COMPUTING, DATA, AND SOFTWARE RESOURCES
DATA
Web-based mapping
- Neighborhood Scout maps real estate, school, crime data and more for U.S. cities and neighborhoods.
- Policy Map has powerful interactive mapping tools. U.S. Census and home lending data free with registration.
- Social Explorer: Detailed demographic data for U.S. from 1790 to present, some requires subscription.
- GeoCommons provides free data, including demographics and a web-based mapping application.
- ESRI’s Mapping For Everyone site has free map layer and tools to construct web-based maps.
Sources of data for free download
Usage restrictions may apply
- Geodata.gov data clearinghouse for US, state, and local government data
- Geography Network Explorer tool for searching and browsing downloadable data from around the world
- Free Data from ESRI for ArcGIS users, including Census TIGER/Line files
- Boundary files from the US Census Bureau (see data access tools for adding demographic data)
- National Historical GIS for boundary file and demographic data for the US 1790 – 2000 (Minnesota Population Center)
- International boundary files from IPUMS International (Minnesota Population Center)
Data for Licensing and Purchase
- Location Inc (Neighborhood Scout) licenses education, crime and real estate data and more
- Geolytics – Custom demographic data in the shapefile format
- ESRI Data – Updated U.S. demographic data, business and consumer data and more.
- Policy Map compiles makes many useful data sources available to paid subscribers.
SOFTWARE
Quantum GIS
Open source solution for mapping and manipulating spatial data in a variety of formats. PC, Mac, Unix and more versions. Plug-ins available for some types of spatial analysis.
- QGIS site
- I recommend downloading the stable version
- QGIS user guide
- QGIS combo with GRASS for mac: http://www.openosx.com/grass/qgis.html
- fTools plug ins for spatial analysis
GeoDa
Open source program for spatial analysis
- GeoDa (Arizona State) software page : http://geodacenter.asu.edu/software
- guide to GeoDa sotfware: http://geodacenter.org/downloads/pdfs/geoda095i.pdf
- CSISS GeoDa workbook
ArcGIS
Powerful GIS for Windows. Easy to use tools for spatial statistics are available.
- ESRI home page, with links to resources for digital maps, data sets, utilities, courses, etc.:
- CSISS page of ArcGIS cookbook tutorials
Other software providers
- TerraSeer home site, with tutorials on cluster analysis and boundary analysis, including Space Stat
- SuperGeo: makers of GIS software and the “GIS learning CD” providing overview of GIS techniques
- Open source point pattern analysis: Spatstat.org
- STARS package for time series: http://regionalanalysislab.org/index.php/Main/STARS
- Java based geovisualization: http://www.geovistastudio.psu.edu/jsp/index.jsp
EDUCATION AND CONSULTING SITES
- Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science (CSISS) main site, especially its learning materials, syllabi and search engine site, with a specialized tools search engine, links to portals and selected links to specific software
- Center for Environmental Statistics Software Links: http://ces.stat.ucla.edu/software/gis Center for Environmental Statistics Software Links
- OpenGeo, part of The Open Planning Project offers support for open source GIS software, especially for local government and planning