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GIS at NASA

Improving the Discovery, Access, and Use of Earth Science Data

Discover, explore, and access Geographic Information Systems (GIS) resources to better understand our planet. Using GIS, you can leverage NASA's Earth observations to perform analysis, create maps, and develop applications.

The vision of NASA's Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) Program is to identify and deliver high value Earth science data in formats compliant and compatible with GIS standards; to ensure data are interactive, interoperable, available, and GIS-enabled through primary GIS platforms; and to provide the maximum impact to research, education, and public user communities requiring data visualization and spatial analysis. 

We provide links to resources for accessing and using GIS-based Earth science data and assume a basic understanding of GIS and GIS-based applications. If you are unfamiliar with GIS or want more information about some of the terms and concepts described below, please see the About GIS page. Additionally, the GIS Playlist on the Earthdata YouTube channel provides a variety of GIS presentations and tutorials.

Access the Earthdata GIS Portal and discover GIS data at NASA. 

Learn more about free data tools such as Worldview and Earthdata Search that can help you optimize your GIS data.

Working with Multidimensional Data in GIS

GIS software has increased support for integrating multidimensional scientific data formats in their platforms. Two commonly used GIS software programs are QGIS and ArcGIS Pro. If you do not have these software packages, visit the following links for more information:

In tools such as QGIS and ArcGIS, support for raster data can be provided using a mosaic dataset. A mosaic dataset is a data model that acts as a shell to input a collection of multiple raster files, which include different file types, and is viewed as a single image. A multidimensional mosaic dataset stores information about the dimensions and variables as fields in the mosaic dataset footprint table. The underlying raster data do not have to be connecting or overlapping but can be isolated or intermittent datasets. In some GIS software platforms, a single mosaic dataset can then be used to query, process, analyze, and serve data.

NOTE: ArcGIS Pro, on which some Use Cases in this Data Pathfinder are based, is designed to run on a Windows-based operating system. Esri provides an informational page for running ArcGIS Pro on a Mac-based operating system.

Using Synthetic Aperture Radar Data in GIS

Interested in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)? The Synthetic Aperture Radar data basics page will help you learn about the benefits and limitations of these powerful data.

Vertex is a data search tool created by NASA's Alaska Satellite Facility DAAC (ASF DAAC) that provides access to a wide array of archived synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. It also provides access to On-Demand processing for Sentinel-1, which allows users to generate analysis-ready products such as Radiometric Terrain Corrected (RTC) images or Interferometric SAR (InSAR) interferograms from archived Sentinel-1 data.

ASF provides StoryMap tutorials with step-by-step demonstrations that show how to order On-Demand RTC and On-Demand InSAR products. Additional StoryMap tutorials provide guidance on using the custom ArcGIS Toolbox with RTC products and an exploration of InSAR products and how to interpret and use them.

GIS data can be leveraged as powerful imagery that enhances the communication of important trends in Earth science.

GIS on Earthdata YouTube

There are over 20 videos on our YouTube channel to help you find, download, and prepare GIS data. Access the Earthdata GIS playlist on YouTube.

This is a screenshot of the user interface for the Earthdata GIS YouTube channel. There are boxes showing previews of each video with a description next to each box.

Learn about NASA Earthdata as Image Services 

Image services are a way to process and share collections of imagery. This provides considerable flexibility and scalability for storing, processing, analyzing, and sharing raster products, including multiband or multidimensional data. 

These services leverage a powerful server backend to perform the required processing on-the-fly and dynamic mosaicking of images. These applications can access the imagery as a seamless mosaic or query into the metadata of each image to display only a selection of the data or apply processing across datasets to find differences or perform classification. These processes can include reprojection, orthorectification, clipping, the application of complex image processing algorithms, and more. 

Find and Use Feature and Image Services 

NASA’s Earthdata Geographic Information System (EGIS) is a resource for distributing cloud-native, GIS-ready NASA Earth observation data, services, and resources. This includes ArcGIS and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)-compliant raster and feature geospatial services and raster analytic functions. EGIS’ goal is to provide a consistent user experience across NASA programs and projects in order to enhance resource discovery through primary platforms commonly used by the GIS community. Check out some of the published image services currently available: 

NASA GIBS: Interact with NASA’s GIS Imagery Directly

NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) system provides visualizations of NASA Earth Science observations through standardized web services. These services deliver global, full-resolution visualizations of satellite data to users in a highly responsive manner, enabling interactive exploration of Earth. GIBS visualizations are accessible through standards-compliant web services that allow you to access directly GIBS visualizations directly within many Geographic Information System (GIS) clients. Explore how-to guides on accessing GIBS.

Scroll through these narrative resources created by NASA Earth Science to unearth the types of stories you can tell with our data. Click on the images below to check out the interactive text, images, GIFs, videos, and learning content offered below. 

Explore Thematic GIS Applications

You can create and explore interactive GIS products by combining high-value data together in an interactive, informative, web-based application. Below, find resources focused on key topics or themes that allow users to see the best available data from NASA to help them understand complex challenges facing our world. 

View NASA Earth Science Thematic Web Maps.