity) and best-known topographic series is the 7.5-minute or 1:24,000 quadrangle. This scale is unique to the United States, where nearly every other developed nation has introduced a metric 1:25,000 or 1:50,000 large scale topo map. The USGS also publishes 1:100,000 maps covering 30 minutes latitude by one degree longitude, 1:250,000 covering one by two degrees, and state maps at 1:500,000 with California, Michigan and Montana needing two sheets while Texas has four. Alaska is mapped on a single sheet, at scales ranging from 1:1,584,000 to 1:12,000,000.
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The Mount Marcy area of New York State in 1892 in a 15 minute quadrangle at 1:62,500.
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The same area about a century later (1979) in a 7.5 by 15 minute metric map at 1:25,000.
Recent USGS digital US Topo 1:24,000 topo maps based on the National Map omit several important geographic details that were featured in the original USGS topographic map series (1945-1992). Examples of omitted details and features include power transmission lines, telephone lines, railroads, recreational trails, pipelines, survey marks, and buildings. For many of these feature classes, the USGS is working with other agencies to develop data or adapt existing data on missing details that will be included in The National Map and to US Topo. In other areas USGS digital map revisions may omit geographic features such as ruins, mine locations, springs, wells, and even trails in an effort to protect natural resources and the public at large, or because such features are not present in any public domain database.
National Geographic TOPO offers topographic maps on CD-ROM by state. While as yet incomplete nationwide, efforts are underway to accomplish this.
Read more about this topic: Topographic Map, Publishers of National Topographic Map Series
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