GeeK Tech-Data Links

UMAC is a site for downloading free Landsat 5, 7 and ASTER satellite imagery. To use, select the most recent DNGP version (recommend registering and using AOI-area of interest). Useable Imagery formats ETM+, TM, ASTER VNIR and ETM+Pan (make sure your product type is Original Image and All). For elevation maps SRTM maps are available.

USDA Geospatial site is great for downloading background imagery. When you get to the page, click on "Get Data". The pieces we usually get here are CLU-Common Land Units, DRG-Digital Raster Graphics, NAIP-National Ag Imagery Program, and Soils Maps-SSURGO. Your "Vector Projection" should be in UTM, and on Step 5 don't for get to place your order.

Manitoba Land Initiative has a great supply of background data. You will find mostly road, water, soils, municipal, elevation, and imagery maps.

The US Census Bureau is a great supplier for basic county data such as Roads, Railroads, Waterways and Townships. The files to download are the “edges” files for Roads, Railroads and Waterways. The “cousub” file will give you useable Township data for most areas.

GeoCommunicator is a quick source for Township and Section Data. When you get into the Download page, select "County" tab on the right side of the page, choose your location, "Search/Select". At the Download PLSS just click "Download PLSS" and "Save" to the GKData/CountyData/xxxxxCounty folder.

The USGS—EarthExplorer is a source for LandSat imagery and much more. The LandSat imagery is free, but all other imagery must be purchases. Below are links for downloading the Imagery. They come down in a ZIPPED (tar.gz) format. Below are instructions on how to download the images and process the images.

Downloading USGS

Processing USGS in Ag Data Viewer

The Minnesota DNR Data Deli is the source for downloading LIDAR data for the Red River Valley and any other locations in Minnesota. This is elevation data collected by plane and has accuracy of 6 inches.

Downloading & Processing LIDAR Data

ND LiDAR Dissemination Mapservice

The ND LiDAR Dissemination Mapservice has all the available data for ND. The site is run by the state water commission.

Vector and raster data stored on the GIS Hub can be downloaded using the Hub Data Portal which is the primary application for finding and downloading data or the Hub Explorer.

Data Links connects you to sites where we download background data for use in our software. We are not a data storage company, there are plenty of sites out there storing data for downloads. If you are like us, you have had a hard time finding the data you are looking for, so we put together some links. Along with the link is a guide to what useful data to get from this site.

To use data in GK Tech software, it should be downloaded in UTM Zone "xx" or if not an option try Lat/Lon. Also, all downloads should be in .SHP - Shape File, .TIF, .SID or .ECW formats. There are no guarantees that the data you download will work in our software, due to many variables in file encoding and projection. If you have problems please let us know.

On another subject, I often get questions about what the capability of Defense Dept satellites is compared to commercial data. Here is a link to some information about what's up there, and it's a lot better than I thought it was!!

The KH-11 line of satellites has about 10 times more resolution that 1 meter NAIP photography.

http://www.spacetoday.org/Satellites/YugoWarSats.html

Please drop us a line if you know of any other sites that you have found helpful for getting data and what data you are getting from that site. Data can be very local for your area, national or international, we will try to get them added to our Data Links page.

sales@gktechinc.com

Also, let us know if any of the links are not working.