David Rumsey Map Collection

The Wheeler Survey of the Territory of the United States West of the 100th Meridian made the first accurate map of Yosemite Valley in 1879 and published the map sheet to the left in 1883. In this 3D GIS version of the map, the scanned historic map image is combined with the modern day USGS DEM (Digital Elevation Model), allowing us to "warp" the historic map images into 3D.

The flash movie on the right gives a preview of the 3D GIS experience. Click on the links below the flash movie to launch the small or full screen 3D Yosemite GIS Viewer, but READ this first - the 3D GIS Viewer has three viewing modes: Fly Through (opening mode), Inspection, and Hover. Use the space bar to toggle between them. Use your mouse and arrow keys for Fly-Through, arrow keys and page up/down for Inspection, and arrow keys and "1" key (down) and "2" key (up) for Hover. Using keys together will produce different motions. For Yosemite only, key row Z,X,C,V,B will blend in the modern USGS map of Yosemite. Detailed Help is available.

This 1880 manuscript map of the Los Angeles basin is one of the earliest detailed maps of the area; it was produced by William Hammond Hall, the first California State Engineer. In this 3D GIS version of the map, the scanned historic map image is combined with the modern day USGS DEM (Digital Elevation Model), allowing us to "warp" the historic map images into 3D.

The flash movie on the right gives a preview of the 3D GIS experience. Click on the link below the flash movie to launch the full 3D Los Angeles GIS Viewer, but READ this first - the 3D GIS Viewer has three viewing modes: Fly Through (opening mode), Inspection, and Hover. Use the space bar to toggle between them. Use your mouse and arrow keys for Fly-Through, arrow keys and page up/down for Inspection, and arrow keys and "1" key (down) and "2" key (up) for Hover. Using keys together will produce different motions. Detailed Help is available.

This map is a mosaic of several historical and modern maps of the area along the Lewis and Clark Expedition route: the 1814 original expedition map covering the route itself, then just beyond it the US GLO maps from 1866-79, then the US National Atlas maps from 1970, and finally the entire map is bordered with current satellite imagery of the US West. In this 3D GIS version of the map, the scanned historic map image is combined with the modern day USGS DEM (Digital Elevation Model), allowing us to "warp" the historic map images into 3D.

The flash movie on the right gives a preview of the 3D GIS experience. Click on the link below the flash movie to launch the full 3D Lewis and Clark GIS Viewer, but READ this first - the 3D GIS Viewer has three viewing modes: Fly Through (opening mode), Inspection, and Hover. Use the space bar to toggle between them. Use your mouse and arrow keys for Fly-Through, arrow keys and page up/down for Inspection, and arrow keys and "1" key (down) and "2" key (up) for Hover. Using keys together will produce different motions. Detailed Help is available.

The Wheeler Survey of the Territory of the United States West of the 100th Meridian made one of the earliest accurate surveys of Lake Tahoe, California, in 1876 and 1877 and published the map sheets below in 1879. In this 3D GIS version of the maps, the two scanned historic map images are joined and combined with the modern day USGS DEM (Digital Elevation Model) and a bathymetric model of the lake itself, allowing us to "warp" the historic map images into 3D.

The flash movie on the right gives a preview of the 3D GIS experience. Click on the link below the flash movie to launch the full 3D Lake Tahoe GIS Viewer, but READ this first - the 3D GIS Viewer has three viewing modes: Fly Through (opening mode), Inspection, and Hover. Use the space bar to toggle between them. Use your mouse and arrow keys for Fly-Through, arrow keys and page up/down for Inspection, and arrow keys and "1" key (down) and "2" key (up) for Hover. Using keys together will produce different motions. Detailed Help is available.

This 1915 Map of San Francisco by August Chevalier was published to celebrate the rebuilding of the city after the disastrous earthquake and fire of 1906. Chevalier used contour lines, hill shading and hachures to show the topography of San Francisco's hills, as well as isometric drawings (3D) of newly reconstructed downtown buildings and other important structures throughout the city. In this 3D GIS version of the map, the scanned historic map image is combined with the modern day USGS DEM (Digital Elevation Model) allowing us to "warp" the historic map images into 3D.

The flash movie on the right gives a preview of the 3D GIS experience. Click on the link below to launch the full 3D San Francisco GIS Viewer, but READ this first - the 3DGIS Viewer has three viewing modes: Fly Through (opening mode), Inspection, and Hover. Use the space bar to toggle between them. Use your mouse and arrow keys for Fly-Through, arrow keys and page up/down for Inspection, and arrow keys and "1" key (down) and "2" key (up) for Hover. Using keys together will produce different motions. The key row Z,X,C,V,B will blend in the modern USGS map of San Francisco. Detailed Help is available.

This 3D GIS view of Mount Washington and surrounding country in the Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada was created for The Long Now Foundation, to show the location of their 10,000 year Clock on the Foundation's property just south of Mount Washington. The Landsat7 Satellite image from 2000 has been draped over a USGS DEM (Digital Elevation Model)allowing the image to be seen in three dimentions. In addition, an 1873 map of the same area made by the Wheeler Survey can be blended into the 3D view to see how the area has changed over time.

The flash movie on the right gives a preview of the 3D GIS experience. Click on the link below the flash movie to launch the full 3D Mount Washington GIS Viewer, but READ this first - the 3D GIS Viewer has three viewing modes: Inspection (opening mode), Fly Through, and Hover. Use the space bar to toggle between them. Use your mouse and arrow keys for Fly-Through, arrow keys and page up/down for Inspection, and arrow keys and "1" key (down) and "2" key (up) for Hover. Using keys together will produce different motions. The key row Z,X,C,V,B will blend between the Landsat7 image and the 1873 historical map. Detailed Help is available.