The National Map Corps

The National Map Corps is a volunteer geographic-information program associated with the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Its participants contribute cartographic information about significant human-made structures, helping the USGS update and improve The National Map, the agency’s nationwide framework of public-domain topographic and geographic data. The program is part of the USGS National Geospatial Program rather than an independent commercial company. The National Map is designed as a continuously maintained, integrated base of geographic information for the United States. Its broader data themes include elevation, orthoimagery, geographic names, hydrography, administrative boundaries, transportation, structures, and land cover. These resources support activities ranging from recreation and scientific research to land management, infrastructure planning, and emergency response. Within that larger system, The National Map Corps provides a way for members of the public to improve the structures layer through local knowledge and online map editing. Participation has historically required internet access and current familiarity with the area being mapped. In its earlier operating model, volunteers used GPS receivers to determine coordinates, recorded the information in spreadsheets or ESRI shapefiles, and submitted the material by email to USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center locations. Volunteers selected the 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle maps on which they wanted to work and, after acceptance, received assignments and associated 1:24,000-scale map materials. There was no formal completion deadline, although administrators preferred that assigned quadrangles be completed within approximately one year. The program adopted a web-based submission approach in December 2006. This enabled volunteers to inspect maps and aerial imagery in a browser, place points at structure locations, and enter attributes such as the name and type of each structure. The online workflow made participation less dependent on specialist GIS software and helped standardize the information delivered to the USGS. Beginning in August 2008, the program stopped accepting structure information collected through GPS while continuing to use the web-based collection system. The program’s emphasis is on significant man-made structures rather than routine residential or commercial locations. Contributions are incorporated into the broader cartographic maintenance process used for The National Map. In this sense, The National Map Corps combines public participation with federal geospatial stewardship: volunteers contribute local observations, while the USGS manages the resulting information as part of a national public-data infrastructure. Available program descriptions do not identify a separate corporate headquarters, commercial revenue model, founder, or listed-company structure.

The National Map Corps was established as a volunteer contribution mechanism within the USGS National Geospatial Program. Its purpose is connected to the maintenance of The National Map, a collaborative federal, state, and local effort intended to provide integrated, publicly available geographic base information for the United States. The National Map replaced the traditional USGS topographic map program as the agency’s principal framework for delivering modern digital topographic and geographic information. In its original form, The National Map Corps relied on a field-oriented workflow. Volunteers identified structures in areas familiar to them, collected geographic coordinates with GPS receivers, and organized the results in spreadsheet or ESRI shapefile formats. During registration, participants indicated the 7.5-minute quadrangle maps they wished to survey. Once accepted and assigned, they received map materials associated with their selected area. Submissions were sent to USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center locations in Denver, Colorado, and Rolla, Missouri. Although the project did not impose a strict completion deadline, administrators generally preferred that volunteers finish their assigned quadrangle within about a year of starting. A major operational change occurred in December 2006, when the program introduced an internet-based method for collecting structure information. Instead of relying solely on GPS field surveys and emailed files, participants could use a browser interface to examine maps and aerial photography, place a point at a structure, and enter its name and classification. This change lowered the technical barrier to participation and allowed volunteers to work from existing imagery and geographic context. It also provided a more direct path for incorporating edits into the USGS mapping workflow. From August 2008, the program no longer accepted structure data collected through GPS, although the online collection site remained in use. The change marked a shift toward centralized web-based editing as the principal participation model. The program’s structure categories focus on notable human-made features; ordinary homes, restaurants, and similar commercial sites were outside the intended scope unless they fit an appropriate structure category. The information generated by volunteers contributes to The National Map’s structures data and complements other national layers, including elevation, imagery, geographic names, hydrography, boundaries, transportation, and land cover. The resulting data is intended for broad public and governmental uses, including recreation, scientific analysis, planning, and emergency response. The National Map itself contributes to the broader U.S. National Spatial Data Infrastructure and supports federal geospatial modernization objectives. The National Map Corps is therefore best understood as a civic geospatial data program rather than a standalone brand with commercial operations. Public descriptions identify no separate corporate ownership, private parent, executive leadership roster, or financial reporting. Its institutional context is the USGS, and its principal output is volunteer-assisted geographic information used to improve a national public mapping resource.

• 2008

  GPS submissions discontinued

  [2]The National Mapen.wikipedia.org

  The National Map Corps stopped accepting structure data collected with GPS receivers while retaining its web-based collection method.

• 2006

  Web-based structure collection introduced

  [2]The National Mapen.wikipedia.org

  The program introduced an internet-based workflow that allowed volunteers to inspect maps and aerial imagery, place structure points, and enter names and types through a browser.

A USGS-supported public-participation program that uses local knowledge to maintain national-scale geographic data, particularly information about significant man-made structures.

• Cartographic data

  Volunteer structure data

  Geographic points and descriptive attributes for significant man-made structures in the United States. Volunteers identify locations, place them on mapping or aerial-imagery interfaces, and provide information such as structure names and types. The data is used by the USGS to update the structures component of The National Map and is intended to complement other national geographic layers.

• 2008

  End acceptance of GPS-collected structure dataStrategy

  Background

  The program had developed an online alternative for submitting structure information.

  Action taken

  The National Map Corps stopped accepting structure data collected through GPS while continuing its web-based collection site.

  Aftermath

  Volunteer contributions were consolidated around the browser-based workflow.

  Source

• 2006

  Move toward browser-based volunteer data collectionStrategy

  Background

  The earlier process depended on GPS readings, structured files, and email submissions to USGS technical operations centers.

  Action taken

  The program introduced a web interface where participants could review maps and aerial photography, add structure points, and record attributes online.

  Aftermath

  The online approach became the program’s continuing collection method and made participation less dependent on GPS equipment and specialist file preparation.

  Source

1. 1The National Map Corps — U.S. Geological Surveyusgs.gov
2. 2The National Mapen.wikipedia.org