Geospatial Data & GIS

Geospatial data is usually information identifying an object on the earth that can be represented in a form of geographic coordinates. The data is often included as an attribute data (as locational information) found in a dataset so that the data can be imported or used in GIS tools. 

Use the following steps to find geospatial data for the Libraries' collection: 

• Search Library Catalog by Keyword (i.e. GIS AND "Fairfax County" (a place name)) to get GIS datasets holdings in the Libraries.
• Click on the Libraries GeoData Server (GMU affiliates only) to access and download individual layers of the various Northern VA counties, ESRI datasets, and other restricted GIS datasets collected by the libraries.
• Geoblacklight: Open data portal to discover and access data reposited by Mason and other academic communities in the US.
• Check our A-Z list of the GIS datasets in CDs.
• Check our Geolytics CensusCD collection.
• Check NASA's Cropspace to download crop land layers (1997--present) via Mason's GeoBrain (Mason Repository for NASA Datasets (Modis, DEM, Windsat Data).
• Check also Interactive Databases for Data and Mapping (GMU Affiliates only)-Social Explorer, SimplyAnalytics, etc.

• VGIN: Download VA Base Mapping materials from VA State GIS Clearing House (VA LiDAR, Road Centerlines, Address points, etc.).
• Data.gov: One-stop catalog to discover GIS data (including statistical data) published by US federal and state agencies (see GeoPlatform.gov: geospatial data catalog of Data.gov from FGDC).
• ArcGIS Open Data: Check free GIS data published by federal, state, local, and other organizations.
• OpenGeoportal: Check data available from GeoData@Mason and other repositories in the U.S.
• Big Ten Academic Geoportal: Check data available from big ten universities' GIS collection
• National Atlas (National Map): Covers basic national infrastructure layers-agricultural, biology, climate, water, transportation
• The National Map Downloader: Download USGS data
• OpenStreetMap: Download up to date street layers
• Natural Earth: Free Vector and Raster Data for the World at 1:10m, 1:50m, and 1:110m scales
• Diva-GIS: Administrative and other infrastructure boundaries such as transportation for countries in the World.
• GADM: Countries administrative boundaries and other spatial data to download.
• Geoportal Sites around the World: A list of Major Geoportal sites around the world.
• Geolode: A catalog for open source geodata websites around the world. 
• Geoseer: A spatial data search engine.