I'm looking to understand how experts may begin thinking about raster data acquisition for trail maps. Basically, where do you get your orthophotos for local use.
I'd like to build trail maps that include all the elements of a good trail map - routes, legend, compass, elevation change, and scale. I prefer to build them on ArcGIS 10.3 instead of ArcGIS online for practical purposes. I understand the data we need to be raster data, boundary lines, and gps data. Esri can help build the rest. I plan to use gps data that local trail users have created, ArcGIS 10.3 functions, and topographic raster data.
One thing I have learned is data can have a high monetary and disc space cost. That being said there are often free data sources, such as clearing houses, government sites, and third party sites. How do you navigate the network of sources? Or how does one, when tackling a project that requires raster data acquisition, start to think about getting their hand on useful raster data for ArcGIS use?