This is something I've been wondering about for a while: What's the best way to get topo maps for guidebooks? Let me clarify: What's the best way to get digital topo maps for guidebooks? It seems like the NG Topo software is great software, but the maps are copyrighted, correct? So those wouldn't be an option, as I understand it... Where do guidebook authors get their maps?

thigbee wrote:This is something I've been wondering about for a while: What's the best way to get topo maps for guidebooks? Let me clarify: What's the best way to get digital topo maps for guidebooks? It seems like the NG Topo software is great software, but the maps are copyrighted, correct? So those wouldn't be an option, as I understand it... Where do guidebook authors get their maps?

Those aren't copyrighted. They come from the USGS topos which are in the public domain. If they add additional things such as updates, roads, or other overlays, they may be copyrightable (though I don't know this for sure).

The shading (for 3D relief) is from a non-governmental source. The DEM (digital elevation model) is public domain, but the algorithm for shading may be private (though such algorithms have been published in the open literature for at least 30 years).

Unfortunately, many free topo sources mis-register many areas, so the topo maps do not properly align with the wgs84 coordinates.

Free Topo Maps can be found here.

For my Zion guidebook, I simply contacted Nat'l Geo TOPO and asked for permission to use their maps. They granted it (with the only condition being that I credit them). But as it turned out, I had a buddy who had written his own program that was simply too sweet to pass up.

That buddy's name here on SP is Day Hiker. You've probably seen some of his groovy handiwork pop up here and there.