Washington State Dept of Ecology	FINDING GEOSPATIAL DATA DATA RESOURCES: GEOG 360 Principles of GIS Mapping GEOG 460 GIS Analysis CEE 424 GIS for Civil Engineers ESRM 250 Intro to GIS in Forest Resources T GIS 311 Maps & GIS   Prepared by: Anne Zald, UW Libraries EMail: zald@u.washington.edu Office: B060 Suzzallo Library, Map Collection Phone: 206-543-9392
	For GIS assistance, either finding data or with technical questions, contact gis@lib.washington.edu

GENERAL INFORMATION

Class presentation (powerpoint)

ESRI Software Access for UW Faculty, Staff, & Students (ArcGIS)

GIS Lab in Suzzallo Library

Computing Labs UW-Seattle where ArcGIS is installed

Computing Labs UW-Tacoma where ArcView 9.1 is installed
Computer Labs in Academic Departments (UW-Seattle) with ArcGIS installed - lab access may be limited to students enrolled in dept courses.

ESRI Software - Student License - 1 Year Time Limited - Read this FAQ if you are interested.

UW ESRI Site License Information - benefits of the site license include access to ESRI Virtual Campus workshops.

Books about How GIS is Used in Various Professions

FINDING DATA

Answer as many of these questions as you can before you start your data search: Digital Geographic Data Needs Assessment.

Washington State Geospatial Data Archive (WAGDA)

START HERE. Access the most frequently requested geospatial data. NOT ALL the data available in the UW Libraries is listed here. Provides data for Washington state, selected counties, and the City of Seattle. Resources marked UW restricted can be accessed by UW-students, staff and faculty from off-campus - see Connecting From Home.

UW Libraries Catalog

Search here AFTER trying WAGDA (see above). See How to Search for Geospatial Data in the Library Catalog

GeoData.gov

Aims to be THE one-stop for U.S. federal, state, and local geospatial data.

The National Map

USGS provides several data layers at national scale for download through an interactive map viewer. Over time this will include data at the state and local scale as well.

USGS Seamless Data Distribution System

Free downloads of national base layers including orthoimagery, national elevation data, national land cover, Shuttle Radar Topography, Bureau of Transportation (roads), etc.

The GIS Data Depot

Some data available through this site is free, some is not. Browse by state.

The Geography Network

Some data is free, some can be previewed, some requires purchase. Searchable.

GeoData Portal

Hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme. Topics covered include themes like Freshwater, Population, Forests, Emissions, Climate, Disasters, Health and GDP. Data can be displayed on-the-fly as interactive maps, graphs, data tables or downloaded in different formats.

Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)

Specializes in on-line data and information management, spatial data integration and training, and interdisciplinary research related to human interactions in the environment.

TerraServer.com

Digital aerial photo imagery of the U.S. and more - For imagery of WA start with WAGDA.

Google

Combine search terms for your geographic area of interest with "GIS", "download", "geospatial data", etc.

When searching keywords for your topic of interest, try a broader term. If ROADS are what you want, try TRANSPORTATION as a search term.

Google Earth

Requires installation of a plug-in and provides recent aerial photo and satellite imagery along with routing, 3D, and fly-through features. To download data from or import data into Google Earth, you must subscribe to Google-Earth-Plus or Google-Earth-Pro.

Search Strategies - When Google Is Too Much

When looking for data for areas outside Washington, do you know (or can you imagine) who in the Seattle or state government would create the type of data you need? Then consider whether there is a similar agency in the city or state where your project is located. For example, information about roads in WA would be needed by the Washington State Dept of Transportation so I could start with WSDOT (notice the link to Maps & Data and the search box). If I need road data for Oregon, using Google to find the Oregon Dept of Transportation might be a better starting point. Then search the ODOT page for quick results.

Selected Regional Sites - Alternatives to Google for a more focused search or browse

Access Washington - The Official State Government Web Site

Use the List of Depts or Agencies or browse the Services A-Z to find which agency is responsible for your area of interest. Search that site for data downloads or contacts.

• WA State Dept of Transportation Maps & Data -- GIS Distribution Catalog, traffic data, aerial photography, maps, and more.
• WA State Dept of Natural Resources GIS Data
• WA State Dept of Ecology -- GIS Data & Maps are available as are other environmental data resources including this list of searchable databases and the Environmental Information Management System provides data and reports from field studies statewide.
• WA State Dept of Health provides data sets, interactive online map services and paper maps.
• WA State Dept of Fish & Wildlife provides SalmonScape an online interactive map service providing scientific data to support salmon recovery efforts. Also an active participant in the national GAP Analysis "a coarse-filter approach to biodiversity protection. It provides an overview of the distribution and conservation status of several components of biodiversity, with particular emphasis on vegetation and terrestrial vertebrates. Digital map overlays in a Geographic Information System (GIS) are used to identify vegetation types, individual species, and species-rich areas that are unrepresented or underrepresented in existing biodiversity management areas."

Puget Sound Regional Council Data & Publications

The Regional Council is a clearinghouse for regional data and publications on population, housing, economy, and transportation in the central Puget Sound region.

Northwest Environmental Data Network

Search for and display geospatial data using either an interactive map or keyword searches.

EPA Region 10 GIS Data & Mapping

With links to GIS resources from other EPA Regional Offices

National Biological Information Infrastructure - Pacific Northwest Information Node

provides biological and natural resources data; bibliographic summaries, management principles, and regulatory requirements for public and private lands; and user tools for decision making and planning.

Olympic Natural Resources Center Clearinghouse

online archive for for geospatial and biological information for the Olympic Peninsula

Data for Local Communities - focus on Oregon.

Selected Topical Sites - Nonprofits, Government Agencies, Companies - Who/What Might Be Working on Your Topic?

Fish Passage Center

"The downstream fish passage measures ... include measures for flow and spill to provide mitigation for impacts to mainstem Columbia and Snake river migration conditions due to hydrosystem development and operation."

Streamnet

"StreamNet is a cooperative information management and dissemination project focused on fisheries and aquatic related data in the Columbia River basin and the Pacific Northwest."

Census Geodatabases for Washington State (2000 available, 1990 in process) are available on WAGDA

The Census Bureau provides Demographic Data and Cartographic Boundary Files

ESRI also provides the Census Watch site.

If you are using data from ESRI's Census Watch for states other than Washington, the Map Collection has a handout on How to Get Census Data into GIS

Federal Communications Commission Mapping Resources

Mapping resources provided by the FCC Office of Engineering & Technology.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife National Wetlands Inventory Data

"The National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service produces information on the characteristics, extent, and status of the Nation’s wetlands and deepwater habitats."

Citing Geospatial Data Resources

provided by the University of Waterloo Map & Design Library (thank you very much!).

Citing Maps

Provided by Ohio Wesleyan University.

Guide to citing Maps & Atlases

Provided by the McMaster University Libraries archLloyd Reeds Map Collection.

CAN'T FIND WHAT YOU NEED?