Geographic Information Systems

The US government's open data portal (which includes geospatial data).

EarthExplorer (EE) is a client/server interface that provides access to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center archive. The EROS archive is a comprehensive collection of land remote-sensing data that spans more than 70 years for national (US) coverage and more than 50 years for the world. Current EE data collections include aerial photography, satellite imagery, elevation data, land cover products, and digitized maps as well as remotely-sensed data for a variety of USGS projects and partners.

Download small-scale geospatial data for land cover, governmental units/boundaries, elevation, geographic names/map reference, and transportation.

A list of links to geospatial data portals by state.

Downloadable soil data for the US in both tabular (csv) and geospatial (shp) formats.

The Atlas presents in maps and text complete data about the creation and all subsequent changes (dated to the day) in the size, shape, and location of every US county.

The National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) provides, free of charge, aggregate census data and GIS-compatible boundary files for the United States between 1790 and 2014.

The National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) and Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) are used to portray surface water on The National Map. The NHD represents the drainage network with features such as rivers, streams, canals, lakes, ponds, coastline, dams, and streamgages. The WBD represents drainage basins as enclosed areas in eight different size categories. Both datasets represent the real world at a nominal scale of 1:24,000-scale, which means that one inch of The National Map data equals 2,000 feet on the ground.

Download small-scale geospatial data for land cover, governmental units/boundaries, elevation, geographic names/map reference, and transportation.

A list of Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center Elevation Products and how to access them.

A list of free DEM Sources for the US and the world from Yale University's Center for Earth Observation.

Individual layers from their interactive mapping system, including coal mines, crude oil pipelines, petrochemical crackers, refineries and more.

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Environmental Information Data Access, including geospatial data and imagery from satellites and land-based stations.

US National Weather Service Data with links to WMS, KML and shapefiles on forecasts, extreme weather events, and base map data.

Publicly available animal, ecology and plant data available for free download.

From the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, the North American Environmental Atlas assembles seamless, accurate cartographic data, including maps, documentation, and interactive map layers at a scale of 1:10,000,000

A list of Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Land Cover Products and how to access them.

EarthExplorer (EE) is a client/server interface that provides access to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center archive. The EROS archive is a comprehensive collection of land remote-sensing data that spans more than 70 years for national (US) coverage and more than 50 years for the world. Current EE data collections include aerial photography, satellite imagery, elevation data, land cover products, and digitized maps as well as remotely-sensed data for a variety of USGS projects and partners.

A list of Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center Satellite Imagery Products and how to access them.

The Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS), from NASA’s Earth Science Data Systems Program, provides end-to-end capabilities for managing NASA’s Earth science data from various sources—satellites, aircraft, field measurements, and various other programs. Reverb is EOSDIS's new metadata and service discovery tool you can use to find remote sensing and earth science data.

Information about the USGS Landsat data and how to access the data through various tools/portals.

View and download worldwide satellite imagery (requires free account registration).

Download small-scale geospatial data for land cover, governmental units/boundaries, elevation, geographic names/map reference, and transportation.