UCR Library provides access to a wide variety of maps, atlases, aerial photos, and geographic data.

Maps

Our map holdings include topographic map series and thematic maps at a variety of scales and areas of coverage. Maps covering the state of California, from statewide to local levels, are housed in the Geospatial Resources section of Orbach Science Library. Maps and atlases for the rest of the world are managed by Special Collections & University Archives in Rivera Library. Special Collections also houses maps in the Water Resources Collections and Archives (WRCA).

Note that recent and historical US topographic maps can be viewed and downloaded from US Geological Survey websites such as The National Map and TopoView.

Our atlases and thematic maps, which cover topics such as geology, population, and health, are discoverable in UC Library Search. To find them, input the map topic and the geographic area as keywords in your search, then refine your results by selecting Maps as the Resource Type.

Aerial photos

UCR Library holds several flights of aerial photography covering portions of Riverside and San Bernardino counties dating back to 1938. The formats include black & white prints and color infrared transparencies. Scales range from 1:1200 (in real estate photo atlases) to 1:130,000 for some NASA high-altitude flights. More information can be found in the Aerial Photos research guide.

Geographic Information Systems

A GIS, or geographic information system, is designed to capture, manipulate, manage, and present spatial or geographic data. We provide GIS software on computers in the Scholarly Technology and Research (STAR) Lab located in Orbach Science Library.

We also support GIS learners and users through consultations and outreach events.

Additionally, library workshops on GIS tools and methods are offered throughout the year. Workshop recordings are available in the library’s Geospatial Series playlist.

In addition to supporting use of GIS tools and methods, UCR Library provides support for finding geospatial data. Some of the many websites that provide access to GIS data include:

• The United Nations Geospatial Hub includes data, documents, maps, and web services.
• Data.gov is the home of the US federal government agencies’ open data. Geospatial data is one of the major categories that can be searched.
• California State Geoportal provides access by topic category to California's geographic data portfolio.
• County of Riverside Open Data includes geocoded data from several county departments.
• County of Riverside GIS Data provides countywide GIS data available in several formats.
• County of San Bernardino data portal provides access to datasets in a variety of formats.

To find out more

More information can be found in the Maps and GIS Research Guide. For questions, please contact the Geospatial Information Librarian