We publish numerous handbooks, guides, information sheets, bulletins and other products which help map users in Wisconsin find, acquire, and properly use maps and map products. Several of these items are available in PDF format or for sale on our order form.
Information Sheets
We offer introductions to, and current status of, a variety of mapping-related topics in Wisconsin in the form of our more recent informational sheets or our older topical guides. They are available in PDF format for viewing and/or reproduction.
Digital Orthophotos - (0.7 Mb PDF)
Updated February 2008, this two page info sheet describes the applications for, current status of, and
acquisitions planned for digital orthophotos in Wisconsin.
Wisclinc - (0.5 Mb PDF)
Updated February 2006, this one page info sheet describes the Wisconsin Land Information Clearinghouse applications and goals.
WLIA Coordinate Systems Task Force - (0.9 Mb PDF)
Updated January 2006, this handout describes the background and status of the task force, including their
contract for the redesign of the Wisconsin County Coordinate System.
ControlFinder - (1.2 Mb PDF)
Updated January 2008, this handout describes our web-based application for locating information
on various types of control points in Wisconsin.
PLSSFinder - (1.4 Mb PDF)
New in February 2008, this handout describes our web-based application for locating Public Land Survey System corners in Wisconsin.
Geodetic Control - (1.0 Mb PDF)
Published January 2005, this handout describes the current status of the Wisconsin Height
Modernization Program, high accuracy networks, and the forthcoming national readjustment.
WIGICC - (0.6 Mb PDF)
Updated February 2008, this info sheet gives the latest status on the initiative to create a statewide geospatial coordination council in Wisconsin.
Maps
We do not create maps, but we do sell a small number of specialized Wisconsin maps. These maps are designed for display and make excellent gifts for map collectors. Additional information about other types of Wisconsin maps is available in our Maps Section.
• Wisconsin Outline Maps (for Digital Reproduction)
• Wisconsin Land Cover Map
• Cultural Map of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Outline Maps (for Digital Reproductions)
Cost: free (download)We have developed a set of 12 digital outline maps for use in five formats: TIF, PNG, BMP, AI, and CDR. These maps can be downloaded in a zip file.
Wisconsin Land Cover Map [reduced price]
Cost: $4.74, rolled in a sturdy tube.Order Form or Visit our office
Printed in 1999, this 42-inch by 50-inch full-color map depicts our state according to 13 types of land cover, from open water and wetland to decidous forest and farm fields, and reveals features as small as 300 feet across.
Cultural Map of Wisconsin [reduced price]
Cost: $11.38 (folded)Order Form or Visit our office
Printed in 1996, this extraordinary 42-inch by 45-inch map, the first of its kind created for any state, is a wonderful way to discover the history, culture, land, and people of Wisconsin.
Handbooks
The following handbooks are all published by the National Geodetic Survey and are available for purchase either from the NGS or the Wisconsin State Cartographer's Office.
• Standards and Specifications for Geodetic Control Networks• Geometric Geodetic Accuracy Standards and Specifications...
• State Plane Coordinate System of 1983
• North American Datum of 1983
• Geodetic Glossary
Standards and Specifications for Geodetic Control Networks (View PDF from NGS)
Cost: $2.85
Order form
This manual provides standards and specifications for acquistion of geodetic control. It was written to replace both "Classification, Standards of Accuracy and General Specifications of Geodetic Control Surveys", and "Specifications to Support Classification, Standards of Accuracy, and General Specifications of Geodetic Control Surveys."
Geometric Geodetic Accuracy Standards and Specifications for Using GPS Relative Positioning Technology (View PDF from NGS)
Cost: $3.75
Order form
This manual was created by the Federal Geodetic Control Committee to lay out some standards and specifications for using GPS
relative positioning techniques. It is intended only to provide the user with guidelines for planning, execution, and classification of
surveys using carrier phase GPS relative positioning methods. The geometric standards are designed to meet classification requirements for a
wide range of three-dimensional relative position accuracy requirements. It is available from the SCO and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
State Plane Coordinate System of 1983 (View PDF from NGS)
Cost: $10.00
Order form
This manual explains how to perform computations on the State Plane Coordinate System of 1983. It was created to supplement Coast and Geodetic Survey Special Publications 235 ("The State Coordinate Systems"), and it replaces Coast and Geodetic Survey Publication 62-4 ("State Plane Coordinates by Automatic Data Processing").
North American Datum of 1983 (View PDF from NGS)
Cost: $25.00
Order form
This publication is intended to serve as a record of what was done to complete the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83) project, which replaced the original North American Datum and North American Datum of 1927.
It does not contain the actual coordinates, which must be ordered from the National Geodetic Information Branch of NOAA.
Geodetic Glossary
Cost: $20.00
Order form
This 1986 glossary is a revision of "Definitions of Terms Used in Geodetic and Other Surveys" (U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Special Publication 242), which was published in 1948 by the U.S. Government Printing Office. This revision increased the number of definitions from 800 to 5,000, but due to the rapidly changing nature of geodetic theory and practice, some terms may not be defined in this edition.
Topical Guide Archives
Due to the age of the content in several older publications we produced, we are making them available in PDF
format for historical reference.
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• Geologic Mapping - 1994 (724 KB)
• Magnetic Declination - 1999 (321 KB)
• Soil Mapping - 1997 (1.23 Mb)
• Topographic Mapping - 1998 (111 KB)