Where to Acquire Spatial Data#
Spatial data for much of the globe can be acquired online. However, sensitive archaeological data will not be available. In addition to the sources below, you may need to contact researchers directly to request permission to use any data.
Georeferencing and Digitizing#
Published archaeological data and maps can usually be georeferenced and digitized, or scanned from older sources. The accuracy of the digitization will depend on the scale of the map used, which may or may not affect the scale of your application. Refer to Lab 2 for instructions on georeferencing and digitizing.
Vector Data#
You might be able to find relevant data with a simple Google search, for example “Mexico shapefile” or something similar. The ArcGIS Hub has a wealth of data available. For additional geographic data by country, you might search that specific countries geographic institute. For example, INEGI has data for Mexico.
You can also import other vector file types, for example CAD drawings. These drawings will still need to be assigned a coordinate system and resized appropriately. Refer to the CAD to Geodatabase tool.
Raster Data#
Raster data might be easier to acquire than vector data. The USGS has several resources for spatial raster data, especially topography. Here are some examples:
CGIAR (processed SRTM global 90 m DEM)