The purpose of the LTERMapS project is to provide a data discovery and cartography tool for integration into the NIS through linkages with EML and PASTA. The project will offer detailed information for each LTER site using a common mapping interface for all sites.  The following data will be included: all information currently available with the phase one application (SiteDB data), digital elevation model (DEM), roads, hydrography. research plot locations of core research plots, structures, imagery, and EcoTrends socioeconomic county level data. LTERMapS will also utilize Ecological Metadata Language (EML) documents to display study site location data for LTER datasets. The base data layers were identified in the 2007 GIS Working Group GIS Recommendations for LTER Sites (http://intranet.lternet.edu/im/node/480).