maps.html: Locate Instructions

Locating the Longitude and Latitude of Your Dip-In Site

Places where you can find Longitude Latitude Coordinates
Place Names: You can get approximate coordinates for waterbodies by typing in the name of the waterbody or nearest town at sites that retrieve information on "place names". For US sites: http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnis/web_query.gnis_web_query_form For Canadian lakes: http://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/
Maps: To find the waterbody on a map, you have three choices: 1. In the US, find the waterbody on the USGNIS Place Names Database (above) and go to the map link. 2. Use the commercial site, topozone.com (below) 3. Use the links below, right to go to the US Bureau of Census site.

TopoZone.com (Recommended) The first is a commercial site called TopoZone.com. This is an excellent site that combines a place name database with maps that show the lake. At the moment, you start by typing in the Place Name of your site or of a nearby landmark (town, national park, etc.). You must type in the exact name (Lake Erie, not Erie). You can easily move around the map until you find your waterbody and then zoom in to locate the exact site. At the bottom left, you will find the coordinates given in several versions. Click the button the gives the coordinates in decimal degrees: DD.DDDD, find your site, and copy down the coordinates.	Tiger Mapping Service This mapping service is maintained by the United States Bureau of Census. *Please be aware that this is a popular site - access can be slow!* The links below will take you to a map of the United States scaled and positioned for each state. (Sorry, we haven't found an equivalent site for Canada). The drawback of this site is that the waterbodies are not named. Click on the states below to select a state map. If the portion of the state where your site is located is not shown, move the viewing region of the map by clicking on a direction arrow on a side the map. The viewed map moves in the direction of the arrow. To increase resolution: Below the map are buttons which allow you to zoom in or out of the map. Use the Zoom-In button to increase resolution. You can zoom-in more quickly by increasing the magnification factor from X2 to x4 or more. Press the Zoom-In button and adjust the magnification factor Put your mouse pointer on the approximate location of your site. Click the left-hand button on the mouse The map should re-draw at a higher resolution and with more details. Continue to (1) Press the Zoom-In button and (2) Point and Click until you can locate your sampling site on the map Left-click your mouse on your site. This centers the map on your site coordinates. When the map updates, record the longitude and latitude values which are shown below the map. These values will appear in a text entry box below the map that indicates the current longitude and latitude. When finished, return to data entry page (using the back button or the "Go" command at the top of the screen) and enter the longitude and latitude on the Dip-In form. Click on the state where your site is located
	Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana	Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota	Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Return to the Dip-In Data Entry Form by clicking on the other window or deleting this window.

Thank you for your help! If you have problems or comments please email Dip-In Headquarters.