MnTOPO is a web application for viewing, printing and downloading
high-resolution elevation data for the State of Minnesota that was collected using LiDAR technology. It runs on a variety of devices including desktop PCs, tablets, and mobile phones. The data you see and download in MnTOPO was made possible by the Minnesota elevation mapping project. MnTOPO is a collaborative effort between staff from the Minnesota
Information Technology (MN.IT) @ Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and MN.IT @ Minnesota Geospatial Information Office (MnGeo). Funding was provided by the Clean Water Fund of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.

The Minnesota Geospatial Image Service provides versatile access to the USGS Topographic Map Series layers (DRG format) using a Web Map Service (WMS). Using this service eliminates the need to download and store these background layers locally. Three scales of USGS topographic maps are available through this service: 1:250,000, 1:100,000, and 1:24,000. The maps are 1949-1994 vintage.

For more information:
- How to use a WMS: https://www.mngeo.state.mn.us/chouse/wms/how_to_use_wms.html
- Technical specifications for using this service: https://www.mngeo.state.mn.us/chouse/wms/wms_image_server_specs.html
- About topo maps: https://www.mngeo.state.mn.us/chouse/elevation/topo_maps.html
- USGS services providing access to current topo maps: https://apps.nationalmap.gov/services/

Fugro Horizons Inc. acquired highly accurate Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) elevation data for the Twin Cities metropolitan region in east-central Minnesota in Spring and Fall 2011, with some reflights in Spring 2012. The data cover Anoka, Benton, Carver, Dakota, Goodhue, Hennepin, Isanti, Kanabec, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne and Washington counties.

Most of the data was collected at 1.5 points/square meter. Smaller areas were collected with 2 points/square meter and with 8 points/square meter:
1. 1.5 points/square meter covers Morrison, Mille Lacs, Benton, Isanti, Sherburne, Anoka, Meeker, Hennepin, Washington, Carver, Scott, and Goodhue counties.
2. 2 points/square meter covers the Dakota Block (southern 2/3 of Dakota County)
3. 8 points/square meter covers portions of Minneapolis/St. Paul and the City of Maple Grove
See map of block boundaries: https://www.mngeo.state.mn.us/chouse/elevation/metro_data_delivery_dates.pdf

Data are in the UTM Zone 15 coordinate system, NAD83 (HARN), NAVD88 Geoid09, meters. The tiling scheme is 16th USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle tiles.

The vendor delivered the data to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in several formats:

1. One-meter digital elevation model
2. Edge-of-water breaklines
3. Classified LAS formatted point cloud data

DNR staff quality-checked the data and created three additional products: two-foot contours, building outlines and hillshades.

This metadata record was created at the Minnesota Geospatial Information Office using information supplied by the vendor and by DNR.

NCED is currently involved in researching the effectiveness of anaglyph maps in the classroom and are working with educators and scientists to interpret various Earth-surface processes. Based on the findings of the research, various activities and interpretive information will be developed and available for educators to use in their classrooms. Keep checking back with this website because activities and maps are always being updated. We believe that anaglyph maps are an important tool in helping students see the world and are working to further develop materials and activities to support educators in their use of the maps.

This website has various 3-D maps and supporting materials that are available for download. Maps can be printed, viewed on computer monitors, or projected on to screens for larger audiences. Keep an eye on our website for more maps, activities and new information. Let us know how you use anaglyph maps in your classroom. Email any ideas or activities you have to ncedmaps@umn.edu

Anaglyph paper maps are a cost effective offshoot of the GeoWall Project. Geowall is a high end visualization tool developed for use in the University of Minnesota's Geology and Geophysics Department. Because of its effectiveness it has been expanded to 300 institutions across the United States. GeoWall projects 3-D images and allows students to see 3-D representations but is limited because of the technology. Paper maps are a cost effective solution that allows anaglyph technology to be used in classroom and field-based applications.

Maps are best when viewed with RED/CYAN anaglyph glasses!

A note on downloading: "viewable" maps are .jpg files; "high-quality downloads" are .tif files. While it is possible to view the latter in a web-browser in most cases, the download may be slow. As an alternative, try right-clicking on the link to the high-quality download and choosing "save" from the pop-up menu that results. Save the file to your own machine, then try opening the saved copy. This may be faster than clicking directly on the link to open it in the browser.

World Map: 3-D map that highlights oceanic bathymetry and plate boundaries.

Continental United States: 3-D grayscale map of the Lower 48.

Western United States: 3-D grayscale map of the Western United States with state boundaries.

Regional Map: 3-D greyscale map stretching from Hudson Bay to the Central Great Plains. This map includes the Western Great Lakes and the Canadian Shield.

Minnesota Map: 3-D greyscale map of Minnesota with county and state boundaries.

Twin Cities: 3-D map extending beyond Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Twin Cities Confluence Map: 3-D map highlighting the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers. This map includes most of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Minneapolis, MN: 3-D topographical map of South Minneapolis.

Bassets Creek, Minneapolis: 3-D topographical map of the Bassets Creek watershed.

North Minneapolis: 3-D topographical map highlighting North Minneapolis and the Mississippi River.

St. Paul, MN: 3-D topographical map of St. Paul.

Western Suburbs, Twin Cities: 3-D topographical map of St. Louis Park, Hopkins and Minnetonka area.

Minnesota River Valley Suburbs, Twin Cities: 3-D topographical map of Bloomington, Eden Prairie and Edina area.

Southern Suburbs, Twin Cities: 3-D topographical map of Burnsville, Lakeville and Prior Lake area.

Southeast Suburbs, Twin Cities: 3-D topographical map of South St. Paul, Mendota Heights, Apple Valley and Eagan area.

Northeast Suburbs, Twin Cities: 3-D topographical map of White Bear Lake, Maplewood and Roseville area.

Northwest Suburbs, Mississippi River, Twin Cities: 3-D topographical map of North Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center and Maple Grove area.

Blaine, MN: 3-D map of Blaine and the Mississippi River.

White Bear Lake, MN: 3-D topographical map of White Bear Lake and the surrounding area.

Maple Grove, MN: 3-D topographical mmap of the NW suburbs of the Twin Cities.

Digital Elevation Model of Scott County, Minnesota.

This map shows the elevation of the bedrock surface (Bedrock topography) across the state of Minnesota. This is important geologic information in identifying potential sources of groundwater and pollution sensitivity. The bedrock surface is an erosional surface comprised of Cretaceous (Mesozoic) rocks and sediments, Paleozoic rocks, and Precambrian rocks. This bedrock topography data is a raster showing elevation of the bedrock surface, in feet, across the state of Minnesota and includes that part of Minnesota that lies in the western part of the Lake Superior basin. It does not include tribal areas of Grand Portage and Mille Lac as per the MGS's agreements with the tribes.

Layered GeoPDF 7.5 Minute Quadrangle Map. Layers of geospatial data include orthoimagery, roads, grids, geographic names, elevation contours, hydrography, and other selected map features.

2-foot and 10-foot elevation contours derived from the Spring 2012 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) LiDAR dataset.

The hillshade is a black-and-white image showing elevation changes in the landscape. It is created from a digital elevation model as if the elevation surface were illuminated by a hypothetical light source shining from the northwest.

Layered GeoPDF 7.5 Minute Quadrangle Map. Layers of geospatial data include orthoimagery, roads, grids, geographic names, elevation contours, hydrography, and other selected map features.

description: Minnesota's original public land survey plat maps were created between 1848 and 1907 during the first government land survey of the state by the U.S. Surveyor General's Office. This collection of more than 3,600 maps includes later General Land Office (GLO) and Bureau of Land Management maps up through 2001. Scanned images of the maps are available in several digital formats and most have been georeferenced. The survey plat maps, and the accompanying survey field notes, serve as the fundamental legal records for real estate in Minnesota; all property titles and descriptions stem from them. They also are an essential resource for surveyors and provide a record of the state's physical geography prior to European settlement. Finally, they testify to many years of hard work by the surveying community, often under very challenging conditions. The deteriorating physical condition of the older maps (drawn on paper, linen, and other similar materials) and the need to provide wider public access to the maps, made handling the original records increasingly impractical. To meet this challenge, the Office of the Secretary of State (SOS), the State Archives of the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS), the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), MnGeo (formerly the Land Management Information Center - LMIC) and the Minnesota Association of County Surveyors collaborated in a digitization project which produced high quality (800 dpi), 24-bit color images of the maps in standard TIFF, JPEG and PDF formats - nearly 1.5 terabytes of data. Funding was provided by MnDOT. In 2010-11, most of the JPEG plat map images were georeferenced. The intent was to locate the plat images to coincide with statewide geographic data without appreciably altering (warping) the image. This increases the value of the images in mapping software where they can be used as a background layer.; abstract: Minnesota's original public land survey plat maps were created between 1848 and 1907 during the first government land survey of the state by the U.S. Surveyor General's Office. This collection of more than 3,600 maps includes later General Land Office (GLO) and Bureau of Land Management maps up through 2001. Scanned images of the maps are available in several digital formats and most have been georeferenced. The survey plat maps, and the accompanying survey field notes, serve as the fundamental legal records for real estate in Minnesota; all property titles and descriptions stem from them. They also are an essential resource for surveyors and provide a record of the state's physical geography prior to European settlement. Finally, they testify to many years of hard work by the surveying community, often under very challenging conditions. The deteriorating physical condition of the older maps (drawn on paper, linen, and other similar materials) and the need to provide wider public access to the maps, made handling the original records increasingly impractical. To meet this challenge, the Office of the Secretary of State (SOS), the State Archives of the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS), the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), MnGeo (formerly the Land Management Information Center - LMIC) and the Minnesota Association of County Surveyors collaborated in a digitization project which produced high quality (800 dpi), 24-bit color images of the maps in standard TIFF, JPEG and PDF formats - nearly 1.5 terabytes of data. Funding was provided by MnDOT. In 2010-11, most of the JPEG plat map images were georeferenced. The intent was to locate the plat images to coincide with statewide geographic data without appreciably altering (warping) the image. This increases the value of the images in mapping software where they can be used as a background layer.

The Minnesota Elevation mapping project was developed by the Minnesota Digital Elevation Mapping Committee and executed by Minnesota State agencies with the assistance of the federal government county governments to acquire a highly accurate land surface elevation dataset for the State of Minnesota. High accuracy elevation data are essential to improving water quality, improving disaster prepar...

This location is part of the Arizona Mineral Industry Location System (AzMILS), an inventory of mineral occurences, prospects and mine locations in Arizona. SantaCruz164A is located in T23S R16E Sec 31 NW in the Nogales - 15 Min quad. This collection consists of various reports, maps, records and related materials acquired by the Arizona Department of Mines and Mineral Resources regarding mining properties in Arizona. Information was obtained by various means, including the property owners, exploration companies, consultants, verbal interviews, field visits, newspapers and publications. Some sections may be redacted for copyright. Please see the access statement.

Layered GeoPDF 7.5 Minute Quadrangle Map. Layers of geospatial data include orthoimagery, roads, grids, geographic names, elevation contours, hydrography, and other selected map features.

This dataset contains lidar-derived elevation products for the Minnesota portion of the Red River of the North Basin. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) processed the data to make it consistent with other lidar data available in Minnesota, including converting it to UTM Zone 15 coordinates and tiling to 3.25 square mile blocks based on 1/16 of a standard USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle.

Data covers the following Minnesota counties: Becker, Beltrami, Big Stone, Clay, Clearwater, Grant, Kittson, Koochiching (northern portion), Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau, Stevens, Traverse, Wilkin. Products included are: One- and three-meter DEMs, one- and three-meter hillshades, and two-foot contours, plus a tile index map for each county. Since breaklines were not available for all of the Minnesota portion of the basin, the data has not been hydro-flattened.

The original data was provided by the International Water Institute (IWI) and the United States Geological Survey. IWI's Red River Basin Mapping Initiative acquired a highly accurate digital elevation model (DEM) for the Red River of the North Basin south of the U.S./Canada border in UTM Zone 14 coordinates.

This metadata record was created at the Minnesota Geospatial Information Office by combining information from the IWI and DNR.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources contracted with Sanborn Map Co., Inc. to provide lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) mapping services for the South Dakota portion of the Minnesota River Basin. Utilizing multi-return systems, lidar data in the form of 3-dimensional positions of a dense set of mass points was collected for approximately 1,946 square miles.

The vendor delivered the data to the DNR in several formats:

1) One-meter digital elevation model
2) Edge-of-water breaklines
3) Classified LAS formatted point cloud data

DNR staff created three additional products: two-foot contours, building outlines and hillshades.

The data are in UTM Zone 14 coordinates.

This metadata record was created at the Minnesota Geospatial Information Office by combining information supplied by Sanborn and the DNR.

Layered GeoPDF 7.5 Minute Quadrangle Map. Layers of geospatial data include orthoimagery, roads, grids, geographic names, elevation contours, hydrography, and other selected map features.

This map shows the elevation of the bedrock surface (Bedrock topography) across the state of Minnesota. This is important geologic information in identifying potential sources of groundwater and pollution sensitivity. The bedrock surface is an erosional surface comprised of Cretaceous (Mesozoic) rocks and sediments, Paleozoic rocks, and Precambrian rocks. This bedrock topography data is a raster showing elevation of the bedrock surface, in feet, across the state of Minnesota and includes that part of Minnesota that lies in the western part of the Lake Superior basin.

Layered GeoPDF 7.5 Minute Quadrangle Map. Layers of geospatial data include orthoimagery, roads, grids, geographic names, elevation contours, hydrography, and other selected map features.

Layered GeoPDF 7.5 Minute Quadrangle Map. Layers of geospatial data include orthoimagery, roads, grids, geographic names, elevation contours, hydrography, and other selected map features.