The Land Survey Information System (LSIS) website contains a collection of geographic information from the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Geographic Coordinate Data Base (GCDB), representing the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) of the United States.  The Land Survey information is available to download free of charge. The GCDB grid is computed from BLM survey records (official plats and field notes), local survey records, and geodetic control information.

Initially, the Western United States BLM GCDB data and alternate source data from the U.S. Forest Service will be available. Future versions of LSIS are expected to include PLSS data from alternate GIS sources, such as county governments. Additionally, land survey data representing the Eastern United States will be made available. ESRI's ArcIMS (Internet Mapping Service) software is being used to distribute the PLSS.

Geospatial selection tools provide the user with the capability to download GIS shapefiles for the townships they are interested in. States and Counties are pre-packaged zip files for easy selection and quick download.  Where there are no shape files, GCDB flat files are available by sending a request to BLM using the contact us.

Overview

You must allow pop-ups to download data.

Note:PLSS data can only be downloaded by using the 'State' or 'County' Tab next to the words '<< Download' or by using the graphic selection tool.

There are two methods for downloading:

1 - Select by using the pre-packaged State and County files. This method will give you one or more entire counties or an entire state in one zip file. This method is fast and provides one file.

• On the upper right corner of your map viewer are two tabs: State and County next to the words '<< Download'.
• Select either the State or County tab. Enter in the requested information.
• Click Select/Download.
• A list of townships is returned and the map will zoom and highlight the selected parcels.
• See Select Townships and Download Townships for details on selecting and downloading the files.

2 - Select one or more townships at a time. Users can graphically select townships by using the Select Township Tool.

• Zoom into the area on the map that you would like to download by using the "Zoom in" tool.
• When you have zoomed into the area, Click on the selection tool . The tool should should change to change to reddish color when selected.
• Click on the map or click-hold and drag a rectangle around the townships you would like to download. Keep the rectangle inside the township you want or you will get adjoining townships.
• This will select the townships and pop up a box with a list of the selected townships.

From the selection window, select either "BLM (GIS shapefile format)" or "USFS and other Sources (GIS shapefile format)". By clicking on the "Download Now" button, a zip file is created that contains all the selected townships. See Select Townships and Download Townships for details on selecting and downloading the files.

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User Interface

LSIS user interface can be divided into the following:

1. Map Tools
2. Search Tools
3. Download Tools
4. Download Selected Townships Window
5. Map Window
6. Layer/Legend Search Selection Window

1. The Map Tools provide functionality to control the appearance and operation of the map and to graphically select townships. The map tools are defined in more detail in the Map Tools section.

2. The Search Tools, Place Name and Township are mainly used to assist in zooming to an area of interest.

3. The Download Tools - State, County and the Township Selection are used to select and download townships to your computer. The Download tools are defined in detail from the Select Townships section.

4. The Download Selected township Window (below) displays the townships that have been selected and are ready for download. The Download Tools allows users to select the provider/format and to download township data to their local computer. The Search Results and Download Tools are defined in more detail in the Download Townships section.

5. The Map Window displays available townships, corresponding reference features (themes), and base maps.

6. The Layer/Legend Search Selection Window displays the following based on the selection made in the search tools:

• Layers - shows the available layers, reference themes, and base maps that can be displayed in the map.
• Legend - displays the legend and contains links to the metadata for each reference and base map.
• Quick Start - A help guide to get you started on using LSIS.