Spatial Data Resources

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.

These common vector file types and formats work with many GIS applications:

• shapefile (.shp)
• geodatabase (.gdb)
• GPS Exchange Format (.gpx)
• Geography Markup Language (.gml)
• Geopackage (.gpkg)
• GeoJSON (.geojson) and formatted JSON (.json) with coordinates
• Keyhole Markup Language (.kml or .kmz)
• comma-separated values (.csv)

Image or grid-based raster files also work in GIS applications:

• GeoTIFF (.tiff)

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

Geoportals are metadata aggregators that provide more robust GIS search capabilities, albeit with a more limited number of options that have been reviewed and processed by GIS professional staff. The largest geoportal by number of records is the Big Ten Academic Alliance Geoportal: https://geo.btaa.org/