GEOSPATIAL DATA REPORT : Finding and Using GIS Data

http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/tgrshp2009/tgrshp2009.html
(or directly from http://www2.census.gov/geo/tiger/)

2009 version just came out on 10/1/09! Previous versions are also linked from this site.

The TIGER/Line Shapefiles are extracts containing selected geographic and cartographic information from the Census Bureau’s MAF/TIGER® database. Unlike the previous Cartographic Boundary Files site, this site includes block boundary files as well as hydrography, transportation/streets and landmark data files. Users can also download multiple TIGER/Line Shapefiles at a time via this FTP site.

Again, these files contain no demographic information but are designed to be used with decennial census population and housing data as well as other related federal datasets.

http://water.usgs.gov/maps.html

USGS Water-Resources offices provide water information that benefits the Nation’s citizens: Publications, data, maps, and applications software. Lists of water GIS datasets are available from this site.

Included are:

• Water Data (Real-Time Data, Annual Water Data Reports, Streamflow Map of the United States)
• WaterWatch (Floods and High Flow, Drought,  Monthly Streamflow, Ground Water, Water Quality)
• Etc.

http://nhd.usgs.gov/

“The NHD is a comprehensive set of digital spatial data representing the surface water of the United States using common features such as lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, canals, and oceans. These data are designed to be used in general mapping and in the analysis of surface-water systems using geographic information systems (GIS).”

You can also download NHD data from USDA Geospatial Data Gateway (my preference for downloading NHD) Note: This is actually a quite complicated dataset – be aware! You may want to use other simplified hydrography data instead, such as US Census TIGER derived data or data from the National Atlas Raw Data download website.

http://www.fema.gov/hazard/map/index.shtm

It’s been a while since I retrieved Q3 floodplain GIS data from FEMA’s website last time, and I am a little confused by this new site – there are three similar GIS datasets with slightly different data descriptions and pricing.  Here is what I’ve learned about the floodplain data so far.

DFIRM: Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map ($10.00 per community) http://msc.fema.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&categoryId=12001&langId=-1&userType=G&type=1&parent_category_rn=12009&dfirmCatId=12009
DFIRM database is a collection of the digital data that are used in GIS systems for creating new Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). These datasets cover a county or a community. The aerial, orthorectified photography used to create the base maps, which were used in the creation of FIRMs, are not part of a DFIRM database. However, they may be purchased with the DFIRM database, if available. Those interested in purchasing these items should select on the “CD with basemaps” option on the product selection screen. In some cases, partial DFIRM databases are available. The GIS data contained in those databases does not cover the entire county or community. Partial does not mean community-based; both community-based and countywide could be partial.

DFIRM NFHL: National Flood Hazard Layer ($0.00, free – why? – http://msc.fema.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&categoryId=12011&langId=-1&type=12 )
National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL) dataset is a compilation of effective Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) databases (a collection of the digital data that are used in GIS systems for creating new Flood Insurance Rate Maps) and Letters of Map Change (Letters of Map Amendment and Letters of Map Revision only) that create a seamless GIS data layer for a State or Territory. The dataset is updated on a quarterly basis and it is made available on DVD in Shapefile format. We can order the National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL) GIS datasets by state on DVDs.

FEMA Digital Q3 Data ($50.00 per disc) http://www.fema.gov/hazard/map/q3.shtm
The Q3 Flood Data product is a digital representation of certain features of FEMA’s FIRM product, intended for use with desktop mapping and GIS technology. Digital Q3 Flood Data has been developed by scanning the existing FIRM hardcopy, vectorizing a thematic overlay of flood risks. The vector Q3 Flood Data files contain only certain features from the existing FIRM hardcopy. Digital Q3 Flood Data has been developed by scanning the existing FIRM hardcopy, vectorizing a thematic overlay of flood risks. The vector Q3 Flood Data files contain only certain features from the existing FIRM hardcopy.

Luckily, various local government sites and data portals redistribute Q3 floodplain data since they aren’t copyrighted. Perhaps, we should get Q3 data from such sites. For example, Chicago area Q3 data are available from Natural Connections Data Archive site (http://www.greenmapping.org/archive – select “Floodplain” category. )

[This isn't really GIS data - these are electronic maps] FEMA Issued Flood Maps – see the image above (Evanston, IL): http://msc.fema.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&categoryId=12001&langId=-1&userType=R&type=1
We can obtain electronic FEMA issued flood maps over aerial photography from this site. They are kind of like PDF type electronic print maps – and I think you can download as PDF or an image file.

http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/data/index.html

The US FWS is the principal Federal agency that provides information to the public on the extent and status of the Nation’s wetlands, including the National Wetlands Inventory.

Click on Download Wetlands Digital Data to obtain current seamless wetlands data in the shapefiles format.

http://www.esri.com/data/download/census2000_tigerline/

Another resource for GIS census data. TIGER base line data, streets & railroads, and also detailed boundary files, blocks, (not available from the US Census boundary files site above) are available. Users can also download accompanying basic demographic and housing data from the 2000 Census Summary File 1 for various geographic levels.

Click on “Preview and Download” on the left to access the files.

http://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov/

The Geospatial Data Gateway or Geo-Data Gateway provides easy and consistent access to natural resource data. Users can search for available data by geographic area or by theme, and also view and download the data via FTP, or by ordering data media, such as CD.  Click on “Get Data” to start make a data request.

Datasets included are:

• Orthophotos
• DEM
• DRG (scanned topographic maps)
• Hydrologic data (watersheds, rivers, etc.)
• National Land Cover Dataset
• National Cropland Data Layer
• Soils (SSURGO & STATSGO – you should get a MS Access template from USDA Soil Data Mart..)
• Climate (precipitation & temperature)
• Geographic names
• ..etc.

http://www.nationalatlas.gov/atlasftp.html

Nationalatlas.gov™ provides a comprehensive, maplike view into the enormous wealth of geospatial and geostatistical data collected for the United States. Nearly all data available in the National Atlas Map Maker can be downloaded at no cost.

The data categories posted are:

• Agriculture: Agriculture Census 2002 – Crops, Expenses, Farmland…
• Biology: Bat Ranges, Butterflies, Forests, Invasive Species, Land Cover…
• Boundaries: Congressional Districts, Counties, Federal lands, States…
• Climate: Precipitation, Hazard Events, Hurricanes, Sea Temperature…
• Environment: Air Releases, Hazardous Waste, Toxics Release…
• Geology: Earthquakes, Landslides, Shaded Relief, Volcanoes…
• History: Presidential General Election 2000 County and State Results.
• Map Reference: Cities and Towns, Urban Areas…
• People: Census, Crimes, Energy Consumption, Mortality…
• Transportation: Airports, Parkways and Scenic Rivers, Railroads, Roads…
• Water: Aquifers, Dams, Watersheds, Streams and Waterbodies…