MapMaker is an online GIS tool, developed by National Geographic in partnership with Esri, is easy to use and provides your students with interactive data on a variety of important topics. Explore the world in both two-dimensional (2D "flat map") and three-dimensional (3D "globe") displays with an intuitive interface. Designed for teachers, no login is required and lesson resources are available to help you get started.Skills builder activities

This Story Map is designed to help teachers to create a web application that is similar to the National Geographic Map Maker app.This application is made with the Atlas ArrcGIS Online Instant App TemplateNo audio is included in any of the videos in this StoryMap

This vector tile layer presents the National Geographic Style (World Edition) and provides a detailed basemap for the world, designed as a reference map that includes administrative boundaries, cities, protected areas, highways, roads, railways, water features, buildings, and landmarks, overlaid on shaded relief and a colorized physical ecosystems base for added context to conservation and biodiversity topics. Alignment of boundaries is a presentation of the feature provided by our data vendors and does not imply endorsement by Esri, National Geographic or any governing authority. The map was developed by Esri and reflects a distinctive National Geographic Society cartographic style in a multi-scale reference map of the world. NGS provided guidance and design feedback throughout the process. Special thanks to the National Geographic Cartography Team for their support and guidance! Content does not reflect National Geographic's current map policy. This vector tile layer provides unique capabilities for customization, high-resolution display, and use in mobile devices.This vector tile layer is built using the same data sources used for other Esri Vector Basemaps. For details on data sources contributed by the GIS community, view the map of Community Maps Basemap Contributors. Esri Vector Basemaps are updated monthly.This layer is used in the National Geographic Style Map web map included in ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World.See the Vector Basemaps group for other vector tile layers. Customize this StyleLearn more about customizing this vector basemap style using the Vector Tile Style Editor. Additional details are available in ArcGIS Online Blogs and the Esri Vector Basemaps Reference Document.

Explore a full description of the map.This 2020 political boundary data is from Garmin International and the United States Central Intelligence Agency The World Factbook and compiled by Esri. One layer includes the boundary lines for countries and another for states and provinces. These layers do not include contested boundaries and any you see are likely on the basemap you have chosen.CreditsEsri; Global Mapping International; U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (The World Factbook). From National Geographic MapMaker.Terms of Use This work is licensed under the Esri Master License Agreement.View Summary | View Terms of Use

Explore a full description of this map.Land cover describes what is visible on Earth’s surface, such as forests, grasslands, cropland, and built places. Knowing what land cover is in each location can help us understand a landscape. Tracking land cover over many years can tell us how the landscape is changing over time. It allows us to track urban growth, measure the loss of wetlands and wild places to prioritize conservation and preservation efforts, and plan for the potential impacts of climate change. CreditsImpact Observatory, Microsoft, and Esri. From the National Geographic MapMaker.Terms of Use This work is licensed under a Creative Commons by Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. See Credits and Map for Attribution.View License Deed | View Legal Code

Explore a full description of the map.Just like its climate, Earth’s land cover varies widely between regions. Some regions are characterized by deserts, while in others wetlands predominate. Boreal forests, also called taiga, cover much of the planet’s northern latitudes, while tropical forests are a common feature in equatorial countries. These diverse types of land cover can be further broken down into “ecoregions”—large expanses of land, each with a distinct biological and environmental character.CreditsBioscience, An Ecoregions-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/bix014 . Map from the National Geographic MapMaker.Terms and ConditionsThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Named Landforms of the World (NLW) contains four sub-layers representing geomorphological landforms, provinces, divisions, and their respective cartographic boundaries. The latter is to support map making, while the first three represent basic units such landforms comprise provinces, and provinces comprise divisions. NLW is a substantial update to World Named Landforms in both compilation method and the attributes that describe each landform.For more details, please refer to our paper, Named Landforms of the World: A Geomorphological and Physiographic Compilation, in Annals of the American Assocation of Geographers.Landforms are commonly defined as natural features on the surface of the Earth. The National Geographic Society specifies terrain as the basis for landforms and lists four major types: mountains, hills, plateaus, and plains. Here, however, we define landforms in a richer way that includes properties relating to underlying geologic structure, erosional and depositional character, and tectonic setting and processes. These characteristics were asserted by Dr. Richard E. Murphy in 1968 in his map, titled Landforms of the World. We blended Murphy's definition for landforms with the work E.M. Bridges, who in his 1990 book, World Geomorphology, provided a globally consistent description of geomorphological divisions, provinces, and sections to give names to the landform regions of the world. AttributeDescription Bridges Full NameFull name from E.M. Bridges' 1990 "World Geomorphology" Division and if present province and section - intended for labeling print maps of small extents. Bridges DivisionGeomorphological Division as described in E.M. Bridges' 1990 "World Geomorphology" - All Landforms have a division assigned, i.e., no nulls. Bridges ProvinceGeomorphological Province as described in E.M. Bridges' 1990 "World Geomorphology" - Not all divisions are subdivided into provinces. Bridges SectionGeomorphological Section as described in E.M. Bridges' 1990 "World Geomorphology" - Not all provinces are subdivided into sections. StructureLandform Structure as described in Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" map. Coded Value Domain. Values include: - Alpine Systems: Area of mountains formed by orogenic (collisions of tectonic plates) processes in the past 350 to 500 million years. - Caledonian/Hercynian Shield Remnants: Area of mountains formed by orogenic (collisions of tectonic plates) processes 350 to 500 million years ago. - Gondwana or Laurasian Shields: Area underlaid by mostly crystalline rock formations fromed one billion or more years ago and unbroken by tectonic processes. - Rifted Shield Areas: fractures or spreading along or adjacent to tectonic plate edges. - Isolated Volcanic Areas: volcanic activity occurring outside of Alpine Systems and Rifted Shields. - Sedimentary: Areas of deposition occurring within the past 2.5 million years Moist or DryLandform Erosional/Depositional variable as described in Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" map. Coded Value Domain. Values include: - Moist: where annual aridity index is 1.0 or higher, which implies precipitation is absorbed or lost via runoff. - Dry: where annual aridity index is less than 1.0, which implies more precipitation evaporates before it can be absorbed or lost via runoff. TopographicLandform Topographic type variable as described in Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" map. Karagulle et. al. 2017 - based on rich morphometric characteristics. Coded Value Domain. Values include: - Plains: Areas with less than 90-meters of relief and slopes under 20%. - Hills: Areas with 90- to 300-meters of local relief. - Mountains: Areas with over 300-meters of relief - High Tablelands: Areas with over 300-meters of relief and 50% of highest elevation areas are of gentle slope. - Depressions or Basins: Areas of land surrounded land of higher elevation. Glaciation TypeLandform Erosional/Depositional variable as described in Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" map. Values include: - Wisconsin/Wurm Glacial Extent: Areas of most recent glaciation which formed 115,000 years ago and ended 11,000 years ago. - Pre-Wisconsin/Wurm Glacial Extent: Areas subjected only to glaciation prior to 140,000 years ago. ContinentAssigned by Author during data compilation. Bridges Short NameThe name of the smallest of Division, Province, or Section containing this landform feature. Murphy Landform CodeCombination of Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" variables expressed as a 3- or 4- letter notation. Used to label medium scale maps. Area_GeoGeodesic area in km2. Primary PlateName of tectonic plate that either completely underlays this landform feature or underlays the largest portion of the landform's area. Secondary PlateWhen a landform is underlaid by two or more tectonic plates, this is the plate that underlays the second largest area. 3rd PlateWhen a landform is underlaid by three or more tectonic plates, this is the plate that underlays the third largest area. 4th PlateWhen a landform is underlaid by four or more tectonic plates, this is the plate that underlays the fourth largest area. 5th PlateWhen a landform is underlaid by five tectonic plates, this is the plate that underlays the fifth largest area. NotesContains standard text to convey additional tectonic process characteristics. Tectonic ProcessAssigns values of orogenic, rift zone, or above subducting plate.

These data are also available as an ArcGIS Pro Map Package: Named_Landforms_of_the_World_v2.0.mpkx.These data supersede the earlier v1.0: World Named Landforms.Change Log:

DateDescription of Change July 20, 2022Corrected spelling of Guiana from incorrect representation, "Guyana", used by Bridges. July 27, 2022Corrected Structure coded value domain value, changing "Caledonian/Hercynian Shield" to "Caledonian , Hercynian, or Appalachian Remnants".

Cite as:Frye, C., Sayre R., Pippi, M., Karagulle, Murphy, A., D. Soller, D.R., Gilbert, M., and Richards, J., 2022. Named Landforms of the World. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.33178.93129. Accessed on:

Named Landforms of the World (NLW) contains four sub-layers representing geomorphological landforms, provinces, divisions, and their respective cartographic boundaries. The latter is to support map making, while the first three represent basic units such landforms comprise provinces, and provinces comprise divisions. NLW is a substantial update to World Named Landforms in both compilation method and the attributes that describe each landform.For more details, please refer to our paper, Named Landforms of the World: A Geomorphological and Physiographic Compilation, in Annals of the American Assocation of Geographers.Landforms are commonly defined as natural features on the surface of the Earth. The National Geographic Society specifies terrain as the basis for landforms and lists four major types: mountains, hills, plateaus, and plains. Here, however, we define landforms in a richer way that includes properties relating to underlying geologic structure, erosional and depositional character, and tectonic setting and processes. These characteristics were asserted by Dr. Richard E. Murphy in 1968 in his map, titled Landforms of the World. We blended Murphy's definition for landforms with the work E.M. Bridges, who in his 1990 book, World Geomorphology, provided a globally consistent description of geomorphological divisions, provinces, and sections to give names to the landform regions of the world. AttributeDescription Bridges Full NameFull name from E.M. Bridges' 1990 "World Geomorphology" Division and if present province and section - intended for labeling print maps of small extents. Bridges DivisionGeomorphological Division as described in E.M. Bridges' 1990 "World Geomorphology" - All Landforms have a division assigned, i.e., no nulls. Bridges ProvinceGeomorphological Province as described in E.M. Bridges' 1990 "World Geomorphology" - Not all divisions are subdivided into provinces. Bridges SectionGeomorphological Section as described in E.M. Bridges' 1990 "World Geomorphology" - Not all provinces are subdivided into sections. StructureLandform Structure as described in Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" map. Coded Value Domain. Values include: - Alpine Systems: Area of mountains formed by orogenic (collisions of tectonic plates) processes in the past 350 to 500 million years. - Caledonian/Hercynian Shield Remnants: Area of mountains formed by orogenic (collisions of tectonic plates) processes 350 to 500 million years ago. - Gondwana or Laurasian Shields: Area underlaid by mostly crystalline rock formations fromed one billion or more years ago and unbroken by tectonic processes. - Rifted Shield Areas: fractures or spreading along or adjacent to tectonic plate edges. - Isolated Volcanic Areas: volcanic activity occurring outside of Alpine Systems and Rifted Shields. - Sedimentary: Areas of deposition occurring within the past 2.5 million years Moist or DryLandform Erosional/Depositional variable as described in Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" map. Coded Value Domain. Values include: - Moist: where annual aridity index is 1.0 or higher, which implies precipitation is absorbed or lost via runoff. - Dry: where annual aridity index is less than 1.0, which implies more precipitation evaporates before it can be absorbed or lost via runoff. TopographicLandform Topographic type variable as described in Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" map. Karagulle et. al. 2017 - based on rich morphometric characteristics. Coded Value Domain. Values include: - Plains: Areas with less than 90-meters of relief and slopes under 20%. - Hills: Areas with 90- to 300-meters of local relief. - Mountains: Areas with over 300-meters of relief - High Tablelands: Areas with over 300-meters of relief and 50% of highest elevation areas are of gentle slope. - Depressions or Basins: Areas of land surrounded land of higher elevation. Glaciation TypeLandform Erosional/Depositional variable as described in Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" map. Values include: - Wisconsin/Wurm Glacial Extent: Areas of most recent glaciation which formed 115,000 years ago and ended 11,000 years ago. - Pre-Wisconsin/Wurm Glacial Extent: Areas subjected only to glaciation prior to 140,000 years ago. ContinentAssigned by Author during data compilation. Bridges Short NameThe name of the smallest of Division, Province, or Section containing this landform feature. Murphy Landform CodeCombination of Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" variables expressed as a 3- or 4- letter notation. Used to label medium scale maps. Area_GeoGeodesic area in km2. Primary PlateName of tectonic plate that either completely underlays this landform feature or underlays the largest portion of the landform's area. Secondary PlateWhen a landform is underlaid by two or more tectonic plates, this is the plate that underlays the second largest area. 3rd PlateWhen a landform is underlaid by three or more tectonic plates, this is the plate that underlays the third largest area. 4th PlateWhen a landform is underlaid by four or more tectonic plates, this is the plate that underlays the fourth largest area. 5th PlateWhen a landform is underlaid by five tectonic plates, this is the plate that underlays the fifth largest area. NotesContains standard text to convey additional tectonic process characteristics. Tectonic ProcessAssigns values of orogenic, rift zone, or above subducting plate.

These data are also available as an ArcGIS Pro Map Package: Named_Landforms_of_the_World_v2.0.mpkx.These data supersede the earlier v1.0: World Named Landforms.Change Log:

DateDescription of Change July 20, 2022Corrected spelling of Guiana from incorrect representation, "Guyana", used by Bridges. July 27, 2022Corrected Structure coded value domain value, changing "Caledonian/Hercynian Shield" to "Caledonian , Hercynian, or Appalachian Remnants".

Cite as:Frye, C., Sayre R., Pippi, M., Karagulle, Murphy, A., D. Soller, D.R., Gilbert, M., and Richards, J., 2022. Named Landforms of the World. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.33178.93129. Accessed on:

This layer presents the best-known point and perimeter locations of wildfire occurrences within the United States over the past 7 days. Points mark a location within the wildfire area and provide current information about that wildfire. Perimeters are the line surrounding land that has been impacted by a wildfire.Consumption Best Practices:

As a service that is subject to very high usage, ensure peak performance and accessibility of your maps and apps by avoiding the use of non-cacheable relative Date/Time field filters. To accommodate filtering events by Date/Time, we suggest using the included "Age" fields that maintain the number of days or hours since a record was created or last modified, compared to the last service update. These queries fully support the ability to cache a response, allowing common query results to be efficiently provided to users in a high demand service environment. When ingesting this service in your applications, avoid using POST requests whenever possible. These requests can compromise performance and scalability during periods of high usage because they too are not cacheable.Source:  Wildfire points are sourced from Integrated Reporting of Wildland-Fire Information (IRWIN) and perimeters from National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). Current Incidents: This layer provides a near real-time view of the data being shared through the Integrated Reporting of Wildland-Fire Information (IRWIN) service. IRWIN provides data exchange capabilities between participating wildfire systems, including federal, state and local agencies. Data is synchronized across participating organizations to make sure the most current information is available. The display of the points are based on the NWCG Fire Size Classification applied to the daily acres attribute.Current Perimeters: This layer displays fire perimeters posted to the National Incident Feature Service. It is updated from operational data and may not reflect current conditions on the ground. For a better understanding of the workflows involved in mapping and sharing fire perimeter data, see the National Wildfire Coordinating Group Standards for Geospatial Operations.Update Frequency:  Every 15 minutes using the Aggregated Live Feed Methodology based on the following filters:Events modified in the last 7 daysEvents that are not given a Fire Out DateIncident Type Kind: FiresIncident Type Category: Prescribed Fire, Wildfire, and Incident Complex

Area Covered: United StatesWhat can I do with this layer? The data includes basic wildfire information, such as location, size, environmental conditions, and resource summaries. Features can be filtered by incident name, size, or date keeping in mind that not all perimeters are fully attributed.Attribute InformationThis is a list of attributes that benefit from additional explanation. Not all attributes are listed.Incident Type Category: This is a breakdown of events into more specific categories.Wildfire (WF) -A wildland fire originating from an unplanned ignition, such as lightning, volcanos, unauthorized and accidental human caused fires, and prescribed fires that are declared wildfires.Prescribed Fire (RX) - A wildland fire originating from a planned ignition in accordance with applicable laws, policies, and regulations to meet specific objectives.Incident Complex (CX) - An incident complex is two or more individual incidents in the same general proximity that are managed together under one Incident Management Team. This allows resources to be used across the complex rather than on individual incidents uniting operational activities.IrwinID: Unique identifier assigned to each incident record in both point and perimeter layers.

Acres: these typically refer to the number of acres within the current perimeter of a specific, individual incident, including unburned and unburnable islands.Discovery: An estimate of acres burning upon the discovery of the fire.Calculated or GIS:  A measure of acres calculated (i.e., infrared) from a geospatial perimeter of a fire.Daily: A measure of acres reported for a fire.Final: The measure of acres within the final perimeter of a fire. More specifically, the number of acres within the final fire perimeter of a specific, individual incident, including unburned and unburnable islands.

Dates: the various systems contribute date information differently so not all fields will be populated for every fire.FireDiscovery: The date and time a fire was reported as discovered or confirmed to exist. May also be the start date for reporting purposes.

Containment: The date and time a wildfire was declared contained. Control: The date and time a wildfire was declared under control.ICS209Report: The date and time of the latest approved ICS-209 report.Current: The date and time a perimeter is last known to be updated.FireOut: The date and time when a fire is declared out.ModifiedOnAge: (Integer) Computed days since event last modified.DiscoveryAge: (Integer) Computed days since event's fire discovery date.CurrentDateAge: (Integer) Computed days since perimeter last modified.CreateDateAge: (Integer) Computed days since perimeter entry created.

GACC: A code that identifies one of the wildland fire geographic area coordination centers. A geographic area coordination center is a facility that is used for the coordination of agency or jurisdictional resources in support of one or more incidents within a geographic coordination area.Fire Mgmt Complexity: The highest management level utilized to manage a wildland fire event.Incident Management Organization: The incident management organization for the incident, which may be a Type 1, 2, or 3 Incident Management Team (IMT), a Unified Command, a Unified Command with an IMT, National Incident Management Organization (NIMO), etc. This field is null if no team is assigned.Unique Fire Identifier: Unique identifier assigned to each wildland fire. yyyy = calendar year, SSUUUU = Point Of Origin (POO) protecting unit identifier (5 or 6 characters), xxxxxx = local incident identifier (6 to 10 characters)RevisionsJan 4, 2021: Added Integer fields 'Days Since...' to Current_Incidents point layer and Current_Perimeters polygon layer. These fields are computed when the data is updated, reflecting the current number of days since each record was last updated. This will aid in making 'age' related, cache friendly queries.Mar 12, 2021: Added second set of 'Age' fields for Event and Perimeter record creation, reflecting age in Days since service data update.Apr 21, 2021: Current_Perimeters polygon layer is now being populated by NIFC's newest data source. A new field was added, 'IncidentTypeCategory' to better distinguish Incident types for Perimeters and now includes type 'CX' or Complex Fires. Five fields were not transferrable, and as a result 'Comments', 'Label', 'ComplexName', 'ComplexID', and 'IMTName' fields will be Null moving forward.Apr 26, 2021: Updated Incident Layer Symbology to better clarify events, reduce download size and overhead of symbols. Updated Perimeter Layer Symbology to better distingish between Wildfires and Prescribed Fires.May 5, 2021: Slight modification to Arcade logic for Symbology, refining Age comparison to Zero for fires in past 24-hours.Aug 16, 2021: Enabled Time Series capability on Layers (off by default) using 'Fire Discovery Date' for Incidents and 'Creation Date' for Perimeters.This layer is provided for informational purposes and is not monitored 24/7 for accuracy and currency.If you would like to be alerted to potential issues or simply see when this Service will update next, please visit our Live Feed Status Page!

The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) from The National Map (TNM) defines the perimeter of drainage areas formed by the terrain and other landscape characteristics. The drainage areas are nested within each other so that a large drainage area, such as the Upper Mississippi River, is composed of multiple smaller drainage areas, such as the Wisconsin River. Each of these smaller areas can further be subdivided into smaller and smaller drainage areas. The WBD uses six different levels in this hierarchy, with the smallest averaging about 30,000 acres. The WBD is made up of polygons nested into six levels of data respectively defined by Regions, Subregions, Basins, Subbasins, Watersheds, and Subwatersheds. For additional information on the WBD, go to https://nhd.usgs.gov/wbd.html. The USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) service is a companion dataset to the WBD. The NHD is a comprehensive set of digital spatial data that encodes information about naturally occurring and constructed bodies of surface water (lakes, ponds, and reservoirs), paths through which water flows (canals, ditches, streams, and rivers), and related entities such as point features (springs, wells, stream gages, and dams). The information encoded about these features includes classification and other characteristics, delineation, geographic name, position and related measures, a "reach code" through which other information can be related to the NHD, and the direction of water flow. The network of reach codes delineating water and transported material flow allows users to trace movement in upstream and downstream directions. In addition to this geographic information, the dataset contains metadata that supports the exchange of future updates and improvements to the data. The NHD is available nationwide in two seamless datasets, one based on 1:24,000-scale maps and referred to as high resolution NHD, and the other based on 1:100,000-scale maps and referred to as medium resolution NHD. Additional selected areas in the United States are available based on larger scales, such as 1:5,000-scale or greater, and referred to as local resolution NHD. For more information on the NHD, go to https://nhd.usgs.gov/index.html. Hydrography data from The National Map supports many applications, such as making maps, geocoding observations, flow modeling, data maintenance, and stewardship. Hydrography data is commonly combined with other data themes, such as boundaries, elevation, structures, and transportation, to produce general reference base maps. The National Map viewer allows free downloads of public domain WBD and NHD data in either Esri File or Personal Geodatabase, or Shapefile formats. The Watershed Boundary Dataset is being developed under the leadership of the Subcommittee on Spatial Water Data, which is part of the Advisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI) and the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC). The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), along with many other federal agencies and national associations, have representatives on the Subcommittee on Spatial Water Data. As watershed boundary geographic information systems (GIS) coverages are completed, statewide and national data layers will be made available via the Geospatial Data Gateway to everyone, including federal, state, local government agencies, researchers, private companies, utilities, environmental groups, and concerned citizens. The database will assist in planning and describing water use and related land use activities. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD). File Name: Web Page, url: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/water/watersheds/dataset/?cid=nrcs143_021630 Web site for the Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD), including links to:

Review Data Availability (Status Maps) Obtain Data by State, County, or Other Area Obtain Seamless National Data offsite link image
Geospatial Data Tools National Technical and State Coordinators Information about WBD dataset

Explore a full description of the map.The daily updating dataset was collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch program. NOAA uses satellites to monitor coral reefs globally and model them to monitor and predict large coral bleaching events. This dataset shows a region's alert level. The alert level is an index of the likelihood of coral bleaching, with a scale of zero (no heat stress) to four (coral mortality likely) based on the following:Sea surface temperature—The average temperature of the surface of the ocean measured by satellites.Hotspots—How many degrees the temperature is above what the coral can tolerate safely.Temperature anomaly—How much the temperature of the ocean surface differs from the historical average measured from 1982-2010.Degree heating weeks—The amount of time the corals have experienced heat stress.CreditsNOAA, Esri, Map from National Geographic MapMaker.Terms of Use This work is licensed under the Esri Master License Agreement.View Summary | View Terms of Use

The SeaSketch platform is used to support collaborative spatial planning and mapping efforts. It offers tools for visualizing, analyzing, and managing geospatial Areas of Interest (AOI) for both 3DEP (3D Elevation Program) and 3DHP (3D Hydrography Program) data acquisition initiatives. These tools support federal and state mapping by enabling stakeholder engagement and decision-making for geospatial projects.

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a Federal body created in 1890 and established in its present form by Public Law in 1947 to maintain uniform geographic name usage throughout the Federal Government. The BGN comprises representatives of Federal agencies concerned with geographic information, population, ecology, and management of public lands. Sharing its responsibilities with the Secretary of the Interior, the BGN promulgates official geographic feature names with locative attributes as well as principles, policies, and procedures governing the use of domestic names, foreign names, Antarctic names, and undersea feature names.The original program of names standardization addressed the complex issues of domestic geographic feature names during the surge of exploration, mining, and settlement of western territories after the American Civil War. Inconsistencies and contradictions among many names, spellings, and applications became a serious problem to surveyors, map makers, and scientists who required uniform, non-conflicting geographic nomenclature. President Benjamin Harrison signed an Executive Order establishing the BGN and giving it authority to resolve unsettled geographic names questions. Decisions of the BGN were accepted as binding by all departments and agencies of the Federal Government.The BGN gradually expanded its interests to include foreign names and other areas of interest to the United States, a process that accelerated during World War II. In 1947, the BGN was recreated by Congress in Public_Law_80-242. The Bylaws of the BGN have been in place since 1948 and have been revised when needed. The usefulness of standardizing (not regulating) geographic names has been proven time and again, and today more than 50 nations have some type of national names authority. The United Nations stated that "the best method to achieve international standardization is through strong programs of national standardization." Numerous nations established policies relevant to toponomy (the study of names) in their respective countries.In this age of geographic information systems, the Internet, and homeland defense, geographic names data are even more important and more challenging. Applying the latest technology, the BGN continues its mission. It serves the Federal Government and the public as a central authority to which name problems, name inquiries, name changes, and new name proposals can be directed. In partnership with Federal, State, and local agencies, the BGN provides a conduit through which uniform geographic name usage is applied and current names data are promulgated. The U.S. Geological Survey's National Geospatial Program and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency provide secretariat support to the Domestic Names Committee and Foreign Names Committee, respectively.For geographic feature names policies applying to the United States, or to the use of foreign geographic names, Antarctica names, and undersea feature names by the United States, see the respective items in the main menu on the left. Any person or organization, public or private, may make inquiries or request the BGN to render formal decisions on proposed new names, proposed name changes, or names that are in conflict. Meetings are open to the public and are held according to schedule. Minutes of the BGN's meetings are available.

Named Landforms of the World (NLW) contains four sub-layers representing geomorphological landforms, provinces, divisions, and their respective cartographic boundaries. The latter is to support map making, while the first three represent basic units such landforms comprise provinces, and provinces comprise divisions. NLW is a substantial update to World Named Landforms in both compilation method and the attributes that describe each landform.For more details, please refer to our paper, Named Landforms of the World: A Geomorphological and Physiographic Compilation, in Annals of the American Assocation of Geographers.Landforms are commonly defined as natural features on the surface of the Earth. The National Geographic Society specifies terrain as the basis for landforms and lists four major types: mountains, hills, plateaus, and plains. Here, however, we define landforms in a richer way that includes properties relating to underlying geologic structure, erosional and depositional character, and tectonic setting and processes. These characteristics were asserted by Dr. Richard E. Murphy in 1968 in his map, titled Landforms of the World. We blended Murphy's definition for landforms with the work E.M. Bridges, who in his 1990 book, World Geomorphology, provided a globally consistent description of geomorphological divisions, provinces, and sections to give names to the landform regions of the world. AttributeDescription Bridges Full NameFull name from E.M. Bridges' 1990 "World Geomorphology" Division and if present province and section - intended for labeling print maps of small extents. Bridges DivisionGeomorphological Division as described in E.M. Bridges' 1990 "World Geomorphology" - All Landforms have a division assigned, i.e., no nulls. Bridges ProvinceGeomorphological Province as described in E.M. Bridges' 1990 "World Geomorphology" - Not all divisions are subdivided into provinces. Bridges SectionGeomorphological Section as described in E.M. Bridges' 1990 "World Geomorphology" - Not all provinces are subdivided into sections. StructureLandform Structure as described in Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" map. Coded Value Domain. Values include: - Alpine Systems: Area of mountains formed by orogenic (collisions of tectonic plates) processes in the past 350 to 500 million years. - Caledonian/Hercynian Shield Remnants: Area of mountains formed by orogenic (collisions of tectonic plates) processes 350 to 500 million years ago. - Gondwana or Laurasian Shields: Area underlaid by mostly crystalline rock formations fromed one billion or more years ago and unbroken by tectonic processes. - Rifted Shield Areas: fractures or spreading along or adjacent to tectonic plate edges. - Isolated Volcanic Areas: volcanic activity occurring outside of Alpine Systems and Rifted Shields. - Sedimentary: Areas of deposition occurring within the past 2.5 million years Moist or DryLandform Erosional/Depositional variable as described in Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" map. Coded Value Domain. Values include: - Moist: where annual aridity index is 1.0 or higher, which implies precipitation is absorbed or lost via runoff. - Dry: where annual aridity index is less than 1.0, which implies more precipitation evaporates before it can be absorbed or lost via runoff. TopographicLandform Topographic type variable as described in Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" map. Karagulle et. al. 2017 - based on rich morphometric characteristics. Coded Value Domain. Values include: - Plains: Areas with less than 90-meters of relief and slopes under 20%. - Hills: Areas with 90- to 300-meters of local relief. - Mountains: Areas with over 300-meters of relief - High Tablelands: Areas with over 300-meters of relief and 50% of highest elevation areas are of gentle slope. - Depressions or Basins: Areas of land surrounded land of higher elevation. Glaciation TypeLandform Erosional/Depositional variable as described in Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" map. Values include: - Wisconsin/Wurm Glacial Extent: Areas of most recent glaciation which formed 115,000 years ago and ended 11,000 years ago. - Pre-Wisconsin/Wurm Glacial Extent: Areas subjected only to glaciation prior to 140,000 years ago. ContinentAssigned by Author during data compilation. Bridges Short NameThe name of the smallest of Division, Province, or Section containing this landform feature. Murphy Landform CodeCombination of Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" variables expressed as a 3- or 4- letter notation. Used to label medium scale maps. Area_GeoGeodesic area in km2. Primary PlateName of tectonic plate that either completely underlays this landform feature or underlays the largest portion of the landform's area. Secondary PlateWhen a landform is underlaid by two or more tectonic plates, this is the plate that underlays the second largest area. 3rd PlateWhen a landform is underlaid by three or more tectonic plates, this is the plate that underlays the third largest area. 4th PlateWhen a landform is underlaid by four or more tectonic plates, this is the plate that underlays the fourth largest area. 5th PlateWhen a landform is underlaid by five tectonic plates, this is the plate that underlays the fifth largest area. NotesContains standard text to convey additional tectonic process characteristics. Tectonic ProcessAssigns values of orogenic, rift zone, or above subducting plate.

These data are also available as an ArcGIS Pro Map Package: Named_Landforms_of_the_World_v2.0.mpkx.These data supersede the earlier v1.0: World Named Landforms.Change Log:

DateDescription of Change July 20, 2022Corrected spelling of Guiana from incorrect representation, "Guyana", used by Bridges. July 27, 2022Corrected Structure coded value domain value, changing "Caledonian/Hercynian Shield" to "Caledonian , Hercynian, or Appalachian Remnants".

Cite as:Frye, C., Sayre R., Pippi, M., Karagulle, Murphy, A., D. Soller, D.R., Gilbert, M., and Richards, J., 2022. Named Landforms of the World. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.33178.93129. Accessed on:

Named Landforms of the World (NLW) contains four sub-layers representing geomorphological landforms, provinces, divisions, and their respective cartographic boundaries. The latter is to support map making, while the first three represent basic units such landforms comprise provinces, and provinces comprise divisions. NLW is a substantial update to World Named Landforms in both compilation method and the attributes that describe each landform.For more details, please refer to our paper, Named Landforms of the World: A Geomorphological and Physiographic Compilation, in Annals of the American Assocation of Geographers.Landforms are commonly defined as natural features on the surface of the Earth. The National Geographic Society specifies terrain as the basis for landforms and lists four major types: mountains, hills, plateaus, and plains. Here, however, we define landforms in a richer way that includes properties relating to underlying geologic structure, erosional and depositional character, and tectonic setting and processes. These characteristics were asserted by Dr. Richard E. Murphy in 1968 in his map, titled Landforms of the World. We blended Murphy's definition for landforms with the work E.M. Bridges, who in his 1990 book, World Geomorphology, provided a globally consistent description of geomorphological divisions, provinces, and sections to give names to the landform regions of the world. AttributeDescription Bridges Full NameFull name from E.M. Bridges' 1990 "World Geomorphology" Division and if present province and section - intended for labeling print maps of small extents. Bridges DivisionGeomorphological Division as described in E.M. Bridges' 1990 "World Geomorphology" - All Landforms have a division assigned, i.e., no nulls. Bridges ProvinceGeomorphological Province as described in E.M. Bridges' 1990 "World Geomorphology" - Not all divisions are subdivided into provinces. Bridges SectionGeomorphological Section as described in E.M. Bridges' 1990 "World Geomorphology" - Not all provinces are subdivided into sections. StructureLandform Structure as described in Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" map. Coded Value Domain. Values include: - Alpine Systems: Area of mountains formed by orogenic (collisions of tectonic plates) processes in the past 350 to 500 million years. - Caledonian/Hercynian Shield Remnants: Area of mountains formed by orogenic (collisions of tectonic plates) processes 350 to 500 million years ago. - Gondwana or Laurasian Shields: Area underlaid by mostly crystalline rock formations fromed one billion or more years ago and unbroken by tectonic processes. - Rifted Shield Areas: fractures or spreading along or adjacent to tectonic plate edges. - Isolated Volcanic Areas: volcanic activity occurring outside of Alpine Systems and Rifted Shields. - Sedimentary: Areas of deposition occurring within the past 2.5 million years Moist or DryLandform Erosional/Depositional variable as described in Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" map. Coded Value Domain. Values include: - Moist: where annual aridity index is 1.0 or higher, which implies precipitation is absorbed or lost via runoff. - Dry: where annual aridity index is less than 1.0, which implies more precipitation evaporates before it can be absorbed or lost via runoff. TopographicLandform Topographic type variable as described in Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" map. Karagulle et. al. 2017 - based on rich morphometric characteristics. Coded Value Domain. Values include: - Plains: Areas with less than 90-meters of relief and slopes under 20%. - Hills: Areas with 90- to 300-meters of local relief. - Mountains: Areas with over 300-meters of relief - High Tablelands: Areas with over 300-meters of relief and 50% of highest elevation areas are of gentle slope. - Depressions or Basins: Areas of land surrounded land of higher elevation. Glaciation TypeLandform Erosional/Depositional variable as described in Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" map. Values include: - Wisconsin/Wurm Glacial Extent: Areas of most recent glaciation which formed 115,000 years ago and ended 11,000 years ago. - Pre-Wisconsin/Wurm Glacial Extent: Areas subjected only to glaciation prior to 140,000 years ago. ContinentAssigned by Author during data compilation. Bridges Short NameThe name of the smallest of Division, Province, or Section containing this landform feature. Murphy Landform CodeCombination of Richard E. Murphy's 1968 "Landforms of the World" variables expressed as a 3- or 4- letter notation. Used to label medium scale maps. Area_GeoGeodesic area in km2. Primary PlateName of tectonic plate that either completely underlays this landform feature or underlays the largest portion of the landform's area. Secondary PlateWhen a landform is underlaid by two or more tectonic plates, this is the plate that underlays the second largest area. 3rd PlateWhen a landform is underlaid by three or more tectonic plates, this is the plate that underlays the third largest area. 4th PlateWhen a landform is underlaid by four or more tectonic plates, this is the plate that underlays the fourth largest area. 5th PlateWhen a landform is underlaid by five tectonic plates, this is the plate that underlays the fifth largest area. NotesContains standard text to convey additional tectonic process characteristics. Tectonic ProcessAssigns values of orogenic, rift zone, or above subducting plate.

These data are also available as an ArcGIS Pro Map Package: Named_Landforms_of_the_World_v2.0.mpkx.These data supersede the earlier v1.0: World Named Landforms.Change Log:

DateDescription of Change July 20, 2022Corrected spelling of Guiana from incorrect representation, "Guyana", used by Bridges. July 27, 2022Corrected Structure coded value domain value, changing "Caledonian/Hercynian Shield" to "Caledonian , Hercynian, or Appalachian Remnants".

Cite as:Frye, C., Sayre R., Pippi, M., Karagulle, Murphy, A., D. Soller, D.R., Gilbert, M., and Richards, J., 2022. Named Landforms of the World. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.33178.93129. Accessed on:

Biodiversity is the abundance of life within a given area. Marine biodiversity is the variety of life found in the ocean. It includes all species from tiny phytoplankton to the mighty blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). Places with a higher-than-average number of different species are considered biodiversity hotspots.

High biodiversity in Earth’s oceans is critical to a healthy planet. Biodiverse marine ecosystems produce half of the oxygen we breath. The ocean is a massive carbon sink offsetting carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Coral reefs and mangrove forests protect coastlines from storms, a vital ecosystem service for the nearly 44 percent of the world’s human settlements living within 150 kilometers (93 miles) of the ocean. In addition to protection, the ocean provides food and income for millions of people through fishing and aquaculture.

However, biodiversity, marine and terrestrial, is in decline. The World Wildlife Fund estimates we experienced an average 68 percent decline in global populations of mammals, fish, birds, and amphibians from 1970 to 2020. Things are so bad, some scientists suspect we are experiencing the sixth great extinction.

Humans impact marine biodiversity in many different ways including overfishing, catching species we do not need (bycatch), polluting the ocean, introducing invasive species, and our contributions to climate change. Each species serves a purpose in its ecosystem. Removing one can have significant impacts that cause environmental changes or the disappearance of other species that were dependent on the function served. Removal of a keystone species, for example, could have a chain reaction on their ecosystem. Higher biodiversity may make ecosystems more resilient to change, something particularly important today as climate change alters the temperature and chemistry of the ocean.

You can make a difference to protect marine biodiversity. You can choose sustainable seafood options, reduce your use of single-use plastic and recycle when you can, reduce your carbon footprint, and volunteer with organizations that pick up litter, teach others about the ocean, or advocate for the creation of marine protected areas like the National Geographic Pristine Seas project.

The data in this map layer was created by the National Geographic Society’s Pristine Seas team to help them prioritize what areas of the ocean to protect next. Their mission is to create more protected spaces for marine life so it will be there for future generations. The team examined the ocean in three areas: (1) species, (2) biogeographic provinces, and (3) seamounts. For species the team looked at habitat suitability maps for 4,242 species and examined them for threats such as habitat destruction and fishing that the creation of a marine protected area (MPA) would prevent. They then weighted each species on how likely they are to go extinct and how distinctive they are evolutionarily and functionally. Scientists then added in where in the ocean each species lived, for example, were they coastal? Did they live in the deep sea? Were they pelagic, or living in the open water? The final factor they added to this biodiversity model was the location of seamounts. Seamounts are underwater mountains and are known to be important and biodiverse habitats.

This data is organized into cells, also called pixels. Each cell was assigned a value based on the criteria the scientists set from zero to one. The closer the value to one the more important the area is to protect. Places that have already been protected were assigned a higher value for comparison. Turn on the Pristine Seas or Protected Areas layers to explore them further.

Shallow water coral are ancient, sessile (unable to move) animals that rely on a symbiotic relationship with a photosynthetic alga called zooxanthellae (pronounced zo-UH-zan-thuh-lay). Deep-sea corals do not have the same symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, as the water is too deep for light to reach. These colonial organisms work together to build reefs, some of which are so large they can be seen from space. A coral reef is sometimes called the rainforest of the sea because it is a very biodiverse habitat.A coral is made up of hundreds or thousands of tiny polyps. The polyps absorb nutrients carried by ocean currents and then secrete calcium carbonate (limestone) to build the coral’s skeleton which is fixed to rocks or older dead corals. Zooxanthellae live in the polyps and transform their waste into oxygen as they photosynthesize.Coral bleaching occurs when corals are stressed by changes in their environment. Changes to the amount of light, the water temperature or chemistry (ocean acidification or pollution), sedimentation, or available nutrients can cause the corals to expel the symbiotic zooxanthellae. This turns coral white. When coral experience a bleaching event, they are not dead. They can survive bleaching, but they are more susceptible to stress and additional bleaching events, which can lead to their death.Coral reefs are incredibly biodiverse habitats supporting more species per unit area than any other marine environment, and scientists hypothesize that there are millions more we have yet to discover. These biodiverse ecosystems host plants and animals that have extracts from which humans have used to develop treatments for many conditions such as asthma, arthritis, and cancer. With many species not yet identified, losing reefs could prevent the discovery of our next medicine.Additionally, coral reefs support both commercial and subsistent fishing. This is critical when approximately three billion people globally rely on sea food as their primary source of protein. Tourism to coral reefs brings in money and provides jobs to local communities as people visit coral reefs. Coral reefs also safeguard coasts by reducing the energy waves have, limiting storm damage and erosion.The daily updating dataset was collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch program. NOAA uses satellites to monitor coral reefs globally and model them to monitor and predict large coral bleaching events. This dataset shows a region's alert level. The alert level is an index of the likelihood of coral bleaching, with a scale of zero (no heat stress) to four (coral mortality likely) based on the following:Sea surface temperature—The average temperature of the surface of the ocean measured by satellites.Hotspots—How many degrees the temperature is above what the coral can tolerate safely.Temperature anomaly—How much the temperature of the ocean surface differs from the historical average measured from 1982-2010.Degree heating weeks—The amount of time the corals have experienced heat stress.You can help protect coral reefs by doing the following:Disposing of your trash properly and recycling if you can. Take it one step further and help National Geographic explorers collect data on pollution in your neighborhood with the Debris Tracker app.Avoid fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides when you can. While these chemicals help gardens grow and make yards look nice, using too much can cause them to run off into waterways and eventually end up in the ocean.Minimize storm water runoff by using rain barrels, planting a rain garden, and using less water.Drive less. This lowers your carbon emissions and reduces ocean acidification.Save energy when you can.Volunteer for a reef cleanup if you live near one or are visiting one.Teach others about coral reefs and what they can do to make an impact.

PurposeThis service is intended to provide a high-level view of recently observed and forecasted fire danger for national and geographic area decision makers.Input dataStatic copy of Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) locations from National Interagency Fire Center (https://data-nifc.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/nifc::public-view-interagency-remote-automatic-weather-stations-raws/about), station identifiers and names quality controlled by geographic area lead.Static copy of Predictive Service Area (PSA) boundaries from the National Interagency Fire Center (https://data-nifc.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/nifc::national-predictive-service-areas-psa-boundaries/about).Tables of key RAWS associated with each PSA and the historical percentiles of Energy Release Component (ERC) and Burning Index (BI). Exact data sources and methods vary by geographic area but generally include 20 years of observations for the full calendar year. All fire danger rating calculations in this service are standardized around fuel model Y (also known as “2016 forest”).Daily observations from the Weather Information Management System (WIMS) accessed at 16:30 Pacific: 1) most recent 3 days of daily observed weather, derived variables, ERC, and BI; and 2) next 3 days of daily forecasted ERC and BI.AnalysisThe most recent day of observed and the next forecasted fire danger indices are converted to percentiles based on the historical percentile tables.Trend analysis categories determined by: 1) observed uses most recent daily observation compared to two days prior; 2) forecasted uses current day forecast compared to two days in the future; and 3) increase (>= +3), decrease (<= -3), or no change (< 3 diff) based on difference in absolute ERC or BI values, not percentiles.Aggregation to PSA: 1) non-reporting stations are ignored in calculations; 2) the PSA will be assigned a null value if it has no reporting stations, 3) simple means of RAWS percentiles; and 4) trends determined using simple means of index values from associated RAWS for equivalent time periods and same change thresholds (see above).

Map Information

This nowCOAST time-enabled map service provides maps depicting the geographic coverage of the latest NOAA/National Weather Service (NWS) WATCHES for the following short-duration hazardous weather and hydrological events which may affect inland and coastal areas: severe thunderstorms (surface winds of 58 MPH (93 KM/H, 50 knots) or greater, large hail of 1 inch (2.5 cm) or greater in diameter, tornadoes, and flash floods. A watch indicates that the risk of hazardous weather or hydrologic event has increased significantly, but its occurrence, location, and/or timing is still uncertain. The geographic areas covered by Severe Thunderstorm, Tornado, and Flash Flood Watches are usually indicated by county or subdivided-county boundaries. The colors used to identify the different watches are the same colors used by the NWS on their map at weather.gov. The NWS watches are updated in the nowCOAST map service approximately every 10 minutes. For more detailed information about the update schedule, please see: http://new.nowcoast.noaa.gov/help/#section=updateschedule

Background Information

The NWS watches depict the geographic areas where the risk of hazardous weather or hydrologic events has increased significantly, but their occurrence, location, and/or timing is still uncertain. The watch is intended to give enough lead time so people can set their plans into motion. NWS Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado Watches are issued by the NWS/NCEP Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma. Flash Flood Watches are issued by the NWS regional Weather Forecast Offices (WFO). All watches are cancelled by WFOs.

Time Information

This map is time-enabled, meaning that each individual layer contains time-varying data and can be utilized by clients capable of making map requests that include a time component.

This particular service can be queried with or without the use of a time component. If the time parameter is specified in a request, the data or imagery most relevant to the provided time value, if any, will be returned. If the time parameter is not specified in a request, the latest data or imagery valid for the present system time will be returned to the client. If the time parameter is not specified and no data or imagery is available for the present time, no data will be returned.

In addition to ArcGIS Server REST access, time-enabled OGC WMS 1.3.0 access is also provided by this service.

Due to software limitations, the time extent of the service and map layers displayed below does not provide the most up-to-date start and end times of available data. Instead, users have three options for determining the latest time information about the service:

Issue a returnUpdates=true request for an individual layer or for
the service itself, which will return the current start and end times of
available data, in epoch time format (milliseconds since 00:00 January 1,
1970). To see an example, click on the "Return Updates" link at the bottom of
this page under "Supported Operations". Refer to the
ArcGIS REST API Map Service Documentation
for more information.


  Issue an Identify (ArcGIS REST) or GetFeatureInfo (WMS) request against
  the proper layer corresponding with the target dataset. For raster
  data, this would be the "Image Footprints with Time Attributes" layer
  in the same group as the target "Image" layer being displayed. For
  vector (point, line, or polygon) data, the target layer can be queried
  directly. In either case, the attributes returned for the matching
  raster(s) or vector feature(s) will include the following:


      validtime: Valid timestamp.


      starttime: Display start time.


      endtime: Display end time.


      reftime: Reference time (sometimes reffered to as
      issuance time, cycle time, or initialization time).


      projmins: Number of minutes from reference time to valid
      time.


      desigreftime: Designated reference time; used as a
      common reference time for all items when individual reference
      times do not match.


      desigprojmins: Number of minutes from designated
      reference time to valid time.




  Query the nowCOAST LayerInfo web service, which has been created to
  provide additional information about each data layer in a service,
  including a list of all available "time stops" (i.e. "valid times"),
  individual timestamps, or the valid time of a layer's latest available
  data (i.e. "Product Time"). For more information about the LayerInfo
  web service, including examples of various types of requests, refer to
  the nowCOAST help documentation at:
  http://new.nowcoast.noaa.gov/help/#section=layerinfo

References

NWS, 2006: NWS Instructions 10-313, WFO Severe Weather Products Specification, NWS, Silver Spring, MD. NWS, 2007: NWS Instructions 10-922, Weather Forecast Office Hydrologic Products Specification, NWS, Silver Spring, MD. NWS, 2010: NWS Instructions 10-512, National Severe Weather Products Specification, NWS, Silver Spring, MD.

NWS Instructions and other directives are available at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/directives/.

This nowCOAST™ time-enabled map service provides maps depicting the geographic coverage of the latest NOAA/National Weather Service (NWS) WATCHES, WARNINGS, ADVISORIES, and STATEMENTS for long-duration hazardous weather, marine weather, hydrological, oceanographic, wildfire, air quality, and ecological conditions which may or are presently affecting inland, coastal, and maritime areas. A few examples include Gale Watch, Gale Warning, High Surf Advisory, High Wind Watch, Areal Flood Warning, Coastal Flood Watch, Winter Storm Warning, Wind Chill Advisory, Frost Advisory, Tropical Storm Watch, Red Flag Warning, Air Stagnation Warning, and Beach Hazards Statement. (A complete list is given in the Background Information section below.) The coverage areas of these products are usually defined by county or sub-county boundaries. The colors used to identify the different watches, advisories, warnings, and statements are the same colors used by the NWS on their map at weather.gov. The NWS products for long-duration hazardous conditions are updated in the nowCOAST map service approximately every 10 minutes. For more detailed information about the update schedule, please see: http://new.nowcoast.noaa.gov/help/#section=updateschedule.

The coverage areas of these products are usually defined by county or sub-county boundaries, but for simplicity and performance reasons, adjacent WWAs of the same type, issuance, and expiration are depicted in this service as unified (merged/dissolved) polygons in the layers indicated with the suffix "(Dissolved Polygons)". However, a set of equivalent layers containing the original individual zone geometries are also included for querying purposes, and are indicated with the suffix "(Zone Polygons)". Corresponding zone polygon and dissolved polygon layers are matched together in group layers for each WWA category. The zone polygon layers are included in this service only to support query/identify operations (e.g., in order to retrieve the original zone geometry or other attributes such as a URL to the warning text bulletin) and thus will not be drawn when included in a normal map image request. Thus, the dissolved polygon layers should be used when requesting a map image (e.g. WMS GetMap or ArcGIS REST export operations), while the zone polygon layers should be used when performing a query (e.g. WMS GetFeatureInfo or ArcGIS REST query or identify operations).

The colors used to identify the different watches, advisories, warnings, and statements are the same colors used by the NWS on their map at http://www.weather.gov. The NWS products for long-duration hazardous conditions are updated in the nowCOAST™ map service approximately every 10 minutes. For more detailed information about layer update frequency and timing, please reference the
nowCOAST™ Dataset Update Schedule.

Background Information

NWS watches depict the geographic areas where the risk of hazardous weather or hydrologic events has increased significantly, but their occurrence, location, and/or timing is still uncertain. A warning depicts where a hazardous weather or hydrologic event is occurring, is imminent, or has a very high probability of occurring. A warning is used for conditions posing a threat to life or property. Advisories indicate where special weather conditions are occurring, imminent, or have a very high probability of occurring but are less serious than a warning. They are for events that may cause significant inconvenience, and if caution is not exercised, could lead to situations that may threaten life and/or property. Statements usually contain updated information on a warning and are used to let the public know when a warning is no longer in effect. NWS issues over 75 different types of watches, warnings, and advisories (WWAs). WWAs are issued by the NWS regional Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) and also the NWS Ocean Prediction Center, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and Storm Prediction Center.

The NWS WWAs are organized on the nowCOAST™ map viewer and within this map service by hazardous condition/threat layer groups and then by the geographic area (i.e. coastal & inland, immediate coast or maritime) for which the WWA product is targeted. This was done to allow users to select WWAs for hazardous conditions that are important to their operations or activities.

Please note that the Tropical Storm and Hurricane Warnings are provided in both the High Wind Hazards: Maritime Areas and Coastal & Inland Areas layer groups and the Flooding Hazards: Coastal Areas layer group. These warnings are included in the Flooding Hazards/Coastal Areas layer group because the NWS uses those warnings to inform the public that tropical storm or hurricane winds may be accompanied by significant coastal flooding but below the thresholds required for the issuance of a storm surge warning. In addition, a tropical storm or hurricane warning may remain in effect when dangerously high water or a combination of dangerously high water and waves continue, even though the winds may be less than hurricane or tropical storm force. The NWS does not issue a Coastal Flood Warning or Advisory when a tropical storm or hurricane warning is in effect; however that does not mean that there is not a significant coastal flooding threat.

High Wind Hazards (Associated with Non-Tropical & Tropical Cyclones)


  Maritime Areas

   Brisk Wind Advisory
   Small Craft Advisory
   Small Craft Advisory for Winds
   Gale Watch
   Gale Warning
   Storm Watch
   Storm Warning
   Hurricane Force Wind Watch
   Hurricane Force Wind Warning
   Tropical Storm Watch
   Tropical Storm Warning
   Hurricane Watch
   Hurricane Warning



  Coastal & Inland Areas

   High Wind Watch
   Wind Advisory
   Lake Wind Advisory
   High Wind Warning
   Tropical Storm Watch
   Tropical Storm Warning
   Hurricane Watch
   Hurricane Warning





Hazardous Seas, Surf, and Beach Conditions


  Maritime Areas

   Small Craft Advisory for Hazardous Seas
   Small Craft Advisory for Rough Bar
   Hazardous Seas Watch
   Hazardous Seas Warning



  Immediate Coast

   Beach Hazards Statement
   High Surf Advisory
   High Surf Warning 
   Low Water Advisory
   Rip Current Statement





Flooding Hazards


  Coastal Areas

   Coastal Flood Statement
   Coastal Flood Watch
   Coastal Flood Advisory
   Coastal Flood Warning
   Lakeshore Flood Watch
   Lakeshore Flood Advisory
   Lakeshore Flood Warning
   Lakeshore Flood Statement
   Storm Surge Watch
   Storm Surge Warning
   Tsunami Watch
   Tsunami Warning
   Tropical Storm Warning
   Hurricane Warning



  Inland Areas

   Flood Watch (Point) (also called River Flood Watch)
   Flood Watch (Areal)
   Flood Advisory (Point) (also called River Flood Advisory)
   Flood Advisory (Areal)
   Flood Warning (Point) (also called River Flood Warning)
   Flood Warning (Areal)
   Hydrologic Outlook
   Hydrologic Statement





Reduced Visibility Hazards


  Maritime Areas

   Dense Fog Advisory



  Coastal & Inland Areas

   Ashfall Advisory
   Ashfall Warning
   Blowing Dust Advisory
   Blowing Dust Warning
   Dense Fog Advisory
   Dense Smoke Advisory





Freezing Spray Hazards

 Maritime Areas

   Heavy Freezing Spray Watch
   Freezing Spray Advisory
   Heavy Freezing Spray Advisory





Snow, Sleet, Freezing Rain, and Freezing Fog Hazards


  Coastal & Inland Areas

   Blizzard Watch
   Blizzard Warning
   Freezing Fog Advisory
   Freezing Rain Advisory
   Ice Storm Warning
   Lake-Effect Snow Watch
   Lake-Effect Snow Advisory
   Lake-Effect Snow Warning
   Winter Storm Watch
   Winter Weather Advisory
   Winter Storm Warning





Cold and Heat Hazards


  Coastal & Inland Areas

   Excessive Cold Watch
   Excessive Cold Warning
   Excessive Heat Watch
   Heat Advisory
   Excessive Heat Warning
   Frost Advisory
   Freeze Watch
   Freeze Warning
   Wind Chill Advisory
   Wind Chill Warning





Critical Wildfire Conditions


  Coastal & Inland Areas

   Fire Weather Watch
   Red Flag Warning





Unhealthy Air Quality


  Coastal & Inland Areas

   Air Stagnation Advisory
   Air Quality Alerts from states are NOT available

For descriptions of individual NWS watches, warnings, and advisories please see Section 2 of the NWS Reference Guide available at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/guide/Section2.pdf.

Time Information

This map service is time-enabled, meaning that each individual layer contains time-varying data and can be utilized by clients capable of making map requests that include a time component.

In addition to ArcGIS Server REST access, time-enabled OGC WMS 1.3.0 access is also provided by this service.

This particular service can be queried with or without the use of a time component. If the time parameter