Boundaries were first included on the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 1:24,000 scale 7.5-minute digital topographic quadrangle map series, US Topo, in 2010 starting with state, county and U.S. Forest Service (USFS). National Park Service (NPS), military, Fish and Wildlife, and National Cemetery boundaries were added from 2013 to 2014. Boundary labels are placed using ESRI Maplex Label Engine, and then converted to annotation. The boundary annotation is then manually edited, as needed, to correct poorly placed, missing, or duplicate annotation. In late 2018, US Topo will be incorporating additional boundary areas such as wilderness, and wild and scenic rivers. The addition of these new boundary areas prompted a complete redesign of current boundary symbology, with the goal of incorporating a more holistic cartographic approach for symbology and labeling. Additionally, US Topo will be moving away from annotation and rely on set label placement from the Maplex Label Engine, a process being tagged as ‘auto-labeling’. The introduction of auto-labels will eliminate manual manipulation of boundary annotation. For some features, such as the international boundary, auto-labeling will present challenges in producing well placed and consistent labels. This presentation will address the current boundaries displayed in US Topo, challenges of incorporating new boundaries and auto-labels, and future goals for boundary symbolization.

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Bethany Walker- Geographer
USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center
September 19, 2018
GIS in the Rockies
A New Approach to Boundary
Labels in US Topo Products
Utilizing Auto-Labels

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Overview
◼ History of boundaries on US Topo
◼ Proposed changes to existing boundaries
◼ US Forest Service
◼ National Park Service
◼ Addition of new boundary areas
◼ Wilderness
◼ Wild and Scenic Rivers
◼ Incorporating ‘auto-labels’
◼ International boundary
◼ County boundaries

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History of Boundaries in US Topo
◼2010
◼ US National boundary
◼Approved
◼ Wilderness
◼ Wild and Scenic Rivers
◼2013
◼ Fish and Wildlife Service
◼ National Park Service
◼ National Cemeteries
◼ Military areas
◼2011
◼ State and County
◼ US Forest Service

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2013: US Forest Service
◼ Pink line
◼ Pink line annotation
◼ Black text with white halo annotation

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2016: US Forest Service
◼ Pink line
◼ Black text with pink halo annotation

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Proposed: US Forest Service
◼ Green line
◼ Green text with white halo label

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2013: National Park Service
◼ Gray line
◼ Gray line annotation
◼ Black text with white halo annotation

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2016: National Park Service
◼ Gray line
◼ Black text with gray halo annotation

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Proposed: National Park Service
◼ Green line
◼ Green text with white halo label

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New Boundary Areas
◼US Wilderness Areas
◼ Introduce once boundary redesign has been finalized
◼National Wild and Scenic Rivers
◼ Begin this upcoming year

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Wilderness Areas: Symbology
◼ Brown line
◼ Lighter shading throughout area
◼ Brown text with white halo label

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+ 12Wilderness Areas: Current Maps

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+ 13Wilderness Areas: Proposed

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+ 14USFS & NPS with Wilderness

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Wild and Scenic Rivers: Symbology
◼ Blue pattern over area
◼ Blue text with white halo label

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Incorporating ‘Auto-Labels’
◼Labels automatically placed using Esri Maplex Label Engine
◼ No longer converted to annotation
◼Eliminate manual editing
◼Streamlining QC process
◼Consistent labeling standards

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International Boundary
◼ International boundary is a line feature
class
◼ Generate labels off of the line
◼ Required lots of manual editing
◼ Annotation would populate on the wrong
side of the line
◼ Often missing Canada and Mexico
annotation
Line Feature Class

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International Boundary
◼ Create polygons along the International
boundary
◼ Give polygons the appropriate country name
◼ Annotation appears centered and adjacent to
each other
◼ Polygons not visible on US Topo products
Addition of Polygons

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International Boundary
◼ Must have polygons on both side of the
boundary line
◼ Opposite side cannot have <Null> label
Addition of Polygons

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International Boundary
◼ Each polygon has a label
◼ Abbreviations: USA, CAN, EUM (Mexico)
◼ Place holders: _, ¯
◼ Consider hydrologic features and major
roadways
◼ Follow boundary curves as best as
possible
Polygons for Auto-Labels
Red line: 7.5-minute cell boundary
Black line: International boundary line
Green polygon: label

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International Boundary
Polygons for Auto-Labels
◼ Polygons must be the same size
and adjacent
◼ Otherwise labels will not display
◼ Specific to 1:24,000 scale maps
◼ Need to adjust for multi-scale
production

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County and State Boundaries
Known Issues
◼ County and state annotation
overprinting
◼ High density of county labels along
one boundary within quad
◼ Badly placed labels on curvy county
lines

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County and State Boundaries
Known Issues

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County and State Boundaries
◼ Change font size and formatting
◼ Halo details
◼ Adjust placement
◼ County labels moved to polygon instead
of line
Future Considerations

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Potential County Boundary
◼ Yellow boundary line
◼ Gray text with gray halo
◼ No longer along county line

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Summary
◼Boundary annotation in US Topo products is being redesigned
in a more holistic manner
◼Allow for easier integration if new boundary areas are added
in the future
◼Ensure current data meets auto-labeling requirements
◼ Change data organization
◼ Reformat labeling style

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Questions
Bethany Walker
Geographer
bawalker@usgs.gov
National Geospatial Technical Operations Center- UGSS
Denver, Colorado