GIS Data
This category contains introductory text about GIS data such as types of error in GIS datasets, types of GIS data (raster and vector), and metadata.
Attribute Data Types for GIS
There are two components to GIS data: spatial information (coordinate and projection information for spatial features) and attribute data. Attribute ...
Robotic Mapping: Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM)
Simultaneous localization and mapping, or SLAM for short, is the process of creating a map using a robot or unmanned vehicle that navigates that environment while using the map it generates
New Map of the Earth’s Night Lights
NOAA has released an updated map of the Earth, showing light sources at night from street lights, oil and gas drilling, wildfires, volanic activity, and skyglow.
World GIS Data
Looking for global GIS data? Listed here are free sources for finding GIS data in both vector and raster formats ...
Where is the Phrase “80% of Data is Geographic” From?
Those that work in GIS data have probably heard the phrase "80% of data is geographic". What is the origins of this phrase, and is it true?
The Many Modes of Google’s Street View Program
Google’s street level imagery gathering is an enormous data collecting effort. Street View launched in May of 2007 and Google ...
SDTS – GIS Data Standard
SDTS stands for Spatial Data Transfer Standard. SDTS was a standard for transferring earth-referenced spatial data across disparate computer programs. The U.S. ...
Data Capture in GIS
This article provides a brief overview of the GIS data collection process along with examples of methodologies for GIS data ...
Aerial Mapping with Balloons, Kites, and Pigeons
While aerial photography today is most commonly captured via an airplane fitted with cameras, aerial imagery in the past required more inventiveness with photographers using balloons, kites, and pigeons.
Geography of Ancestry
What’s your geographic ancestral origin? A team of researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) and University of California, Los Angeles ...
How to Convert a KML File into an ArcGIS Compatible Format
This quick tutorial shows you how to convert a KML file so you can add it to ArcGIS.
GIS Guide to Public Domain Data
Esri Press has released a new book called The GIS Guide to Public Domain Data.
Spatial Unmapped
Geographic maps aren't the only means by which to communicate spatial information.
Geography of Billionaires: Total Counts of the World’s Billionaires by Country for Residency and Citizenship, and by City
This article contains the tables covering the statistics used in the Geography of Billionaires: Mapping Nationalities and Residency.
Mapping Emancipation Events during the Civil War
"Visualizing Emancipation," the first interactive map showing the end of American slavery during the U.S. Civil War, has been launched by the University of Richmond’s Digital Scholarship Lab in partnership with geospatial analysis (GIS) software development company Azavea.
Titanic Mapping
April 15th marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic in the North Atlantic Ocean. Esri has created ...
Envisat Satellite Malfunctioning
Envisat, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) earth observation satellite, has stopped functioning properly. Communication with the satellite was lost on ...
OpenStreetMap: Grassroots Mapping
OpenStreetMap was founded with the goal of creating and providing free geographic data to whoever wants it.
Wind and GIS
GIS has many applications in wind mapping, analysis and modeling. Geographic data and modeling of wind performance can help site ...
National Forest Map and GIS Data
Josef Kellndorfer and Wayne Walker of the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) worked with the USGS and the US Forest Service over a six year period to create this forest map of the United States.
Mapping Air Pollution
Pulling real time data from the city government of Madrid, Into the Air is a project led by Nerea Calvillo (along with ...
Metadata
What is metadata and why is it important to document GIS data? Metadata is an important, but unfortunately oft overlooked component of GIS data. Metadata is 'data about the data' and it's vital to understanding to source, currency, scale, and appropriateness of using GIS data.
Basemaps Defined
What is a basemap? The term basemap is see often in GIS and refers to a collection of GIS data ...
New Global Elevation Data Available: Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010
NGA and USGS revised and improved their global elevation model.
Geosk: GIS Data as a Service (Daas)
Whats is Geosk and what does it mean for GIS data delivery? Scott Robinson, Director, Global Data Products at Pitney Bowes Business Insight, explains what Geosk means for GIS Data as a Service (DaaS) and how cloud computing can be used to delivery GIS data online.
Updated 3D Global Topo Data from NASA
Based on measurements from NASA’s Terra spacecraft, a new 3D topographic map has been released as a joint effort by NASA ...