[USGS Banner]
Home Help Search About Us

Map-a-Planet: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The following are frequently asked questions and answers about the USGS Astrogeology Map-a-Planet web site, MapMaker, and related subjects. Before you e-mail a question please look here first. Your question may be answered for you. If you still have questions or comments after consulting this page, you can direct them to the curator, Patty Garcia.

Q What is Map-a-Planet?
A It is a web site designed to provide an easy-to-use, online interface for exploring various planets. The web page uses images created by the USGS Astrogeology Research Program or distributed by the NASA Planetary Data System, plus software known as MapMaker to automatically generate maps for the site.
Q Will there be any other planets supported by Map-a-Planet?
A Yes! There's a lot of Solar System yet to cover. More datasets will be added as funding allows.
Q Where can I find more information about these and other missions, planets, and space science in general?
A There are many places around the internet. Here are a few:
Q What is PDS?
A PDS stands for Planetary Data System. The Planetary Data System archives and distributes digital data from past and present NASA planetary missions, astronomical observations, and laboratory measurements.
Q Do they have a home page?
A Yes. There is a PDS Home Page, and a page for the Imaging Node.
Q What is MapMaker?
A MapMaker is the name of the cartographic software that runs behind Map-a-Planet.
Q I am working on a project involving Mars and/or PDS products and would love to use MapMaker. Can I have a copy?
A Yes. Please contact Janet Barrett for information.
Q Is there a page where I can find more information on MapMaker.
A Yes, visit the MapMaker Help Page.
Q I would like to use the images that are behind the Map-a-Planet in my project. Where can I find them?
A Most of the images are located on multiple volume sets in our online FTP holdings. The volumes contain their own documentation. The images are in a PDS image format which is basically RAW with a descriptive header. You can view the header by editing it with any text editor. You can view the images with any image processing software that can read a RAW format. Look at the header and find RECORD_BYTES. Use that as the size in the X direction. Next, find FILE_RECORDS. Use that as the size in the Y direction. For those who are interested, the data are sinusoidal equal-area projected with the center longitude of projection in the center of each image.