Researchers, surveyors and general map geeks, take note: The U.S. Geological Survey just made your life a lot easier.

The USGS just debuted a new online map viewer that gives the public easy access to the agency's collection of more than 178,000 historical topographic maps that cover the entire country, dated between 1886 and 2006.

The interface allows users to filter maps by location, date and scale, and download in a variety of formats and resolution sizes.

According to Wired Magazine, the USGS is working on a similar interface for its collection of geologic maps.

Below is a YouTube tutorial with tips on navigating the interface.

Garret Ellison covers business, government and environment for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at gellison@mlive.com or follow on Twitter & Instagram