LibGuides: MSU Libraries GIS Services and Guides: Worldwide Data

Worldwide Datasets

GADM Global Administrative Areas
GADM is a spatial database of the location of the world's adminstrative boundaries for use in GIS and similar software.
DIVA-GIS
DIVA provides boundary files for the globe based on GDAM, but also shapefiles of infrastructure from various sources.

LandScan This link opens in a new window
This dataset requires an MSU netid login. Landscan is a world population dataset at approximately 1 km resolution (30" X 30"). It represents an ambient population (average over 24 hours). The LandScan algorithm uses spatial data and imagery analysis technologies and a multi-variable dasymetric modeling approach to disaggregate census counts within an administrative boundary.

SEDAC Global Data
The Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center is a center in NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System which provides a variety of global environmental and social datasets.
Geofabrik
This site offers excerpts and derived data from the OpenStreetMap dataset available for free download. Most of these files are updated every day.
Natural Earth vector and raster map data
Medium to small scale boundary files from the North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS)
HydroSHEDS Worldwide Hydrology data
HydroSHEDS provides hydrographic information in a consistent and comprehensive format for regional and global-scale applications. Now maintained by the World Wildlife Federation. Registration (free) required.
River Watch from the Dartmouth Flood Observatory
Estimates river discharge at over 2500 selected river measurement sites. Scroll right past the worldwide image, and click on one of the region links below.
VMAP1: Vector data for (part of) the world
VMap1 is derived rom Joint Operation Graphics (JOG) maps at 1:250,000 scale
SERVIR Global Data Catalog
"SERVIR is a joint initiative of NASA, USAID, and leading geospatial organizations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, SERVIR partners with countries and organizations to address critical challenges" This portal contains curated remote sensing data.

African datasets

openAfrica
openAFRICA is a grassroots initiative, maintained by Code for Africa, as a public service. The platform is available as a free resource for ordinary citizens, civil society organisations, civic activists, the media, and government agencies.
Harvard's AfricaMap Project
AfricaMap is based on the Harvard University Geospatial Infrastructure (HUG) platform, and was developed by the Center for Geographic Analysis to make spatial data on Africa easier for researchers to discover and explore. Users must create an account to use this resource. More info here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/adbb4cec1683421b842784fd9dc7e094

Asian Datasets

China Data Online This link opens in a new window
Provides data on China, including macroeconomic statistics, economic reports, city statistics, regional statistics, industrial statistics, yearbooks, etc.

Asia Open Data Portal
"AODP has 19 partners from 11 economies in Asia. By offering one-stop data access services, Dataportal.asia aims at facilitating and providing advanced features for cross-border open data access to ensure the exploration, exploitation, and re-usability of open data across Asian countries."
SHRUG
"The Socioeconomic High-resolution Rural-Urban Geographic Platform for India (SHRUG) is a geographic platform that facilitates data sharing between researchers working on India. It is an open access repository currently comprising dozens of datasets covering India’s 500,000 villages and 8000 towns using a set of a common geographic identifiers that span 25 years."

Canadian Data

Canadian Census Shapefiles
Includes political boundaries and water features. Files are available from 2001 to the present.
Ontario Open Data Portal
Ontario's governmental Open Data Portal.
Scholar's Network
A platform managed by a consortia of Ontario higher education institutions. Focused on data from Canada.
Canadian Historical National Topographic System (NTS): 1:50,000 Scale Maps, Data, & GIS
"This collection provides open access to digitized historical maps at the 1:50,000 scale, covering towns, cities, and rural areas in Canada over the period of 1948 to the early 21st century."

Global Census Data

East View's Global Census Archive contains census data formatted into a geodatabase which allows the user to search for information and visualize the data using GIS software. For each country, the archive includes a geodatabase with administrative boundary vector data; shapefiles (all vector and census data in ESRI shapefile format); instructions on how to query and visualize data; original census documentation in the native format; and metadata in FGDC ISO format.

The hyperlinks below will take you to the catalog entry for more information and download access. To skip directly to downloads, please see the Latin American Census Directory or the African Census Directory.

MSU Libraries

Research Guides

MSU Libraries GIS Services and Guides

Worldwide Datasets

African datasets

Asian Datasets

Canadian Data

Global Census Data