Related Guides
More resources at UChicago
- RCC GISAn extensive list of links to national, international, historic, scientific, and other spatial data portals.
- CAMEL LabFind georeferenced maps and imagery through the Oriental Institute's online catalog by limiting the Search All drop down to CAMEL. Contact the CAMEL Lab for more maps and imagery not cataloged online.
Getting Started
Spatial data is available in a variety of formats from numerous publishers including government, academic, and corporate bodies.
Use this guide to find authoritative data resources, tips for finding data, and information about data available at UChicago.
Data types
Look for these common file types and formats that work well with many GIS applications:
- shapefiles (.shp)
- geodatabase (.gdb)
- comma-separated values (.csv)
- Keyhole Markup Language (.kml or .kmz)
- GeoTIFF (.tiff)
- GeoJSON (.JSON)
- GPS Exchange Format (.gpx)
Searching for data
The free and open web is still one of the best places to find spatial data.
To find spatial data through a search engine:
- use keywords like GIS data, shapefile, and download
- use specific location names
- search for city, county, state, and federal government websites
Example: GIS data download Chicago
