Overview
The MAPLand Act, signed into law in April 2022, required four land management bureaus within the Department of the Interior (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation), the Forest Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to jointly develop and adopt interagency standards to ensure compatibility and interoperability among Federal databases for the collection and dissemination of outdoor recreation data related to Federal lands.
The primary requirements from the MAPLand Act:
- Jointly develop and adopt interagency geospatial standards by October 2024 for each of the 5 thematic layers.
- Collect, digitize and publish standardized geospatial data on agency websites by April 2026 for easements and April 2027 for roads, trails, recreation sites, and hunting/recreational shooting restrictions data.
- Develop a process to allow members of the public to submit questions or comments regarding geospatial data.
MAPLand on GeoPlatform
FWS MAPLand Data
In addition to the Interagency Mapper, FWS-specific MAPLand data is available via public ArcGIS Online Hosted Feature Services or by downloading a file geodatabase.
Access Easements
The Act requires agencies to define a GIS transfer spatial data layer depicting access easements to federal land. Public access easements allow for ingress and egress for the public to access federal interests on non-federal land or to allow for the public to travel through non-federal land to reach adjacent public land.
The data provided in this layer represents some level of public access; however, users should refer to the restriction information field and additional information from the agency as appropriate. For additional information about a specific feature, please use the origin agency field and contact the specific agency.
FWS MAPLand Access Easements ArcGis OnLine Feature Layer
FWS MAPLand Access Easements Download Geodatabase
Recreation Sites
The Act requires agencies to define a GIS transfer spatial data layer depicting recreation sites on federal land. The MAPLand Recreation Sites layer depicts facilities and/or recreation sites as points that are designed, constructed, designated, and/or predictably used by the public for recreation activities. For additional information about a specific feature, please use the origin agency field and contact the specific agency.
- FWS MAPLand Recreation Sites AGOL HFL - Coming April 2027
- FWS MAPLand Recreation Sites Download FGDB - Coming April 2027
Roads & Trails
The Act requires the agencies to define a GIS transfer spatial data layer depicting designated roads for public use on federal land. The MAPLand Act Roads layer depicts publicly designated roads with allowed modes of travel and the allowed seasons of use that are managed for public recreation use and access.
Non-motorized modes of travel on roads and trails are managed in various ways by each agency; therefore, non-motorized modes of travel are available in the hierarchy but are optional for showing as a mode of travel on a road or trail. Non-motorized modes of travel on roads or trails may not be listed but may be allowed. For example, a motorized trail or road may not list hiker/pedestrian or bicycle as an allowed mode of travel on the road or trail but that does not mean those activities are not allowed. An agency may choose to add the non-motorized use modes of travel to the road attribute or to the trail attribute or both or neither depending on the agency’s management of the activity. For additional information about a specific feature, please use the origin agency field and contact the specific agency.
- FWS MAPLand Roads AGOL HFL - Coming April 2027
- FWS MAPLand Roads Download FGDB - Coming April 2027
- FWS MAPLand Trails AGOL HFL - Coming April 2027
- FWS MAPLand Trails Download FGDB - Coming April 2027
Hunting and Recreational Shooting Regulated or Closed Areas
The Act requires the agencies to define a GIS transfer spatial data layer depicting hunting and recreational shooting regulated or closed areas on federal land. The MAPLand Act Hunting and Recreational Shooting Regulated or Closed Areas layer depicts public access areas with regulations or closures related to hunting or recreational shooting. For additional information about a specific feature, please use the origin agency field and contact the specific agency.
- FWS MAPLand Hunting Regulated or Closed Areas AGOL HFL - Coming April 2027
- FWS MAPLand Hunting Regulated or Closed Areas Download FGDB - Coming April 2027
Shooting Ranges
The Act requires the agencies to define a GIS transfer spatial data layer depicting recreational shooting and hunting closures on federal land. The MAPLand Act Hunting and Recreational Shooting Regulated or Closed Areas depicts areas with restrictions or prohibitions related to recreational shooting or hunting. The MAPLand Shooting Range layer depicts points of shooting range opportunities. For additional information about a specific feature, please use the origin agency field and contact the specific agency.
- FWS Shooting Ranges AGOL HFL – Coming April 2027
- FWS Shooting Ranges Download FGDB – Coming April 2027
Questions?
Submit your questions or feedback on MAPLand data.
