Free and Open GIS data resources

Open GIS Data

AvailôÙable in a variôÙety of styles, open GIS data is worthôÙwhile explorôÙing before takôÙing the plunge with expenôÙsive alternatives.

Natural Earth

NatôÙural Earth is a pubôÙlic domain map dataset availôÙable at 1:10m, 1:50m, and 1:110 milôÙlion scales. FeaôÙturôÙing tightly inteôÙgrated vecôÙtor and raster data, with NatôÙural Earth you can make a variôÙety of visuôÙally pleasôÙing, well-crafted maps with carôÙtogôÙraôÙphy or GIS softôÙware. All verôÙsions of NatôÙural Earth raster + vecôÙtor map data found on their webôÙsite are in the pubôÙlic domain.

http://www.naturalearthdata.com/

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CloudMade

Extracts of the Planet OpenôÙStreetMap packôÙage. VarôÙiôÙous geoôÙgraphic extents and plenty of forôÙmats, includôÙing shapeôÙfiles, osm, adobe illusôÙtraôÙtor andô more.

http://downloads.cloudmade.com/

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Global Administrative Areas

GADM is a spaôÙtial dataôÙbase of the locaôÙtion of the world〙s adminôÙisôÙtraôÙtive areas (or adminôÙisôÙtraôÙtive boundôÙaries) for use in GIS and simôÙiôÙlar softôÙware. AdminôÙisôÙtraôÙtive areas in this dataôÙbase are counôÙtries and lower level subôÙdiôÙviôÙsions such as provinces, departôÙments, bibôÙhag, bunôÙdesôÙlanôÙder, daerah istimewa, fivonôÙdroôÙnana, krong, landsvûÎû¯un, opéÀtina, sous-prûˋfectures, counôÙties, andô thana.

http://www.gadm.org/

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US Census Bureau - TIGER/Line Database

Extracts from the CenôÙsus Bureau〙s MAF/TIGER dataôÙbase, conôÙtainôÙing feaôÙtures such as roads, railôÙroads, rivers, as well as legal and staôÙtisôÙtiôÙcal geoôÙgraphic areas. Does not include demoôÙgraphic inforôÙmaôÙtion but does include geoôÙgraphic id markôÙers that can be linked to US CenôÙsusô data.

http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/

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National Weather Service - GIS Shapefile Database

Data includes weather, hydroôÙlogôÙiôÙcal, city and urban, state/province and other libraries. This is a shapeôÙfile clearôÙingôÙhouse, one of the many sites that you will encounter that conôÙtain large amounts of un-manicured GIS data. The data often come from many sources, thereôÙfore we canôÙnot be cerôÙtain that all data will be of the same quality.

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/geodata/

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City of Toronto - Open Data

The City of Toronto makes data it colôÙlects availôÙable to the pubôÙlic via toronto.ca/open. By offerôÙing data sets for othôÙers to use, the City supôÙports unfilôÙtered access to its inforôÙmaôÙtion. AppliôÙcaôÙtions creôÙated using City data proôÙvide potenôÙtial benôÙeôÙfits for everyôÙone. The goal over time is to offer all data allowôÙable by law through toronto.ca/open.

http://toronto.ca/open

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Government of Canada - Open Data Pilot Project

The Open Data Pilot is part of the GovôÙernôÙment of Canada〙s comôÙmitôÙment to open govôÙernôÙment, which is being purôÙsued along three streams: open data, open inforôÙmaôÙtion and open diaôÙlogue, and aims to drive innoôÙvaôÙtion and ecoôÙnomic opporôÙtuôÙniôÙties for all Canadians.

http://www.data.gc.ca/

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GeoNames

The GeoNôÙames geoôÙgraphôÙiôÙcal dataôÙbase covôÙers all counôÙtries and conôÙtains over eight milôÙlion plaôÙceôÙnames that are availôÙable for downôÙload free of charge. Data incudes plaôÙceôÙnames as well as postal codes.

http://www.geonames.org/

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GeoBase

GeoBase data are govôÙerned by the GeoBase UnreôÙstricted Use Licence AgreeôÙment. With this licence, users are granted a non-exclusive, fully paid, royalty-free right and licence to exerôÙcise all intelôÙlecôÙtual propôÙerty rights in the data. This includes the right to use, incorôÙpoôÙrate, subôÙliôÙcense (with furôÙther right of subôÙliôÙcensôÙing), modôÙify, improve, furôÙther develop, and disôÙtribôÙute the data; and to manôÙuôÙfacôÙture and/or disôÙtribôÙute DerivôÙaôÙtive Products.

http://www.geobase.ca/

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GeoGratis

GeoGratis is a porôÙtal proôÙvided by the Earth SciôÙences SecôÙtor (ESS) of NatôÙural Resources Canada (NRCan) which proôÙvides geospaôÙtial data at no cost and withôÙout restricôÙtions via http or ftp requests.

http://geogratis.cgdi.gc.ca/geogratis/en/index.html

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