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Free GIS Data Directory

Geo Data Hub

Find geographic datasets for your next map or spatial analysis project. This GIS directory and geo data hub brings together 208 GIS data sources across 27 topics, from boundaries and elevation to imagery and transportation. Compare coverage, file formats and licenses, follow download guides, and explore available map previews in your browser.

DEM & elevation Boundary & admin data OSM downloads Transportation Land cover Satellite imagery Hydrology Internet infrastructure Radios Live cams Population & census Climate & weather Geology & soils Urban & buildings Energy & infrastructure Maritime & ocean Natural hazards Vegetation & ecosystems POI & places Health & education Agriculture Glaciers & ice Air quality Environment Economy Health Conflict & security

Total datasets

208

Dataset guides with source links, coverage notes, file formats and practical steps for working with the data.

Browse groups

27

Organized around GIS tasks such as elevation, boundaries, OSM, transport, and imagery.

Delivery model

Guides + downloads

Some pages point to hosted GeoJSON or JSON files, while others keep official portals and direct source links in one place.

Browse categories

Jump straight to a GIS topic

Browse spatial datasets by subject. Each category helps you compare coverage, download options and licensing before choosing a source.

DEM & elevation

Free DEM Data Download & Elevation Models

Download global elevation and terrain data including SRTM, Copernicus DEM, ASTER GDEM, AW3D30, ArcticDEM, GEBCO, MapLibre terrain tiles, and China-focused sources.

Boundary & admin data

Boundary & Administrative Data

Country, state, province, and county boundary datasets — including hosted US, Canada, UK, Australia, India, Germany, France, and Japan layers you can map and download as GeoJSON.

OSM downloads

OpenStreetMap Downloads

OpenStreetMap download and export sources including Geofabrik regional extracts and Overpass Turbo custom exports.

Transportation

Transportation Layers

Airport, rail, road, and logistics datasets useful for map basemaps and transport analysis.

Land cover

Land Cover & Land Use

Global land cover and land use datasets such as ESA WorldCover for thematic mapping and analysis.

Satellite imagery

Satellite Imagery

Free satellite imagery sources such as Sentinel-2 and Copernicus Browser.

Hydrology

Hydrology & Coastlines

Hydrology, rivers, basin, and coastline datasets for water and environmental mapping.

Internet infrastructure

Internet Infrastructure Data

Hosted GeoJSON and JSON layers for satellite, cable, backbone, data center, DNS, and CDN research.

Radios

Radio Stations

Global radio station locations and metadata from Radio Browser, including interactive PMTiles map layers.

Live cams

Live Cameras & Webcams

Global YouTube live camera locations — city, coastal, nature, disaster-prevention, animal, train, landmark and airport streams on an interactive map.

Population & census

Population & Census Data

Global population grids, census boundaries, and demographic datasets including WorldPop, LandScan, GPW, and US Census TIGER/Line data.

Climate & weather

Climate & Weather Data

Global climate rasters, historical weather records, and reanalysis datasets including WorldClim, CHELSA, NOAA CDO, and ERA5 for environmental and ecological GIS analysis.

Geology & soils

Geology & Soils

Global soil property rasters, geologic maps, and soil classification datasets including SoilGrids, USGS geologic maps, and GlobalSoilMap for terrain and agricultural analysis.

Urban & buildings

Urban & Building Data

Global building footprints, urban morphology, and settlement datasets including Microsoft Building Footprints, Google Open Buildings, and World Settlement Footprint.

Energy & infrastructure

Energy & Infrastructure Data

Global energy infrastructure datasets including power plants, pipelines, renewable energy sites, and mining operations.

Maritime & ocean

Maritime & Ocean Data

Global maritime and ocean datasets including exclusive economic zones, marine protected areas, shipping lanes, and oceanographic data.

Natural hazards

Natural Hazards Data

Global natural hazard and disaster risk datasets including earthquakes, floods, wildfires, and landslides.

Vegetation & ecosystems

Vegetation & Ecosystem Data

Global vegetation indices, ecosystem classifications, and habitat datasets including MODIS NDVI, forest cover, and ecosystem layers.

POI & places

Points of Interest & Places

Global points of interest and populated place datasets including Natural Earth populated places, Overture POI, and GeoNames.

Health & education

Health & Education Facilities

Global health facility and education infrastructure datasets including WHO health facilities, schools, and medical logistics data.

Agriculture

Agriculture & Cropland Data

Global cropland extent, crop type maps, irrigation areas, and agricultural production datasets for food security and land use analysis.

Glaciers & ice

Glaciers, Snow & Ice Data

Global glacier inventories, snow cover, sea ice extent, and frozen ground datasets from NSIDC, GLIMS, and MODIS sources.

Air quality

Air Quality & Atmospheric Data

Global air pollution, atmospheric composition, and greenhouse gas datasets including PM2.5, NO2, SO2, and CO measurements from satellites and models.

Environment

Environment & Emissions Data

Country-level environmental statistics — CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions, per-capita footprints, and sector breakdowns — as interactive maps and downloadable GIS data.

Economy

Economy & Development Data

Country-level economic indicators — GDP, GDP per capita, growth, employment and trade — available as live World Bank maps and a downloadable historical economy explorer.

Health

Health & Demographics Data

Population health indicators — life expectancy, fertility, mortality and disease — mapped by country from the World Bank Indicators API, live in the browser.

Conflict & security

Conflict & Security Data

Global armed conflict events, terrorism incidents, and food security early warning data for humanitarian and security analysis.

dem

Free DEM Data Download & Elevation Models

Explore category

Download global elevation and terrain data including SRTM, Copernicus DEM, ASTER GDEM, AW3D30, ArcticDEM, GEBCO, MapLibre terrain tiles, and China-focused sources.

ASTER GDEM v3: dataset download instructions
Raster DEM

NASA/JAXA ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model Version 3 at 30-meter resolution with near-global land coverage from stereo optical imagery.

Global terrain modeling Void-filling for SRTM gaps
ALOS World 3D (AW3D30): dataset download instructions
Raster DEM

JAXA ALOS World 3D 30-meter global DEM derived from PALSAR stereo SAR imagery with worldwide land coverage and free registration-based download.

Global 30m terrain basemaps SAR-based elevation for cloudy regions
NASADEM: dataset download instructions

GeoTIFF / HGT

NASADEM

Raster DEM

NASA NASADEM improves on SRTM with ICESat altimetry, ASTER GDEM filling, and reprocessing for reduced voids and better vertical accuracy at 30-meter resolution.

Improved SRTM replacement Hydrological modeling in tropics
ArcticDEM: dataset download instructions

GeoTIFF / COG

ArcticDEM

Raster DEM

Polar Geospatial Center ArcticDEM at 2–5 meter resolution covering the Arctic from stereo satellite imagery, with void-filled mosaics and strip DEMs.

Glacier volume change analysis Arctic infrastructure planning
MERIT DEM: dataset download instructions

GeoTIFF

MERIT DEM

Raster DEM

MERIT (Multi-Error-Removed Improved-Terrain) DEM at 90-meter resolution with removed SRTM sensor errors, stripes, and void areas for improved hydrological modeling.

Hydrological modeling and flow routing Drainage network extraction
GMTED2010: dataset download instructions

GeoTIFF / Esri GRID

GMTED2010

Raster DEM

USGS/NGA Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010 providing global elevation statistics at 7.5 to 30 arc-second resolution from multiple source DEMs.

Continental-scale terrain reference Global elevation statistics
ETOPO1: dataset download instructions

GeoTIFF / NetCDF

ETOPO1

Raster (topo+bathy)

NOAA ETOPO1 1-arc-minute global topography and bathymetry dataset combining land elevation with ocean floor depth for integrated relief models.

Global relief mapping and cartography Ocean and bathymetric modeling
GEBCO: dataset download instructions

NetCDF / GeoTIFF (COG)

GEBCO

Raster bathymetry

General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) global bathymetric grid at 15 arc-second resolution combining satellite altimetry and ship soundings for seafloor mapping.

Global ocean bathymetry reference Marine navigation and habitat mapping
TanDEM-X WorldDEM: dataset download instructions
Raster DEM

Airbus/DLR TanDEM-X WorldDEM at 12-meter resolution from bistatic SAR interferometry, providing the most accurate global commercial DEM available.

Precision engineering and infrastructure Military and defense terrain analysis
NED / 3DEP (USGS): dataset download instructions

GeoTIFF / ArcGRID

NED / 3DEP (USGS)

Raster DEM

USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) providing 1–10 meter resolution DEMs for the United States via The National Map with seamless national coverage.

US high-resolution terrain analysis Lidar-derived elevation for engineering
中国资源卫星中心 (CRESDA): dataset download instructions

中国资源卫星应用中心 (China Centre for Resources Satellite Data and Application) provides free access to Chinese satellite imagery and derived products including ZY-3 stereo DEMs.

High-resolution China DEM from ZY-3 stereo Gaofen satellite imagery access
Mapbox Terrain Tiles: dataset download instructions

Raster-dem tiles (Mapbox encoding)

Mapbox Terrain Tiles

Raster DEM tiles

Mapbox-encoding global raster-dem terrain tiles from the Mapbox platform, available via Mapbox Studio and the Maps SDK with paid API access.

Mapbox GL JS terrain MapLibre 3D terrain

boundaries

Boundary & Administrative Data

Explore category

Country, state, province, and county boundary datasets — including hosted US, Canada, UK, Australia, India, Germany, France, and Japan layers you can map and download as GeoJSON.

osm

OpenStreetMap Downloads

Explore category

OpenStreetMap download and export sources including Geofabrik regional extracts and Overpass Turbo custom exports.

BBBike OSM City Extracts: dataset download instructions

PBF / Shapefile / GeoJSON / CSV

BBBike OSM City Extracts

Mixed geometry

City and regional OSM extracts in multiple formats (PBF, Shapefile, GeoJSON) for hundreds of cities worldwide, ideal for desktop-scale GIS workflows.

City-scale OSM analysis Desktop GIS with OSM data
OSM DataHub (ohsome): dataset download instructions

JSON (API) / CSV

OSM DataHub (ohsome)

Statistical aggregates

OSM history analytics platform offering statistical analysis of OpenStreetMap data quality and evolution over time by geographic area.

OSM data quality monitoring Mapping campaign progress tracking

transportation

Transportation Layers

Explore category

Airport, rail, road, and logistics datasets useful for map basemaps and transport analysis.

land cover

Land Cover & Land Use

Explore category

Global land cover and land use datasets such as ESA WorldCover for thematic mapping and analysis.

ESA WorldCover: dataset download instructions

GeoTIFF (COG) / WMTS

ESA WorldCover

Raster classification

Global 10m land cover in 11 classes (2020 and 2021 versions), streamed live through Terrascope WMTS with AWS COG downloads for full analysis.

Land-cover maps Raster overlays

imagery

Satellite Imagery

Explore category

Free satellite imagery sources such as Sentinel-2 and Copernicus Browser.

hydrology

Hydrology & Coastlines

Explore category

Hydrology, rivers, basin, and coastline datasets for water and environmental mapping.

HydroSHEDS: dataset download instructions

Shapefile / GeoTIFF

HydroSHEDS

Lines / polygons / rasters

Global hydrography — river networks, catchments, and lakes — free for research, with a commercial licence available from WWF.

River network maps Basin analysis
USGS NHDPlus: dataset download instructions

Shapefile / File GDB

USGS NHDPlus

Lines / polygons / rasters

National Hydrography Dataset Plus for the United States with flow direction, catchments, and waterbody features.

Watershed delineation Stream network mapping

internet infrastructure

Internet Infrastructure Data

Explore category

Hosted GeoJSON and JSON layers for satellite, cable, backbone, data center, DNS, and CDN research.

radios

Radio Stations

Explore category

Global radio station locations and metadata from Radio Browser, including interactive PMTiles map layers.

live cams

Live Cameras & Webcams

Explore category

Global YouTube live camera locations — city, coastal, nature, disaster-prevention, animal, train, landmark and airport streams on an interactive map.

population

Population & Census Data

Explore category

Global population grids, census boundaries, and demographic datasets including WorldPop, LandScan, GPW, and US Census TIGER/Line data.

WorldPop: dataset download instructions

GeoTIFF / ASCII

WorldPop

Raster (population grid)

Global 100m population density grids built from census and satellite data, covering 2000–2020 with annual estimates.

Population density mapping Humanitarian risk assessment
Oak Ridge LandScan: dataset download instructions

GeoTIFF / ESRI Grid

Oak Ridge LandScan

Raster (population grid)

Global population distribution at ~1km resolution from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, widely used for risk analysis and humanitarian planning.

Disaster risk assessment Humanitarian response planning
US Census TIGER/Line: dataset download instructions

Shapefile / GeoJSON

US Census TIGER/Line

Mixed (polygons, lines, points)

U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line shapefiles with roads, boundaries, hydrography, and demographic data for all US territories.

US demographic mapping Census boundary analysis

climate weather

Climate & Weather Data

Explore category

Global climate rasters, historical weather records, and reanalysis datasets including WorldClim, CHELSA, NOAA CDO, and ERA5 for environmental and ecological GIS analysis.

WorldClim v2.1: dataset download instructions

GeoTIFF / ASCII

WorldClim v2.1

Raster (climate grid)

Global climate rasters at 30 arc-second resolution including temperature, precipitation, and 19 bioclimatic variables.

Species distribution modeling Climate change analysis
CHELSA Climate: dataset download instructions

GeoTIFF / NetCDF

CHELSA Climate

Raster (climate grid)

High-resolution global climate data using orographic and downscaled climate models, more accurate in mountainous terrain than WorldClim.

Mountain climate research Species distribution modeling
CHIRPS Rainfall Data: dataset download instructions

GeoTIFF / NetCDF

CHIRPS Rainfall Data

Raster (precipitation grid)

Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data — global rainfall estimates from 1981 to present at 0.05° resolution.

Drought monitoring Agricultural planning

geology soils

Geology & Soils

Explore category

Global soil property rasters, geologic maps, and soil classification datasets including SoilGrids, USGS geologic maps, and GlobalSoilMap for terrain and agricultural analysis.

SoilGrids 250m (ISRIC): dataset download instructions

GeoTIFF / COG / WMS

SoilGrids 250m (ISRIC)

Raster (soil property grid)

Global soil property predictions at 250m resolution including organic carbon, pH, texture, and depth from ISRIC World Soil Information.

Soil property mapping Agricultural suitability analysis
USGS Geologic Maps: dataset download instructions

Shapefile / GeoPDF / GeoTIFF

USGS Geologic Maps

Mixed (polygons, lines)

US Geological Survey state and national geologic maps showing rock types, faults, and structural geology for the United States.

Geologic mapping Mineral exploration
GlobalSoilMap: dataset download instructions

GeoTIFF / WMS

GlobalSoilMap

Raster (soil property grid)

An international consortium project producing fine-resolution (100m) digital soil maps with global coverage for key soil properties.

Fine-resolution soil mapping Food security assessment

urban buildings

Urban & Building Data

Explore category

Global building footprints, urban morphology, and settlement datasets including Microsoft Building Footprints, Google Open Buildings, and World Settlement Footprint.

energy

Energy & Infrastructure Data

Explore category

Global energy infrastructure datasets including power plants, pipelines, renewable energy sites, and mining operations.

maritime

Maritime & Ocean Data

Explore category

Global maritime and ocean datasets including exclusive economic zones, marine protected areas, shipping lanes, and oceanographic data.

natural hazards

Natural Hazards Data

Explore category

Global natural hazard and disaster risk datasets including earthquakes, floods, wildfires, and landslides.

vegetation

Vegetation & Ecosystem Data

Explore category

Global vegetation indices, ecosystem classifications, and habitat datasets including MODIS NDVI, forest cover, and ecosystem layers.

poi

Points of Interest & Places

Explore category

Global points of interest and populated place datasets including Natural Earth populated places, Overture POI, and GeoNames.

health education

Health & Education Facilities

Explore category

Global health facility and education infrastructure datasets including WHO health facilities, schools, and medical logistics data.

agriculture

Agriculture & Cropland Data

Explore category

Global cropland extent, crop type maps, irrigation areas, and agricultural production datasets for food security and land use analysis.

glaciers ice

Glaciers, Snow & Ice Data

Explore category

Global glacier inventories, snow cover, sea ice extent, and frozen ground datasets from NSIDC, GLIMS, and MODIS sources.

air quality

Air Quality & Atmospheric Data

Explore category

Global air pollution, atmospheric composition, and greenhouse gas datasets including PM2.5, NO2, SO2, and CO measurements from satellites and models.

environment

Environment & Emissions Data

Explore category

Country-level environmental statistics — CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions, per-capita footprints, and sector breakdowns — as interactive maps and downloadable GIS data.

economy

Economy & Development Data

Explore category

Country-level economic indicators — GDP, GDP per capita, growth, employment and trade — available as live World Bank maps and a downloadable historical economy explorer.

health

Health & Demographics Data

Explore category

Population health indicators — life expectancy, fertility, mortality and disease — mapped by country from the World Bank Indicators API, live in the browser.

conflict

Conflict & Security Data

Explore category

Global armed conflict events, terrorism incidents, and food security early warning data for humanitarian and security analysis.

Geographic data for your project

From a spatial data source to a usable map

Start with your study area and the question you want to answer. A world basemap needs different detail from a street-level transport analysis. Compare the source's geographic coverage, resolution, collection date and coordinate system before downloading a large file.

Once you have a file, open supported formats in the online GIS viewer to inspect its geometry and attributes. Use the GIS file converter when your workflow needs GeoJSON, Shapefile, GeoPackage or another format.

Recommended download workflows

Fast country basemap workflow

  • Hosted state, province or region layer
  • Natural Earth boundaries
  • GADM administrative supplements

Web map overlay workflow

  • Boundary basemap
  • Copernicus DEM
  • ESA WorldCover
  • GeoJSON publishing

Spatial analysis project workflow

  • OpenTopography DEM
  • HydroSHEDS
  • OSM transport layers
  • Thematic raster overlays

Open geospatial datasets: where to start

Choose a source by the map you want to make. These starting points cover common vector, raster and point-data workflows; check each provider's terms before reuse.

Administrative divisions

Compare GADM's country and subnational boundary levels. Read its reuse terms before including the data in a commercial project.

GADM Administrative Boundaries

Roads, buildings and places

Use a regional OpenStreetMap extract when a planet-sized download is unnecessary. Check the extract date and attribution requirements.

Geofabrik OSM Extracts

Terrain and elevation

Compare DEM coverage and resolution, then download only the tiles needed for your study area.

Copernicus DEM 30m

Rivers and drainage basins

Choose a hydrology layer and resolution that match your watershed study, and check how it was derived.

HydroSHEDS

Awesome geo data resources

Awesome Spatial Data by bchapuis is a curated GitHub list of open, scientific and commercial spatial data sources. Its topics include administrative boundaries, topography, satellite imagery, transport and open data catalogs.

Use the list to discover more providers, then check their current coverage, access requirements and licenses. This independent geo data hub complements that discovery step with download guides and available interactive previews for the datasets listed here. GeoDataViewer is not affiliated with the GitHub project.

For a focused starting point, browse our administrative boundary datasets, DEM and elevation data, or OpenStreetMap downloads.

GIS and spatial data questions

What is a geo data hub?

A geo data hub brings geographic datasets and their source information together. GeoDataViewer organizes spatial data by topic, with coverage, formats, license notes and download instructions. Some entries include browser map previews; others guide you to the original provider.

Where can I find free GIS datasets?

Start with the topic you need: boundaries for administrative areas, elevation for terrain, OpenStreetMap for roads and places, or imagery for satellite observations. Compare geographic coverage, resolution and update dates on the dataset pages before choosing a download.

How does this hub relate to Awesome Spatial Data?

Awesome Spatial Data by bchapuis is an independent GitHub list of open, scientific and commercial spatial data sources. Use it to discover providers, and use this hub for dataset-specific download instructions, format guidance and available previews. The two projects are not affiliated.

Which geospatial data format should I download?

Choose GeoJSON for small vector layers and web maps, Shapefile for established GIS workflows, and GeoPackage for multiple vector layers in one file. Elevation and satellite imagery often use GeoTIFF. For large downloads, check the provider's tiling and regional extract options first.

Does free geographic data allow commercial use?

Free access does not always mean unrestricted reuse. Check the original provider's license for attribution, redistribution and commercial-use conditions. This directory links to sources with different terms; the catalog does not grant a new license to their data.