From Ocean Teacher Library
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Background
This is a collection of catalogs of geospatial data, and a selection of important individual websites that serve specific geospatial datasets. All resources here are limited to GIS-ready resources. It includes OGC-compliant Web Services (WCS, WMS, WFS) with data relevant to marine and coastal science. We do not include Web Services websites here that deny users access to the underlying datasets.
Geospatial Data Catalogs
- Digital Elevation Data Catalogue - This catalogue includes details of elevation and bathymetric data, together with a section on available software for the display and manipulation of these data
- National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse - Sponsored by the US FGDC. A collection of over 250 spatial data servers, that have digital geographic data primarily for use in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), image processing systems, and other modelling software. Covers mainly North America, but includes global datasets.
- Geography Network - The Geography Network is a global network of geographic information users and providers. You can access many types of geographic content including dynamic maps, downloadable data, and more advanced Web services. Be advised that many records in this database refer to commercial products, and that some resources advertised as "free" or "downloadable" may not be available. In general, this resource is disappointing, due to the heavy presence of commercial products.
- GeoNetwork - Sponsored by FAO. Find interactive maps, GIS datasets, satellite imagery and related applications
- Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) - The GCMD database holds more than 25,000 descriptions of Earth science data sets and services covering all aspects of Earth and environmental sciences. The datasets are not primarily geospatial, in the sense that they are already in GIS-compatible formats, but they are all geo-located in one way or another, and can be mapped after manipulation and conversion. This is the largest catalog of earth science datasets in existence.
- Global Water Databases Meta-Data System - The data entries represent a broad spectrum of research in the water sciences and include both biophysical as well as socio-economic information resources.
- GSDI Electronic Gateways - Access to two major resources: a literature search, and a huge list of links to geospatial data and geospatially oriented activities
- Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) - SEDAC focuses on human interactions in the environment. Its mission is to develop and operate applications that support the integration of socioeconomic and Earth science data and to serve as an "Information Gateway" between the Earth and social sciences.
- UNEP GRID Geo Data Portal - The GEO Data Portal is the authoritative source for data sets used by UNEP and its partners in the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) report and other integrated environment assessments. Its online database holds more than 450 different variables, as national, subregional, regional and global statistics or as geospatial data sets (maps), covering themes like Freshwater, Population, Forests, Emissions, Climate, Disasters, Health and GDP. Display them on-the-fly as maps, graphs, data tables or download the data in different formats.
- USGS Search Engine - Biological Resources, Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Fact Sheets, Floods, Ground Water, Hazards, Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Health and Disease, Human Impacts, Jobs, Land Cover, Maps, DEM, Digital, Earthquakes, Minerals, Natural Contaminants. Covers mainly North America, but includes some global themes.
Selected Geospatial Data Websites
- ERDDAP Environmental Research Division's Data Access Program - Arguably the most powerful, comprehensive and best structured interface to major marine, atmosphere and remote sensing datasets on the web today. Separate menus and underlying protocol structures allow the user to access measurement tables, gridded results and WMS images of analyzed results. The extremely simple data selection forms are infinitely easier than many other services, and the number of available download formats exceeds all other known sites. This site should be the first resource to be consulted when a new data search is necessary.
- US NGDC Interactive Web Services - One of the better WMS sites on the Internet, due to the very generous provision of downloadable data. Topics include hazards, marine geology data, global ecosystems.
- US NCDC GIS Portal - Map interface to access the same data as NCDC Climate Data Online
- Penn State University Digital Chart of the World - Nation-by-nation download of vector layer from the DCW
- A Global Self-consistent, Hierarchical, High-resolution Shoreline Database - High-resolution shoreline data set amalgamated from two data bases in the public domain
- US National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) Raster Roam - The Raster Roam Search will display the requested NGA standard raster product over the area of interest. An area can be selected by clicking on the image map, providing a center point, or by defining the center point using the GEOnet Names Server.
- World Wildlife Federation (WWF) Data Download - WildFinder Database; Terrestrial Ecoregions Base Global Dataset; Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World; HydroSHEDS (global hydrological database); Global Lakes and Wetlands Database (GLWD); Global 200 Ecoregions
- Global Land Cover Facility Data and Products - Includes satellite imager, products derived from imagery, and the World Database on Protected Areas
- Global Administrative Areas - GADM is a spatial database of the location of the world's administrative areas (or adminstrative boundaries) for use in GIS and similar software.
Additional Resources
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Information about this article
Short title: Geospatial Data Gateway
Description: none
Expertise level: beginner
Author: Murray.Brown
Approval status: approved
Approved by: Murray.Brown
Last change: 2011-11-15
Subsection of: Data Websites and Catalogs, Geospatial Data Concepts
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