The following websites contain highly accurate data with good metadata and are updated regularly. NIRPC highly recommends these other data sources.
- IndianaMap – Provides comprehensive data for the whole of Indiana. You can find boundaries, streams, roads, political representation, and much more here.
- Great Lakes Information Network – Invaluable for data on Lake Michigan and nearby watersheds.
- data.census.gov – Look here first for census data. The format of the website is a little confusing, but the content is invaluable once it makes sense. The data is available in spreadsheet form, so you will have to join it to something more spatial, such as the boundaries provided by IndianaMap.
- National Map – If you use the viewer, you can explore boundaries, imagery, and topographic data, much of which can be downloaded in shapefile or other GIS compatible format.
- MetroPulse – The data repository for the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). Useful for Chicago data.
- Interactive GIS Tool for Regional Planning and Economic Development