that's what I do too. takes a lot of time.

We do the same thing at our office, however we do it at a very basical level...

is basical a word?

no, basical is not a word...

back when i had to draw vicinity maps i did the same thing as above...

you could also see if the municipality that you're working in has a GIS website... you can sometimes print/download CAD files of the vicinity from there...

why trace? why not just use the image as is?

postal, because it's copyrighted.

Ya, we have to trace over google map with trace or with cad.

wow, i've never run into a problem before...

well, i just read there little terms of use paragraph... and yup, i guess i'm not allowed to do what i'm doin...

eh well... been using maps at two firms for 7 years now, no one has said a peep... you think they are really concerned about architects with maps on our covers?

If it is off a county (public) website is it still copyrighted – wouldn’t it be fair use?

Especially if it is being reviewed by the same county that required it in the first place.

Screw it. I say use the Google Maps image. Life is too short to be tracing maps, which in any case wouldn't relieve you of the copyright problems anyway. Map companies have been busting each other for that kind of thing for centuries.

can't you use the copyrighted map and give an image credit below it?

i do the tracing over googlemaps with plines as well. i change the global width's for certain lines to designate types of roads (interstates, backroads,etc...) and i even made some little intersate sign blocks to throw over the roads.

often - we have a digital image of the original plat. we'll use that for the siteplan and then trace the vicinity we're working with for the vicinity map. same idea as tracing the google map. only problem i can see w/ using the google map w/o tracing the roads, etc.. ,(assuming you've cited them as steven mentioned above) is how you're going to print it. all the plotters we work w/ are b&w and wouldn't plot an image from google maps or similar very well. vectors are a sure thing to come out looking right on most plotters - even the most archaic. i suppose you could print out a separate 8.5x11 sheet for the vicinity map on a regular color printer - but that seems like it would be a problem to keep track of the smaller sheet in a typ. drawing set.

i have been using Google maps or mapquest for vicinity maps and they always display the Gloogle or mapquest logo to give them credit,

"maps and architectural architectural plans may be registered as 'pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works.'”


but since i am not selling the map for profit only the drawings, therefore i receive no profit from them is this still copyright infringement? what to do... tracing is just to much work with deadlines all the time...