Performing basic search for a GNIS feature

Follow these steps to perform a basic search for a feature:

1. Go to the GNIS Web site at http://geonames.usgs.gov.
2. Click the Query GNIS: U.S. and Territories link.
3. Enter the feature name that you want to search for in the Feature Name text box.
4. From the State or Territory drop-down list box, select the state where the feature is located.
5. Click the Send Query button.

The more you narrow a search, the faster it is. For example, if you know the county where a feature is located, select it. If you don’t know much information about the feature, be patient. The GNIS server can be pretty slow.
If GNIS finds any records that match your search criteria, it lists all the
matching features. Figure 11-2 shows that a search for Horse Butte found
three matches. Information about the features includes

• Feature name
• State
• County
• Feature type
• Latitude and longitude
• USGS 7.5 minute map that the feature appears on