California online public land maps with geolocation

[Jelf]

Hello Everyone.

Thanks to msteiger for including a Gmap4 map link in his post "Noobs: Start here". I am the developer of the Gmap4 enhanced Google map viewer. Recently I started a project to produce a series of map links that:

• Show public land boundaries at the national and state level
• Show a wide range of related outdoor recreation information

This post gives you an introduction to this mapping project and a link to the homepage. California is one of the states that I have completed.

Most states have detailed information showing the boundaries of various kinds of public land at the federal, state and local level. Government agencies also have all kinds of map information that is useful for all kinds of outdoor activities from hunting to 4-wheeling to horse riding to hiking to boating to fishing and everything in between.

This mapping project I am doing consists of locating that data where it is hosted on Geographical Information System (GIS) servers and producing online maps so everyone has a super easy way to see and use that data. The types of GIS data that these online maps will display include:

1. Boundaries of public land
2. Recreation features such as picnic areas, campgrounds, boat launches, trailheads, etc
3. Fishing and hunting information
4. Habitats
5. Public safety including wildland fires and earthquakes

So far I have completed online maps for several states. The type of data that is available varies by state. I have also completed several national level online maps.

Below is the homepage link for this project. Please take a moment to read through the text before you start playing with the map links. Also, if you want to get the most out of these maps, be sure to read the “Tips”.

Public land map homepage:
http://www.propertylinemaps.com/p/public_land_map.html

Want to see the legend for a map? Click the “About this map” link in the upper left corner.

All of these online maps are displayed by Gmap4. Using the same software to display all of this GIS data from coast-to-coast means you see a consistent interface based on the familiar Google maps and you also get the same broad feature set for every map.

For those that are GIS savvy (or would like to be) you can peek under the hood and see how the magic works by visiting my GIS page (written at a newbie level):
http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4_gis-viewer.html

Wait... there’s more... or soon will be.

Each GIS feature you see on these maps have more information (called “attributes”) stored on the GIS server. Currently Gmap4 does not let you click a GIS symbol and see the attribute data. I plan to add that feature this winter.

Think of this as my Christmas present to you. Enjoy!

Joseph, the Gmap4 guy

 

[breacher]

Welcome Joseph. Glad you found us and can help us with the use of that system. Saw it on another site and find it useful.

 

[Bonejour]

Awesome resource. Merry Christmas indeed!

 

[msteiger]

Joseph-Thanks for finding us. What you are doing is amazing and sorely needed. It can be very hard to find exact boundaries of BLM, NFS, etc. I have used your map extensively and will certainly check out your new project. What are your long term goals for the project?

Thank you!

 

[Jelf]

Joseph-Thanks for finding us. What you are doing is amazing and sorely needed. It can be very hard to find exact boundaries of BLM, NFS, etc. I have used your map extensively and will certainly check out your new project. What are your long term goals for the project?

Thank you!

Thanks for the kind words.

Please keep in mind that we generally have no way to know the accuracy of the public land boundary lines you see on the maps I am producing. While some of those lines might have been determined based on survey grade GPS gear and be highly accurate, other lines might be based on someone's best judgment while sitting at a desk and be wrong by 50 ft, 75 ft, or more.

It would be great if there was information (i..e. "metadata") that would tell us the accuracy associated with a boundary line. Alas, that is almost never the case.

Bottomline: Are the public land boundaries you see on my maps exact? No. Instead, my goal is to find the best data currently available and put that data on a map so it is easy for you to access and use. Perhaps some people will use this information to find their own sekrit spot on public land they did not realize was public.

As far as long term plans - well I am going to keep producing map links for more states. The work goes a bit slowly since I do this in my spare time.

I benefit from this project not only because I enjoy using my knowledge to help people but also because it helps inform people about my commercial gig.

Joseph

 

[Bonejour]

I benefit from this project not only because I enjoy using my knowledge to help people but also because it helps inform people about my commercial gig.
Joseph

Welcome to SCH Joseph. I look forward to trying this in the field.

 

[Lungpopper]

Welcome to the site. I've been playing with it, cool stuff.

 

[SASS]

This is pretty awesome thanks!

 

[Jelf]

I just posted Gmap4 v.7 beta.
You can check it out on the beta page:
http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4_beta.html

The first example map displays GIS recreation symbols for all the national forests and lets you click a symbol and see all the GIS attribute data for the feature you clicked.

One of the example maps is for CA.

To the best of my knowledge this is a unique feature for any software that is based on Google maps.

 

[Jelf]

Yesterday I updated the Gmap4 production code. Now anytime you are looking at a Gmap4 map that displays GIS data, you can click on a GIS symbol and see a popup with all the attribute data the GIS server has for the thing you clicked.

For example, this new feature works with all the California map links I made. You can find those links at the bottom of this page:
http://www.propertylinemaps.com/p/public_land_map/state/CA/_california_layers_off.html

I recommend that anyone who wants to play with this new feature should first take a quick look at the Gmap4 “What’s new” page for some important information.
http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4_whats_new.html

Here is another example map that shows the current weather watches and warnings. Notice that the attribute data includes a link that provides detailed information.
http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?ll=37.282795,-97.250977&z=5&t=h,Weather_watch_warning&q=http://www.propertylinemaps.com/p/public_land_map/USA/USA_weather.txt

I am aware of some layers from some GIS servers that do not presently let Gmap4 display attribute data. I am working to solve most of those issues with additional software development.

Finally, if you would like to see some easy-to-read documentation about this new feature, please take a look at:
http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/help_files/gmap4_gis_help.html

Joseph, the Gmap4 guy

 

[Hunter Fishman]

That is awesome! I feel privileged to have access to that site!

I only clicked back to write this post, now, back to it.... Thanks for sharing!

Cant wait to discover its full potential!