Research Guides: GIS Data: Internet Data Sources for Foreign Countries

Introduction

The word "Foreign" is used here to mean any area outside the 3 main countries of North America. In other words, all countries except Canada, the United States and Mexico. Some of the resources are duplicated on the individual lists. Those resources cover the world and therefore those continents.

The World

Digital Soil Map of the World
The vector data set is based on the FAO-UNESCO Soil Map of the World. The Digitized Soil Map of the World, at 1:5.000.000 scale, is in the Geographic projection (Latitude - Longitude) intersected with a template containing water related features (coastlines, lakes, glaciers and double-lined rivers).
Data from DIVA-GIS
Administrative, down to 3rd and 4th levels, and other fetures available for different countries.
GEO Data Portal
The GEO Data Portal is the authoritative source for data sets used by UNEP and its partners in the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) report and other integrated environment assessments.
Geographic Names Server
The Geographic Names Server (GNS) is the official repository of standard spellings of all foreign geographic names, sanctioned by the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN). In addition to the current approved names of features, users may find variant and historical spellings, along with non-Roman script spellings. ...
Global Administrative Areas (GADM)
GADM is a spatial database of the location of the world's administrative areas (or adminstrative boundaries) for use in GIS and similar software.
GTOPO30
"GTOPO30 is a global digital elevation model (DEM) with a horizontal grid spacing of 30 arc seconds (approximately 1 kilometer).
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GTOPO30 was derived from several raster and vector sources of topographic information. For easier distribution, GTOPO30 has been divided into tiles which can be selected from the map shown on the web site."
Living Atlas of the World from Esri
The Living Atlas of the World is the foremost collection of global geographic information from Esri and its partners, including maps, apps, and data layers used to support critical decision making.
Natural Earth
Natural Earth is a public domain map dataset available at 1:10M, 1:50M, and 1:110 Million scales. They feature tightly integrated vector and raster data and you can make a variety of visually pleasing, well-crafted maps with cartography or GIS software.
United Nations - Global Geospatial Information Management (GGIM)
The UN's efforts to establish global sets of geospatial data.

The Rest of the Western Hemisphere

Geographic Names Server
The Geographic Names Server (GNS) is the official repository of standard spellings of all foreign geographic names, sanctioned by the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN). In addition to the current approved names of features, users may find variant and historical spellings, along with non-Roman script spellings. ...
GTOPO30
"GTOPO30 is a global digital elevation model (DEM) with a horizontal grid spacing of 30 arc seconds (approximately 1 kilometer).
more...less...
GTOPO30 was derived from several raster and vector sources of topographic information. For easier distribution, GTOPO30 has been divided into tiles which can be selected from the map shown on the web site."

Europe

Baltic GIS
Baltic Sea Region GIS, Maps & Statistical Database
DiGMapGB-625K
Generalised digital geological map data based on BGS's published poster maps of the UK (North and South). Bedrock related themes created by generalisation of 1:50 000 data to make the 2007 fifth edition Bedrock Geology map.
Geographic Names Server
The Geographic Names Server (GNS) is the official repository of standard spellings of all foreign geographic names, sanctioned by the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN). In addition to the current approved names of features, users may find variant and historical spellings, along with non-Roman script spellings. ...
GTOPO30
"GTOPO30 is a global digital elevation model (DEM) with a horizontal grid spacing of 30 arc seconds (approximately 1 kilometer).
more...less...
GTOPO30 was derived from several raster and vector sources of topographic information. For easier distribution, GTOPO30 has been divided into tiles which can be selected from the map shown on the web site."

Africa

Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS)
The Goal of the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) is to strengthen the abilities of foreign countries and regional organizations to manage risk of food insecurity through the provision of timely and analytical early warning and vulnerability
Geographic Names Server
The Geographic Names Server (GNS) is the official repository of standard spellings of all foreign geographic names, sanctioned by the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN). In addition to the current approved names of features, users may find variant and historical spellings, along with non-Roman script spellings. ...
GTOPO30
"GTOPO30 is a global digital elevation model (DEM) with a horizontal grid spacing of 30 arc seconds (approximately 1 kilometer).
more...less...
GTOPO30 was derived from several raster and vector sources of topographic information. For easier distribution, GTOPO30 has been divided into tiles which can be selected from the map shown on the web site."
Safari 2000 Project (S2K)
The SAFARI 2000 (S2K) Project was an international science initiative to study the linkages between land and atmosphere processes in the southern African region. Their collected data is available for downloading.

Asia

Afghanistan Election Data
Besides data on general elections, there are several gis layers available for downloading.
Bible Geocoding
You can geocode all the places mentioned in the Bible using data from this site.
China Geo-Explorer II
China Historical GIS
This site is from Harvard.
Geographic Names Server
The Geographic Names Server (GNS) is the official repository of standard spellings of all foreign geographic names, sanctioned by the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN). In addition to the current approved names of features, users may find variant and historical spellings, along with non-Roman script spellings. ...
GTOPO30
"GTOPO30 is a global digital elevation model (DEM) with a horizontal grid spacing of 30 arc seconds (approximately 1 kilometer).
more...less...
GTOPO30 was derived from several raster and vector sources of topographic information. For easier distribution, GTOPO30 has been divided into tiles which can be selected from the map shown on the web site."

Oceania

Geographic Names Server
The Geographic Names Server (GNS) is the official repository of standard spellings of all foreign geographic names, sanctioned by the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN). In addition to the current approved names of features, users may find variant and historical spellings, along with non-Roman script spellings. ...
Geoscience Australia
GIS data and downloadable maps for Australia.
GTOPO30
"GTOPO30 is a global digital elevation model (DEM) with a horizontal grid spacing of 30 arc seconds (approximately 1 kilometer).
more...less...
GTOPO30 was derived from several raster and vector sources of topographic information. For easier distribution, GTOPO30 has been divided into tiles which can be selected from the map shown on the web site."

Antarctica

Geographic Names Server
The Geographic Names Server (GNS) is the official repository of standard spellings of all foreign geographic names, sanctioned by the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN). In addition to the current approved names of features, users may find variant and historical spellings, along with non-Roman script spellings. ...
GRID-Arendal: Online GIS and Maps Database
GIS data set consist of georeferenced (geo) graphical features which are linked to an attribute database that describs features or polygons on the map.
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These dataset are produced using ARC/INFO (for both PC and Unix), ARC/VIEW and IDRISI software.
GTOPO30
"GTOPO30 is a global digital elevation model (DEM) with a horizontal grid spacing of 30 arc seconds (approximately 1 kilometer).
more...less...
GTOPO30 was derived from several raster and vector sources of topographic information. For easier distribution, GTOPO30 has been divided into tiles which can be selected from the map shown on the web site."
Polar Geospatial Center
The Polar Geospatial Center provides geospatial support, mapping, and GIS/remote sensing solutions to researchers and logistics groups in the polar science community.

GIS Data

Subject Librarian

Bathymetric data