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Data

The challenges in searching for spatial data are similar to those of finding data generally. Data vary widely in topic, geographic coverage, temporal coverage, and other characteristics, and it can take more time than you might expect to find what you need. The best ways to learn about your data are exploring it yourself and reading the descriptive metadata — a narrative description or table showing what the data contain, when and how it was created, and other information that can help you determine whether it will work for you.

The sections below are some recommended places to look, but are not comprehensive.

SourceDescription
Q drive data folder (Q:\Data)Campus folder: On-campus, MacLeish field station, Northampton, and Massachusetts data
SAL Open Data PortalOn-campus and MacLeish Field Station data
MassGISMassachusetts Bureau of Geographic Information, containing vector data and imagery about the state

SourceDescription
Data.govAuthoritative datasets from the U.S. government
National Map ViewerGIS data for the U.S .related to geography, government, and transportation
US Census BureauU.S. census data files, including census geography boundaries
IPUMS NHGISU.S. historical census and boundaries data and mapping files (1790-present)
By federal agenciesResource page by Duke University Libraries on GIS data created by different federal agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and more

Starred sources also include significant United States-specific data

SourceDescription
Esri’s Living Atlas of the World*Curated authoritative datasets from Esri
Open Data of the World*GIS data portals for local and regional government sources across the world
DIVA-GISGIS mapping program that includes free country-level spatial datasets
OpenStreetMapFree crowdsourced vector data of the world
Georeferencing of Ethnic GroupsPolygons of global ethnic groups
Natural EarthVector and raster data for cartography
CShapesHistorical state boundaries post-WWII
NASA Earth Observation DataHigh resolution global human-environment interaction and Earth science data from NASA, in vector and raster formats
**Note: NASA is working on this website throughout 2026, so some resources may be missing or less developed**
Global Administrative BoundariesHigh resolution data on country administrative boundaries and subdivisions
World Resources InstituteCurated GIS data on a variety of human and environmental dimensions, such as poverty, tourism, and agriculture
Atlas of Urban ExpansionGeographic and quantitative datasets on global city growth, including boundary and land cover data
WorldpopHigh-resolution population estimate data designed to support population health initiatives
Open Data for Resilience IndexSpatial data on vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change
Road NetworksAfrica road network decade data from 1960s – 2000s from Princeton University
OpenHistoricalMapOpen source historical data spanning geography, human-environment interaction, and more
The Paleobiology DatabasePublic paleontology data, including spatial data

SourceDescription
OpenSeaMapOpen source global nautical data, including ports, navigational aids, and more
Marine RegionsGlobal database on marine region geography and features
Global Fishing WatchOpen-access maps of global fishing activity (2012-present)

SourceDescriptionAccessGeographic/Temporal Coverage
USGS Earth ExplorerLongest collection of satellite/UAV imagery, air photos, from Landsat and other sensors (MODIS, ASTER, VIIRS)FreeMostly US/1970s-present
LandViewer Free; high-resolution for purchaseMiscellaneous global
ESA Copernicus Open Access HubFrom active Sentinels;  Sentinel 1 – radar Sentinel 2 – optical multispectral Sentinel 3 – land products for environmental monitoring Sentinel 5P – atmosphere/air qualityFree 
NASA Earthdata SearchNASA earth observation data including atmosphere, environment, ocean, land, ice, and topographyFreeGlobal
Remote PixelDatasets from Landsat 8, Sentinel 2, and CBERS-4Free Landsat; need AWS account for Sentinel and CBERS 
INPE Image CatalogCollection from the Brazilian National Institute for Space ResearchFree; FTP download link sent via emailSouth & Central America, Africa
DigitalGlobe’s Open Data ProgramHigh resolution commercial imagery for disaster responseNeed to applyGlobal
Planet’s Education & ResearchHigh resolution commercial imagery available based on research proposalNeed to applyGlobal
NOS Multilens Airphoto Collection1930s-1960s multilens photos of US coastlinesFree 
Training datasets for computer vision & deep learningAerial and satellite imagery with annotations for instance segmentation, object detection, semantic segmentation, scene classification, and otherFree 
GeonadirFAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) drone data for at risk ecosystems; features SAL’s Belize projectsFreeGlobal

SourceDescription
Digitized & Described Indigenous Heritage ContentWe Are Here: Sharing Stories contains Indigenous-related (First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation) collection items in Library and Archives Canada’s holdings 
Online Guide to US Map CollectionsCrowdsourced directory of map collections of various sizes
Old Maps OnlinePortal for historical maps from five US and European map libraries, including the David Rumsey Map Collection (Stanford University), the British Library
David Rumsey Map CollectionMore than 150,000 rare 16th c. – 21st c. cartographic products including maps, atlases, globes…etc. at the Stanford Library
Library of Congress 
Norman B. Leventhal Map CollectionCollection at the Boston Public Library
topoViewCurrent and historical topographic maps from USGS
Sanborn fire insurance maps 1867-1970 
MapFlyUniversity of Padua’s geothematic and historical map collections