This guide lists selected print and electronic information sources available to SFU faculty, students, and  staff.  Check the library catalogue to find additional materials at the SFU Library.

If you need help, please contact Sarah (Tong) Zhang, Librarian for Geography, GIS, & Maps at 778-782-9704 or tza68@sfu.ca or Ask a librarian

Help with course assignments

Check the main Geography resource page for links to library research guides prepared for specific courses.

Books, articles and maps

Books & articles

Use the following SUBJECT searches in the Library Catalogue to find book and articles about cartography, geographic information systems, and other Spatial Information Science topics:

• Cartography
• Geographic information systems
• Geographic Information Science
• Map drawing
• Remote sensing
• Spatial systems

Alternatively, you may search by Keyword. For example, try the Keyword search cartography AND landscape. One of the books you will find is Spatial Statistics: Geospatial Information Modeling and Thematic Mapping [print].

Maps

The SFU Library collection also includes atlases, sheet maps, digital maps, air photos and gazetteers. All except for older air photos are listed in the Library Catalogue. Detailed instructions for finding maps at SFU Library are in the Geography - Finding Maps and Atlases guide. See the Map Collection guide for complete information about map resources at SFU Library.

Journal articles

Use these indexes to locate journal articles on your topic. 

Web of Science
Search citations and abstracts for journal articles, conference proceedings, and other resources in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. Can also used for cited reference searches, and citation analysis of research.

GeoRef
Covers worldwide literature in geology and earth sciences. Indexes journals in 40 languages as well as books, maps, reports, most U.S. Geological Survey publications, and American and Canadian masters and doctoral theses. Coverage: 1785 to the present.

Science and Technology Information System)
Citations with abstracts to the worldwide literature (grey literature and published research from 1978) on the Arctic and other cold regions. Produced by the Arctic Institute of North America. Covers a wide range of topics ranging from science to social science and history.

CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
Publications and presentations about the practice and application of Canadian geomorphology. Covers the fields of aeolian, applied, coastal, fluvial, glacial, hillslope, karst, periglacial, permafrost, and offshore geomorphology. Updated only through 2014.

GEOSCAN
Covers Earth Sciences, primarily mining, materials and energy from 1865 to present.Includes: Bibliographic information, abstracts, plain language summaries, and links to online articles, Geographical Survey Canada publications, National Atlas maps, topographic maps, remote sensing publications, external publications by NRCan scientists and researchers, and other information regarding NRCan programs.

Definitions

Dictionary of Abbreviations and Acronyms in Geographic Information Systems, Cartography and Remote Sensing

See also these sources which cover all topics in Geography

• A Dictionary of Geography (Oxford) [online] [print]
• The Houghton Mifflin Dictionary of Geography [print]
• Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary [print]

Background information and quick facts

• Oxford Bibliographies Online - subject modules written and peer-reviewed by experts.
• The SAGE Handbook of GIS and Society [online] [print]
• The SAGE Handbook of Remote Sensing [print]
• USGS Topographic Map Symbols

Guides to information sources

• The AGI Source Book for Geographic Information Systems [print]
• Bibliographia Cartographica
• Geographic Information: How to Find It, How to Use It [print]

Associations and organizations

• American Society for Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing (ASPRS)
• Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives
• British Cartographic Society
• Canadian Cartographic Association
• Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (IEEE)
• International Cartographic Association
• International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
• Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society
• Society of Cartographers

See also Resources of Scholarly Societies - Geography which has links to 45 scholarly societies dealing with Geography.

Data

Canada

• GeoConnections - Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) - Canadian geospatial information initiative. Find and download geospatial data, and access a variety of resources including:
  • GeoConnections - Discovery Portal
  • GeoGratis (NRCan)
  • GeoBase
  • The Atlas of Canada
• National Forest Information Systems (NFIS)

British Columbia

• GeoBC Gateway - Includes links to Base Maps, and the TRIM Program.
• British Columbia Geological Survey - Includes Map Place.ca where you can create and download custom maps.
• Geoweb: North Vancouver District GIS - Mapping, census, land, environmental, zoning, and building data.
• BC Watershed Atlas Maps

United States and International

• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) - Maps, Imagery, and Publications - A range of products including the National Map Small-Scale Collection
• United Nations Cartographic Section  - General maps of countries and regions, peacekeeping maps, thematic maps and more.
• Data.gov - Datasets
• United States Census Bureau - Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER)
• United Nations Atlas of the Oceans

Web resources

Meta sites

• Perry-Castenada Library links to other map sites
• Kartenportal.CH (Swiss map portal)

Map libraries

• Alexandria Digital Library (ADL)
• American Geographical Society Library (maps, atlases, and digital spatial data)
• Library of Congress Map Collections (part of the American Memory Collection)
• The Geographic Information Centre - University of British Columbia
• Maps & Atlases - University of British Columbia
• Perry-Castenada Library Map Collection - U of Texas at Austin

Aerial photography/satellite images

• DigitalGlobe

Atlases

• The Atlas of Canada
• National Map Small-Scale Collection (USGS)
• GeoBC Atlas
• Atlas Quebec
• Atlas of Saskatchewan
• Atlas of Switzerland

Maps

• Blank and Outline Maps (world, continents, countries, Canadian provinces, US States)
• David Rumsey Map Collection (18th and 19th century North and South American cartographic materials)
• National Geographic MapMaker Interactive (US and international political, physical, climate and thematic maps)
• ArcGIS.com - ESRI
• Google Earth
• Google Maps
• Bing Maps
• Mapquest
• TerraServer (Topographic maps and orthophotos for the United States)
• Topo Maps - Trails.com
• Yahoo Maps

Style guides and writing guides

• Making Sense: A Student's Guide to Research and Writing: Geography & Environmental Sciences [print]
• Communicating in Geography and the Environmental Sciences [print]
• Study Skills for Geography, Earth and Environmental Science Students [print]
• How to do Your Dissertation in Geography and Related Disciplines [online] [print]
• SFU Library's guides to APA, MLA and Chicago/Turabian styles.
• Guide to Citing Maps and Atlases (McMaster University)
• Referencing and Citation Management Software

Related SFU research guides

• Geography Information Resources
• Research Data Library -- Maps/Data/GIS Collections and Services