Digital Field Mapping
Wisconsin GIS data:
Several sites are available for Wisconsin raster and vector data. WisconsinView
gives access to orthophotos (National Agricultural Imagery Program – NAIP for 2004 and 2005 and Wisconsin DNR orhtophotos) and satellite images (LANDSAT 1-7 and MODIS). NAIP images have 1 meter resolution for the entire state in UTM (projection), NAD83 (datum). Wisconsin DNR orthophotos are from 1992-2001 and have <1 meter resolution and are in WTM (Wisconsin Transverse Mercator) projection and NAD83 adjusted datum. Both NAIP and DNR orthophotos are available as county mosaics. The Wisconsin DNR
has digital raster graphics (DRGs) available for download, although the .tif and metadata files must be downloaded separately and the data is in WTM format. The DNR also provides a extension(?) to ArcView which allows for reprojection of data from WTM to UTM or Geographic projection. The DNR also allows you to view data directly on screen interactively (Wisconsin DNR WebView –
http://maps.dnr.state.wi.us/webview
but are unable to download (e.g. black and white orthophotos). The Wisconsin Land Information Clearinghouse (WiscLINC) and WiscMap allow you to view data on-line, but again, you are unable to download data. The Wisconsin State Cartographic office gave information about where to buy (vendors) aerial photos and topographic maps, which was of little help in obtaining digital data. The USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center had DRGs and some orthophotos of western Wisconsin along the Mississippi River available for download
www.umesc.usgs.gov/data_library/data_library.html
However, the best data source is the USDA NRCS Geospatial Data Gateway
http://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov/
Data here is for the entire United States and includes census, transportation, and hydrography data, DRGs, DEMs, orthoimagery, soils data, climate and land use/land cover data. The USGS Seamless Data Distribution
allows for download of similar data as does the Geospatial Data Gateway and all data is in one place and all in the same coordinate system and datum (Geographic projection and NAD83 datum).