GIS Volume (Server) at Carleton
The GIS lab stores local copies of frequently-used data to cut down on time spent downloading and clipping datasets over and over. Current students have access to these datasets. When logged onto a lab computer, navigate to
afp://storageserver1.ads.carleton.edu/GISVOL/GIS/GISdata/USA
or
(M:\GIS\GISdata\USA)
See the Carleton Spatial Analysis web site or contact Wei-Hsin Fu (x5733, wfu@carleton.edu) for more information about data in this location.
ArcGIS Online - map data about Carleton
- ArcGIS Online DataFrom within ArcGIS Online, when you add data to a map, you can search the entire ArcGIS repository of data uploaded by community users. Be sure to pay attention to authorship and read metadata because quality varies!
- Carleton College Over the Years (ArcGIS Online)A collection of aerial photos taken 1938 - 2020 with a swipe tool for visual comparison of two aerial photos. ArcGIS Online account required.
Regional and Local Sources
Often it is the case that national data does not provide geospatial data in units small enough for a local study. Such information is collected instead by state, regional, or county agencies. Contact a librarian for help identifying potential sources of information to answer your research question.
- Minnesota Geospatial Commons
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The first stop for Minnesota data is the Minnesota Geospatial Commons. Nearly all of the data that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has published from the DNR Data Deli and DataFinder have migrated to a new home: the Minnesota Geospatial Commmons, a collaborative place for users and publishers of geospatial resources about Minnesota. - Minnesota Geographic Data Clearinghouse
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This site offers many ways to access data, including the Minnesota GeoGateway, which simultaneously searches across agencies that distribute digital geographic data. Particularly helpful is a set of links to data organized by data theme (e.g. where to go for aerial photography or for soil data).
Large Map Data Sets
- TopoView -- Historic maps from USGSInteractive site for viewing or downloading georeferenced USGS topographic maps that were originally published as paper documents in the period 1884-2006.Click and zoom into an area on the map. This site only features maps of the United States.
- Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
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Get quick and easy access to current and historical U.S. census data and demographic information. Covers 1790 - 2010.
NOTE: You will need to register with your Carleton email address to begin fully using this database. - PolicyMap This link opens in a new window
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A U.S. national data and mapping tool for research related to social sciences, public health, urban studies, real estate and housing analysis, community and economic developments, public administration, policy and political science, education, business, economics, statistics, geography, and more. Find thousands of U.S. indicators to perform demographic and socioeconomic analysis, from a neighborhood census block group in many cases, up to a national level, as well as create custom regions. Data sets are approximately 10-15 years old, and custom reports and data can be downloaded. - Sanborn Maps, 1867-1970 This link opens in a new window
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Large-scale maps of American towns and cities. Maps include information such as the outline of each building; the size, shape and construction materials, heights, and function of structures; and locations of windows and doors. The maps also give street names, street and sidewalk widths, property boundaries, building use, house and block numbers, railroad and streetcar track information, and some utility information. Covers 1867 - 1970.
