Throughout this section, we stressed that data is one of the most important parts of geospatial intelligence. Being able to locate data is a critical skill to learn when you become involved in any kind of intelligence-gathering activity. This lesson serves to provide you with a basic understanding. There are a number of places online where you can find freely available data for download and use in mapping projects. The data fall into two main categories--National and International. Within each of these categories, you can find data that are governmental and non-governmental. Typically, governmental data are easier to find than non-governmental data unless you are dealing with large multi-national organizations, such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The websites discussed in this lesson were:
- United States Census Bureau
- United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- CIA: The World Factbook
- International Database provided by the United States Census Bureau
- Google and Google Scholar
Because all of these organizations are run by different countries, boards, individuals, etc., they do not all provide the same easy access to their data. Often, it takes some time searching through a website trying to determine where you can find the data you need, how to download it and then how to use it. Sometimes, it can be a frustrating task; sometimes, it is a breeze. In either case, you should always allow plenty of time for doing research and locating data because it is not given that the data you are seeking are out there already and easy to find.
In this lesson, you learned the basics of how to perform more sophisticated searches online, using mostly Google. You became familiar with some of the larger governmental and non-governmental organizations who provide large quantities of useful data. Along the way, you came across some activities that will help develop these skills and illustrate some of the points being made. You should do these searches whenever they are provided because the best way to learn these skills is to perform them. Once you get a handle on the different types of searches, you should experiment with finding some of your own data to test your success.
Questions or Comments?
Registered students are welcome to post comments or questions to The Conference Room discussion forum. (That forum can be accessed at any time in Canvas by clicking on the Discussions link.)