How to find topo maps for autocad map

[Anonymous]

ok this is my first post, forgive me if I have the wrong group. yet i think
i have a very basic question for you civil drafters.... A while back i
worked with a civil engineer company that had a lot of topo maps on Autocad
already drawn in on layers and such... all I have right now is a topo tif
which is very different. I need to be able to work with the topo maps as we
move land around and draw new water run off maps. I didnt play around them
much when I saw them for the first time. Can anyone out there tell me wher
you get these maps, what they are called and can you get them in different
UTM & NAD formats like you can topos. I have an aerial in UTMs that I would
like to use with the topo layer if I could. I would be very happy to get
any info that could help me find the topos that I need. I work with Autodesk
Map 2005.

[Anonymous]

Sharon,
Assuming you are talking about the USGS Quad sheet maps, those are available
through many sources. The place we get them from is TopoDepot
(http://www.topodepot.com/). They offer vectorized versions of Quadsheets in
a range of formats including DWG, DXF, and shapefiles. They will also place
them in various coordinate systems and units.

--
Tripp Corbin, GISP, MCP
Associate Vice President, GIS/Mapping
ESRI Authorized Instructor
Keck & Wood, Inc.
www.keckwood.com
(678) 417-4000
(678) 417-8785 Fax

Keck & Wood now offers instructor led and virtual classes for ArcGIS,
ArcIMS, and ArcSDE. Contact me for more information.

[Anonymous]

Also:

http://www.geomart.com/
http://www.usgsquads.com/svcs_contour_extraction.htm


Check out: http://mcmcweb.er.usgs.gov/gcras/digfaq.html#DLG1

And anything else you can find with a Google search.

Allen

"Tripp Corbin" wrote in message
news:5068254@discussion.autodesk.com...
Sharon,
Assuming you are talking about the USGS Quad sheet maps, those are available
through many sources. The place we get them from is TopoDepot
(http://www.topodepot.com/). They offer vectorized versions of Quadsheets in
a range of formats including DWG, DXF, and shapefiles. They will also place
them in various coordinate systems and units.

--
Tripp Corbin, GISP, MCP
Associate Vice President, GIS/Mapping
ESRI Authorized Instructor
Keck & Wood, Inc.
www.keckwood.com
(678) 417-4000
(678) 417-8785 Fax

Keck & Wood now offers instructor led and virtual classes for ArcGIS,
ArcIMS, and ArcSDE. Contact me for more information.

[Anonymous]

thanks for the help. I will check it out now to see if that what I am
looking for. It sounds right. I just need to see a picture of one
to make sure.

"Tripp Corbin" wrote in message
news:5068254@discussion.autodesk.com...
Sharon,
Assuming you are talking about the USGS Quad sheet maps, those are available
through many sources. The place we get them from is TopoDepot
(http://www.topodepot.com/). They offer vectorized versions of Quadsheets in
a range of formats including DWG, DXF, and shapefiles. They will also place
them in various coordinate systems and units.

--
Tripp Corbin, GISP, MCP
Associate Vice President, GIS/Mapping
ESRI Authorized Instructor
Keck & Wood, Inc.
www.keckwood.com
(678) 417-4000
(678) 417-8785 Fax

Keck & Wood now offers instructor led and virtual classes for ArcGIS,
ArcIMS, and ArcSDE. Contact me for more information.

[ddevitt]

Hi Tripp,

I too used to use TopoDepot on a regular basis for many years and they were a great source for creating site plans. Unfortunately, they are no longer around and, with no success, I have been searching the internet for a suitable replacement ever since.

Do you know of a website that offers all that TopoDepot once did? If so, I would greatly appreciate knowing about it.

Hope to hear from you soon!

David Devitt

Pioneer Drafting Service, Inc.

[axk5889]

Tipp,

It looks like TopoDepot no longer works. Do you know where you can find DWG topo maps these days?

[ChicagoLooper]

You can download topo maps >>HERE<<. 

Zoom in to your site using the map on the right. Then on left, under Map, check box for US Topo. Click Find Products to view available products.

[ddevitt]

Hello Chicago Looper,
Do you know of a source for topographic contour lines that have been created in AutoCAD? I used to get this type of file from Topo Depot which I believe no longer exists.

Thank you,
David Devitt

[ChicagoLooper]

Hello @ddevitt 

I recommend you forget about topo lines as AutoCAD entities. In today's world you're better off searching for and acquiring shapefile format. Viable alternatives to shapefile include, but are not limited to are, kmz, kml and gdb, which can be converted using know-how of course, from their native format to AutoCAD linework.

AutoCAD formatted topo lines, which may have been popluar with your Mom or Dad, is medival. The sooner you buy into the new technology the better off you'll be! and your coworkers and your boss will be. and your clients will be. Searching for AutoCAD-ish topo lines will lead you down the proverbial Rabbit Hole. Please don't go down there.

1. To find Topo lines in shapefile format, go to the TNM Download v2 site. The downloads are free. See image-1.
2. Search here to FIND your specific site location. Next, insert a POINT to mark your site. See image-2.
3. Check box named Topo Map Data and Topo Stylesheet=>Shapefile=>Search Products. See image-3
4. Your search will yield results. Click Download Link (ZIP). It's free and don't even need an account. See image-4.

Image-1

Image-2

Image-3

Image-4

Notes:

• The Zip file contains much more than Contour Data. Just go with it. You can’t control the amount of data you receive when you download these ZIP files.
• The area or ‘coverage’ you download is identical to the area of a 7.5 X 7.5 minute USGS Quadrangle.
• Depending on your site’s location, your site may be near the edge or corner of a 7.5 X 7.5 minute Quad, you may need to download multiple Zip Files. You can consider a Quad a 'map tile.' If you're at or near a corner, you'll need four tiles to 'fill up' your viewport so when you print, your map looks good. 
• When browsing the Zip file, Contour lines are typically in a shapefile named Elev_Contour.
• Don't separate or delete any part(s) of the shapefile. If you do, they may not scale or insert accurately.
• To add the Contour shapefile you can use MAPIMPORT command. It converts shapefile lines to vanilla polylines.
• You should (highly recommended) Create Object Data during MapImport. Grab ALL Contour data availble.
• Alternatively, you may forego AutoCAD polylines and add the contours as a Feature Data Object  (FDO) using a Data Connection.

[ddevitt]

Great information, thanks! This is the approach that I have been looking for; thank you for the education and helping me out of the dark ages. 🙂

ddevitt