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 Loudon Stanford, manager of the Digital Mapping and GIS Lab at Idaho Geological Survey, works in the lab on Oct. 13. Jake Barber/Argonaut
Idaho offers much in the way of outdoor activities, some of which are best enjoyed in rural areas.
When planning, a good map is key, which is why the Idaho Geological Survey offers detailed base maps of the entire state.
A base map offers a detailed view of the land it contains, but is simple enough to function as a base for other maps, said Reed Lewis of the IGS.
These maps can also function on their own, which is why people planning to go into a rural area might find them helpful.
When the IGS wants to put out a detailed geographic mapping of an area, IGS uses the base maps as a foundation for its more detailed map. Base maps aren’t just used by the IGS and people who are planning trips into the back country, they’re also used by many other agencies and groups for plotting everything from population density of animals to soil distribution.
The basic size for a map is called “seven-and-a-half minutes,” which encapsulates a seven-and-half minute area of longitude and latitude. That translates to a one to 24,000 scale, and shows a 55-square-mile area.
The seven-and-a-half-minute scale is the common scale used by people planning outdoor activities, Lewis said.
“These maps cover the entire state,” said Vicki Mitchell, a mining history expert who works with the IGS. “They help you find where you want to hike, and they help you with field work.”
These maps are sold for $6.50 at the IGS office on the third floor of Morrill Hall. However, free versions of these maps exist online. The maps that are on the Internet are at a much lower resolution than the ones for sale at the IGS Office.
“The hard copy maps are more efficient than software,” Lewis said. “After all, who wants to haul a computer into the wilderness?”
Anyone interested in getting detailed maps of significant portions of the state doesn’t have to buy them one at a time. National Geographic sells a software program, which contains maps for the entire state of Idaho called Topo.
The program offers a view of the state on five different levels, starting with a statewide view. The closest zoom level allows the user to zoom in to the seven-and-a-half minute scale.
Many of the maps sold by the IGS and used in National Geographic’s software are ten to fifteen years old.
“The United States Geological Survey (is) used to update the maps fairly frequently in areas with a lot of urbanization and population growth,” Lewis said. “That’s tapered off in recent years due to funding issues.”
The USGS is responsible for doing the mapping, since IGS doesn’t have the ability to map the entire state. However, the Forest Service does still update the base maps of state and national forests regularly.
The IGS offers many of its publications for free on the Internet. Aside from the aforementioned maps, users can find mining histories, maps and information about the geographic history of Idaho.
The IGS office sells paper copies of those mining histories for anyone who is interested. They also sell maps from the Bureau of Land Management. These maps show which property is private and which is public across the entire state.
“If you’re going to hike through someone’s private property, you need their permission,” Mitchell said.
Maps from the Forest Service are also available. They provide a detailed look at Idaho’s forests and show where most of the trails are in areas the Forest Service has jurisdiction over.
The IGS office in Morrill Hall is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Any questions can be directed to
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or 885-7991.
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