Explore State GIS Data Portals​

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Geospatial data comes from many sources, and the U.S. Census Bureau is only one part of the larger geospatial data ecosystem. Every state maintains or participates in a statewide GIS infrastructure that provides access to authoritative data about its people, places, environment, infrastructure, and natural resources. State GIS portals often provide datasets that are not available from federal sources, including high-resolution aerial imagery, LiDAR, elevation models, parcel and cadastral data, survey and geodetic information, transportation networks, hydrography, land cover, and state-specific environmental and planning data. This directory provides links to the primary GIS data portal or clearinghouse for all 50 states and serves as a starting point for educators, students, GIS professionals, surveyors, and researchers exploring geospatial data at the state level.

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Download the GTC3-curated State GIS Data Portal spreadsheet or click on a state in the map below to access data portal information. 

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NOTE: The existence of a statewide GIS infrastructure is not simply a matter of finding an alternative to Census data. The state directory identifies geospatial offices and/or clearinghouses across the states, while the FGDC's (Federal Geographic Data Committee) 50-State Initiative documents the long-standing statewide geospatial infrastructure effort. 

 

State data portals that deserve some special attention:

• Oregon GEOHub — exceptionally good example of a modern statewide framework-data repository, including cadastral, geodetic control, elevation, imagery, land cover, hazards, hydrography, transportation and utilities. 

• Vermont Open Geodata — particularly strong for LiDAR, imagery, parcels, web services and APIs. 

• Pennsylvania PASDA — an outstanding teaching resource with imagery, LiDAR/elevation, hydrology, transportation, boundaries, recreation and energy data, plus specialized LiDAR and imagery applications. 

• Montana MSDI — especially interesting for surveying/geomatics because it includes cadastral/PLSS data, geodetic information, LiDAR, aerial imagery and web services. 

• Minnesota Geospatial Commons — excellent example of a statewide data catalog/clearinghouse, with metadata, downloadable data, web services and APIs. 

• Kentucky KyGeoNet — particularly relevant to your new Land Surveying/Geomatics program because it combines a statewide clearinghouse with KyFromAbove aerial photography/elevation data and public ArcGIS services. 

• Texas TxGIO — unusually strong for geomatics because its statewide programs include orthoimagery, LiDAR/elevation, hydrography, parcels and address points. 

• New Mexico RGIS — particularly broad: current records include imagery, elevation, cadastral/PLSS, hazards, roads and addresses, with downloads in formats such as SHP, GML, KML, GeoJSON, JSON and CSV plus WMS/WFS services. 

• Illinois — the Illinois Natural Resources Geospatial Data Clearinghouse is a particularly good resource for LiDAR, historical/current imagery, geology and PLSS, making it valuable for both GIS and surveying instruction. 

• Connecticut — its current portal specifically organizes imagery, elevation, land cover, transportation, boundaries, habitat, soils/geology, hydrology and demographics, and also provides statewide parcel/CAMA data. 

• Maryland — the state catalog explicitly includes LiDAR, imagery, elevation, planning/cadastre, hydrology, transportation and utilities, making it another strong teaching resource. 

• IndianaMap — a particularly clean example of a state treating GIS as an integrated infrastructure, with categories spanning elevation, imagery, planning/cadastre, transportation, utilities, environment and more.