Earth & Environmental Sciences Research Guide: Governmental Open Data Resources

Data.gov federates data from hundreds of sources, including federal government, cities, counties, states, and universities. Over 280,000 datasets browseable and searchable by topic, location, type, format, and more.

The USGS Earth Explorer data portal is your one stop shop for obtaining geo-spatial datasets from our extensive collections. Users can navigate via interactive map or text search to obtain Landsat satellite imagery, Radar data, UAS data, digital line graphs, digital elevation model data, aerial photos, Sentinel satellite data, some commercial satellite imagery including IKONOS and OrbView3, land cover data, digital map data from the National Map, and many other datasets. Users can search by exact location via the interactive map or input specific coordinates to view what data types are available.

This resource provides access to a trove of material about major areas in the New York City Region (Highlands Province, Sedimentary Appalachians, Mesozoic Basins, Coastal Plain), Quaternary Geology, Basic Geologic Principles, and NYC's Physical Environment. Users can find detailed maps, illustrations, color photographs, as well as a lengthy list of secondary sources.

Database of geologic maps from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The National Geologic Map Database (NGMDB) is the primary source for geologic map and related geoscience information of the United States. Provides access to more than 100,000 geologic maps and other types of geoscience reports and data published from the early 1800s to the present day, by the USGS, the State Geological Surveys, and hundreds of other organizations.

The Science On a Sphere Data Catalog is comprised of more than 500 datasets from NOAA, NASA, universities, science centers and other organizations; 40 are real-time datasets offered by NOAA. Each month 21 terabytes of data are downloaded from the catalog. The datasets are divided into the categories of Atmosphere, Ocean, Land, Astronomy, Models and Simulations, and Extras. The catalog is continually growing, so be sure to check back often. Each dataset entry includes a description of the dataset, a picture, a video, notable features, relevant links, and source information.

This site provides a wide range of unique national, state, and local environmental information. Tabs at the top allow users to navigate through the EPA's abundant and complex information from a news, scientific, or legal perspective. "My Environment" enables the user to search for environmental information based on ZIP code and compiles data from other state and federal agencies to provide a comprehensive view of an area's environmental conditions.

The USGS serves the Nation by providing reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life. The USGS also has an online, searchable library. Its library is the largest library for earth sciences in the world. The library system includes four libraries and is part of the Geographic Information Office of the USGS. Another important resource is the USGS Photographic Library, which offers access to more than 30,000 color and black-and-white photographs taken during geologic studies of the U.S. These images provide a visual history of the discovery, development, and sciences of the United States and its Geological Survey. Some photographs have been used in USGS publications, but most have never been published.

The World Bank collects time series, geospatial, and micro- data on agriculture, economy, debt, health, infrastructure, technology, trade, and more for regions and countries around the world.

The World Resources Institute provides open access to reliable data for actionable change. WRI works with dozens of partners to build a platform that enables users to monitor forests with satellites, track the drivers of climate change, understand indigenous communities land rights, plan for water scarcity, examine the cross-section of global environmental issues and more.

The mission of the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) is to rapidly determine location and size of all destructive earthquakes worldwide and to immediately disseminate this information to concerned national and international agencies, scientists and the general public.

Featuring categories such as Basics, Big Picture, Warning, Preparedness, and more, this site offers both basic and in-depth coverage of the earthquakes that create tsunamis, their warning systems, as well as providing preparation and hazard assessment information. The Education section provides resources for teachers and elementary students. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the government agency with primary responsibility for providing tsunami warnings to the United States.

This site, hosted by the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, is not a monitoring service. Instead, Tsunamis & Earthquakes contains overview documents with details about recent earthquakes and resulting tsunamis since 1998, including a Research Studies section covering past events. Researchers can use this site to find basic information, animations, research studies, and analyses.

The Earthquake Engineering Online Archive is a database of significant, publicly-funded research and development literature, photographs, data, and software in earthquake, structural, and geotechnical engineering. It includes full text for EERC, SEMM, and PEER reports published at UC Berkeley, the NISEE software library, and images from EQIIS, including the Steinbrugge, Godden, and Kozak collections.

Climate Monitoring is a service of NOAA's National Climatic Data Center. It is divided into 12 sections, each offering links to reports, data, maps, and other resources.

EPA's Climate Change Site offers comprehensive information on the issue of climate change in a way that is accessible and meaningful to all parts of society.

This multimedia site (subtitled "NASA's Eyes on the Earth") offers photos, movies, animations and interactive graphics as well as news and data from NASA's research into climate change.