GPS for Dummies.pdf - Engineering Surveyor

182Part III: Digital Mapping on Your ComputerUsing the Geographic NamesInformation System (GNIS)The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is the federal repositoryof geographic name information. The database contains information onnearly 2 million physical and cultural geographic features in the United Statesand its territories: a city, dam, island, school, or any other designated featuretype. You can search for feature information at the GNIS Web site: http://geonames.usgs.gov.The GNIS search page has a number of different data fields (as shown inFigure 11-1) that you can use to narrow down your search, including Feature Name: This is the name of the feature you’re looking for. Thiscan be either the whole name or a part of the name.Feature name searches aren’t case sensitive. Query Variant Name?: Some features have other names in addition totheir primary name. If you select the Yes radio button, records withmatched variant names are displayed. State or Territory: From this drop-down list, select the state or territorywhere the feature is located.Figure 11-1:Search forgeographicinformationby enteringwhat youknow abouta place.