Bodleian Library Map Room home page
 
maintained by Nigel James
 
Web sources for free downloadable MapInfo data
 
   
All GIS users need data! The Map Room has a range of datasets for users, but if you are working elsewhere or need other data, then these links may point you in the right direction. All these links have data which can be downloaded at no charge - however some sites require (free) registration.

The data at these sites is often in other formats, but most vector data is in Arc/Info Export format: .e00. This data can be converted to MapInfo .tab format using the ArcLink tool or Universal Translator supplied with MapInfo.

GeoTIFF data can be registered in MapInfo using the GeoReg tool which is also supplied with the software (MI 6.5 onwards registers geotiffs automatically)

 
   
If you find any of these links are broken or have moved, or you are aware of other sources of free downloadable data, please let us know.  
   
If you are a MapInfo user, then have a look at the MapInfo guides.  
   
Useful site:  
Grime: GIS Stuff is an excellent source of data converters and other GIS-related information.  
   
NEW! For GB data have a look at the free data now available from the Ordnance Survey on the OS Opendata web pages  
   
World data  
   
DirectionsMag A good source of World data including World population gridded raster data, ETOPO5 : 5-minute gridded elevation data, airports and more. Some of the other data on the site is for the USA only. Data is in MapInfo and .e00 formats.
   
Geography Network Links to free (and not free) downloadabledata from ESRI, US Census etc.
   
Geospatial Engine The Geospatial Data Engine provides access to imagery of the Earth, maps and other geospatial information produced by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA). Vector data includes VMAP Level 0 (1:1 000 000) and VMAP Level 1 (1:250 000), along with Digital Orthorectified Imagery 10 meter (DOI 10), Digital Terrain Elevation Data (DTED®) Level 0 30 Arc Second Terrain Data, and raster data (TPC, ONC etc) in GeoTIFF format. Availability is variable, especially for the more detailed products and download files can be huge (100Mb+) so a fast connection is essential. Data can also be ordered on CD-ROM.
VMAP data is supplied in Vector Product Format (VPF). This can be translated to MapInfo .tab format using the Universal Translator supplied with MapInfo. See how to use this data in MapInfo
GISDataDepot Download data from the Digital Chart of the World - one of the oldest World data sets still available. The first version of DCW has been released for public use and is available from a number of sources. The data is ca. 1993 and compiled from ONCs. Note that there are gaps and errors in the coverage, notably drainage and contours. The scale is 1:1 000 000 so it is a good source of base mapping and a later version is sold by ESRI. DCW can also be downloaded from Penn State University Maps Library (warning: some of the files are very large!). Data is in ArcInfo .e00 format. For more up-to-date and detailed data see NIMA's Geospatial Engine.
   
Grid-Arendal: Online GIS and Maps Database A good collection of datasets for the World, Arctic and Africa. The World data includes new versions of World Databank I and II, CIA datasets of international boundaries which have been updated. WDB I has been smoothed and generalised, WDB II is unsmoothed. There is also global wilderness and lat/lon grid data. Data is in .e00 format.
   
Measured and estimated seafloor topography Download xyz data for seafloor topography. The data is in space-delimited text format (rename the file extension to .txt to open it in MapInfo).
   
Marine Geology and Geophysics Coastline Extractor Download World Vector Shoreline (1:250 000) data from the Marine Geology and Geophysics site. MapInfo users should download the data in Mapgen format, then use the tool CoastCon to convert the data to MapInfo MIF format. Other data including boundaries and rivers 2M and 1:5M is also available (from WDB dataset).
   
SALB - second level administrative boundaries Second level boundaries for many countries. Data is free for non-commercial use. Download in .e00 and .shp formats (shp can be converted to MapInfo using the Universal Translator which ships with all versions of MapInfo).
   
University of Maryland Global land Cover Facility Free Landsat 4,5 TM and Landsat 7 ETM data. To find a Path/Row using Lat/Lon, go to the USGS WRS Lat/Lon Converter
   
 
   
Africa data (see also the World data)  
General  
Africa Data Dissemination Service Data includes administrative boundaries at three levels, climate, hydrology, DEMs etc. Some data is only available for selected countries. Data is in .e00 format.
   
Grid-Arendal: Online GIS and Maps Database A good collection of datasets for the World, Arctic and Africa. The Africa data includes city population and population density for West Africa. Data is in .e00 format.
   
SALB - second level administrative boundaries Second level boundaries for many countries. Data is free for non-commercial use. Download in .e00 and .shp formats (shp can be converted to MapInfo using the Universal Translator which ships with all versions of MapInfo).
   
 
Antarctic /Arctic data (see also the World data)  
Antarctic Digital Database Coast and ice-contour datasets of the Antarctic in .e00 format. Registration (free) is required to unlock files.
   
Grid-Arendal: Online GIS and Maps Database A good collection of datasets for the World, Arctic and Africa. The Arctic data includes basemap, lakes, rivers and individual islands. Data is in .e00 format.
   
 
Asia data (see also the World data)  
China  
China Dimensions Administrative regions, base maps, population, public health and economic data at 1:1M scale or smaller. Data is in .e00 format.
   
SALB - second level administrative boundaries Second level boundaries for many countries. Data is free for non-commercial use. Download in .e00 and .shp formats (shp can be converted to MapInfo using the Universal Translator which ships with all versions of MapInfo).
   

Australia data (see also the World data)

Geoscience Australia's Free Data Downloads A wide range of GIS datasets for download.
   
SALB - second level administrative boundaries Second level boundaries for many countries. Data is free for non-commercial use. Download in .e00 and .shp formats (shp can be converted to MapInfo using the Universal Translator which ships with all versions of MapInfo).
   

 

 
Central America data (see also the World data)  
Mexico  
Georeferenced Population Data Sets of Mexico GIS of Mexican states, municipalities, and islands, 1990, from CEISIN. Data is in .e00 format.
   
SALB - second level administrative boundaries Second level boundaries for many countries. Data is free for non-commercial use. Download in .e00 and .shp formats (shp can be converted to MapInfo using the Universal Translator which ships with all versions of MapInfo).
   
 
Europe data (see also the World data)  
Baltic Sea region  
The Baltic Sea Region GIS Admin. units, arable lands, coastline, landcover, population and more. In MapInfo format.
   
SALB - second level administrative boundaries Second level boundaries for many countries. Data is free for non-commercial use. Download in .e00 and .shp formats (shp can be converted to MapInfo using the Universal Translator which ships with all versions of MapInfo).
   
Russian Federation  
Washington State Geospatial Data Archive Russian Federation Digital Data which includes: republics, krays, oblasts, cities of federal significance (Moscow and St. Petersburg), autonomous oblasts and autonomous districts. The data includes locations of 1858 rayons, 6 ethnic administrative rayons, and 441 gorsovets. Thematic data is also included, mostly population and voter trunout. Data is in .e00 format.
   
SALB - second level administrative boundaries Second level boundaries for many countries. Data is free for non-commercial use. Download in .e00 and .shp formats (shp can be converted to MapInfo using the Universal Translator which ships with all versions of MapInfo).
   
 
North America data (see also the World data)
   
Canada  
National Atlas of Canada A selection of basemap themes for Canada at 1:2M, VMAP 0 data for Canada and North America & North Circumpolar Region datasets in ArcInfo .e00 and DXF formats
   
PFRA Gross Watershed Boundaries, version 2.0 The Gross Watershed Product is a digital compilation of watershed boundaries and hydrometric gauging stations for the Canadian Prairies and adjoining areas. Data is in ArcInfo .e00 format.
   
SALB - second level administrative boundaries Second level boundaries for many countries. Data is free for non-commercial use. Download in .e00 and .shp formats (shp can be converted to MapInfo using the Universal Translator which ships with all versions of MapInfo).
   
   
United States  
General  
Geography Network Links to free (and not free) downloadabledata from ESRI, US Census etc.
   
GISDataDepot State and county data.
   
National Atlas of the United States - Map Layers Warehouse Download map layers from the US national atlas. Most layers are in Arc/Info shapefile format and SDTS. There are some datasets in .dbf format as well.
   
US Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory Center The National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service produces information on the characteristics, extent, and status of the Nation’s wetlands and deepwater habitats. Not all the US is mapped so far, but new data is being added regularly. The data is in ArcInfo .e00 format.
   
USGS Geographic Data Download Download DEMs and DLGs for the US.
   
VDS Technologies US States, counties and counties-by-state in Arc/Info .shp format (SHP files can be coverted to MapInfo TAB using the Universal Translator supplied with MapInfo)
   
Alaska  
US Environmental protection Agency Cities, tribal areas, mines etc. in Arc/Info .shp format (SHP files can be coverted to MapInfo TAB using the Universal Translator supplied with MapInfo).
   
Massachusetts  
Internet Geo-Image Library for the Massachusetts Coast GeoTIFF orthophotos with MapInfo or ArcView headers for the Mass. coast.
Massachusetts GIS Data layers include: Political Boundaries, Indexes, Infrastructure, Topography, Physical Resources, Hydrographic (water-related) Features, Conservation/Recreation Regulated Areas Environmental Monitoring Coastal and Marine Features, Demographics and Miscellaneous. Data is in .e00 format.
Montana  
Montana State Library NRIS Counties, drainage, land use, river basins, watersheds etc. for Montana. There is also some regional data. In ArcInfo .e00 format.
New York State  
New York State GIS Clearinghouse Download quad-based Geo-registered TIFFs with accompnaying MapInfo .tab file (.ESRI .tfw files are also available if your GIS does not support GeoTIFF)
   
Pennsylvania  
Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access DRGs, DEMs, boundaries, drainage etc. Rasters in GeoTiff format, vector data in .e00 format.
   
Rhode Island  
Univ of Rhode Island Natural Resources and Environmental Management A range of GIS data. Registration required.
   
South Carolina  
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources GIS Data Clearinghouse DRGs, DLGs, boundaries, hydrography, communications etc. Data layers are in .e00 format and GeoTIFF rasters.
   
Texas  
Texas Natural Resources Information System (TNRIS) Vector data for boundaries, land use, transportation, drainage etc. in .e00 format. DOQs and DRGs in MrSID format.
   
Wyoming  
Wyoming Spatial Data Clearinghouse DRGs in GeoTIFF format.
   
 

South America data (see also the World data)

SALB - second level administrative boundaries Second level boundaries for many countries. Data is free for non-commercial use. Download in .e00 and .shp formats (shp can be converted to MapInfo using the Universal Translator which ships with all versions of MapInfo).
   
   
 
   
Nigel James
Bodleian Library 2010
Bodleian Library Map Room