Cartographic Wildfire Resources at Ball State University Libraries

Maps in the News:  GIS Wildfire Tracking, Maps of Yosemite National Park Available in the GIS Research and Map Collection

The Rim Fire is blazing in the northern side of Yosemite National Park.  So far the fire has destroyed about 280 square miles of forest and is less than ten miles from the giant sequoias.  Researchers can access dozens of maps of the park in the Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library.

The GRMC includes a map of the park and the surrounding wilderness published in 2007.  This map is created with relief shown by contours and shading.  Six bird’s-eye views and a map of “Yosemite creek past and present” are also included.  The verso of the map tells the geologic “story” of Yosemite Valley.

Another interesting map of the national park is Satellite Orthoimage of Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, California.  This map of the area was created from satellite images.  Map of Yosemite Region is another map in the GRMC that includes a table of campground information.  Maps of Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, Mariposa, Bass Lake, the Sierra National Forest, and many other lakes and recreation areas are also included.

The historic map above of Yosemite National Park (top, click to enlarge) was published in 1949 by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Park Service and shows the locations of creeks, lakes, and mountains.  The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir—the water resource for the city of San Francisco—can be viewed on the left side of the map.

 
Current topographic maps of the park are also available in the GRMC, and many road maps of the state of California include inset maps of Yosemite.  An official guide map of Yosemite National Park dated from 1931 is also included in the Collection, and includes a map of the Yosemite Valley (above).

Maps from the GRMC circulate for two weeks or longer.

ESRI, the GIS software development company, has created an interactive map of wildfire locations in the United States called the PublicInformation Map.  Users can view real-time social network updates while viewing maps of wildfires and potential fire areas.

Please contact the GRMC for more information Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 5:00 at 765-285-1097.

Ball State University Libraries' March on Washington Map

March on Washington:  Washington, D.C. Map Marks 50^th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech

Tomorrow, August 28, marks the anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.  The March on Washington was one of the largest political rallies in United States history, and took place in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in front of an estimated 300,000 participants.

Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) is commemorating this historic anniversary with a special “Map of the Month.”  The U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Sciences Center published this aerial map of Washington, D.C. (above, click to enlarge).  The ortho-imagery was captured in April of 2010 and published in April 2012. 

The verso of the map, Changing Waterways of Our Nation’s Capital, shows the original plan of Washington with canals developed for transportation.  Five different maps show how the waterways have diminished over time due to development and the influx of sediment.

Maps from the GRMC circulate for two weeks or longer.  For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097 Monday through Friday.

Ball State Campus Map App Available for Smart Phones

Ball State University Campus Map App Available for Smart Phones

From Ball State Communications Center:

Students, faculty, and visitors to the campus of Ball State University can use an iPhone or Android app developed by the University.  The Campus Map App features an interactive map highlighting campus buildings, departments and computer labs.  The app also shows the locations of parking lots and dining facilities, notable landmarks, bike racks, and ATM’s.  

The app can also create custom directions.  Plus the Ball State Campus Map App features live bus tracking.

The Ball State Campus Map App is available free to download in the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.

Back-to-School Resources from Ball State University Libraries

Cartography in the Classroom:  Back-to-School Resources from the GIS Research and Map Collection

Teachers and students from elementary school to the college classroom can access important classroom resources created by the Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) from the Cardinal Scholar institutional repository.  Cardinal Scholar allows users to access invaluable resources from any location with Web access.

Teachers and student teachers headed back to the classroom can find numerous games, posters, lesson plans, map worksheets, map and GIS tutorials, and other resources in Cardinal Scholar.  These classroom resources were developed for K-12 teachers and can be browsed by clicking “Communities and Collections” on the left side of the Cardinal Scholar homepage; then scroll down to “Information Technology” and click on “GIS Research and Map Collection” listed under the University Libraries section.  Then choose “browse by title” to see the list of the hundreds of resources available from the GRMC.

Users may also browse by topic from the main Cardinal Scholar homepage.  For example, type “Africa map,” and this search provides a list of maps, posters, and tutorials related to the geography of Africa.

The GRMC is continually developing maps, lesson plans, tutorials, and other resources for use from Cardinal Scholar, so students and teachers should check Cardinal Scholar or the GRMC news Blog regularly for updates.  A new collection of maps focusing on the study of Indiana history (Indiana sports history map above, click to enlarge) is an example of some of the updated resources available for research and learning.  These maps can be used by teachers for lessons in the classroom or for exhibit on bulletin boards.

Students and other researchers writing papers or preparing presentations may consider using maps from the GRMC or the Atlas Collection as visual aids to add interest and impact.  These collections include maps and other cartographic images that visually depict numerous current issues.  An online guide, Using Maps and Atlases as Resources for Papers,Posters, and Presentations, details how cartographic images can enhance research.

Students, professors, or conference speakers needing to create a presentation poster can also use a guide from Cardinal Scholar explaining how to create a poster using PowerPoint software.  The GRMC provides two large plotter printers available to the Ball State community for printing large posters, maps, and other documents.  A large laminator is also available in the GRMC.  Users are charged through their Bursar account for printing and laminating.

The staff of the GRMC is also available for classroom instruction sessions or assistance with class projects.  Maps from the GRMC can also be borrowed for use in the classroom for as long as a semester.

For more information about using these resources or finding other materials available from Cardinal Scholar, please contact the GRMC Monday through Friday at 765-285-1097. 

Egypt Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

Maps in the News:  Egypt

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) in Bracken Library includes a large collection of maps of Egypt.  The collection includes hundreds of maps of Egypt today, Egypt as a part of the United Arab Republic from 1958 through 1971, regions, cities, the Suez Canal, nautical charts, topographic maps, and numerous other cartographic resources.

The GRMC has a copy of the Gizi Map 2007 map of Egypt that shows roads and physical topography.  This map is published in English, Arabic, German, and French.  The International Travel Map of Egypt published in 2002 includes inset maps of the Giza pyramids and the inter-city rail service.

The GRMC collection of Egypt topographic maps were published by the Army Map Service and Defense Mapping Agency and are available in three different scales.  The nautical charts published in 2004 detail the areas of Egypt along the coast.  Maps of the ancient civilization of Egypt are also available in the GRMC.

The collection of Egyptian city maps is extensive and includes maps of Cairo dating back to 1920.  The set of Cairo maps also includes a map of Tahrir Square (above, click to enlarge).  A rare map of Luxor from 1933 is also included in the GRMC.  Other city maps available are Alexandria, Damanhur, Damietta (Dumyat), El-Qantarah el-Shargiyya, Ismailia, Minya, Tanta, and Suez.  A map of the Suez Canal is also available in the GRMC. 

Maps of Egypt are also available in the University Libraries’ Digital Media Repository and a map poster (above) created by the GRMC can be accessed from the Cardinal Scholar repository.  All maps in the GRMC may be circulated for two weeks or longer.

The entire collection of maps of Egypt are not cataloged and cannot be accessed using the University Libraries’ CardCat system.  Researchers can visit or contact the GRMC to view the entire collection or contact Melissa Gentry. 

Cartographic Resources Available from Ball State University Libraries

This Day in History:  Anne Frank Cartographic Resources Available from Ball State University Libraries

On August 1, 1944, Anne Frank wrote the last entry in her diary.  The Ball State University Libraries provides resources for studying people and events in world history.  The GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) and the Atlas Collection provide thousands of maps, atlases, and other cartographic resources for studying history.  But researchers can also find maps in the Educational Resources Collection located in the basement of Bracken Library.

Hundreds of maps and atlases are included in the Educational Resources Collection.  Maps can also be found in many of the youth books found in the collection.  The map of Amsterdam above (click to enlarge) is from the youth book Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary by Ruud van der Rol.  The map shows the route Anne and her parents traveled to their secret annex.  The photograph above from the same book highlights the location of the annex along the canal.

The second map, A Girl Who Perished:  Anne Frank, marks the journey of Anne in Europe during her life.  This map is from the book Searching for Anne Frank:  Letters from Amsterdam to Iowa by Susan Goldman Rubin.

The final map of the Low Countries above includes an inset of the locations of the Frank house, the annex, and the prison.  This map is from the Historical Atlas of the Holocaust published by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum available from the Atlas Collection.

Please visit or contact the GRMC to learn more about all of the cartographic resources available from Ball State University Libraries.  The GRMC is open 7:30 to 4:30 pm through August 10 and then resumes the academic year hours of 8:00 to 5:00 pm.