Databases of the week: maps and geospatial data plus GIS Day!
Stop! What you are about to read is good stuff but if you also register for GISDay@Stanford 2019, it will be even better.
Please note that registration is currently restricted to Stanford affiliates. If you would like to attend but are not a Stanford affiliate, please add yourself to the waiting list and we will release unclaimed tickets the week before the event.
GISDay@Stanford is the Stanford Geospatial Center's annual celebration of spatial data technologies in research and teaching. This year we are focusing on applications of spatial data in art, privacy, and humanitarian work.
Okay, go on.
The following databases are recommended by your resident map and geospatial nerds:
GeoFacets
Unless you’re looking to reinvent the wheel, Geofacets is your ticket to enhancing the efficiency of your research efforts. You can use this interactive and intuitive tool to search for and extract maps, figures, and tables from scientific publications and with their collection being nearly 2 million items deep, the odds are in your favor.
SimplyAnalytics
Do you have research questions that can be answered by demographic, business, health, or marketing data for the United States and Canada? SimplyAnalytics is an intuitive analytic tool that allows you to create custom maps and reports by applying your own data and/or selecting from their catalog of over 75,000 variables.
EarthWorks
EarthWorks is Stanford University's online catalog for discovering and downloading geographic information systems (GIS) data, maps, and other geographic datasets. It allows users to search and browse the GIS collections not only owned by Stanford Libraries but as well as data collections from many other institutions. If you are conducting research that will result in useful geospatial vector or raster data, you can leave a feedback note to contact those who can help you deposit this data into the Stanford Digital Repository and then also become searchable and downloadable in EarthWorks.
Nineteenth Century Collections Online | Mapping the World: Maps and Travel Literature
Want access to international collections such as those from the British Library and the National Archvies at Kew? Nineteenth Century Collections Online has culled selections from map collections around the world to provide users with access to materials such as the King George III Topographical Collection and Ministry of Defense Maps. Equipped with download, share, and citation tools, this intuitive resource is an excellent way to begin incorporating maps into your research.
Planet.com Imagery
With Planet’s growing constellation of over 200 small satellites, also known as Doves, they are able to image the Earth’s surface once every day with medium-high resolution imagery which can then be used to create basemaps and enable analysis along with many other applications. Access to Planet’s services is managed by the Stanford Geospatial Center; to read more about these services and the access request process, click here.
Digital Sanborn Maps, 1867-1970 | California
Become an empowered nosey neighbor or use them for research, your choice. The Sanborn Map Company began publishing delightfully detailed maps for fire insurance companies in the 19th century and continued to do so until the 1960s. Property boundaries, building materials, and the location of fire hydrants are just some of the details you can find within the database for Digital Sanborn Maps of California.