How to View Data

GIS Data

Data Formats:

• Most data on this site is available in ESRI's standard ShapeFile format.  The shapefile is an open, nonproprietary format that is widely accepted as a standard file format.
• Some data is available as ESRI Arc/INFO Coverages.  The coverage is a proprietary format that can only be read by a few programs.

Data Viewers Available:

• ArcExplorer - This is a free data viewer available for download at ESRI's web site www.esri.com.  It can view both ShapeFiles and Coverages as well as connect to other sites on the internet who have published data using ESRI's Internet Map Server. 

We recommend you download and use ArcExplorer if you do not have any of the following GIS software.

• ArcView - ArcView is a commercial data viewer and analysis package from ESRI.  It can edit shapefiles as well as perform simple statistical and spatial analysis on vector data.  ArcView can read ShapeFiles, Coverages, CAD drawings, ERDAS images, Arc/INFO GRIDs, and various other image formats.
   
• Arc/INFO - ESRI's professional GIS software package.  This expensive package is recommended for professional GIS analysts.  It can read and convert just about any type of raster and vector data format in use.
   
• Other GIS packages available from AutoDesk and Bentley can read ShapeFiles and Coverages.  If you have these packages you may successfully be able to use them for this data.
   

Spectral Data

• Spectral data is availaable in zipped files containing individual data sets. The data is in an ASCII format. These data can be graphed in any spreadsheet progam as XY charts..