GIS Data Sources: Data Sources

Online maps and visualization

• CDC Chronic Disease GIS Exchange - Maps and resources focused on Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention.
• GIS at CDC - Web apps and links to external data.
• HealthMap - World map and local maps of health issues drawn from news reports.

Download sites

• Global Administrative Units - Basic boundary maps for the world. Data can be downloaded by country and includes national, state/province, and local administrative units.
• UNEP Environmental Data Explorer - Excellent source for world environmental data. Over 500 data categories available.
• US Census International Data Base - Global demographic data available for download. Does not have geographic data, so must be joined to a shapefile or other file with geography.

Online maps and visualization

• EnviroMapper - EPA website of point data reporting to the EPA - Limited usability.
• US Census Population - Interactive online map.
• National Cancer Institute - Links to useful datasources and GIS tools.
• USGS Disease Maps 2012 - County based maps of the US and territories for West Nile Virus, St. Louis Encephalitis, Equine Encephalities, La Crosse Encephalities, Powassan Virus, Dengue Fever.

Download sites

• US Census Data - TIGER/Line®Shapefiles are geographic data features such as roads, railroads, rivers, as well as legal and statistical geographic areas. They do not include data collected from the census, but have the geographic codes that can be linked to demographic data, available on American FactFinder.
  • These data are also available on DVD and can be checked out from the LRC
• Geo.Data.gov - Hundreds of thousands of data files that can be searched through this interface and linked to other government sites. Includes non-geographic data as well.
• National Atlas - 1997-2014 Archived federal government clearinghouse of geographic data. 
• National Map - USGS topographic data viewer and downloads. Data include: Elevation, Orthoimagery, Hydrography, Geographic Names, Boundaries,Transportation, Structures, and Land Cover.
• TOXMAP - Toxic chemical releases and hazardous waste sites from the EPA's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) and the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). Downloadable data available.

The university site license for ArcGIS includes US census data captured and formatted by Esri for easy use in GIS. Contact lrc.ref@usuhs.edu for access.

Data included:

• Esri 2012/2017 Updated Demographics
• Esri 2012 Consumer Spending
• Esri 2012 Tapestry Data
• 2010 Census Data
• 2006/2010 American Community Survey (ACS)

Montgomery County, MD - Maps and GIS data from the county. Some must be purchased.

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Email: lrc.services@usuhs.edu

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