Described as The Nation's Topographic Map for the 21st Century, the National Map "will be a seamless, continuously maintained set of public domain geographic base information that will serve as a foundation for integrating, sharing, and using other data easily and consistently." The USGS site explains why such a program is needed -- including the agencies role; their vision for the project; its building, maintenance, and operation; access and use; and strategies for implementation. Two similar pilot projects from Texas and Delaware are offered as examples, and several fact sheets can be downloaded for review. The USGS welcomes any comments via email.