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Vector Map (VMAP), AKA Vector Smart Map, is a vector based collection of GIS data covering the earth at various detail levels. Level 0 (low resolution) coverage is global, and is entirely in the public domain. Level 1 (global coverage at medium resolution) is only partly in the public domain.

Description

Thematic data layers

Features and data attributes are tagged utilizing the international Feature and Attribute Coding Catalogue (FACC).
  1. major road networks
  2. railroad networks
  3. hydrologic drainage systems
  4. utility networks (cross-country pipelines and communication lines)
  5. major airports
  6. elevation contours
  7. coastlines
  8. international boundaries
  9. populated places
  10. index of geographical names

Levels of resolution

The vector map product comes in three flavors: low resolution (level 0), medium resolution (level 1) and high resolution (level 2).

Level Zero (VMAP0)

Level 0 provides worldwide coverage of geo-spatial data and is equivalent to a small scale (1:1,000,000). The data is offered either on CD-ROM or as direct download, as it has been moved to the public domain Data is structured following the Vector Product Format (VPF) Vector Product Format - at National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, compliant with standards MIL-V-89039 and MIL-STD 2407
Data sets
The entire coverage has been divided into four data sets:
  1. North America (NOAMER)
  2. Europe and North Asia (EURNASIA)
  3. South America, Africa, and Antarctica (SOAMAFR)
  4. South Asia and Australia (SASAUS).

Level One (VMAP1)

Level 1 data is equivalent to a medium scale resolution. Level 1 tiles follow the MIL-V-89033 standard.

  • Horizontal accuracy: 125-500m
  • Vertical accuracy: 0.5-2m
Data sets
VMAP Level 1 is divided in 234 geographical tiles. Only 55 of them are currently (2006) available for download from NGA NGA raster roam. Amongst the available datatsets, coverage can be found for parts of:

Level Two (VMAP2)

Level 2 data is equivalent to a large scale resolution. Level 2 tiles follow the MIL-V-89032 standard.
  • Horizontal accuracy: 125-500m
  • Vertical accuracy: 0.5-2m

Debate about availability of data

The Freedom of Information Act and the Electronic Freedom of Information Act guarantee access to virtually all GIS data created by the US government. Following the trend of the United States, much of the VMAP data has been offered to the public domain.

Still many countries consider mapping and cartography a state monopoly; for such countries, the VMAP Level1 data is kept off the public domain. With the privatization of public agencies, some data is sold for a profit.

Efforts are being made by various public groups towards moving all VMAP1 data to the public domain in accordance with FOIA Initiative regarding VMAP under FOIA

Further steps have been taken (by the Free World Maps Foundation among others) to licence the data under GNU Public Licence, as an alternative to plain public domain (that can be copyrighted when slightly changed). This is an ongoing debate (as of 2006), of which the outcome is yet to be seen.

Copyrights

VMAP0

Us government has released the data into public domain, with the following conditions imposed (quotation from VMAP0 Copyright Statement):

As an agency of the United States government, NIMA makes no copyright claim under Title 17 of the United States Code with respect to any copyrightable material compiled in these products, nor requires compensation for their use.
When incorporating the NIMA maps into your product, please include the following:
a. "this product was developed using materials from the United States National Imagery and Mapping Agency and are reproduced with permission",
b. "this product has neither been endorsed nor authorized by the United States National Imagery and Mapping Agency or the United States Department of Defense".

With respect to any advertising, promoting or publicizing of this product, NIMA requires that you refrain from using the agency's name, seal, or initials.

The NGA VMAP0 download page states:

Internal data reference to the CD-ROM being "LIMITED DISTRIBUTION" should be ignored.

However, all is not quite what it seems. There is a 'readme1.txt' file located in the v0eur, v0sas, and v0soa directories. This file contains information saying that layers: Boundaries Coverage and the Reference Library, contain the intellectual property of Environmental Systems Research Institute.

If these copyrighted layers are not used there is no violation of any copyrights.

Tools to read and convert VMAP data

History

  • 1991-1993: The National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) develops the Digital Chart of the World (DCW) Digital Chart of the World - DCW data access site for the US Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) with themes including Political/Ocean Populated Places, Railroads, Roads, Utilities, Drainage, Hypsography, Land Cover, Ocean Features, Physiography, Aeronautical, Cultural Landmarks, Transportation Structure and Vegetation. One of the sources for the data was the Operational Navigation Chart that compiles military mapping from Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and the United States.
VMAP (level 0) is a slightly more detailed reiteration of the DCW.
VMAP (level 1) has much higher resolution data.
  • 2004 The National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) is renamed to National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency which will incude other mapping agencies such as the Defense Mapping Agency (DMA), the Central Imagery Office (CIO) and the Defense Dissemination Program Office (DDPO). All VMAP data will subsequently be distributed through the NGA.

See also

References

External links

Geographic Information Systems

VMAP

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Vector Map".

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