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J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

This guide will provide various GIS resources from around the Web and at Michigan Tech.

Michigan GIS Data

  • Michigan GIS Open Data
    Open GIS data from the State of Michigan. Here you can find datasets on infrastructure, boundaries, demographics, geology, and many more.
  • EGLE Maps & Data
    A great source for GIS data on lakes, streams, wells, and groundwater. From Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
  • MTU GeoPortal
    The official source for geographic data at Michigan Tech. Here you can find many datasets related specifically to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The data portal includes environmental and historical data, Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), aerial imagery, geology, and boundaries. 
  • Copper Country Historical Spatial Data Infrastructure
    Hundreds of historical GIS datasets for the Keweenaw Peninsula. View and download historical Census and City Directory records, building footprints, and georectified Fire Insurance Plans. 

US GIS Data

  • USGS National Map Downloader
    National source for imagery, elevation, topographic maps, and boundary datasets. Uses a map-based interface to select a location of interest.  
  • TIGER/Line Shapefiles
    The shapefiles include polygon boundaries of geographic areas and features, linear features including roads and hydrography, and point features. The shapefiles contain codes that can be linked to the Census Bureau’s demographic data, available on data.census.gov.
  • HIFLD Open Data
    Homeland Security's Open GIS Data Portal. A source of datasets related to infrastructure, borders, communications, energy, emergency services, and law enforcement. 
  • IMPUS NHGIS
    Historical U.S. Census data tables and compatible boundary files for all Census geographies from from 1970-Present. 
  • Social Explorer
    Explorer datasets from over 220 years of U.S. Census data. Also includes health data, crime data, election data, and much more. 
  • USGS topoView
    Interactively download georeferenced historic and contemporary USGS topographic maps. Simply click on any location on the map to view topographic maps for that area.
  • NREL Tribal Energy Atlas
    An interactive mapping tool that allows users to view and download energy related GIS datasets on tribal lands. 

Global GIS Data

  • USGS EarthExplorer
    A map-based interface to query and download GIS data. A source for US aerial imagery, elevation, Landsat, Land Cover, and satellite data.
  • Esri Living Atlas of the World
    A massive collection of geographic information from around the world. Live layer such as wind direction and weather buoy locations are available. 
  • Natural Earth
    cultural and physical raster and vector data designed for creating nice looking maps and graphics.
  • OpenStreetMap
    Community driven source of global GIS Data. Export buildings, roads, trails, and many other features.