Maps and Visual Resources
The federal government, by nature of its vast scope, is a huge producer of maps, geospatial, and visual content. It has done so since the beginning ot the nation's history on both Earth and in space. Any visual resource made by the federal government is in the public domain (not under copyright) and free for you to use in assignments and projects, although attribution is still best practice.
Picture of Neptune as taken by Voyager 2 spacecraft (1989)
Selected Maps and Geospatial Resources
- The National Map"The National Map is a suite of products, services, and applications that provide access to base geospatial information representing the the topography, natural landscape, and built environment of the United States and its territories."
- Earthdata"The Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) Program provides open access to NASA’s archive of Earth science data, empowering researchers and decision makers to better understand and protect our home planet."
- PolicyMap This link opens in a new window
PolicyMap is a U.S. national data and mapping tool that combines a curated, geographic data library with simple, robust mapping and analytics tools.
- Library of Congress MapsThis interface allows you to search the Library's vast map collection. You can either search for individual maps or browse specific collections, such as the Mapping the National Parks collection.
- mapEDThis resource is a collection of mapping and visualization tools from the National Center for Education Statistics for both K-12 and higher education.
- Science On a Sphere - National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)The Science On a Sphere® Data Catalog is comprised of datasets from NOAA, NASA, universities, science centers and other organizations. The datasets are divided into the categories of: Atmosphere, Ocean, Land, Astronomy, Models and Simulations, and Extras.
Selected Image Resources
- Library of Congress Photo, Print, DrawingAn entry point to the Library's vast collection of visual resources.
- NASA Image and Video LibraryAn easy way to search both earthbound and space-focused NASA images and video.
- NOAA Photo LibraryThe NOAA Photo Library was created to capture the work, observations, and studies carried on by NOAA personnel and to attempt to capture NOAA's scientific heritage. To date, over 32,000 images have been digitized and reside in the online NOAA Photo Library. Most of these photos are in the public domain and can be freely reused.
- U.S. Geological Survey Multimedia Gallery"The USGS Multimedia Gallery is our one-stop collection of videos, photography, and audio. All items in this gallery are considered public domain unless otherwise noted."
- U.S. National Archives Photographs on Flickr"The United States National Archives and Records Administration is delighted to join the Flickr community. We look forward to introducing some of our photographs to a new audience as well as interacting with experienced National Archives visitors and researchers in a new way. We invite you to explore our photographs. Please share your knowledge, insights, and experience by adding tags, notes, and comments. We would love to hear from you."