- TopoZone
TopoZone was a website operated by
Demand Media from 1999 to 2008 that offered free online topographic maps.It was founded in November 1999 by Ed McNierney whose company Maps a la carte, Inc. operated out of
North Chelmsford, Massachusetts . Prior to founding the company, McNierney, an organic chemistry graduate ofDartmouth College , waschief technology officer for Eastman Software, a division ofEastman Kodak . [ [http://www.discoverlife.org/who/CV/McNierney,_Ed.html Ed McNierney profile - discoverlife.org] ]In 2003 the company partnered with the
National Map making its 20-Terabyte library of digital topographic maps and aerial photography available to the USGS. The 2003 press release of the partnership said that 300 million maps had been served from 1999 to 2003. [ [http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=145 USGS and TopoZone Partner for The National Map - December 4, 2003] ]TopoZone was one of the first topographic mapping site on the web, providing visitors with free viewing and printing of the full set of
United States Geological Survey topographic maps covering the entireUnited States . The maps are produced by theUSGS , which encourages the distribution of their maps through business partners. TopoZone offered aerial photographs from theUSGS and street maps from theUnited States Census Bureau . In 2007 complete coverage ofCanada was added, using the topographic map series produced byNatural Resources Canada .In 2007 McNierney sold the company to Demand Media and stayed on as chief mapmaker until the company was taken over by Trails.com. [ [http://www.linkedin.com/pub/3/835/531 McNierney profile at linkin.com] ]
On April 9, 2008, Topozone was incorporated into Demand Media's Hillclimb Media subsidiary
Trails.com . Links to individual TopoZone maps now forward to Trails.com, with maps limited to small size and strongly watermarked. An annual $50 subscription is required to access larger maps without watermarks.ee also
*
TerraServer-USA
*TopoQuest References
External links
* [http://www.topozone.com TopoZone]
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