These are some of our favorite programs for making maps and some useful data sets. The software and data listed here include both commercial and freely available products. These are resources that we’ve used ourselves and think they are worthy of your consideration.

Map Making Software

The Generic Mapping Tools (GMT) from the University of Hawaii. The GMT is a versatile set of mapping tools that are freely avaialble. Included are tools for plotting high resolution coastline data sets and generating contour maps of scientific data.
Visit: gmt.soest.hawaii.edu

OCAD is a Windows program originally designed for the production of high quality and extremely detailed orienteering maps. This software can be used to produce maps of all kinds.
Visit: www.ocad.com

National Geophraphic Topo combines map imagery, elevation data, and software for producing shaded relief versions of the U.S.G.S. topographical quadrangle maps.
Visit: www.natgeomaps.com/topo

Data

Geophraphic Names Information System (GNIS) includes a fantastic data set of named features in the United States. The data includes populated places both large and small, land features such as streams and lakes, hills and mountain peaks, and much more.
Visit: http://geonames.usgs.gov