Data sources#

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To find the appropriate data you are looking for, you can search online data sharing platforms. Some important ones are highlighted below.

What to look out for when looking for data:

Data source: Always make sure to use data from trusted data sources. The organisation that shared the data is the best indicator. Apart from that, use of the data in trusted contexts or also download counts can be good indicators.

Data size: Sometimes you can access data in different scales, resolutions etc. Make sure to select a data set that fits your purpose and can be easily processed by you. E.g. if you only need data about a specific region, if feasible only select the data of this admin area.

Data format: Maybe there are different data formats available that you can choose from. Think about your needs and what is the most practical for your use and potentially also sharing purposes.

Data capture date: Make sure to check when the data was collected and if the collection data is in line with your needs. Check if there is potentially more up-to-date data available from another source.

Data license: What kind of license does the data have? How can you use and share it and how do you need to cite the data source? Make sure to check the licensing and to follow the respective regulations to avoid difficulties.

Overview#

General geodata#

Name

Data

Link

Natural Earth

Administrative and physical geography

https://www.naturalearthdata.com/

Geonames

Administrative geodata

https://www.geonames.org/

OpenAfrica

Open-source data on Africa

https://africaopendata.org/dataset

DivaGIS

Different data, e.g. administrative, roads, population, elevation, climate

http://www.diva-gis.org/gdata

Open Topography

Data on topography

https://opentopography.org/

OSM Boundaries

Administrative boundaries (need to authenticate via your osm account)

https://osm-boundaries.com

Humanitarian data#

Name

Data

Link

Humanitarian Data Exchange

Various open data from different humanitarian organisations

https://data.humdata.org

Healthsites

Locations of health facilities

https://healthsites.io/

UNHCR Geoservices

Data on displaced populations

https://data.unhcr.org/en/situations

Waterpoint

Data on waterpoints

https://www.waterpointdata.org

Disaster data#

Name

Data

Link

MapAction

Emergency mapping resources

https://maps.mapaction.org/

Fieldmaps.io

Data and map download platform for humanitarian use

https://fieldmaps.io

Acled

Conflict data

https://acleddata.com/data-export-tool

GDACS

Disaster database

https://www.gdacs.org

ZKI/DLR

Flood extents, damage extents, earth observation data

https://activations.zki.dlr.de/en/activations/

WFP Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping

Data on food security, hazards, conflicts, climate

https://dataviz.vam.wfp.org/

Population data#

Name

Data

Link

WorldPop

Population estimates

https://wopr.worldpop.org/

GHSL

Global settlement data

https://ghsl.jrc.ec.europa.eu/

HRSL

Settlement layer based on earth observation and Facebook data

https://research.facebook.com/downloads/high-resolution-settlement-layer-hrsl/

GRID3 Settlement extents and settlement points

Settlement extents data

https://grid3.org/

Pangea

Environmental & biosciences data

https://www.pangaea.de/

United Nations Population Fund

Data on sexual and reproductive health and population trends

https://www.unfpa.org/data

Buildings data#

Name

Data

Link

World Settlement Footprint

World Settlement Footprint

https://download.geoservice.dlr.de/WSF2019/

VIDA building footprint

Combined Google and Microsoft building footprint datasets

https://beta.source.coop/repositories/vida/google-microsoft-open-buildings/download/

Open-building

Google building footprints

https://sites.research.google/open-buildings/#download

Remote sensing/earth observation data#

Name

Data

Link

Global Forest Watch

Data on global forests

https://www.globalforestwatch.org/

OpenAerialMap

Crowdsourced drone imagery

https://map.openaerialmap.org/

USGS Earth Explorer

Satellite data from multiple sources, including Landsat and Sentinel

https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/

NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)

Global elevation data

http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org/srtmdata/

Earth Observe

Digital elevation model on a global scale

https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/

Copernicus

Earth observation data

https://scihub.copernicus.eu/

GlobCover

Raster data on land cover

http://due.esrin.esa.int/page_globcover.php

OpenStreetMap data#

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a collaborative project that aims to create a free and editable map of the world. Unlike traditional maps, which are often proprietary and controlled by commercial entities, OSM allows anyone to contribute and edit map data, resulting in a detailed and constantly evolving map of roads, trails, landmarks, and more. With its open-source nature and global community of contributors, OpenStreetMap has become a valuable resource for a wide range of applications, from navigation and urban planning to disaster response and humanitarian aid.

There a multiple ways to get OpenStreetMap (OSM) data as a vector file into QGIS. The three most common and easy-to-use ways are geofarbik.de, HOT Export Tool and QuickOSM. Each of the options has both advantages and disadvantages.

Note

In the exercise “OpenStreetMap data export” all three options are explored.

Geofabrik.de

As you can see, Geofabrik is great if you want to get complete OSM datasets for whole countries or regions.

Advantages

Disadvantages

+ Quick access to complete OSM datasets

- If one is only interested in specific features or regions (other then countries), not optimal

+ Very up-to-date OSM exports

- Large file size

+ Clear documentation of which OSM features are contained in each shapefile

- Only available as shapefile

HOT Export tool As you can see, the HOT Export tool offers a good mix of flexibility and quick access to OSM data. However, there are quite some steps involved until the data is in QGIS.

Advantages

Disadvantages

+ Good options for data selection

- Many steps involved

+ Many different data formats available

- Only fixed option for data selection

+ Easy to use

+ Query can easily be repeated

QuickOSM Plugin

Advantages

Disadvantages

+ Query can be tailored for very specific data

- Requires knowledge of OSM data model

+ Data loads directly in QGIS

- Building queries can quickly become complex

+ Query can easily be repeated

Tip

It is by default possible to add the OSM base map to your project. Click on Layer -> Add Layer -> Add XYZ Layer…. Choose OpenStreetMap and click Add (Wiki Video).

QuickOSM plugin#

The QuickOSM plugin makes it easy to download data from OpenStreetMap and add it to your QGIS project.

  1. Install the QuickOSM plugin by clicking on the Plugin tab, -> Manage and  Install Plugins… -> All -> Search for “QuickOSM” -> Install Plugin

  2. To open QuickOSM click on the Vectortab -> QuickOSM -> QuickOSM

To work efficiently with QuickOSM, it’s essential to have a basic understanding of the OSM data model. Here’s a brief explanation:

  • Firstly, all data in OSM is organized using a key and value system. A combination of a key and its corresponding value is referred to as a tag. For instance, consider the key ‘amenity.’ According to the OSMWiki, “‘amenity=’ describes useful facilities such as toilets, telephones, banks, pharmacies, prisons, and schools.”*. Notably, a key can have multiple values, with ‘amenity’ alone having 8911 different values. Typical examples of values for amenities include schools and hospitals. When searching for data on OSM, it’s crucial to identify the relevant keys and values representing the desired features. Useful resources for this purpose include taginfo and the OSM Wiki article about Map features.

  • Secondly, a feature in OSM can have multiple tags, each comprising a key and its corresponding value. This means that sometimes, multiple key-value pairs are required to retrieve all the desired data. For example, let’s consider hospitals. While all hospitals should ideally have the tags ‘amenity=hospital’ and ‘Health=Hospital,’ some may only have one of these tags. To ensure comprehensive data retrieval, it’s advisable to use both tags when searching for hospitals.

Follow the steps to fetch for data:

  1. Select a Key and Value from the dropdown list. If you are unsure, check here:

../../_images/key_value_quickosm.png

Fig. 42 Choosing key and value in QuickOSM.#

  1. Limit the area by typing in the name of your area of interest. You can also choose from the dropdown Canvas Extent or Layer Extent instead of a name of a city or country.

  2. Unfold the tab Advanced. Only select the datatypes you are expecting to minimize errors.

../../_images/quickosm_usage.png

Fig. 43 Running the QuickOSM plugin.#

  1. Click on Run query.

How to fetch data for multiple queries

If you want to get more data in the same area, you can add a query by clicking on the . Be careful choosing the right logical operator And or Or. If you are unsure check the page non-spatial queries on the wiki. There is an example of this in the Module 2 OSM exercise

HOT Export Tool#

With the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) Export Tool you can download customized extracts of up-to-date OSM data in different file formats. It offers a browser-based tool to download OSM data with good options to specify region, time, feature type and data format.

  1. Go to the HOT Export tool. To use the tool you need a OSM account.

    If you have an OSM account you can log in directly into the HOT Export tool by clicking on Log in.

    If you don’t have one, you’ll need to create one: click on Log in and in the new window select the option to create a new account.

  2. After logging in, click the Start Exporting button on the homepage to load the Export Tool

../../_images/hot_export.png

Fig. 44 The HOT Export Tool.#

  1. First add a name and a brief description of your export. Then click on Next.

  2. Choose the file format fitting to your needs. It is recommended to use GeoPackage but Geojson or shapefile can be used as well. Click on Next.

  3. The easiest way to choose the feature type you want to download is using the tag tree. (The YAML option is more flexible but more advanced, so we will focus on the first option.)

  4. There are multiple ways to select your area of interest.

    1. You can search for it in the search bar in the top right corner.

    2. Zoom in the map to your area and click on This view.

    3. Zoom in and draw a bounding box by clicking on Box.

    4. Zoom in and draw free hand a polygon by clicking on Draw.

    5. Or you can upload a layer as extent (only .geojson in the crs WGS84!). Click on Import.

  5. Then click on Next. It will look something like this:

../../_images/hot_export_example.png

Fig. 45 An Example for the HOT Export Tool.#

  1. Click on Create Export. It will then run for a few minutes, looking like this:

../../_images/hot_export_running.png

Fig. 46 The HOT Export Tool is running.#

  1. After being finished, the status will change to COMPLETED and you can download your file by clicking on the link:

../../_images/hot_export_done.png

Fig. 47 Downloading data from HOT Export Tool.#