GIS Data Sources
Not finding it here? Want to suggest a link? Contact the GIS Librarian.
- New York State
- Other States
- United States
- International
- Commercial
- Compilations
- Aerial/Remotely-Sensed Imagery
- Web Mapping Applications
- Historical Data Sources
ESRI Data and Maps is a set of 5 DVD-ROMs containing many types of map data for the entire globe, with even more detailed datasets for the US. It includes StreetMap North America, which can be used for geocoding addresses in the US and Canada. These discs are located in a binder on
Stone Computing Center Reference Bookcase (map it) near the Computing Help Desk.
Olin Library website also has lists of GIS data and maps resources.
New York State
- Cornell University Geospatial Information Repository (CUGIR)
- NYS GIS Clearinghouse
- NYS GIS Clearinghouse Orthoimagery
- Historical Aerial Photographs of New York
- New York Ocean and Great Lakes Atlas
- NYS DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) Mapping Gateway
- NYS Data Center, Empire State Development
- NYS Museum GIS Data
- NYS Orthos Online
- NY City Department of City Planning: BYTES of the Big Apple
Other States
- Massachusetts Geographic Information System (MASS GIS)
- New Hampshire's Statewide GIS Clearinghouse (NH GRANIT)
- New Jersey Geographic Information Network (NJGIN)
- Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA)
- University of Connecticut Map And Geographic Information Center (MAGIC)
- Vermont Center for Geographic Information (VCGI)
See also the list of state GIS data centers, and Olin Library's list of GIS data and maps for the United States.
Great Lakes Region
United States
Top sites:
- US Census Cartographic Boundary Files
- National Atlas
- National Map Seamless Server (USGS)
- Geo.data.gov
- FEMA Maps
- National Biological Information Infrastructure Metadata Clearinghouse
- National Geophysical Data Center
- National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) Geodata Portal
- NOAA charts and publications are available in a variety of formats, including GIS
- National Park Service Geographic Information Systems Data and Information
- US Census TIGER/Line shapefiles
DAACs (Distributed Active Archive Centers)
- EOSDIS: NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System
- Alaska Satellite Facility - Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Sea Ice, Polar Processes, Geophysics
- Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center - Upper Atmosphere, Atmospheric Dynamics, Global Precipitation, Global Biosphere, Ocean Biology, Ocean Dynamics, Solar Irradiance
- Global Hydrology and Resource Center (GHRC) - Hydrologic Cycle, Severe Weather Interactions, Lightning, Convection
- Atmospheric Sciences Data Center -Radiation Budget, Clouds, Aerosols, Tropospheric Chemistry
- Land Processes DAAC - Land Processes
- National Snow and Ice Data Center - Snow and Ice, Cryosphere and Climate
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory DAAC - Biogeochemical Dynamics, Ecological Data, Environmental Processes
- Physical Oceanography DAAC - Oceanic Processes, Air-Sea Interactions
- Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center - Population, Sustainability, Geospatial Data, Multilateral Environmental Agreements
EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency)
- Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium
- STORET water quality, biological and pysical data repository
USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)
- Forest Service Geodata Clearinghouse
- Geospatial Data Gateway
- NRCS: Soil Data Mart
- NRCS: Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) Database
USFWS (United States Fish and Wildlife Service)
USGS (United States Geological Survey)
- GAP Program Maps, Data, and Reports
- Map Locator & Downloader -download free USGS maps, including topographic quadrangles ("topo quads"). Works best with Internet Explorer.
- National Hydrography Dataset
- National Map Seamless Server
- USGS Land Cover Institute
International
Canada and Mexico
- GeoGRAFX World (Mexico)
- GéoBase: Canadian Geospatial Data
- GeoGratis: Natural Resources Canada Geospatial Data
Olin Library has an excellent Index of International Maps & Data Sources.
- CIESIN (Center for International Earth Science Information Network, Columbia University)
- DIVA-GIS free spatial data
- ESRI world base map data
- FAO GeoNetwork
- GIS Data Depot: Country Index
- GISuser.com: Global Data Sources
- Global Ecosystems Database (NOAA NGDC)
- Global Forest Watch Data Warehouse
- Global Land Cover Facility
- Natural Earth
- OpenStreetMap
- OpenStreetMap shapefiles, by country (via Geofabrik)
- OpenStreetMap metro extracts (by city)
- SEDAC (Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center, Columbia University)
- UNEP.Net GEO Data Portal
- United Nations Second Administrative Level Boundaries (SALB) dataset
- University of Arkansas Libraries: International GIS Data
- WORLDCLIM: Global Climate Data
Commercial
Compilations
- Olin Library Map and Geospatial Information Collection
- Starting the Hunt: Guide to Mostly On-line and Mostly Free U.S. Geospatial and Attribute Data
Aerial/Remotely-Sensed Imagery
- Historical Aerial Photographs of New York : Cayuga, Cortland, Onondaga, Seneca, Tompkins, and Wayne Counties, back to 1930s.
- New York State GIS clearinghouse -orthoimagery of New York State
- NYS Orthos Online
- USDA Aerial Photography Field Office
- County Farm Service Agency or Natural Resources Conservation Service offices (click your county for contact info).
- EarthExplorer - browse for satellite images, aerial photographs, and cartographic products from USGS
- National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP) via EarthExplorer, using Photo Finder.
- GLOVIS, USGS Global Visualization Viewer
- Terraserver
- The Global Land Cover Facility (GLCF) -variety of satellite imagery and derived products available for free download
- 1990/2000 Landsat MrSID imagery
Web Mapping Applications
Local / New York State:
- Interactive Mapping in Tompkins County
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Interactive Online Maps
- New York State GIS Clearinghouse Orthoimagery Application
- Tompkins County Natural Resources Inventory
National and International:
- National Map viewers
- The Geography Network Explorer (click on "Explorer" to launch)
- SimplyMap (Cornell users only) creates thematic maps and reports of demographic, business, and marketing data for the United States.
Historical Data Sources
Finding historical sources of data already in GIS format can be difficult. Local and state historical societies, museums and libraries may be useful in finding source data. In many cases you will need to convert archival formats such as paper maps into digital formats through scanning and georeferencing, and/or the conversion of tables into spreadsheets which are then linked to boundary files (which may need to be manually digitized within a GIS). Our tutorials may offer some assistance in this process. Contact the GIS Librarian for further help.
- USDA Census of Agriculture provides agricultural statistics from 1840 onward.
- USDA Census of Agriculture Historical Archive Collaborative project between Mann Library and the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), digitizing and structuring state and county level Census of Agriculture data from 1987 back to 1840.
- David Rumsey Historical Map Collection has over 13,600 maps online. The collection focuses on rare 18th and 19th century North and South America maps and other cartographic materials. Historic maps of the World, Europe, Asia and Africa are also represented.
- Historical Aerial Photographs of New York : Cayuga, Cortland, Onondaga, Seneca, Tompkins, and Wayne Counties, back to 1930s.
- Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) -Census data and GIS-compatible boundary files for the United States between 1790 and 2000
- NOAA
Office of Coast Survey's Historical Map & Chart Collection - Olin Library Map collection, including
- Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, Building outlines and details for over 12,000 U.S. towns. The maps were revised periodically between 1867 and 1970, in order to be accurate. This series of revisions provides the historical researcher with an invaluable series of neighbourhood snapshots.
- Land Ownership Maps showing ownership of land parcels and the identities of individual residents in rural areas. Natural and cultural features of an area are also depicted, including rivers, vegetation, hills, towns, roads and railroads.
The Olin Map Library staff may be helpful in identifying other useful historical sources as well.
- Social Explorer (Cornell users only) creates thematic maps and reports of historical U.S. Census data, as far back as 1790.
- USDA Aerial Photography Field Office -The Aerial Photography Field Office (APFO) has a vast amount of imagery of most of the United States and its territories, with dates from 1955 to the present.
