UC Berkeley's New Geoportal: GeoData@UC Berkeley

GeoData@UC Berkeley (http://gis.lib.berkeley.edu) is a geoportal where users from around the world can search for geospatial data and scanned maps in the UC Berkeley Earth Sciences and Mpa Library collection using a web browser. The geoportal allows users to search spatially as well as a full text metadata search. All the data viewable in the geoportal can be downloaded and used in desktop GIS software and Google Earth.

» How to find data

You can search geographically by drawing a bounding box for your area of interest on the map (hold down Shift and make a box with the mouse) and browse the results, which change based on your search area. You can use the search box on the top right corner of the map to search for a specific place.

Keyword searches can be done on the left side of the page. This searches each layer’s metadata and ranks the results based on the map area on the right of the page. The most spatially relevant results rank highest. The site includes a User Guide and Getting Started tab for more information.

» What you can get

You can preview freely available layers within the geoportal by checking the box in the Preview column. Any layer that can be previewed can be downloaded as a shapefile, KML file, or raster file type by adding the layer to the cart. All data is free in GeoData@UC Berkeley. You can download your layers by going to the Cart tab.

Some layers have a “login” button in the preview column. These layers are restricted to users at specific universities.

» Where the data comes from

GeoData@UC Berkeley is one site in a collaborative effort between a number of universities in the United States. The site was developed at Tufts and Harvard universities in Massachusetts with data contributions from those schools as well as MIT, the Massachusetts state GIS Department, and UC Berkeley. Stanford will have a site live in early 2012.

All of the collaborators share metadata and make their data available for free download.

» How it works

GeoData@UC Berkeley runs on an all open source stack. GIS data is stored in PostGIS and Geoserver and served out via Open Layers. Currently, GeoData@UC Berkeley works with Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer with Chrome Frame installed. Metadata is stored in XML files in Solr and searched via Lucene search.

Contact us

GeoData@UC Berkeley strives to be as useful a resource for geospatial data as possible. If there are datasets or functionality you’d like to see in GeoData@UC Berkeley, please let us know. You can contact

John Ridener, GIS Specialist/Map Cataloger
Earth Sciences and Map Library, UC Berkeley
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
@geobiblio
510 643 9350

GeoData@UC Berkeley: http://gis.lib.berkeley.edu
UC Berkeley Earth Sciences and Map Library: http://lib.berkeley.edu/EART