Online Resources

Surfing in the GCMC

Searching for map and GIS resources on the Internet can be a time consuming and even inefficient pursuit. Surfers could spend hours reviewing all of the websites offering maps and GIS data. And which sites actually provide accurate information? Staff in the GCMC can assist with this activity by providing information about reliable online geographic websites. Some of the following sites can be an excellent place to begin searching and surfing both for academic and amusement purposes:

• The CIA World Factbook is available online and provides information about the countries of the world: www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
• The United Nations Cartographic Section provides maps and geographic information, including maps of peacekeeping operations: www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/english
• The Indiana Geographic Information Council provides GIS data and other map resources for Indiana: http://www.in.gov/igic/maps/index.html
• Another excellent resource for Indiana is the Electronic Atlas of Central Indiana: http://atlas.ulib.iupui.edu/home.html
• Stats Indiana provides statistics, charts, and maps about Indiana: http://www.stats.indiana.edu/map_topic_page.html
• Chicago Business Market Facts 2006 provides Chicago interactive maps featuring social information and demographics including even mp3 ownership: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/article/pl?page_id=1999
• Find a map about a variety of world social and economic issues at Worldmaper: http://www.sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/worldmapper/
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service provides charts and maps with a vast amount of agricultural information: http://www.nass.usda.gov/Charts_and_Maps/index.asp
• Oddens' Bookmarks "The Fascinating World of Maps and Mapping" offers information about maps, purchasing maps, geographical societies, and tourist sites: http://oddens.geog.uu.nl/index.php
• The Library of Congress Geography & Map Reading Room: www.loc.gov/rr/geogmap/
• The Western Association of Map Libraries Map Librarians' Toolbox is a useful resource: http://www.waml.org/maptools.html
• Route maps can be created and distances figured at the USA Track and Field website: http://www.usatf.org/routes/map/
• The Ancient World Mapping Center is a good resource for maps of the ancient world: www.unc.edu/awmc/

Web-logs or Blogs can also be an excellent resource for current geographic news and information:

• ESRI, the foremost producer of GIS software, has created a Blog for GIS users called Geography Matters: http://blogs.esri.com/roller/page/geographymatters
• National Geographic provides a Blog about geography education called My Wonderful World: http://mywonderfulworld.typepad.com/my_wonderful_world_blog/
• Two other Blogs offer current information for GIS users: www.anygeo.com and www.gisuser.com
• Free GIS Data and Imagery GeoBlog lists public domain and free GIS data: http://gisdata.blogspot.com

Please visit the GCMC for more information about online resources for maps, atlases, and GIS information. More information can be found on the GCMC website under Online Maps at www.bsu.edu/library/collections/gcmc/