Some kinds of maps, such as floor plans or stylized maps, are generally custom drawn because they are unique. Other maps, like city, state or country maps may be available from map suppliers or in the public domain. Also see our
Ready Maps collection —
contact us if you need a variation on those provided.
Below are some more ideas for finding maps.
(Please check the copyright on maps before using them.)
There are many map companies on the web that may have what you are looking for or could point you to other resources.
Map Resources has thousands of digital vector maps available in multiple formats. Find world maps, country maps, US maps, US state, county and city maps, and international city maps here. Map Resources can also produce custom maps at affordable prices.
maps.com is a source of a variety of digital maps including airports, USA, continent and country maps, world maps, international city maps, and satellite images.
geoatlas.com sells downloadable digital vector maps of countries, states, globes, and cities. They have an especially good selection of European cities and countries and have country flags and thematic maps.
Stock photo and image web sites such as
iStockPhoto may have inexpensive maps and images you can buy.
The Perry-Castañeda Library has an extensive list of map sellers here:
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/map_dealers.html
There are many, many companies that can create just what you are looking. Here are a few:
Illustrative Maps creates unique custom maps including bird's eye view map illustrations for your campus, cityscape, landscape and more. Illustrative Maps can also make your map interactive with MapsAlive.
Red Paw Technologies specializes in producing the highest quality maps for real estate, markerting and media, urban/environmental planning, higher education and the entertainment industry.
Aurelian Design can create detailed or illustrative maps for print or
on-line use, and provide many other general graphic design services.
Creating lovely custom maps for advertising and publishing,
Small World Maps can create city maps, developer maps, historical maps, topographical maps, eco maps and more.
xnr Productions creates custom maps at a reasonable price for education, travel, recreation, reference, and special interest.
Cartagram — very attractive custom maps - artistic maps, chambers of commerce, city and regional maps.
There are several companies that can create professional looking floor plans from your sketch. Here are two companies that are affordable, simple and fast:
Creative Planet can draft commercial/private floor plans, site plans and lease plans. They provide high quality and speedy service to international clientele.
EZfloorplan produces professional graphic floor plan images from hand drawn sketches or scans quickly and affordably. Prices start at $28 and can be completed in less than 48 hours.
Maps that are available in the public domain or from free map sites can be saved on your computer and then uploaded into your tour. Most maps offered by US Government sites, such as the National Park Service or the US Geological Survey, are in the public domain.
A free editable map of the whole world,
OpenStreetMap is an excellent source for street maps at any zoom level that can be saved as jpeg files for use with MapsAlive.
The
Alabama Maps site has thousands of maps and aerial photos including Alabama, US, world, and historical maps. Maps are free to use so long as the site is cited and they are not modified.
The
Perry Castañeda Library Map Collection at the University of Texas Libraries is one of the most impressive online map collections. It includes world maps, country maps, city maps, thematic, historical, and links to many other map sites.
The
Nationalatlas.gov site has downloadable pdf maps for states with counties and other maps.
World Sites Atlas has some free and some inexpensive continent, regional, country, state and city maps.
A great resource for map images, photos, diagrams and content,
Wikipedia has many images in the public domain or that can be used with proper citation or permission. Here is a link to a Wikipedia page that compiles dozens of links to
public domain images grouped by category.
These organizations may have maps or map sources for local or regional areas you can use.
For simple maps and floor plans you may want to try creating them yourself. There are many graphic design and floor plan drawing programs available. These can also be helpful if you want to modify an existing image, perhaps cropping it or adding labels. Search for graphic design software, floor plan drawing software, or photo editing software to get some ideas.
SmartDraw is a general purpose graphics program that lets you create floor plans, diagrams, charts, and other drawings.
