Mapping Professionals

You've already invested in your own desktop mapping or GIS software. You're a skilled user of software that lets you analyze geospatial information and make your own maps. You need documented, accurate, reliable, and integrated data. Take a look at the GIS files offered in the National Atlas. They cover the Nation, you can download them today, and they're free! GIS users and Web programmers may also want to check out our online map services.

Raw Data

The raw data we use to generate maps can be downloaded for free. Vector files are available in Shapefile and SDTS-TVP formats. National Atlas geostatistical data are in DBF format. Our images are GeoTIFF files. We bundle and compress raw National Atlas data to facilitate delivery on the World Wide Web, so you'll need decompression software.

Raw Data Documentation

You can learn whether National Atlas raw data will suit your needs by pursuing our raw data documentation. We release no raw data file without an accompanying raw data documentation file that complies with the Federal Geographic Data Committee Content Standard on Digital Geospatial Metadata. These documentation files are also bundled with the raw data files you download from nationalatlas.gov.

Open Geospatial Consortium/Web Mapping Services

Would you like to embed the National Atlas in your own application? You can if your code takes advantage of the evolving Web Mapping Services specifications from the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC).