eDesiderata®

Informed Investment in Electronic Resources

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Resources A-Z

CRL gathers and provides information here about commercial and open access digital resources of interest to the CRL community.  This information is intended to inform library decisions on investment in electronic resources and related services.

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Social Explorer - Direct

Social Explorer database contains the entire U.S. census history as well as numerous other demographic and environmental study reports, as well as mapping tools. The website seamlessly integrates spatial and numeric data through an easy-to-use interface and makes working with socio-demographic data simple even for a novice user.

Social Explorer was previously provided by Oxford University Press (OUP).  In April 2019, OUP announced that OUP and Social Explorer, Inc. mutually agreed to end its partnership.  Beginning on April 22, 2019, Social Explorer, Inc. began to provide subscriptions and services to Social Explorer directly with subscribers.

Provider: Social Explorer, Inc.
Updated: Feb 11, 2024 11:47am

PolicyMap

PolicyMap is a curated geographic data library with mapping and analytic tools.  PolicyMap provides access to over 37,000 indicators from over 150 sources, including Center for Disease Control, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Housing and Urban Development, FDIC, FCC, FEMA, and the US Department of Agriculture.  

Provider: PolicyMap
Updated: Feb 9, 2024 12:57pm

LandScan

LandScan is a unique data set showing population distribution, developed by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). In 2011, East View obtained an exclusive license for all distribution of this database outside of internal government uses. The data set is available through a subscription for each year (representing data collected in the previous year). East View also offers The LandScan Global Archive, a compilation of the historical LandScan data sets.

Provider: East View Information Services
Updated: Apr 1, 2020 12:05am

Planet

Planet Labs provides a series of products of satellite images and data for research using geospatial data. The products utilize the imagery produced by Planet Lab's Triple CubeSat miniature satellites, programed to capture different swaths of Earth.

According to Planet's company site, the products serve a wide range of markets, including: agriculture, civil government, defense and intelligence, education and research, emergency management, energy and infrastructure, finance and business, forestry and land use, insurance, mapping and maritime.  

Provider: Planet Labs
Updated: Aug 22, 2019 11:54am

Social Explorer - OUP

The Social Explorer database was launched in 2003 by Oxford University Press (OUP), and contains the entire U.S. census history as well as numerous other demographic and environmental study reports, as well as mapping tools. The website seamlessly integrates spatial and numeric data through an easy-to-use interface and makes working with socio-demographic data simple even for a novice user.

In April 2019, OUP announced that OUP and Social Explorer, Inc. mutually agreed to end its partnership.  Beginning on April 22, 2019, Social Explorer. Inc. began to provide subscriptions and services to Social Explorer directly with subscribers.

Provider: Oxford University Press
Updated: Jun 25, 2019 10:45am

Platts Map Data Viewer

The Platts Map Data Viewer is a web-based database of spatial and operational data and information with a user-friendly map interface. The product's map layers cover natural gas, electric power, and NGL markets that enables analysis of operational data and spatial relationships between infrastructure. 

Provider: Standard & Poor (S&P)
Updated: Jun 13, 2019 11:49am

Natural Earth

Natural Earth is a public domain map dataset featuring integrated vector and raster data. 

Provider: Natural Earth
Updated: Jun 13, 2019 11:48am

Platts Map Data Pro

Platts Map Data Pro is a geographic information system layer service that facilitates data visualization, analysis, modification, and printing of geospatial data layers with commodity spatial views. The product features a user interface for project assistance and can be used with other GIS datasets and applications. 

Provider: Standard & Poor (S&P)
Updated: Jun 13, 2019 11:45am

Esri Community Analyst

Esri's Community Analyst is a cloud-based, web application that provides users with demographic and third-party sourced data on communities in order to inform policy decision making. Through data and analysis tools, Community Analyst facilitates examination of specific locations, geographic areas, or custom regions you create on maps, as well as critical analyses represented in reports. 

Provider: Esri
Updated: Dec 21, 2017 2:30pm

Esri Business Analyst

Esri's Business Analyst, also known as ArcGIS Business Analyst, is a database and software that provides tools for mapping, analysis, and work management. The product combines GIS analysis and visualization tools with a data package that provides insight in to markets, customers, and competitors. The software provides a system for analyzing data to reveal patterns in a business and is mainly focused as a solution for market planning and site selection. 

Provider: Esri
Updated: Dec 20, 2017 4:33pm

ArcGIS

ArcGIS is an online, cloud-based mapping platform that enables visualization and access to geographic information system (GIS) data in the form of: base maps, imagery, and demographic data along with analytic and mapping tools. 

Provider: Esri
Updated: Nov 30, 2017 11:51am

One Atlas

One Atlas is a satellite image library covering the entire Earth's landmass in high resolution images. The library is updated every 12 months and can be integrated with users' data. One Atlas employs Google Cloud Platform for implementation of the images to enable mapping, planning and management capabilities. 

Provider: Airbus Defense and Space
Updated: Aug 24, 2017 1:31pm

IPUMS Terra

IPUMS Terra (previously known as TerraPop) is an online, open access database that provides users with global-scale data on human population characteristics, land use, land cover, climate, and other environmental characteristics. IPUMS Terra also provides tools for integrating, analyzing and visualizing data that have spatial and temporal dimensions.  

Provider: Minnesota Population Center
Updated: Apr 20, 2017 3:52pm

CoreLogic

CoreLogic is a database of property information, real estate transaction services and analytics. The content provided includes publicly available data and multiple listing service (MLS) data combined with property, mortgage and financial databases to provide information required for mortgage and real estate services.  

Provider: CoreLogic
Updated: Feb 3, 2017 4:28pm

DigitalGlobe

DigitalGlobe is the primary commercial provider of very high-resolution (VHR) geospatial images and data for all world regions,from satellite and aerial capture. DigitalGlobe Basemap is a subscription service that provides access to customized collections of data sets from the DigitalGlobe repository tailored to the needs of individual client libraries.

Provider: DigitalGlobe, Inc.
Updated: Dec 13, 2016 3:37pm

U.S. Geological Survey's GIS Data

The U.S. Geological Survey is a source for free and open access Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Data. The datasets include both spatial and geographic data provided through several access platforms including: the National Map, Earth Explorer, GloVIS, LandsatLook, and others.

Provider: U.S. Geological Survey
Updated: Oct 6, 2016 1:22pm

Data.Gov

The Data.Gov Data Catalog provides open and free access to 186,613 datasets aggregated by the U.S. government featuring geospatial and demographic information.

Provider: Data.Gov
Updated: Oct 6, 2016 1:20pm

DIVA-GIS

DIVA-GIS is a free computer program for mapping and geographic data analysis (geographic information system) that also provides access to free spatial data for the whole world that you can use in DIVA-GIS or other programs. Spatial data is also openly available at the country and global level and also includes global climate data, species occurrence data, and high resolution satellite images. 

Provider: DIVA-GIS
Updated: Oct 6, 2016 1:19pm

National Geoscience Data Centre

The National Geoscience Data Centre (NGDC) collects and preserves geoscientific data and information, making them available to a wide range of users and communities. 

Provider: British Geological Survey
Updated: Oct 4, 2016 1:18pm

Ontario Parcel

The Ontario Parcel databases is an aggregate source of information on land parcels brought together through an agreement between the Ontario Government (Ministry of Natural Resources), the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) and Teranet Enterprises Inc. The database contains boundaries and identifiers such as Assessments Roll Number (ARN) or property identification number (PIN), which can be linked to ownership, and assessed value information for each individual property or "parcel" of land in Ontario. 

Provider: Teranet Enterprise Inc.
Updated: Oct 4, 2016 11:25am

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While CRL makes every effort to verify statements made herein, the opinions expressed and evaluative information provided here represent the considered viewpoints of individual librarians and specialists at CRL and in the CRL community.  They do not necessarily reflect the views of CRL management, its board, and/or its officers.