Sources of Data

Below are a sample of just a few of the sources of data available on the web. The sources you use will vary based on the region and topic of interest.

Global	United States
Natural Earth United Nations CIA	National Map (getting better) NOAA USGS NASA Individual Agencies

 

Some other sources of data are:

• State web sites
• County web sites
• Some city web sites
• A large number of commercial web sites but many of these charge for data
• Other countries often have data available as well

There are also a few web sites of links to sites to find GIS data such as the new CPH GIS Data Archive. The challenge is to find that one web site that has the data you are interested in.

Global Data

Natural Earth provides vector data for cities, countries, etc. You can obtain data on economy or social issues from the United Nations. Access to CIA data will provide national histories. The EROS Data Center is a resource for satellite imagery.

United States Data

The National Atlas was a great resource for vector data on counties, zip codes, census, but has been shut down and we are supposed to be using National Map instead. NASA provides raw satellite data and metadata. You can obtain stream gauge data from USGS, as well as a wide range of imagery from Earth Explorer. Weather and marine data can be obtained from NOAA.

Other US data sources are:

• Individual Agencies
• Topo Quest: Topos (DRG)
• USDA Geospatial Gateway
• Data.gov
• GeoComm: Commercial with some free data
• SEER NCI GIS Portal: Cancer information

National Map

National Map was intended to be the main point for distribution of US governmental data, but it has yet to live up to expectations. Data access is intermittent at best, but they plan on making it simpler in the future.

California Data

Data from California can be obtained from:

• CaSIL (CalAtlas)
• Fire Resource Protection Program (FRAP)
• Ocean Protection Council
• Individual Cities/Counties

Test Your Knowledge

 

Additional Resources

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