Data Sources
Find geographic and spatial information for your project
Many websites offer worldwide geographic data for free or for a small fee. Much of the data can be downloaded, mapped and viewed in your browser. The data comes from commercial, nonprofit, educational, and government sources. For information on how to select the right data for your project, see Selecting the Right Data on GIS.com.
Here are a few excellent places to get started:
Census 2010
Several U.S. data sets are available including Census 2010 data and links to tools at other sites as well as 2000 data.
Compare satellite imagery from 1975 to 2000 on this interactive visualization tool.
CIESIN
The Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) offers data, data applications, and online tools and information products.
Environmental Protection Agency
Download GIS data and other files for data in watersheds, including assessment and modeling tools.
Famine Early Warning System Project
Focused on Africa, the site attempts to provide information to decision makers to head off potential famines. Maps and data are provided in the Resources and Toolkit section.
GeoCommunity Data Depot
This site offers free data from all over the world, or you can pay a fee for a custom CD.
Geoportal of the US Government
A simplified user interface with featured maps using US governmental data and services.
Geospatial Data Clearinghouse
Search more than 100 spatial data servers from different organizations through a single interface created by the U.S. Federal Geographic Data Committee.
Global Elevation Data
The GTOPO30 data set is a global digital elevation model (DEM) with a horizontal grid spacing of 30 arc seconds (approximately 1 kilometer).
Global GIS
The United States Geological Survey is developing a GIS of the world at a nominal scale of 1:1 million. Data is available on CD–ROM for $32 (U.S.).
National Geographic's MapMachine
Find worldwide data as well as maps that can be printed.
Nationmaster
Nationmaster is a massive central data source and a handy way to graphically compare nations with maps, graphs, and statistics.
Population Reference Bureau's Datafinder
Search and download data and information from the world authority on demographic information.
ReliefWeb MapCentre
Find and download various maps for any country. ReliefWeb is a project of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development
See the data indicators for each of the UN's sustainable development themes in their official framework reference.
Depicts the international human development indicators for all countries of the world by histogram and cloropleth maps. Search for index values or country specific information about health, education, income, sustainability, and more.
U.N. Environmental Programme
Enter "data" into the keyword search to pull up data mapping tools as well as links to different data sources.
Browse catalogs of data and indicators from the World Bank.
