Maps and Atlases

The Map and Data Centre currently holds over 222,000 paper maps including topographic, thematic, geology and soil maps and hydrographic charts. Maps in the collection are issued by Canadian and foreign governments, organizations and publishers. Some maps in the collection may be loaned to patrons for a period of one week. To find a particular map, try searching the online catalogue. To navigate the Map and Data Centre, please consult the floor plan.

The following descriptions should give helpful advice on what type of map is suitable for specific needs.

Topographic Maps

Topographic maps describe prominent physical and cultural features in a place or region. More specifically, topographic maps typically include elevation and shape of the land described by contours, and include symbols for roads, railways, political boundaries, water features, etc. Each set held at the Map and Data Centre has an index to indicate availability.

Canada Topographic Maps

The most used Canadian topographic maps in the collection are the National Topographic System (NTS), 1:50,000 and 1:250,000 scale sets. The Map and Data Centre is a depository for these sets meaning all current edition paper NTS maps at these scales are available. The Map and Data Centre also holds many previous 1:50,000 editions (primarily Ontario) in the historical "Time Series" room.

As of April 2007, digital scanned copies of current 1:50,000 and 1:250,000 NTS sheets are available for free public download (known as the CanMatrix product) via Geogratis. Both sets are also available as vector geospatial (Geographic Information Systems) data layers through the National Topographic Data Base (NTDB) via Geogratis.

Other print maps available are the discontinued Canadian Topographic Series Maps at the scales of 1:25,000, 1:125,000, and 1:126,700, 1:500,000 and 1:1,000,000 (International Map of the World). Coverage varies by set. Please consult the paper indexes filed with each at the Map and Data Centre for specific details.

The Map and Data Centre also holds historical "Time Series" archival Canadian topographic maps for specialized research purposes. The following links provide lists of specific maps held for each historical set.

Ontario Topographic Maps

The Ontario Base Map (OBM) series provides general topographic coverage of Ontario at 1:10,000 (Southern Ontario) and 1:20,000 (Northern Ontario). The Map and Data Centre holds paper copies or microfiche for most of Southern Ontario. Please consult the paper indexes in the Map and Data Centre for coverage details. You can also visit Scholars GeoPortal website to acquire these maps.

City of London Topographic Maps

The Map and Data Centre holds multiple topographic sets for the City of London at a variety of scales. Included in the collection are the 1:2500 (2001), 1:2000 (multiple revisions between 1961 and 1994) and 1:1000 Geodetic (1927 and 1957 revision) sets.

United States Topographic Maps

The Map and Data Centre has an extensive collection of United States topographic maps including full coverage at the scale of 1:24,000, 1:100,000, 1:250,000 and 1:1,000,000 (International Map of the World). The Map and Data Centre also has access to Delorme's Topo USA v6.0, a DVD of seamless topographic coverage of the entire country.

World Topographic Maps

The Map and Data Centre has a large collection of international topographic maps at a variety of scales. All sets are indexed and filed with each respective country or region. Please search the online catalogue for specific coverage. Make sure to set the Record Type to "Topographic Series".

Thematic Maps

Thematic maps are special-purpose maps which normally present a single category of information. Thematic maps can portray both cultural or physical information. Examples of thematic maps include maps on geology, soils, land use, vegetation, population or election results. The Serge A. Sauer Map and Data Centre holds thousands of thematic maps, covering a wide range of subjects.

Thematic maps are filed with each respective continent/region/country and each map has been given a simple location code (example: C11:D7). The location code identifies the map Cabinet and Drawer number for the specific map. To find a specific map, simply search the online catalogue, take note of the map location code, find the appropriate map cabinet and count down the number of drawers.

A popular set of thematic maps held at the Map and Data Centre is the Ontario Geological Survey produced Surficial and Bedrock Geology maps. Index maps indicating available coverage are provided below (the Map and Data Centre holds all maps that are highlighted in the lists in yellow). To access online OGS maps http://www.geologyontario.mndm.gov.on.ca/ and "Search OGS Publications (OGS Pub)".

The Map and Data Centre also holds a series of thematic maps and briefings, published ten times per year called Understanding Global Issues (formerly JRO), which are not entered in the online catalogue. These maps and briefings are located in C11:D2-4 and at the reference desk. An online index is available to browse.

HISTOric canadian original maps

The Map and Data Centre has digitized a selection of historic Canadian original maps found in our collection. These maps date from the early 18th to 20th centuries and cover Eastern Canada, the Great Lakes region, and parts of the Eastern seaboard.

• Interactive Index of Canadian Original Maps

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Hydrographic Charts

Hydrographic or "Nautical" charts are representations of maritime and coastal regions. Nautical charts portray water depth, hazards, aids to navigation, features along the shoreline and the seafloor, as well as man-made and natural features of the area. These maps are produced at a variety of scales. Please note that all nautical charts at the Map and Data Centre are for reference use only and therefore do not circulate.

The Map and Data Centre is a depository for all Nautical charts produced by the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS). This means that the Map and Data Centre receives all newly produced CHS maps. To explore all features shown on Canadian Nautical charts, please see the Canadian Hydrographic Service website. Canadian Nautical charts can be found in cabinets 38 and 39 in the Map and Data Centre. The library also holds an archival series of the Great Lakes area. An online index is available to browse.

The Map and Data Centre also holds many United States Nautical Charts produced by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Please note that these charts are not current and should not be used for navigational purposes. These charts can be found in cabinet 59. The library also holds an archival series of the Great Lakes area. An online index is available to browse.

Atlas Collection

The Map and Data Centre has a large collection of over 2065 world, regional, national, provincial/state and thematic atlases. The atlas collection covers a wide range of subjects including geology, hydrography, socio-economic factors, culture, health, historical events, transportation, recreation, etc.

Please note that all atlases at the Map and Data Centre are for reference use only and therefore do not circulate. To find a specific atlas try searching the online catalogue. Make sure to set the Record Type to "Atlas".

Electronic Maps and Atlases

The Serge A. Sauer has a number of digital atlases and maps on CD/DVD-ROMs available for use within the library. Patrons may request the use of these electronic resources at the reference desk and may use an available workstation to browse the software. For Geospatial (Geographic Information Systems) data available at the Map and Data Centre, please see the Geospatial Data page.