Reference at Newman Library

Tag: Baruch Geoportal

New Baruch Geoportal Just Launched

We’ve relaunched the Baruch Geoportal, our library’s on-line repository for GIS and geospatial data. Our new front-end uses a Confluence wiki which allows us to: update the site more quickly, spend more time on content and less time on design, and to collaborate more easily. Also, it’s visually integrated with the library’s and the college’s website. Much of the existing content was migrated over, and we’ve added some new material. You can read our inaugural blog post for more details, and then  follow along with that blog to monitor updates on the site. The new url is:

https://www.baruch.cuny.edu/confluence/display/geoportal/

The library’s databases list has been updated to reflect this change. If people still have bookmarks to the old address (http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/geoportal/), they’ll automatically be re-directed to the new site (at least for the next few months).

MapPluto Tax Lot / Parcel GIS Data

Over the summer the NYC Dept of Planning changed course and started providing their MapPluto product – a GIS dataset with boundaries of every tax parcel and detailed attributes like zoning, land use, land value, building descriptors, and administrative identifiers – for free. Previously the dataset cost $300 for each borough and had very tight restrictions on use. Now anyone can download the latest version from their website.

We had purchased a copy of the 2008 MapPluto data for all five boroughs, and I handled the few requests I had via email. But now that the restrictions are off I’m providing free access to it on the Baruch Geoportal. The data is in shapefile format and can be used in any GIS system (ArcGIS, QGIS, etc.). There is one file for each borough. At this point it’s useful for historic purposes; users who want the latest data should go directly to the City’s website.

China Data Center GIS Datasets

We have purchased some GIS datasets from the University of Michigan’s China Data Center. The datasets include boundaries for provinces, counties, prefectures, and cities, as well as current and historic census data that can be joined to these boundaries for mapping and analysis. The datasets also include geographic features like roads, railroads, and rivers. In addition to the national series we have some detailed collections of data for the provinces of: Beijing, Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Shanghai.

The data is in shapefile format and can be used with any GIS software (ArcGIS, QGIS, etc.) In some cases some of the data tables are provided in Excel format, for patrons who are interested in working with the statistics without the mapping elements.

A list of the datasets is available on the Baruch Geoportal. Use is limited to current Baruch students, faculty, and staff for educational, non-commercial purposes. Since the data is copyrighted and I don’t have a secure method of distribution, anyone who is interested should contact me (using their Baruch email address) and I can send them the data, or make arrangements to give them copies.

NYC Geodatabase

The NYC Geodatabase (nyc_gdb) is a new resource I’ve created, designed for mapping and analyzing city-level features and data in GIS. The database comes in two formats: a Spatialite geodatabase built on SQLite that can be used in open source software like QGIS, and a personal geodatabase built on MS Access that can be used in ArcGIS.

The contents of the databases are identical and include geographic features and statistical areas from the US Census Bureau, transit and public facility point features from the City, and neighborhood-level census data. All features share a common coordinate system.

The databases will be updated bi-annually each winter and summer. While primarily designed for use with GIS and spatial database software, they can also be used to a limited extent with relational database software like MS Access and the SQLite Manager. I plan on creating a workshop around this resource in the near future.

The databases and associated documentation (including a tutorial and detailed metadata) are available through the Baruch Geoportal at http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/geoportal/nyc_gdb/. It is a public resource, licensed under Creative Commons, that anyone can access and download.

NY Metro Area ACS Geodatabase

We are now offering a value-added GIS census product through the Baruch Geoportal. The NY Metro ACS Geodatabase (NYMAG) contains geographic features and 2005-2007 American Community Survey data tables for the entire New York Metropolitan Area. Users will be able to download this geodatabase and use it with ArcGIS software to create thematic maps of census data at the public use microdata area (PUMA) geographic level. PUMAs are geographic areas that are useful surrogates for the city’s community districts or neighborhoods. Outside the city, PUMAs are subdivisions of counties.

The geodatabase, complete with user documentation and an example map, is available for download from the Baruch Geoportal at: http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/geoportal/data/nymag/.

Intermediate to advanced GIS users are the intended audience for this database. Hopefully we can roll out a simplified Google Maps interface for novices and non-GIS users sometime in the future. There are no access restrictions – anyone can download it, but will need access to GIS software in order to use it. The geodatabase is in Microsoft Access format which means that anyone with Microsoft Office can work with the data tables, but they won’t be able to use the geographic features without GIS software.

Many thanks to Clint Newsom who worked this summer as a GIS intern on this project – he is largely responsible for making it all happen. Clint is now back at the Information School at the University of Michigan, wrapping up his Info Studies degree.