Sources of freely available geospatial data

Now that you understand the importance of having the appropriate geospatial data and have learned about the major types of data that you will want to use, let's look at some of the places where you can obtain the data you'll need.

There are some situations where you may need to purchase geospatial datasets. One example of this is when looking for ZIP code boundaries in the USA; this information is proprietary to the US Postal Service (USPS), and accurate versions can only be obtained by purchasing a suitable dataset from a vendor licensed by the USPS to sell this data. However, this is the exception: in almost every other case, you can obtain, modify, and use geospatial data for free.

Let's now take a look at some of the major websites you will want to use when looking for geospatial data.

Natural Earth Data

The Natural Earth Data website (http://naturalearthdata.com) is a comprehensive source of high-quality and freely available geospatial...