If you can't find what you are looking for in our collection by searching the GIS Data Finder, try searching the sites listed below. You can also request assistance from the GIS Librarian.

GIS Librarian Favorites

• USGS Seamless Data Distribution System - Excellent source for many types of data including: Elevation, Land Cover, Orthoimagery, Transportation, Boundaries and Hydrography.
• National Atlas of the United States - "delivers authoritative views of scientific, societal, and historical information", and "provides a showcase for the geospatial data collected by Federal agencies". Data can be viewed in the Interactive Map Maker and downloaded.
• Geography Network - "an Internet portal to spatial data". Use the explorer to find map services, downloadable data, and even contact information for holders of data that is not published online.
• The United Nations Environment Programme's GEO Data Portal - an excellent source for international data; data can be displayed on a map, with a graph, in a table, or downloaded. Download formats include adobe PDF, comma delimited, ESRI Shapefile, Microsoft Excel, and XML.
• Census 2000 TIGER/Line Data from ESRI - Download TIGER/Line data in shapefile format, as well as basic attribute tables derived from PL 94-171 (Public Law 94-171) Summary File and SF1 (Summary File 1). There are already many TIGER/Line files in shapefile format on campus AFS. For more information, see our Mapping Census Data page.
• Global Land Cover Facility (GLCF) from the University of Maryland - "The GLCF develops and distributes remotely sensed satellite data and products concerned with land cover from the local to global scales."
• Geospatial Data Gateway - Excellent source for natural resource data. The gateway is searchable by geographic location. Examples of available data include orthoimagery, soils, common land unit (CLU), cultural and demographics data, land cover/vegetation/plants, wetlands, and climate. The data can be downloaded, or ordered on CD/DVD.

Additional Sources of Online Spatial Data

Federal Data | State and Local Data | Other Guides to Online Data

• geodata.gov U.S. Maps & Data , "a web-based portal for one-stop access to maps, data and other geospatial services"... "Two Clicks to Content"
• FGDC National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse - "The Geospatial Data Clearinghouse is a collection of over 100 spatial data servers, that have digital geographic data primarily for use in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), image processing systems, and other modeling software. These data collections can be searched through a single interface based on their descriptions, or "metadata."
• National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). NGA Mission: " NGA provides timely, relevant, and accurate Geospatial Intelligence in support of national security."
• U.S. Census Bureau - U.S. Census Bureau Geography: links to geographic products, mapping and reference resources, etc.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture - NRCS (National Resources Conservation Service) GIS and Data Sites.
• U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics - North American Transportation Atlas

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

• The National Map
  
• EarthExplorer "Query and order satellite images, aerial photographs, and cartographic products through the U.S. Geological Survey."
• Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center "The archives at EDC hold the world's largest collection of civilian remotely sensed data covering the Earth's land masses."
• GEO-Data Explorer (GEODE) "Use GEO-Data Explorer (GEODE) to access, view, and download information from geo-spatial databases containing a broad spectrum of data produced by the USGS and other government agencies."
• USGS Geographic Data Download. DEMs, DLGs, LULC.
• USGS Publications and other Products

State and Local Data

North Carolina

• Geographic Information North Carolina. The Center for Geographic Information and Analysis.
• North Carolina Department of Transportation GIS unit

Local Government

• Orange County Land Records/Geographic Information Systems Department
• GIS - Town of Carrboro
• Durham Geographic Information Systems
• Wake County Geographic Information Services

• North Carolina County GIS Data, North Carolina City GIS Data, links to County and City GIS websites from NC State University
• Links to North Carolina County and City, Town, and Village web sites from UNC Chapel Hill School of Government

• Web Sites for Digital GIS Data. Stanford University
• Archive of Census Related Products. SEDAC/CIESIN (Center for International Earth Science Network). "The ftp archive is a collection of georeferenced data files containing census information that spans the United States. It is comprised of boundary, standard extract, zip equivalency extract, enhanced migration, street intersection,and census block statistics files. Documentation describing the data and filename convention has been included, as well as programs to facilitate format conversion and platform portability. These data are value-added products derived from original census files compiled and distributed by the U.S. Bureau of the Census."
• GeoGratis "GeoGratis distributes a wide variety of geospatial data, data based on location, for geographic areas across Canada. The data is available free of charge, subject to copyright restrictions and disclaimer."
• Spatial Data on the Web. Alexandria Digital Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.
  
• Starting the Hunt: Guide to Mostly On-Line and Mostly Free U.S. Geospatial and Attribute Data

Return to GIS Services

For more GIS assistance,
Please contact Amanda C. Henley, GIS Librarian
ahenley@email.unc.edu
(919) 962-1151

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