KAS Software

Suppliers of map viewing and coordinate conversion software, bespoke digital maps, height data and gazetteers

Internet Mapping Resources

Below is a comprehensive list of websites offering free GeoTIFF (specification), DEM or gazetteer data. If there are any dead links then please let me know, likewise if there are better sites available I'll try and include them if you tell me.

Quick Links

ASTER & SRTM
National Mapping Agencies
WMS Viewers

USA

Most US Geotiffs are available for free download from the topoquest or libremap websites. Both sites, though differing in their overall approach, offer links to geotiff files on the www.archive.org website. For example the (randomly selected) Louisville, Alabama 1:24,000 scale topographic quadrangle may be downloaded from the topoquest Alabama or libremap Alabama web-pages, or may be directly downloaded as file http://www.archive.org/download/usgs_drg_al_31085_g5/o31085g5.tif. (You can use this C# program usgsdown.cs, to easily download multiple files directly from archive.org).

In the above example for the Louisville, Alabama quad file o31085g5.tif, the initial letter 'o' means a 1:24,000 scale file, the 31 refers to 31°North, 085 to 85°West and g5 refers to grid square g5, whereby the 1 degree square for 31°N,85°W is split into an 8x8 grid, each grid square 7.5' x 7.5', numbered 1 to 8 East to West, 'a' to 'h' South to North - g5 therefore occupying a place slightly to the west of centre in the second most northerly grid row, as below. (Table modified from that shown on topoquest download page for this quad file.)

N32° W86° N32° W85°
h8 h7 h6 h5 h4 h3 h2 h1
g8 g7 g6 g5 g4 g3 g2 g1
f8 f7 f6 f5 f4 f3 f2 f1
e8 e7 e6 e5 e4 e3 e2 e1
d8 d7 d6 d5 d4 d3 d2 d1
c8 c7 c6 c5 c4 c3 c2 c1
b8 b7 b6 b5 b4 b3 b2 b1
a8 a7 a6 a5 a4 a3 a2 a1
N31° W86° N31° W85°

The following conventions are used by the USGS for the first letter of their colour raster geotiff files (the 'o' in o31085g5.tif):

Initial Letter Description
c 1:250,000 scale, generally covering 2° x 1°
f 1:100,000 scale, covering 1° x ½°
i 1:63,360 scale, used extensively for Alaska and generally covering 15' x 15'
k 1:25,000 scale covering 7.5' x 7.5'
o 1:24,000 scale covering 7.5' x 7.5'

For all of the above for the state of Alaska, the width and height of the files can and does vary.

For those geotiff files not available from topoquest or libremap, there are a number of state-specific sites which contain downloadable USGS geotiffs, as well as (often) composite images, digital elevation and a host of other data:

State Link for Map/DEM Downloads
AlabamaGeological Survey of Alabama (24k, 100k, 250k Z)
topoquest Alabama
AlaskaAlaska State Geo-Spatial Data Clearinghouse
Alaska Geo-Spatial Data Clearinghouse DRGs (25k, 63k, 250k Z)
Alaska Geo-Spatial Data Clearinghouse DEMs (DEM Z)
Alaska Mapped and the Statewide Digital Mapping Initiative
topoquest Alaska
ArizonaUniversity of Arizona Regional Image Archive (24k,100k, 250k, DEMs)
Arizona State Cartographer's Office
ArkansasUniversity of Arkansas Spatial Library
Arkansas' Offical GIS Platform
Offical GIS Platform FTP site (24k, 100k, 250k)
CaliforniaCalifornia Atlas Geospatial Clearinghouse
San Francisco Bay Area Regional Database (BARD)
Lake Tahoe Data Clearinghouse
ColoradoUS Dept of the Interior Bureau of Land Management
ConnecticutUniversity of Connecticut Map & Geographic Information Centre (MAGIC)
DelawareDelaware DataMIL
District of ColumbiaOffice of the Chief Technology Officer
FloridaFlorida Department of Environmental Protection GIS
Florida DRGs
GeorgiaUSGS Center for Spatial Analysis Technologies
HawaiiUniversity of Hawaii
Hawaii State GIS
topoquest Hawaii
libremap Hawaii
IdahoIdaho State University GIS (DEMs)
Inside Idaho
IllinoisIllinois Natural Resources Geospatial Data Clearinghouse
IndianaIndiana Spatial Data Portal
IowaIowa Geographic Map Server
Iowa Geospatial Data Clearinghouse
KansasKansas Data Access & Support (DASC)
KentuckyKentucky Geo-spatial data clearinghouse
LouisianaLouisiana Statewide GIS (Atlas)
MaineMaine Office of GIS
MarylandMaryland State Geographic Information Committee
Maryland Mapping Resource Guide
MassachusettsMassachusetts Office of Geographic Information (MassGIS)
MassGIS Data Download
libremap Massachusetts
MichiganMichigan Department of Technology
MinnesotaMinnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Data Deli
Minnesota Geographic Data Clearinghouse
MississippiMississippi Automated Resource Information System (MARIS)
Misissippi Geographic Data Clearinghouse
MissouriMissouri Department of Natural Resources GIS
MSDIS Missouri Spatial Data Information Service
MontanaMontana Geographic Information Clearinghouse
NebraskaGIS, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources - DRGs
NevadaEarth Sciences, University of Reno
New HampshireNew Hampshire GRANIT - state wide GIS clearinghouse (24k)
New JerseyNew Jersey GIS
New Jersey Geographic Information Network
New MexicoNM Search & Rescue Resources (Loa Alamos National Laboratory)
New Mexico Resource Geographic Information System Program (RGIS)
New YorkNYS GIS Clearinghouse (24k, 100k, 250k Z)
CUGIR Cornell University Geospatial Information Repository (DEMs)
North CarolinaNC One Map
North DakotaNorth Dakota GIS
North Dakota GIS - Raster Data Download Area
OhioOhio Geographically Referenced Information Program (24k, DEMs Z)
OklahomaOklahoma Centre for Geospatial Information
OK Maps
OregonOregon Geospatial Enterprise Office (GEO) (DEMs)
Crater Lake Data Clearinghouse
PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA)
PASDA FTP site (24k, 100k, 250k, DEMs Z)
Rhode IslandRhode Island GIS
South CarolinaSouth Carolina Department of Transport GIS/Mapping
South DakotaSouth Dakota GIS
TennesseeTennessee Spatial Data Server
TexasTexas General Land Office (GLO)
UtahUtah GIS Portal (24k, 100k, 250k)
Utah Maps
Utah Geological Survey
VermontVermont Centre for Geographic Information
VirginiaVirginia GISData
Virginia GIS Data Layers
WashingtonWashington State Department of Ecology GIS
Washington State Geospatial Clearinghouse
West VirginiaWest Virginia MapWV
West Virginia GIS
WisconsinWisconsin Department of Natural Resources GIS
WyomingWyoming Imagery Server
topoquest Wyoming
libremap Wyoming

There are a number of USGS sites worth visiting. Though they can involve a fair amount of random searching and trial-and-error to find what you're looking for, there's a prodigious amount of information available...

USGS Link Notes
US Geological SurveyMain USGS website
USGS StoreUSGS Store
USGS Topographic MapsUSGS Topographic Maps
USGS National Geospatial Program
US Topo - The National MapUSGS 7.5" Quadrangle GeoPDF® Maps
Historical MapsThe National Map: Historical Topographic Map Collection
USGS Seamless Data Warehouse
USGS EROSEarth Resources Observation and Science Center
USGS National Hydrography Dataset
USGS EarthExplorer
NED 1 arc second and NED 1/3 arc second Download ToolHigh-quality digital elevation data

Further US Websites

Link Notes
geo.data.gov
FS GeodataForestry Service Geodata Clearinghouse
USDA:NRCSUS Dept of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Geospatial Data Gateway
USGS NED BackdoorBackdoor to US Seamless National Elevation Data

ASTER & SRTM data

ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) data has only one resolution:

  • 1 arc-second (1" - approx. 30m per sample) available between 83°S and 83°N (3,601x3,601 samples per square-degree tile, 21,600 tiles in all).

The original data of ASTER GDEM is the property of METI and NASA. See this interesting review which succinctly covers that author's views on the efficaceousness of ASTER data versus SRTM.

SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) data comes in two resolutions:

  • 1 arc-second (1" - approx. 30m per sample) available only for the US (3,600x3,600 samples per degree).
  • 3 arc-seconds (3" - approx. 90m sampling) which is available for global coverage between 60°N and 56°S (1,200x1,200 samples per degree).
Link Notes
ASTER
EOSDIS - Reverb|EchoASTER ELevation data from NASA's Earth Observing System Data & Information System
Jet Propulsion Laboratory ASTERNASA ASTER home page
LPDAACASTER elevation data (USGS Global Data Explorer)
ASTER GDEMASTER Overview (Japanese site in English)
ASTER GDEMASTER elevation data download (Japanese Site in English)
SRTM
USGS SRTM
NASA Jet Propulsion LaboratoryNASA SRTM home page
Global Land Cover Facility
SRTM v2.1 downloadsDirect link to download directories for SRTM v2.1 3" data
CGIAR ConsortiumSRTM 90m Digital Elevation Data (SRTM v4)
CGIAR Data SearchSRTM Data Selection
Viewfinder PanaromaCorrected SRTMs (a very impressive work)
SRTM download siteSome very interesting US data

Canada

Natural Resources Canada has an enormous amount of free geospatial data available for download, such as from their GeoGratis site. The available data includes 1:250,000 and 1:50,000 scale geotiffs, with excellent quality DEMs available for ftp or http download at a variety of resolutions.

Link Notes
NRCNatural Resources Canada
Updated ToporamaToporama – Topographic Maps
GeoGratisGeoGratis Download Directory (1:50,000 & 1:250,000 scale geotiffs)
GeoBaseGeospatial data for all Canada
GeoBase DEMsGeoBase 50k & 250k DEMs

Mexico

Link Notes
INEGIInstituto Nacional De Estadistica Y Geografia

Brazil

Link Notes
IBGEInstituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatica
IBGE Topographic MappingVarious download links

Great Britain

A variety of mapping data - including 1:250,000 and 1:1,000,000 scale geotiffs, height data on a grid of 50x50m and gazetteer and post code information - can be freely downloaded from the Ordnance Survey's OS OpenData website.

Link Notes
Ordnance Survey®OSGB - National mapping agency
OS OpenDataOS OpenData overview
OS OpenDataAvailable data (50m Height, 1:250,000 geotiffs, 250,000 entry gazetteer)
mySociety OpenDatamySociety cache of OS OpenData
OS Open SpaceWMS code for embedding OS maps

Belgium

Link Notes
IGN/NGIInstitut Geographique National/Nationaal Geografisch Instituut

France

Link Notes
IGNInstitut National de L'Information Geographique et Forestiere
IGN SCAN 10001:1,000,000 scale geotiffs geo-referenced in Lambert93

Spain

The National Geographic Institute Maps website allows for the free download of digital geographic information, in particular 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scale raster maps. Registration required, and it is a bit of a trachle to get the (admittedly nice quality) actual data.

Link Notes
IGN Centro de DescargasInstuto Geografico Nacional - Centro Nacional de Information Geografica

New Zealand

LINZ (Land Information New Zealand) has available for free download 1:250,000 and 1:50,000 scale maps for the whole of New Zealand and associated islands and island groups using their Map Chooser Tool .

Link Notes
LINZLand Information New Zealand - National mapping agency
LINZ Topo Maps
Map Chooser Tool1:50,000 & 1:250,000 geotiffs
GazetteerNew Zealand Gazetteer of Place Names
NZGD2000NZGD1949 & NZGD2000 horizontal coordinates distortion grid

Antarctica

Link Notes
USGS ARCUS Antarctic Resource Centre (250K Topographic Reconnaissance Maps)

National Mapping Agencies

Country Agency
Europe
AlbaniaITU (Institutin Topografik t Ushtris) (NO LINK)
AndorraSIGMA (Sistema d'Informació Geogràfica Mediambiental d'Andorra)
AustriaBEV (Bundesamt für Eich und Vermessungswesen)
Belarus
BelgiumNGI/IGN (Nationaal Geografisch Instituut/Institut Geographique National)
Bosnia & Herzegovina
BulgariaGCACA (Агенция по геодезия, картография и кадастър)
Croatia (Hrvatska)DGU (Državna Geodetska Uprava)
Czech RepublicCUZK (Český úřad zeměměřický a katastrální)
CyprusDept of Lands & Surveys
DenmarkKMS (Kort & Matrikelstyrelsen)
EstoniaMAA-AMET (Estonian Land Board)
FinlandMaanmittauslaitos (National Land Survey of Finland)
FranceIGN (Institut National de L'Information Geographique et Forestiere)
Géoportail (le portail des territoires et des citoyens)
GermanyBKG (Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie)
Great BritainOSGB (Ordnance Survey Great Britain)
OSGB GPS GB GPS & Positioning Services
BGS (British Geological Survey)
GreeceHMGS (Hellenic Military Geographical Service)
Guernseydigimap
HungaryFOMI
IcelandLMI (Landmælingar Íslands)
IrelandOSI (Ordnance Survey Ireland)
ItalyIGMI (Istituto Geografico Militare)
Jerseydigimap
Kosovo
LatviaLGIA (Latvijas Ģeotelpiskās informācijas aģentūra)
LiechtensteinTBA
Lithuaniageoportal.lt
LuxembourgACT (Administration du cadastre et de la topographie)
MacedoniaKATASTAR
MaltaMEPA (Malta Environment & Planning Authority)
MoldovaARFC (Agenţia Relaţii Funciare şi Cadastru a Republicii Moldova)
Monaco
Montenegro
NetherlandsRDNAP (Rijksdriehoeksmeting Normaal Amsterdams Peil)
kadaster
Northern IrelandOSNI/LPS (Land & Property Services)
Norwaystatkart
PolandGUGIK (Główny Urząd Geodezji i Kartografii)
PortugalIGEO (Instituto Geográfico Português)
RomaniaANCPI (Agentia Nationala de Cadastru si Publicitate Imobiliara)
RussiaROSREESTR
San Marino
SerbiaRGZ (Republički geodetski zavod - Републички геодетски завод)
Slovakiaskgeodesy (Úrad geodézie, kartografie a katastra Slovenskej republiky)
Sloveniageodetska
SpainIGN (Instituto Geográfico Nacional)
Swedenlantmateriet
Switzerlandswisstopo
TurkeyHGK (Harita Genel Komutanlığı - General Command of Mapping)
UkraineGKI (НДІ Геодезії та Картографії)
North America
CanadaNRCAN (Natural Resources Canada/Ressources naturelles Canada )
GreenlandGEUS (Geological Survey of Denmark & Greenland)
MexicoINEGI (Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía)
USANIMA (National Imagery and Mapping Agency)
Asia
AfghanistanAGCO (Afghan Geodesy and Cartography Office)
ArmeniaSNCO (Centre of Geodesy & Cartography)
AzerbaijanDTXK (State Committee of Land & Cartography)
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Bhutan
BruneiSurvey Department (Ministry of Development)
Burma/Myanmar
Cambodia
Chinablum (National Administration of Surveying, Mapping & Geoinformation)
GeorgiaMOE
IndiaSurvey of India
IndonesiaBAKOSURTANAL
IranNCC
Iraq
IsraelSurvey of Israel
JapanGSI (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Malaysia
Mongolia
Nepal
North Korea
OmanNSAOM (National Survey Authority)
PakistanSurvey of Pakistan
PhilippinesNAMRIA (National Mapping & Resource Information Authority)
QatarGIS QATAR
Saudi Arabia
SingaporeSLA (Singapore Land Authority)
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Thailand
Timor
Turkmenistan
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Yemen
South America
ArgentinaIGN (Instituto Geográfico Nacional)
BoliviaIGM (Instituto Geografico Militar de Bolivia)
BrazilIBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística)
ChileIGM (Instituto Geográfico Militar)
ColombiaIGAC (Instituto Geografico Agustin Codazzi )
EcuadorIGM (Instituto Geográfico Militar )
Guyana
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
UruguaySGM (Servicio Geográfico Militar)
Venezuela
Australasia
AustraliaGeoscience Australia
Fijilands (Ministry of Lands & Mineral Resources)
Kiribati
Nauru
New ZealandLINZ (Land Information New Zealand)
Palau
Papua New Guinealands (Department of Lands and Physical Planning)
Samoa
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Central America and the Caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda
The Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominican Republic
El Salvador
GuatemalaIGN (Instituto Geográfico Nacional)
Haiti
Honduras
JamaicaNLA (National Land Agency)
NicaraguaINETER (Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales)
Panama
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Trinidad and Tobago
Africa
AlgeriaINCT (Infrastucture Nationale des Donnees Geographique)
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verdi
Central African Republic
Chad
Congo
Cote D'Ivoire
Djibouti
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
EthiopiaEMA (Ethiopian Mapping Agency)
EgyptESA (Egyptian Survey Authority)
Gabon
The Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Kenyalands
Lesotho
Liberia
MadagascarFTM (Foiben-Taosarintanin'i Madagasikara)
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
MozambiqueCENACARTA (Centro Nacional de Cartografia e Teledetecção)
Namibia
Niger
NigeriaOSGOF
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
SenegalDTGC (Direction des Travaux géographiques et cartographiques)
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South AfricaNGI (National Geo-spatial Information)
Sudan
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe

WMS Viewers

WMS - the Web Mapping Service - provides a means for displaying maps from numerous different sources on web pages.

The Ordnance Survey, as part of its OpenData program has created an OS Open Space area which allows for the incorporation of OS maps on web pages. Please try out our open space area.

Numerous other WMS servers are available on the internet, we'll try and include links to these as we find them, but here's a short list:



Some other links ...

Development

Misc Mapping

GPS

About KAS Software

KAS Software Ltd provides digital mapping, software development and troubleshooting consultancy services, for Unix, Linux, Windows & embedded systems.

Any type of C programming work can be undertaken for any platform, simply contact info@KASsoftware.com




(c) KAS Software Ltd, 31st july 2016

Contact us
by Phone:
by Mail: info@kassoftware.com
KAS Software Ltd
Company history

Established 1997
Registered in Scotland

Useful links

Links you may find useful ...
· OS OpenData
· data.gov.uk
· Google Maps
· OS Open Space

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