Welcome to the Gap Analysis Program (GAP) Protected Areas Viewer
Administered by the U.S. Geological Survey GAP, the Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) is the nation’s official inventory of public open space and private protected areas. The lands included in PAD-US are assigned conservation status codes that both denote the level of biodiversity preservation and indicate other natural, recreational and cultural uses.
Many legitimate overlaps exist in the PAD-US geodatabase (e.g. multiple Marine Protected Areas designations, Wilderness Areas over National Forests or National Parks). The viewer identifies overlaps, with select attributes. Refer to the geodatabase to identify all features. GAP has developed a file without overlaps for analyses. Ask the PAD-US Coordinator for assistance with your specific project needs.
