Find GMU on Terraserver

1) Go to the Terraserver website.

2) Click on "Advanced Find"

Advanced Find button

3) Click on "Place"

Advanced Find button

4) Type in George Mason and the 2-letter code for Virginia (VA)

Searching for George Mason

5) From the results list, choose the topographic map (note when it was last updated - 1984)

getting the topo map for GMU

6) Fortunately for us, GMU was listed on the map waaaaaay back in 1984, when the campus was much smaller than it is today

GMU on topo map

Now go to the Terraserver website and try finding the University of Virginia? Hmmm... is GMU special, or what? You can use the "Places" tool on Terraserver to find Mount Vernon, where George Washington lived. Test yourself and do it, before the quiz may test you for real.

Also, go back and select "Urban Areas 4/7/2002" to find the aerial photo of the campus. Use the options in the upper left corner to expand the image on your monitor (click on one of the larger boxes), and zoom in to get a closer view (arrow points you to the direction that will redraw a larger-scale image).

zoom features on Terraserver

Can you spot the Patriot Center, Johnson Center, and water tank (identified with separate red, white, and blue outlines)?
GMU Fairfax Campus in 2002
See any other changes on campus since that 2002 image was recorded?
Can you guess why the water tank is located where it is?


Basic Physical Characteristics of NOVA
Geography of Northern Virginia