Geographic data sources

This page lists sources of free GIS data and services that we have come across as part of the development of the e-Atlas.

GIS data

Queensland Government Maps, Imagery, Data

This site contains a similar mix of datasets as the Queensland Government Information Service, however it provides a small preview of each dataset. This makes it much easier to determine whether a dataset is relevant.

Queensland Government Information Service.

This service allows access to over 200 datasets free and non freeGIS datasets for download covering Queenland.

Geoscience Mapconnect

This provides access to the Topo 250k series 3 data online. This is also available as a WMS service.

Natural Earth Data

Public domain global scale vector and raster datasets at 1:10m, 1:50m and 1:100m for producing good looking maps. Some of their datasets include:

  • Country boundaries
  • Populated Places (cities and towns)
  • Urban areas
  • Coastline
  • Lands
  • Oceans
  • Rivers and lakes
  • Physical labels
  • Bathymetry
  • Natural Earth raster

GSHHS - Global coastline data

A Global Self-consistent, Hierarchical, High-resolution Shoreline Database derived from two datasets in the public domain. Full dataset is 98 MB when zipped and is broken into 5 different shapefiles of progressively lower resolution.

CGIAR - Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) - NASA

This site provides access to download a processed form of the SRTM dataset from NASA. The SRTM is a high resolution (90m at the equator) digital elevation model for most of the world. The SRTM has been processed to fill data voids, mosaiced to 5x5 deg tiles and provided in GeoTiff format.

STRM30_PLUS Global Bathymetry data.

Same as used by Google Earth v5.0

Meta-data catalogs

Metadata catalogue of digital spatial datasets for the Tully-Murray Catchments,

Caroline Bruce1 and Frederieke Kroon2, 1 CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, 2 FNQ NRM Pty Ltd, July 2006. [pdf 137 pages]

This PDF contains metadata records for several hundred datasets covering the Tully-Murray region, many of which cover a much wider area. These records cover:

  • Biodiversity coversation

  • Water resources

  • Production resources

  • Climate

  • People and Country

  • Coastal Resources

Australia Institute of Marine Science Meta Data Catalog

This contains metadata records for all the datasets developed and maintained by AIMS.

Web Map Services (WMS)

Geometa.info

This is a search engine for WMS services.

Satellite Imagery

Millennium Coral Reefs Landsat Archive

Downloadable collection of cloud free Landsat images (at 30m resolution) covering coral reef regions around the world. This has a mix of Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 images. Each of the spectral bands can be downloaded separately allowing post processing of the data.

WMS Global Mosaic GeoTIFF Download (San Diego Sate University)

Downloadable form of the OneEarth WMS Landsat service from NASA JPL broken into 4x4deg tiles. Each of the spectral bands is available as separate downloads allowing reprocessing of the images. The total dataset is 1.3 Terabytes.

GeoCover (NASA)

Downloadable Landsat imagery that has been processed into false colour in MrSid format.