Sources of Geospatial Data for 

Central and Western New York - 1998

U.S. Geological Survey

Open-File Report 99-191

Prepared in cooperation with the Water Resources Board of the Finger Lakes - 

Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance
Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and 

Western New York - 1998

By Stephen C. Komor

____________________________________

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Open-File Report 99-191

Ithaca, New York

1999

Prepared in cooperation with the

Water Resources Board of the Finger Lakes - 

Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Charles Groat, Director

For additional information Copies of this report can be

write to: purchased from:

U.S. Geological Survey, WRD U.S. Geological Survey

30 Brown Rd Branch of Information Services

Ithaca, New York 14850 Federal Center

Box 25286

Denver, CO 80225-0286

ii
CONTENTS 

Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Purpose and scope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Physical setting and regional concerns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

GIS Applications in watershed evaluation, planning and protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Sources of geospatial data for Western New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Methods of compilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Considerations for GIS development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Guidelines for use of Table 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

References cited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Figures

1-3. Maps of New York showing:

1. Locations of the 24 FL-LOWPA counties in central and western New York, and corresponding physiographic 

province . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

2. Principal drainage basins in central and western New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

3. Major lakes and streams in central and western New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Tables

1. Availability and format of water-resources information from participating counties in central and western New 

York, by county. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

2. Water-resources-data categories, and their sources and scale, in participating central and western New York 

Counties, by county. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

3. Federal and State sources of water-resources information for participating central and western New York counties, 

August 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

CONVERSION FACTORS

Multiply By To Obtain

Length

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer

Area

square mile (mi2) 2.590 square kilometer

Contents 
Physical Setting and Regional Concerns 

Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western

New York 

by Stephen C. Komor

ABSTRACT 

The Finger Lakes-Lake Ontario Watershed 

Protection Alliance (FL-LOWPA), a coalition of 

24 counties in central and western New York, 

wishes to develop a geographic information system (GIS) for mapping and managing hydrologic 

data in the region. A first step in developing a GIS 

is identifying sources of geospatial data in the 

area. (Geospatial data are hydrologic and other 

types of data that have a known position on the 

earth’s surface). County agencies involved in 

water-resource management in the FL-LOWPA 

counties were surveyed to identify relevant 

sources of geospatial information. New York State 

and Federal data sources were identified by a 

search of the World Wide Web and follow-up telephone inquiries. This report contains a compilation of geospatial data from County, State and 

Federal data sources.

INTRODUCTION

The Finger Lakes-Lake Ontario Watershed 

Protection Alliance (FL-LOWPA) is a coalition of 24 

counties in central and western New York (fig. 1) 

whose mission is to work together to protect 

watersheds (fig. 2) and maintain good water quality. 

The governing body of the FL-LOWPA is the Water 

Resources Board of the Finger Lakes Association, 

which is headquartered in Penn Yan, New York.

In 1998, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in 

cooperation with the Water Resources Board, 

compiled available geospatial information about the 

region from County, State and Federal sources. The 

results (Tables 1-3) represent a first step toward 

building a regional, computerized water-resources 

database and geographic information system (GIS)

This information can promote exchange of data amo

counties, help avoid duplication of efforts to scan a

digitize paper maps, and speed development of GIS 

databases that provide detailed coverages.

Purpose and Scope

This report (1) describes the applications of G

in watershed management and the methods of data 

compilation, and (2) presents the types of data 

available for each county (Table 1), the sources and 

scales of data in 16 categories, by county (Table 2)

and a list and description of more than 50 State and 

Federal databases (Table 3).

Acknowledgments

Funding for this project was provided, in par

by the New York State Legislature.

PHYSICAL SETTING AND REGIONAL 

CONCERNS

The FL-LOWPA counties cover all or parts of 

major drainage basins in central and western New Y

State (fig. 2). Prominent water features in the area 

include: the New York State (NYS) Barge Canal; th

Black, Genesee, and Oswego Rivers; the southern L

Ontario shoreline; 11 Finger Lakes (from west to ea

Conessus, Hemlock, Canadice, Honeoye, 

Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca, Cayuga, Owasco, 

Skaneateles, and Otisco); and Oneida and Onondag

Lakes (fig. 3). This region of over 8,000 mi2

 include

physiographic provinces (Isachsen and others, 1991

the Appalachian Uplands, the Ontario Lowlands, th

Tug Hill Uplands, and the Adirondack Mountains 
2 Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

Appalachian Uplands

Tug Hill Uplands

Ontario Lowlands

Adirondack Mountains

Boundary of participating county

EXPLANATION

NIAGARA ORLEANS

GENESEE

WYOMING

MONROE WAYNE

ONTARIO

YATES

ALLEGANY STEUBEN

SENECA

SCHUYLER

CHEMUNG CAYUGA

TOMPKINS

CORTLAND

ONONDAGA

MADISON

OSWEGO

ONEIDA

LEWIS

JEFFERSON

HAMILTON

Oswego

Rochester

Buffalo

Watertown

Syracuse

Auburn

Ithaca

Geneva

WatkinsGlen

44°

42°

80° 78° 76° 74°

Base from U.S. Geological Survey digital data, 1:2,000,000

0

0

40 MILES

20 40 KILOMETERS

20

LIVINGSTON

Connecti

Massachusetts

Vermo

LAKE ONTARIO

LAKE ERIE

Pennsylvania

CANADA

New Jersey

Figure 1. Locations of the 24 FL-LOWPA (Finger Lakes-Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance) counties 

central and western New York, and corresponding physiographic provinces.

(fig. 1). The Appalachian Uplands province includes 

the Finger Lakes Region and has steep to rolling glacial 

topography. Land use is predominantly agricultural, 

and regional population centers include the Towns of 

Auburn, Geneva, Ithaca, and Watkins Glen. The 

Ontario Lowlands province, which extends from 

Buffalo on the west to Watertown on the east, has low 

relief and productive farmlands; major cities include 

Oswego and Rochester on the Lake Ontario shoreline. 

The City of Syracuse lies on the border between the 

Appalachian Uplands and the Ontario Lowlands. The 

Tug Hill Uplands province is at the eastern end of the 

Ontario Lowlands and is characterized by steep terrain 

and rural communities. The Adirondack Mountains are 

a roughly circular province of metamorphic r

long, straight valleys, gently curved ridges, a

drainage pattern (Isachsen and others, 1991)

Streamflow and lake levels in much o

and western New York are regulated by the B

Canal. Canal flow policies affect seasonal an

term flooding patterns, intrastate navigation

generation, recreational opportunities, and w

preserves. Hence, canal control policies are 

to the Water Resources Board. Other concer

region include runoff of agricultural chemic

discharge of industrial and municipal waste 

introduction of exotic flora and fauna into lo

ecosystems, maintenance of sport-fisheries a
Upper

Susquehanna

Black

Seneca

Oak OrchardTwelvemile

Irondequoit

-Ninemile

Salmon

-Sandy Oswego

Oneida

Tioga

Cattaraugus

Niagara

Upper

Allegheny

Chaumont-Perch

Upper St. Lawrence

Oswegatchie

Grass

Raquette

Upper

Hudson

Sacandaga

Base from U.S.Geological Survey digital data, 1:2,000,000

Basin containing part of study area

Finger Lakes- Lake Ontario basin boundary

Drainage basin boundary

Boundary of participating county

Chenango

OwegoWappasening

Chemung

BuffaloEighteenmile

Lower

Genesee

Upper

Genesee

Mohawk

Indian

EXPLANATION

44°

42°

80° 78° 76° 74°

0

0

40 MILES

20 40 KILOMETERS

20

Connecticut Massachusetts

Vermont

LAKE ONTARIO

LAKE ERIE

Pennsylvania

CANADA

New Jersey

recreational water uses, urbanization and associated 

waterfront development, and wetland preservation.

GIS Applications in Watershed Evaluation, 

Planning, and Protection

A GIS is a computerized mapping and 

visualization tool that has many potential applications 

for providing information about water resources. A 

regional GIS would help the FL-LOWPA counties 

develop basinwide water-management strategies that 

cross political boundaries. Monitoring networks fo

assessing water quality and quantity could be 

improved and made more efficient by application o

GIS techniques. A regional GIS system could prov

a means for disseminating timely water-resources 

information to help water managers deal proactivel

with short- and long-term hydrologic changes. A 

regional GIS also may help to:

—Predict how flow fluctuations in the Barge Canal 

may impact lakes, streams and shorelines in the are

—Predict how lake-level might affect 

shoreline communities, 

Figure 2. Principal drainage basins in central and western New York. (Basin names correspond to cataloging units 

listed in the U.S. Geological Survey, 1982. County names are shown in fig. 1.) 

Physical Setting and Regional Concerns
4 Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

75 100 KILOMETERS

25 50 75 100 MILES

0 25 50

41 ̊ 0

42 ̊

43 ̊

44 ̊

80 ̊ 79 ̊ 78 ̊ 77 ̊ 76 ̊ 75 ̊ 74 ̊ 

45 ̊

Black River

Black River

PENNSYLVANIA

Boundary of participating county

Lake Ontario

CANADA

Lake Erie

NEW JERSEY

SOUTHERN TIER

Susquehanna

Ri ver

Base from U.S. Geological Survey digital data, 1:2,000,000

NYS Barge Canal

EXPLANATION

Genesee River

Genesee River

NYS Barge Canal

NYS Barge Canal

Seneca Lake

Owasco Lake

Skaneateles Lake

Cayuga Lake

Onondaga Lake

Oneida Lake

Keuka Lake

Otisco Lake

Oswego

River

Conesus Lake

Canandaigua Lake

—Identify flood-prone areas,

—Map and monitor changes in land-use that can affect 

nonpoint-source pollution. Land-use categories that 

could be monitored include croplands, deciduous and 

coniferous forests, grasslands and pastures, lakes and 

wetlands, and urbanized areas),

—Map water-well locations and define wellheadprotection areas,

—Map the locations of potential point-source 

contaminants, such as hazardous waste sites, landfills, 

septic systems, and underground storage tanks,

—Visualize how riparian buffer zones in

along stream corridors might filter nonp

source pollution,

—Correlate stream-water quality with bedro

geology, land use and contaminant sources,

—Map geomorphic patterns that determine 

directions and form drainage divides,

—Maintain accurate wetland inventories,

—Manage and analyze water-use data,

—Map surface-water intake locations and d

water-protection areas.

Figure 3. Major lakes and streams in central and western New York. (County names are shown in fig. 1.)
SOURCES OF GEOSPATIAL DATA FOR 

CENTRAL AND WESTERN NEW YORK

Methods of Compilation

Federal and State water-resources information 

of relevance to the FL-LOWPA counties was identified 

by searching the World Wide Web (WWW). 

Information from the WWW was clarified and 

validated by direct contact of the appropriate agencies.

Twenty of the 24 counties in the FL-FLOWPA 

participated in this survey of geospatial information. 

Jefferson, Orleans, Seneca, and Wayne Counties did 

not participate, but minimal information on these 

counties was gleaned from a previous GIS data 

compilation (Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning 

Council, 1995).

Information was compiled from questionnaires 

mailed to water-resources personnel in each 

participating county. The questionnaires asked county 

personnel to indicate (1) the a primary GIS contact in 

each county; (2) the primary GIS software used by 

each county; (3) the types of geospatial data available 

in their counties; (4) the person and agency to contact 

to obtain copies of the data; (5) whether the data are in 

digital or paper form; and (6) whether the data are in 

the public domain or restricted. Information from the 

questionnaires was tabulated and returned to the 

county representatives for corrections. The tables were 

revised accordingly and sent to the county 

representatives for final verification.

Responses to the initial survey and subsequent 

requests for correction and verification varied by 

county. Some counties provided extensive 

information and detailed corrections whereas others 

provided only limited information for the initial 

survey and minimal or no revisions. The resulting 

compilation reflects the variability among responses 

to the information requests.

Considerations for GIS Development

Over the past several years, the FL-LOWPA 

counties have considered plans to develop a regional 

GIS for water-resources management. Although GIS 

capabilities are well advanced in some counties, a 

regional system has yet to be realized. Development of 

a regional GIS system for the FL-LOWPA counties 

would require a financial commitment from the 

member counties. Funding would be needed for sal

of a GIS specialist and for purchase of the necessar

computer hardware and software. New waterresources data sets commonly are in digital format t

are easily incorporated into computerized database

However, older geospatial information often is 

available only on paper maps that must be scanned 

digitized before being incorporated into a database

This process can be time consuming and expensive

The GIS would be most useful if the GIS 

specialist kept the database current with frequent 

updates of the compiled information; this would 

require a long-term funding commitment. 

Furthermore, hardware and software would need t

be updated periodically, perhaps every 2 to 3 years

meet the expected increase in system use by wate

managers and investigators. These updates would 

also require long-term funding.

Guidelines for use of Tables 1-3

The types of data and documents that may be used 

build a GIS database include (Collet et al., 1996):

1. Field data (usually point measurements).

2. Cartographic documents (topographic and 

thematic maps).

3. Analog images (aerial photographs and 

satellite images).

4. Digital images (aerial and satellite images, 

scanned documents).

5. Existing geographical databases (layers of 

information already in digital form).

County sources of geospatial water-resource

information in the FL-LOWPA region are summari

in Table 1, and the contact persons and scales of da

items are listed in Table 2, in alphabetical order by 

county. The data categories in Tables 2 and 3 were 

chosen based on their widespread use and elementa

utility; these data types are likely to be included in 

regional GIS database. Federal and State sources o

geospatial water-resources information identified in 

the survey are compiled in Table 3. These sources o

a wide range of data that could be useful in develop

a regional database in the FL-LOWPA counties. So

County, State, and Federal agencies restrict 

distribution of proprietary data. Therefore, certain d

sets listed in the tables may unavailable for 

incorporation into a regional GIS database.

The information in Tables 1-3 represents an 

overview of data characteristics at the time of 

Sources Of Geospatial Data For Central And Western New York
6 Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

compilation; it will soon become outdated. 

Addresses of World Wide Web sites (Table 3) may 

change, rendering inactive previous valid electronic 

links. At the county level (Tables 1 and 2), additional 

data types may become available and the contact 

persons may change through time. Users of the 

tabulated information should expect discrepancies 

between actual data characteristics and those noted 

in the tables.

Although the information in Tables 1-3 will be 

helpful in locating geospatial data in the FL-LOWPA 

region, locating the information is only the first and 

perhaps easiest step in developing a useful database. 

Subsequent steps include data acquisition; data 

preparation and formatting for incorporation in the 

database; and selection and application of software to 

manipulate, exploit, and analyze the data (Collet et 

al., 1996).

SUMMARY

A regional GIS system would be of great use to 

water managers and investigators in the FL-LOWPA 

counties. Availability of a user-friendly GIS 

almost immediately increase water manage

to protect and exploit water resources in the

counties and the region. Dependable long-t

funding would be necessary to establish and 

a regional GIS system.

REFERENCES CITED

Collet, C., Consueggra, D., and Joerin, F., 1996, 

and GIS software: in Geographical informa

tems in hydrology, Singh, V.P. and Fiorentio

Kluwer, Dordrecht, p. 115-174.

 Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Coun

Regional directory of data sources: Rochest

111 pp.

Isachsen, Y.W., Landing, E., Lauber, J.M., Ricka

and Rogers, W.B., 1991, Geology of New Y

tional Leaflet No. 28, New York State Muse

Albany, 284 pp.

U.S. Geological Survey, 1982, Codes for Identifi

Hydrologic Units in the United States and t

bean Outlying Areas: Geological Survey Ci

A, 115 pp.
Table 2 7

[D, data available in digital form (generally can be printed on paper; P, data available in paper form; D&P, data available in digital and(or) paper form.

A dash indicates data unavailable. No data were available for Seneca or Wayne Counties.]

County

Aerial 

photos

Agricultural 

districts

County

&/or 

municipal 

boundaries Geology

Hazardous 

waste 

sites 

Hydrography

&/or flood

plains

Land

 use

Roads,

rail lines,

&/or trails

School 

districts Soils

Tax 

parcels

Topography

Water

 &/or 

sewer 

lines

Watershed 

boundaries WetlandsZoning 

maps

Page 

no. in 

table 2 

Allegany P P D P D&P P P D&P D P D&P P D&P P -- P 8

Cayuga P D D&P D D D&P D&P D&P D&P P P P P D&P D&P D&P 9

Chemung -- -- D D D D D D P D D D&P D D D D 10

Cortland P D D -- D D D D D D&P D D&P P -- D P 11

Genesee P D D -- -- D -- D P P D&P P P D -- D&P 12

Hamilton P -- P -- -- -- P P P P P P -- -- P -- 13

Jefferson -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 14

Lewis P P P -- P P P P D P P P P D P -- 14

Livingston P D&P D&P -- D&P D&P D&P D&P D D&P P P P D&P -- D&P 15

Madison -- P D -- -- D -- -- D D&P D&P -- -- D&P -- P 16

Monroe P D&P D&P -- P D&P D&P D&P D&P D&P D&P P D&P D&P D&P D&P 17

Niagara P P P -- P P -- P P D&P D&P P P P D&P P 18

Oneida D D D -- -- -- -- -- -- D D -- -- -- -- -- 19

Onondaga D D D D -- D D D D D&P D P D D D -- 20

Ontario P D D D -- D D D D D D P D D -- D 21

Orleans -- D D D -- D D D -- D D D -- D -- D 22

Oswego P D D D -- D D&P D P D P P D D D -- 23

Schuyler P D D P -- D D&P D&P P D&P P P D&P D&P D&P D 24

Steuben P D D D D D D D D&P D D P D D D D 25

Tompkins P D D P -- D P D D D&P D D -- D D D&P 26

Wyoming -- D P D P D&P -- P -- D&P P P -- P -- -- 27

Yates D&P D D D -- D D D D D D D D D D D 28

1
Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

Allegany County 

Other information: Information on municipal well-head location, public water supplies, and sewage and septic systems:

Geospatial information is available at scale of 1:24,000 for the following: 

Cuba Lake and Rushford Lake watersheds municipal wellheads 

classified streams priority waterbodies 

targeted watersheds the Seneca Nation 

Oil Springs wildlife refuges 

Moss Lake Nature Conservancy historic sites

Primary GIS contact - Fred Sinclair, Soil & Water Conservation District (716) 268-7831

Primary GIS software - GRASS

Database category Contact Source scale

Aerial photographs Soil & Water Conservation District, Fred Sinclair (716) 268-7831 --

Agricultural districts “ 1:24,000

County &/or municipal boundaries “ --

Geology “ --

Hazardous waste sites “ --

Hydrography &/or floodplains “ 1:24,000; other

Land use “ --

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails “ --

School districts “ --

Soils “ 1:250,000

Tax parcels “ --

Topography “ --

Water & sewer lines Health Dept., Hans Peters (716) 268-9250 --

Watershed boundaries Soil & Water Conservation District, Fred Sinclair (716) 268-7831 --

Wetlands -- --

Zoning maps Soil & Water Conservation District, Fred Sinclair (716) 268-7831 --

[&/or  and(or). Dept.  Department. Dashes indicate information is unavailable.]
Table 2 9

Cayuga County 

Other information: 

Partial unique digital data coverages are available for the following: 

hazardous-waste sites hydrology

soils tax maps

topography water and sewer lines

zoning maps. 

 Full digital coverages are available for the following:

911 (emergency) access points, economic development zones, and parkland recreation areas.

Primary GIS contact - Nick Colas, County Planning Department (315) 253-1276

Primary GIS software - ARC/INFO, ArcView

Database category Contact Source scale

Aerial photographs County Planning Department, Nick Colas (315) 253-1276 variable

Agricultural districts “ 1:24,000

County &/or municipal boundaries “ “

Geology “ 1:250,000

Hazardous waste sites “ variable

Hydrography &/or flood plains “ 1:24,000, other

Land use “ 1:24,000

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails “ “

School districts “ 1:95,040

Soils “ 1:15,840

Tax parcels “ variable

Topography “ 1:24,000

Water & sewer lines “ variable

Watershed boundaries “ 1:63,360

Wetlands “ 1:24,000

Zoning maps “ variable
Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

Chemung County

* STCRPDB, Southern Tier Central Region Planning and Development Board

a Surficial geology from Upper Susquehanna Coalition study. 

b

 From LANDSAT images. 

c

 Partial coverage for well-head protection area in Town of Horseheads. 

d

 Locations of SPEDES discharges. 

e

 For selected cities (e.g. Elmira). 

Other information: 

STCRPDB (http://www.stcrpdb.dst.ny.us/) has many other point, line, and polygon coverages for county. 

Weiler Mapping Inc. (contact: John Trimber (607) 739-4476) maintains county tax parcel maps. 

Other data available from County Planning Department include: locations of water wells tested for chemical quality; road-bank erosion sites; and

stressed-streambank segment inventory (from Upper Susquehanna Coalition study).

Primary GIS contact - Ron Shetler, Real Property Tax Services (607) 737-2988

Primary GIS software - ArcView 

Database category Contact* Source scale

Aerial photographs -- --

Agricultural districts -- --

County &/or municipal boundaries Planning Dept., Dave Bubniak (607) 737-5510;

STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092

--

Geology “ a --

Hazardous waste sites “ --

Hydrography &/or floodplains “ --

Land use “ b --

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails “ --

School districts Real Property Tax Services, Ron Shetler (607) 737-2988 --

Soils Planning Dept., Dave Bubniak (607) 737-5510;

STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092

--

Tax parcels Real Property Tax Services, Ron Shetler (607) 737-2988 --

Topography Planning Dept., Dave Bubniak (607) 737-5510; c

 STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092

--

Water & sewer lines “ d --

Watershed boundaries “ 1:100,000

Wetlands “ --

Zoning maps “ e --
Table 2 11

Cortland County 

 * From scanned topographic maps. 

Also available are digital coverages of: contour lines (20’ interval); slope (percent); and zip-code boundaries.

Primary GIS contact - Dan Dineen, Planning Dept. (607) 753-5043

Primary GIS software - ARC/INFO

Data category Contact Source scale

Aerial photographs Farm Services Agency, Tina Whiteman (607) 753-0851 1:7200

Agricultural districts Planning Dept., Dan Dineen (607) 753-5043 --

County &/or municipal boundaries “ 1:24,000

Geology -- --

Hazardous waste sites “ --

Hydrography &/or floodplains “ --

Land use “ 1:250,000

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails *Planning Dept., Dan Dineen (607) 753-5043 1:24,000

School districts Planning Dept., Dan Dineen (607) 753-5043 1:100,000

Soils Soil & Water Conservation District, Amanda Barber (607) 756-5991; 

Planning Dept., Dan Dineen (607) 753-5043

1:250,000

Tax parcels Planning Dept., Dan Dineen (607) 753-5043 --

Topography Soil & Water Conservation District, Amanda Barber (607) 756-5991; 

Planning Dept., Dan Dineen (607) 753-5043

1:24,000

Water & sewer lines Health Dept., Peter Rynklewicz (607) 753-0651 --

Watershed boundaries -- --

Wetlands Planning Dept., Dan Dineen (607) 753-5043 1:24,000

Zoning maps -- --
Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

Genesee County

* SWCD, Soil & Water Conservation District

a Aerial photographs taken in 1938, 1954, 1963, 1968, 1974, and 1985. 

b

 Limited to certain municipalities (e.g. Batavia). 

Other information: Also available are: 

paper and digital information on Batavia Wellhead Protection Project (contact Robert Patterson, Planning Department (716) 344-2580 x5468);

census data (paper format, contact Jim Duval, Planning Department (716) 344-2580 x5471); and

enhanced TIGER maps showing locations of traffic-control devices (contact Jim Duval).

Primary GIS contact - George Squires, Soil & Water Conservation District (716) 343-2362

Primary GIS software - Atlas GIS

Database category Contact* Source scale

Aerial photographs a Planning Dept., Robert Patterson (716) 344-2580 x5468

 SWCD, George Squires (716) 343-2362

1:4,800; 1:12,000

Agricultural districts SWCD, George Squires (716) 343-2362;

Planning Dept., Robert Patterson (716) 344-2580 x5468

--

County and/or municipal boundaries Planning Dept., Robert Patterson (716) 344-2580 x5468 --

Geology -- --

Hazardous waste sites -- --

Hydrography and/or flood plains SWCD, George Squires (716) 343-2362 --

Land use -- --

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails Planning Dept., Jim Duval (716) 344-2580 x5471 --

School districts Planning Dept., Robert Patterson (716) 344-2580 x5468 --

Soils SWCD, George Squires (716) 343-2362 1:15,840

Tax parcels Real Property Dept., Joe Macaluso (716) 344-2550 x2218 --

Topography SWCD, George Squires (716) 343-2362 --

Water & sewer lines b

 Corneles Engineering, Scott Harter (716) 427-0320 --

Watershed boundaries SWCD, George Squires (716) 343-2362 --

Wetlands -- --

Zoning maps Planning Dept., Robert Patterson (716) 344-2580 x5468 1:24,000; other
Table 2 13

a Land-use information in paper form also available for Towns of: 

Arietta (518) 548-3415); Benson (518) 863-8596); Hope (518) 924-4060);

 Indian Lake (518) 648-5885); Inlet (518) 357-2204); Lake Pleasant (518) 548-5204)

 Long Lake (518) 5624-5441); Morehouse (315) 826-3052); Speculator (518) 548-7352);

 Wells (518) 924-7912). 

 Information in paper form also available on countywide ambulance districts and census-block limits; contact Real Property Services (518) 548-5531.

 For GIS information, contact Soil & Water Conservation District (518) 548-3991.

y 

Data category Contact Source scale

Aerial photographs Soil & Water Conservation District (518) 548-3991

Real Property Services (518) 548-5531

1:24,000

Agricultural districts -- --

County &/or municipal boundaries Real Property Services (518) 548-5531 1:1,200; 1:2,400; 1:7,200

Geology -- --

Hazardous waste sites -- --

Hydrography &/or floodplains -- --

Land use a Real Property Services (518) 548-5531 1:177,408

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails Real Property Services (518) 548-5531 1:24,000; 1:142,560

School districts Real Property Services (518) 548-5531 1:12,000

Soils Soil & Water Conservation District (518) 548-3991 1:24,000

Tax parcels Real Property Services (518) 548-5531 1:1,200; 1:2,400; 1:7,200

Topography Soil & Water Conservation District (518) 548-3991

Real Property Services (518) 548-5531

1,24,000; 1:62,500

Water & sewer lines -- 1:12,000

Watershed boundaries Real Property Services (518) 548-5531 --

Wetlands “ 1:12,000

Zoning maps -- --
Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

No significant countywide data sets.

The Tug Hill Commission (http://www.imcnet.net/TugHill/tughill.html) has a variety of digital data for the southern part of the county. 

 Fort Drum Military Reservation has data for the Army base but has not shared it with the county. 

The Nature Conservancy has done some mapping of environmentally sensitive areas in the county.

Lewis County

* SWCD, Soil and Water Conservation District

Other Information:

Planning Department (contact Jon McHugh) also has census and land-cover information. 

Highway Department (contact Gary Buckingham) also has locations of landfills, road-salt stockpiles, and drainageways. 

Primary GIS software is ArcView 3.0.

Primary GIS contact - John Stewart, Soil & Water Conservation District (315) 376-6122

Primary GIS software - ArcView

Data category Contact* Source scale

Aerial photographs Tax Office, Clerk (315) 376-5324 1:9,600

Agricultural districts SWCD, John Stewart (315) 376-6122 1:24,000

County &/or municipal boundaries Planning Dept., John McHugh (315) 376-5422 1:126,720

Geology -- --

Hazardous waste sites Highway Dept., Gary Buckingham (315) 376-5351 --

Hydrography &/or floodplains SWCD, John Stewart (315) 376-6122 1:24,000

Land use SWCD, John Stewart (315) 376-6122 1:24,000

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails Highway Dept., Gary Buckingham (315) 376-5351 --

School districts -- --

Soils SWCD, John Stewart (315) 376-6122 1:24,000

Tax parcels Tax Office, Clerk (315) 376-5324 1:9,600

Topography SWCD, John Stewart (315) 376-6122 1:24,000

Water & sewer lines Health Dept, Tom Boxberger (315) 785-2277 --

Watershed boundaries -- --

Wetlands SWCD, John Stewart (315) 376-6122 1:24,000

Zoning maps -- --

Table 2. Water-resources data categories, and their sources and scale, in participating western New York counties (continued)
Table 2 15

Other Information: Contact Angela Ellis (716) 243-7550) for information on: 

 “Chemical analysis and nutrient loading of streams entering Conesus Lake”, by J.C. Macarewicz (SUNY Brockport; paper report); 

stressed-stream analyses for various streams entering Conesus Lake (paper data); 

Conesus Lake Inventory (1994; paper and digital data); 

Conesus Inlet Fish & Wildlife Management Area (paper and digital data); Genesee Valley Greenway (paper and digital data); 

locations of recycling drop-off centers (paper and digital data); 

ground-water availability and well yields (from U.S. Geological Survey Report; paper and digital data); 

environmentally sensitive overlay districts (paper data).

Other available information includes: priority watersheds (paper data; contact James Booth, Natural Resources Conservation Service (716) 382-3214); 

farm surveys (paper data; contact Peter Kanouse, Soil & Water Conservation District (716) 382-3214); 

Livingston County Agriculture Study (paper data; contact Bruce Dehm (716) 243-4427); 

water-quality sampling and monitoring, environmental permits (paper and digital data; contact Ralph Van Houten, Environmental Health Department (716) 243-7280);

 historically significant sites (paper data; contact M. Patricia Schaap, County Historian (716) 243-2311); 

locations of mines and oil and gas wells (paper data; contact Ralph Van Houten).

Primary GIS software  ArcView, Atlas GIS

Data category Contact Source scale

Aerial photographs Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD), Peter Kanouse (716) 382-3214 1:12,000

Agricultural districts Planning Dept., Angela Ellis (716) 243-7550 1:24,000

County &/or municipal boundaries “ variable

Geology Environmental Health Dept., Ralph Van Houten (716) 243-7280

Planning Dept., Angela Ellis (716) 243-7550

variable

Hazardous waste sites Public Works Dept., Cathy Muscarella (716) 346-3523 1:253,440

Hydrography &/or floodplains Planning Dept., Angela Ellis (716) 243-7550 variable

Land use “ variable

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails Highway Dept., Don Higgins (716) 346-3520

Planning Dept., Angela Ellis (716) 243-7550

variable

School districts Planning Dept., Angela Ellis (716) 243-7550 variable

Soils SWCD, Peter Kanouse (716) 382-3214; 

Planning Dept., Angela Ellis (716) 243-7550

1:31,680

Tax parcels Real Property Tax Services, Richard Shefflin (716) 243-7192 1:4,800

Topography Planning Dept., Angela Ellis (716) 243-7550 1:24,000

Water & sewer lines Public Works Dept., Cathy Muscarella (716) 346-3523 variable

Watershed boundaries Planning Dept., Angela Ellis (716) 243-7550 variable

Wetlands -- --

Zoning maps Planning Dept., Angela Ellis (716) 243-7550 --
Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

Madison County

Other information:

Planning Department also has several nonunique digital and paper data sets that are available from State or Federal sources.

Primary GIS soft ware is PC ARC/INFO (contact Lisa Welch, Planning Department (315) 366-2376).

Primary GIS contact - Lisa Welch, Planning Department (315) 366-2376

Primary GIS software - ARC/INFO, ArcView

Data category Contact Source scale

Aerial photographs -- --

Agricultural districts Planning Dept., Lisa Welch (315) 366-2376 1:24,000

County &/or municipal boundaries “ 1:600; 1:1200; 1:2400; 

1:4800

Geology -- --

Hazardous waste sites -- --

Hydrography &/or floodplains Planning Dept., Lisa Welch (315) 366-2376 1:24,000

Land use -- --

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails -- --

School districts Planning Dept., Lisa Welch (315) 366-2376 1:600; 1:1200; 1:2400; 

1:4800

Soils “ 1:24,000; 1:62,500

Tax parcels Real Property Tax Services, Cathy Conrad (315) 366-2348 1:600; 1:1200; 1:2400; 

1:4800

Topography -- --

Water & sewer lines -- --

Watershed boundaries Planning Dept., Lisa Welch (315) 366-2376 1:24,000

Wetlands -- --

Zoning maps Planning Dept., Lisa Welch (315) 366-2376 variable
Table 2 17

*Source is enhancement of Census Tiger Files. 

Other information:

Coverages for buildings and facilities in City of Rochester are held by Rochester Bureau of Engineering Services (contact John Thomas (716) 428-6942). 

 Primary GIS software is ARC/INFO and ArcView (contact Tom Goodwin, Planning & Development Office (716) 428-5418).

Primary GIS contact  Tom Goodwin, Planning & Development Office (716) 4285418

Primary GIS software - ARC/INFO, ArcView

Data category Contact Source scale

Aerial photographs Planning & Development Office, Tom Goodwin (716) 428-5418 1:12,000

Agricultural districts “ “

County &/or municipal boundaries “ “

Geology -- “

Hazardous waste sites Environmental Management Council (716) 274-8137 “

Hydrography &/or floodplains Planning & Development Office, Tom Goodwin (716) 428-5418 “

Land use “ “

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails *Center for Governmental Research, Scott Sherwood (716) 325-6360 --

School districts Planning & Development Office, Tom Goodwin (716) 428-5418 1:12,000

Soils “ “

Tax parcels “ 1:2,400

Topography “ 1:2,400

Water & sewer lines “ 1:12,000

Watershed boundaries “ “

Wetlands “ “

Zoning maps “ “
Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

Niagara County

* SWCD, Soil & Water Conservation District a

 Digital information available for Towanda Creek watershed (JoAnne Ellsworth, Planning Dept. (716) 439-7269). 

b

 Digital information available for:

 Towns of Lockeporte and Pendleton (contact William Budde Jr. (716) 439-7077);

 Johnson Creek watershed (contact, Chris Castiglione, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (716) 691-5456); and

 City of Niagara Falls (contact Anthony Restaino, City of Niagara Falls (716) 286-4320). 

Other information: Information in paper form is available for:

gas pipelines (contact Cindy Long, Soil & Water Conservation District (716) 434-4949); and

stream classifications at scale of 1:63,360 (contact JoAnne Ellsworth, Planning Dept. (716) 439-7269).

Primary GIS software - ArcView

Database category Contact Source scale

Aerial photographs SWCD, Cindy Long (716) 434-4949 --

Agricultural districts Cornell Cooperative Extension, Paul Lehman (716) 433-8839 1:24,000

County &/or municipal boundaries Planning Dept., JoAnne Ellsworth (716) 439-7269 --

Geology -- --

Hazardous waste sites Planning Dept., JoAnne Ellsworth (716) 439-7269 1:24,000

Hydrography &/or floodplains SWCD, Cindy Long (716) 434-4949 --

Land use -- --

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails Public Works Dept., Dorson Wilson (716) 439-7242 1:63,360

School districts Planning Dept., JoAnne Ellsworth (716) 439-7269 “

Soils a SWCD, Cindy Long (716) 434-4949 1:15,840

Tax parcels b

 Real Property Tax Services, William Budde Jr. (716) 439-7077 1:4800

Topography SWCD, Cindy Long (716) 434-4949 1:24,000

Water & sewer lines Public Works Dept., Dorson Wilson (716) 439-7242 1:4800

Watershed boundaries SWCD, Cindy Long (716) 434-4949 1:63,360

Wetlands “ 1:24,000

Zoning maps Planning Dept., JoAnne Ellsworth (716) 439-7269 “
Table 2 19

 *Includes fire districts.

Primary GIS software - ArcView, GRASS

Database category Contact Source scale

Aerial photographs Finance Dept., Dean Burth (315) 798-5750 --

Agricultural districts “ --

County &/or municipal boundaries *Planning Dept., Verne LeClair (315) 798-5710 --

Geology -- --

Hazardous waste sites -- --

Hydrography &/or floodplains -- --

Land use -- --

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails -- --

School districts -- --

Soils Soil & Water Conservation District, Kevin Lewis (315) 736-3334 1:24,000

Tax parcels Finance Dept., Dean Burth (315) 798-5750 --

Topography -- --

Water & sewer lines -- --

Watershed boundaries -- --

Wetlands -- --

Zoning maps -- --
Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

gy 

*SWSD, Soil & Water Conservation District

 SOCPA, Syracuse-Onondoga County Planning Agency

a Detailed digital coverages for Skaneateles Lake and/or City of Syracuse; many other digitized attributes are available in Skaneateles Lake watershed. 

b

 Includes partial digital coverage for Onondaga Lake watersheds. 

c

 Partial coverage for City of Syracuse. Countywide environmental management maps are currently being digitized.

Primary GIS contact - Bruce Johnson, Syracuse-Onondoga County Planning Agency (315) 435-2611

Primary GIS software - ARC/INFO, ArcView

Database category Contact* Source scale

Aerial photographs *City of Syracuse Water Dept. (315) 473-2608 --

Agricultural districts SWCD, Walt Neuhauser (315) 677-3851 a

 City of Syracuse Water Dept. (315) 473-2608

--

County &/or municipal boundaries SOCPA, Bruce Johnson; Don Jordan (315) 435-2611 --

Geology a

 City of Syracuse Water Dept. (315) 473-2608 --

Hazardous waste sites b --

Hydrography &/or floodplains SOCPA, Bruce Johnson/Don Jordan (315) 435-2611

NRCS, Tony Esser (315) 477-6536 a

 City of Syracuse Water Dept. (315) 473-2608

--

Land use a

 City of Syracuse Water Dept. (315) 473-2608 --

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails SOCPA, Bruce Johnson/Don Jordan (315) 435-2611

*City of Syracuse Water Dept. (315) 473-2608

--

School districts SOCPA, Bruce Johnson/Don Jordan (315) 435-2611 --

Soils b NRCS, Tony Esser (315) 477-6536;

SWCD, Walt Neuhauser (315) 677-3851

--

Tax parcels SOCPA, Bruce Johnson/Don Jordan (315) 435-2611 a

 City of Syracuse Water Dept. (315) 473-2608

--

Topography SWCD, Walt Neuhauser (315) 677-3851 a

 City of Syracuse Water Dept. (315) 473-2608

--

Water & sewer lines c City of Syracuse Dept. of Engineering, 

John Przepriora (315) 473-2607; Brad Miller (315) 473-2689

--

Watershed boundaries SOCPA, Bruce Johnson; Don Jordan (315) 435-2611 a

 City of Syracuse Water Dept. (315) 473-2608

--

Wetlands a City of Syracuse Water Dept. (315) 473-2608 --

Zoning maps -- --
Table 2 21

*Air photos taken in 1968, 1971, 1979, 1985, 1990, & 1995.

Also available are digital and paper data from Naples wellhead-protection study (contact Warren Hart, Planning Dept. (716) 396-4455).

Primary GIS software - Atlas GIS

Database category Contact Source scale

Aerial photographs *Planning Dept., Tim Jensen (716) 396-4458 1:12,000; 1:24,000

Agricultural districts Planning Dept., Tim Jensen (716) 396-4458 --

County &/or municipal boundaries “ --

Geology “ --

Hazardous waste sites -- --

Hydrography &/or floodplains Planning Dept., Tim Jensen (716) 396-4458 1:24,000

Land use “ --

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails “ --

School districts “ --

Soils “ --

Tax parcels “ --

Topography “ --

Water & sewer lines “ --

Watershed boundaries “ --

Wetlands -- --

Zoning maps Planning Dept., Tim Jensen (716) 396-4458 --
Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

Orleans County

Primary GIS contact - James Bensley, Planning & Development Department (716) 589-7004

Primary GIS software - Atlas GIS

Database category Contact Source scale

Aerial photographs -- --

Agricultural districts Planning & Development Dept., James Bensley (716) 589-7004 --

County &/or municipal boundaries “ --

Geology “ --

Hazardous waste sites -- --

Hydrography &/or floodplains Planning & Development Dept., James Bensley (716) 589-7004 --

Land use -- --

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails Planning & Development Dept., James Bensley (716) 589-7004 --

School districts -- --

Soils Planning & Development Dept., James Bensley (716) 589-7004 --

Tax parcels “ --

Topography Planning & Development Dept., James Bensley (716) 589-7004 --

Water & sewer lines -- --

Watershed boundaries Planning & Development Dept., James Bensley (716) 589-7004 --

Wetlands -- --

Zoning maps Planning & Development Dept., James Bensley (716) 589-7004 --
Table 2 23

* DPCD, Department of Planning and Community Development

Other information: 

Digital geospatial information also available for the following: 

greenways, community facilities, 

principal aquifers, public well fields, and 

vegetative cover. 

Primary GIS software is ARC/INFO 7.1.2.

Primary GIS software - ARC/INFO 

Database category Contact Source scale

Aerial photographs DPCD, 

Martin Weiss (315) 349-8292

1:24,000

Agricultural districts DPCD, Martin Weiss (315) 349-8292 --

County &/or municipal boundaries “ 1:24,000

Geology “ “

Hazardous waste sites -- --

Hydrography &/or floodplains “ 1:24,000; 1:100,000

Land use “ 1:24,000

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails “ “

School districts -- --

Soils DPCD, Martin Weiss (315) 349-8292 1:24,000

Tax parcels “ --

Topography “ 1:24,000

Water & sewer lines “ “

Watershed boundaries “ --“

Wetlands “ 1:24,000

Zoning maps -- --
Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

Schuyler County

* SWCD, Soil & Water Conservation District

 STCRPDB, Southern Tier Central Regional Planning and Development Board

a

 Aerial photos taken in 1954, 1964, and 1985.

b

 Detailed land-use data for about 60 percent of county are available 

c

 Detailed soils data for about 50 percent of county are available

d

 Partial coverages at scale of 1:9600 are available for sewer and water districts in towns of Watkins Glen and Montour Falls

Primary GIS contact - Lloyd Wetherbee, Soil & Water Conservation District (607) 535-9650

Primary GIS software - GRASS 

Database category Contact* Source scale

Aerial photographs a Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD),

Lloyd Wetherbee (607) 535-9650

1:7920; 1:15,840

Agricultural districts “ 1:4,800

County &/or municipal boundaries STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092 --

Geology SWCD, Lloyd Wetherbee (607) 535-9650 1:250,000

Hazardous waste sites -- --

Hydrography &/or floodplains STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092 1,24,000

Land use b SWCD, Lloyd Wetherbee (607) 535-9650;

STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092

1:15,840

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092 1,24,000

School districts Real Property Services (607) 535-8118 1:4,800

Soils c

 SWCD, Lloyd Wetherbee (607) 535-9650 1:15,840

Tax parcels Real Property Services (607) 535-8118 1:4,800

Topography SWCD, Lloyd Wetherbee (607) 535-9650 1:24,000

Water & sewer lines dSWCD, Lloyd Wetherbee (607) 535-9650 1:9,600

Watershed boundaries SWCD, Lloyd Wetherbee (607) 535-9650;

STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092

1:24,000

Wetlands STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092 1:24,000

Zoning maps SWCD, Lloyd Wetherbee (607) 535-9650 1:9,600
Table 2 25

* STCRPDB Southern Central Regional Planning and Development Board

a

 Digital coverage of approximate sewer-line locations in Town of Corning.

b

 Digital coverages for Towns of Addison and Corning

Other information: STCRPDB (http://www.stcrpdb.dst.ny.us/) has many other point, line, and polygon covervages for county. 

.

Primary GIS software - ARC/INFO, ArcView 

Database category Contact** Source scale

Aerial photographs Planning Dept., Tom Sears (607) 776-9631 --

Agricultural districts “ --

County &/or municipal boundaries Planning Dept., Tom Sears (607) 776-9631; 

STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092

--

Geology STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092 --

Hazardous waste sites STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092 --

Hydrography &/or floodplains Planning Dept., Tom Sears (607) 776-9631; 

STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092

--

Land use “ --

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails Planning Dept., Tom Sears (607) 776-9631; 

STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092

--

School districts Real Property Services (607) 535-8118 1:4,800

Soils STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092 --

Tax parcels Real Property Tax Office, Donna Hatch (607) 776-9631

STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092

--

Topography Planning Dept., Tom Sears (607) 776-9631 --

Water & sewer lines a

 STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092 --

Watershed boundaries STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092 1:100,000

Wetlands “ --

Zoning maps b STCRPDB, Dara Fell (607) 962-5092 --
Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

Tompkins County

* Information about hazardous-waste sites is available in summary reports, but the source data is proprietary. 

Numerous data are available for site-specific locations exist. Contact Greg Potter for more information. 

See Tompkins County’s GIS Website at http://www.tompkins-co.org/gis/.

Primary GIS contact - Greg Potter, Department of Information Services (607) 274-5416

Primary GIS software - ARC/INFO, ArcView

Database category Contact Source scale

Aerial photographs Dept. of Information Services, Greg Potter (607) 274-5416 1:12,000 to 1:24,000

Agricultural districts “ 1:4,800

County &/or municipal boundaries “ 1:600 to 1:4,800

Geology “ 1:250,000

Hazardous waste sites * --

Hydrography &/or floodplains Dept. of Information Services, Greg Potter (607) 274-5416 1:4,800 to 1:24,000

Land use “ 1:24,000

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails “ 1:600 to 1:4,800

School districts “ 1:600 to 1:4,800

Soils “ 1:15,800

Tax parcels “ 1:600 to 1:4,800

Topography “ 1:24,000

Water & sewer lines -- --

Watershed boundaries Dept. of Information Services, Greg Potter (607) 274-5416 1:24,000

Wetlands “ 1:24,000

Zoning maps “ 1:600 to 1:4,800
Table 2 27

Other information: 

The following point data are available in paper form: 

Dry hydrant locations (scale = 1:24,000; contact Melissa Franklin, Soil & Water Conservation District (716) 786-5070; 

physical landmarks (airports, hospitals, parks, prisons, etc. (contact Barbara Shilling, Planning Department (716) 786-8846; 

stream classifications (contact Greg McKurth, Soil & Water Conservation District (716) 786-5070;

transportation (locations of stop and yield signs; contact Office of Emergency Services (716) 786-8867.

Primary GIS software  Atlas GIS

Database category Contact Source scale

Aerial photographs -- --

Agricultural districts Planning Dept., Barbara Shilling (716) 786-8846 --

County &/or municipal boundaries “ --

Geology “ --

Hazardous waste sites “ --

Hydrography &/or floodplains “ 1:24,000; other

Land use -- --

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails Planning Dept., Barbara Shilling (716) 786-8846 --

School districts -- --

Soils Soil & Water Conservation District, 

Greg McKurth (716) 786-5070

1:190,080

Tax parcels Real Property Tax Services, Richard Dean (716) 786-8828

Topography Planning Dept., Barbara Shilling (716) 786-8846 --

Water & sewer lines -- --

Watershed boundaries Soil & Water Conservation District, 

Greg McKurth (716) 786-5070; 

Planning Dept., Barbara Shilling (716) 786-8846

1:24,000

Wetlands -- --

Zoning maps -- --
Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

Yates County

a

 1985 survey. 

b

 Contour interval is 10 feet.

Other information: The following digital information on the Keuka Lake watershed is also available (contact Richard Brown, Planning Department (315) 536-5153): land use from 

aerial photography (1990 survey; scale = 1:1,000); 

pollution sources (landfill, salt storage, SPEDES, spills, etc.; scale = 1:24,000);

water quality (scale = 1:24,000).

Primary GIS contact -Richard Brown, Planning Department (315) 536-5153

Primary GIS software - ARC/INFO, ArcView

Database category Contact Source scale

Aerial photographs a Planning Dept., Richard Brown (315) 536-5153 1:1,000

Agricultural districts “ 1:24,000

County &/or municipal boundaries “ 1:63,360

Geology “ --

Hazardous waste sites -- --

Hydrography &/or floodplains Planning Dept., Richard Brown (315) 536-5153 1:24,000

Land use “* 1:1,000

Roads, rail lines, &/or trails “ 1:24,000; other

School districts “ --

Soils “ 1:24,000

Tax parcels “ 1:2,400:1:4,800

Topography “ b 1:24,000

Water & sewer lines “ 1:24,000

Watershed boundaries “ 1:24,000

Wetlands “ --

Zoning maps “ --
Table 3 29

Database description or application Agency

Contact

phone - email - WWW site

Data

format

Use

policy Source scale

ware 

or OS

software 

or file 

Agriculture

Agricultural district boundaries. New York State Department

of Agriculture & Markets

Cornell Institute for Resource 

Information Systems

Bob Summers (518) 457-2713

http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/

Susan Hoskins (607) 255-6520

http://www.cfe.cornell.edu/ciris/default.html

digital/

paper

public 1:250,000 PC ARC/INFO

Biodiversity inventory

Rare & endangered species & 

habitats.

New York State 

Natural Heritage Program

Information Services (518) 783-3932

http://www.heritage.tnc.org/nhp/us/ny/

digital/

paper

public/

restricted

1:24,000 PC

Unix

ARC/INFO

ArcView

Climatological data Current and 

historical weather records and 

summaries.

National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration

State Climatologist

(704) 271-4800, questions@ncdc@noaa.gov

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ncdc.html

Keith Eggleston (607) 255-1749, KLE1@cornell.edu

http://met-www.cit.cornell.edu

digital

digital

public

public

variable

variable

variable

VAX

Unix

ASCII

ASCII

binary

Compilation of GIS databases in nine 

Finger Lakes counties

 Genesee/Finger Lakes 

Regional Planning Council

 David Zorn (716) 442-3770

dzorn@frontiernet.net

http://www.gflrpc.org/gisdata.htm

 digital/

paper

public/

restricted

variable variable ARC/INFO

ArcView

Atlas GIS

Congressional Districts U.S. Geological Survey http://nsdi.usgs.gov/nsdi/index.html digital public >1:100,000 variable ASCII

Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles

Partial New York State coverage.

Digital Elevation Models

Partial New York State coverage.

Digital Line Graphs

Partial New York State coverage 

(cultural, hydrography, hypsography, 

transportation, vegetation).

Digital Raster Graphics

Partial New York State coverage.

New York State Department of 

Environmental Conservation

U.S. Geological Survey

Larry Alber (518) 457-3143

http://www.dec.state.ny.us

(800) USA-MAPS

http://mapping.usgs.gov/nsdi/

http://mcmcweb.er.usgs.gov/status/mac/ny/index.html

http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/webglis/

digital

digital

public

public

1:24,000

DOQs:

 1:12,000

DEMs: 7.5’;

 1:100,000

DLGs: 7.5’;

 1:100,000

DRGs:

 1 ̊x 1 ̊

variable

variable

ARC/INFO

DOQs:

binary images

DEMs: ASCII

DLGs: ASCII

DRGs: TIFF

Economic

Business, employment & labor. New York State

Data Center

New York State 

Department of Labor

Bob Scardanalia (518) 474-1141

http://205.232.252.23/nysdc/ECONOMIC.html

Todd Nelson (518) 457-1317

http://www.labor.state.ny.us

digital

digital

public

public/

restricted

variable

variable

PC

PC

ArcView

Altas GIS

ArcView

Altas GIS
Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

Emergency

Dose-assessment models, fires, 

floods, historical seismicity, 

hurricanes, nuclear-plant evacuation 

routes, rain gages, tornadoes, toxicwaste inventories, weather stations.

New York State Emergency

Management Office

New York Dept. of State, 

Fire Prevention & Control

Robert Simpson (518) 457-9927

http://www.nysemo.state.ny.us/

Frederick Richards (518) 474-6746

http://www.dos.state.ny.us/fire/firewww.html

paper/

digital

digital

public

public/

restricted

1:24,000

1:100,000

1:250,000

--

variable

IBM

ARC/INFO

ASCII

Flood

Q3 flood data.

Federal Emergency 

Management Agency

Map Service Center (800) 358-9616

http://www.fema.gov/msc/q3flooda.htm

digital public 7.5’ Unix ARC/INFO

MapInfo

DLG, DRG

Forests

Fire-effects information system, 

forest inventory and research, pest 

conditions, etc.

USDA

Forest Service

U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency

Tom Frieswyk (610) 975-4075

http://www.fs.fed.us/database/

David L. Evans (601) 324-1611

http://www.epa.gov/docs/grd/forest_inventory/

digital/

paper

digital

public/

restricted

public

variable

variable

PC

Unix

variable

ARC/INFO

ER MAPPER

ARC/INFO

GIF

Geographical reference data

Locations & records for 

meteorological stations; reservoir & 

stream gages.

U.S. Geological Survey 

GCIP Reference Data Set

ahrea@csdokokl.cr.usgs.gov (405) 843-7570 

http://nsdi.usgs.gov/nsdi/wais/water/gcip.HTML

digital public variable variable

DLG

ARC/INFO

ASCII

Geology

Bedrock, faults, glacial, & minerals

New York State

Geological Survey

New York State Museum

Southern Tier Central 

Regional Planning & 

Development Board

Robert Fakundiny (518) 474-5816

http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/geology.html

nysmweb@mail.nysed.gov

http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/datasets.html

http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/research.html

Dara Fell (607) 962-5092

http://www.stcrpdb.dst.ny.us/

digital/

paper

digital/

paper

digital/

paper

public

public

public

1:24,000

1:250,000

1:24,000

1:250,000

variable

Unix

PC

PC

Unix 

Windows NT

ARC/INFO

other

ARC/INFO

Microsoft

Powerpoint

ArcView

ARC/INFO

Database description or application Agency

Contact

phone - email - WWW site

Data

format

Use

policy Source scale

Hardware 

or OS

Type of 

software 

or file 
Table 3 31

Great Lakes

Commercial fishing database, 

research vessel data, lake surveys.

Areas of concern for beneficial water 

use.

Coastal areas & shorelines.

Lakes Ontario & Erie - ice cover, 

shoreline recession rates, water 

levels, etc.

Great Lakes Science Center,

U.S. Geological Survey,

Biological Research Division

U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency

New York State

Department of State

U.S. Army

Corps of Engineers

Scott Nelson (313) 994-3331 x243

scott_nelson@usgs.gov

http://www.glsc.usgs.gov/

USEPAnsdi@epamail.epa.gov

http://nsdi.epa.gov/nsdi/projects/r5_aochuc.html

http://nsdi.epa.gov/nsdi/projects/r5_grlks2mhtml

Thomas Hart (518) 473-2465

http://www.dos.state.ny.us/

Caroline Forbes (716) 879-4104

http://hank.ncb.usace.army.mil/GreatLakes/GreatLakes.html

digital

digital

digital/

paper

digital

public

public

public

public

lat./long.

1:250,000

--

variable

PC

variable

--

--

ARC/INFO

ArcExport

--

Web

access

Health data

County environmental health data, 

health profiles, hospital locations, 

vital statistics.

New York State 

Department of Health

Thomas Talbot (518) 458-6212

http://www.health.state.ny.us

digital public/

restricted

variable PC MapInfo

Historic landmarks

Archeological and historical sites. New York State Parks, 

Recreation 

& Historic Preservation

National Register 

Information System

Robert Engler, Raymond Smith, Cynthia Blakemore

(518) 237-8643, http://www.nysparks.state.ny.us

John Byrne (202) 343-9543

http://www.nr.nps.gov

digital/

paper

digital

public/

restricted

public

1:24,000

1:24,000

UTM

PC

HP3000

MapInfo

dBASE

Atlas GIS

Hydrology

Lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands 

>12 hectares; watershed boundaries.

Hydrologic Unit maps, stream gages.

Genesee River Basin information.

New York State Department of 

Environmental Conservation

U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Howard Pike (518) 457-1617

http://www.dec.state.ny.us

Ken Lanfear (703) 648-6852, lanfear@usgs.gov

http://water.usgs.gov/public/GIS/huc.html

Rich Thomas (716) 879-4333

http://hank.ncb.usace.army.mil/Genesee/

GeneseeRiver.html

digital

digital

digital

public

public

public

1:24,000

1:250,000

1:2,000,000

variable

variable

AViiON

Unix

Unix

ARC/INFO

ARC/INFO

Web access

Database description or application Agencyphone - email - WWW siteformatpolicy Source scaleor OSor file 
Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

Land use and land cover

Information on urban or built-up 

land, agricultural land, rangeland, 

forest land, water, and wetlands.

U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service

http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/glis/hyper/guide/

1_250_lulcfig/states/NY.html

Deb Southworth (303) 275-2320

http://www.fws.gov/data/gishome.html

digital

digital

public

public/

restricted

1:24,000

1:250,000

1:2,000,000

PC

Unix

CTG

DLG

GIRAS

Landsat

SPOT

Landfills and Resource Conservation 

and Recovery Act sites

Locations and characteristics of 

waste-disposal sites.

New York State Department of 

Environmental Conservation - 

Solid Waste Division

U.S. Geological Survey

Gerald Wagner 

(518) 457-2051, http://www.dec.state.ny.us/

Ken Lanfear (703) 648-6852

http://water.usgs.gov/nsdi/usgswrd/landfill.html

http://nsdi.usgs.gov/nsdi/wais/water/rcra.HTML

digital

digital

public

public

UTM coordinates

1:2,000,000

PC

Unix

FoxPro

ARC/INFO

Military New York State Division 

of Military & Naval Affairs

http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/ -- restricted -- -- --

Miscellaneous

Locations of: active and closed 

municipal-waste sites; air-permit 

data; locations of ground-water 

wells, public water supplies; & 

wastewater discharges; radon 

measurements; toxic-chemical 

release inventory; water and gas 

lines.

Aerial photos, base maps, biological 

resource data, geologic data, GIS 

data for water resources, satellite 

images, etc.

New York State

Department of Health

Southern Tier Central Regional 

Planning &

Development Board

U.S. Geological Survey

Thomas Talbot

(518) 458-6212

http://www.health.state.ny.us/

Dara Fell (607) 962-5092

http://www.stcrpdb.dst.ny.us/

http://nsdi.usgs.gov/nsdi/index.html

digital/

paper

digital

digital

public/

restricted

public

public

variable

variable

variable

variable

Unix

Windows NT

variable

ARC/INFO

other

ARC/INFO

ArcView

ARC/INFO

other

National Water Information System

Locations of precipitation- & streamgaging stations; wells; and associated 

data (discharge rates, water levels, 

water quality, etc.).

U.S. Geological Survey Andy Cohen (518) 285-5638

acohen@usgs.gov

http://ny.usgs.gov/htmls/pub/index.html

digital/

paper

public 1:24,000 Unix ARC/INFO

Database description or application Agency

Contact

phone - email - WWW site

Data

format

Use

policy Source scale

Hardware 

or OS

Type of 

software 

or file 
Table 3 33

Natural resources

Land cover/use, cropping history, 

irrigation type & water source, 

streambank erosion, streams >1/8 

mile wide, water bodies >40 acres in 

area, wetlands classification, etc.

Locations of mines, and oil & gas 

wells.

Soil boring logs; other geospatial 

data.

Natural Resources

Conservation Service

New York State Department of 

Environmental Conservation - 

Mineral Resources Division

U.S. Army

Corps of Engineers

http://www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/MLH/nritest/

nri_data.html

Eric Shyer (518) 457-0100

http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dmn/data.html

Paul Murawsik (716) 648-6094

http://corpsgeo1.usace.army.mil/CELRB/celrb.html

digital

digital

paper

public

public/

restricted

public/

restricted

variable

lat./long.

variable

--

Unix

Unix

Web access

MapInfo

ArcInfo

JPEG, TIFF

other

New York State GIS Clearinghouse

Center for Technology in the 

Environment

Statewide GIS Data Sharing 

Cooperative Participants & 

Inventories 

New York State 

Department of Education

Ann Getman (518) 486-1702

http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/gis/

http://www.ctg.albany.edu/gis/directory.html

http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/gis/cooplist.htm

digital public variable variable variable

New York Counties on the Web New York State 

Association of Counties

http://www.state.ny.us/nysac/coweblnk.html -- public -- -- --

New York State Department of 

Environmental Conservation

Coverages under development 

include: air-monitoring stations; 

bedrock data; hydrographic features; 

inventories of dams, inactive 

hazardous waste sites, & regulated 

facilities; largest pollution 

generators; mine locations; roads; 

wildlife-management & naturalresources data.

New York State Department of

Environmental Conservation

Larry Alber (518) 457-3143

lalbar@gw.dec.state.ny.us

http://www.dec.state.ny.us/

digital public/

restricted

variable Unix

PC

ARC/INFO

ArcView

Database description or application Agencyphone - email - WWW siteformatpolicy Source scaleor OSor file 
Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

Parks

Archeological and national register 

sites, maps, natural resource 

inventories, park boundaries, 

snowmobile trails.

New York State 

Office of Parks, Recreation 

& Historic Preservation

National Park Service

John Fox (518) 486-2098

http://www.nysparks.state.ny.us/info/

Nigel Shaw (617) 223-5065

http://www.nps.gov/hfc/publications/index.htm

http://hans.nrrc.ncsu.edu/npsgis/

digital

digital/

paper

public/

restricted

public

1:24,000

variable

--

PC/

Unix

ARC/INFO

ARC/INFO

ArcView

Adobe Acrobat

Police

Landmarks, roads, water features, 

etc.

New York State Police Jim Deconno (518) 485-8307

http://www.troopers.state.ny.us/

digital/

paper

public/

restricted

-- -- ARC/INFO

Political boundaries

Counties, municipalities, towns.

New York State Office of

Real Property Services

Ross Testa (518) 486-4518

http://www.orps.state.ny.us/

digital/

paper

public 1:24,000 Unix ARC/INFO

Population

Census blocks (1990). Census Bureau

New York State

Department of Health

SEDAC

http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger

Thomas Talbot (518) 458-6212

http://www.health.state.ny.us/

http://plue.sedac.ciesin.org/plue/

digital

digital

digital

public

public

public

1:100,000

1:24,000

1:100,000

VAX

PC

variable

ARC/INFO

Tiger files

ARC/INFO

MapInfo

Atlas GIS

Remote imagery

Satellite observations of the Earth’s 

surface.

New York State

Department of State

Thomas Hart (518) 474-6000

http://www.dos.state.ny.us/

digital public 1:24,000

other

variable

Landsat

RADARSAT

Sand and gravel aquifers

Glaciated northeastern U.S.

U.S. Geological Survey Al Randall, Andy Cohen; (518) 285-5628

http://ny.usgs.gov/htmls/pub/index.html

digital public on 

release

variable Unix ARC/INFO

School districts

Boundaries of school districts for tax 

and attendance purposes..

New York State Office of

Real Property Services

William Godell (518) 486-4513

bill.godell@orps.state.ny.us

http://www.orps.state.ny.us/

digital public/

restricted

1:600

1:4800

other

Sun ARC/INFO

ArcView

Database description or application Agency

Contact

phone - email - WWW site

Data

format

Use

policy Source scale

Hardware 

or OS

Type of 

software 

or file 
Table 3 35

Soils

STATSGO

Soil maps completed, in progess, or 

planned for the following counties: 

Chautauqua, Clinton, Dutchess, Erie, 

Genesee, Madison, Monroe, Oneida, 

Otsego, Putnam, Rennsselaer, 

Rockland, Saratoga, Seneca, St. 

Lawrence, & Suffolk. Also Catskill 

& Onondaga & Skaneateles Lakes 

watersheds. 

Natural Resources

Conservation Service

Cornell University

under contract with NRCS

State Soil Scientist (315) 423 5510 

http://www.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/stat_data.html

Steve Indrick (315) 477-6504

digital

digital

public

public

1:250,000

1:24,000

variable

Sun

Unix

ARC/INFO 

ASCII

ARC/INFO

GRASS

Surficial aquifers

Primary and sole source. U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency

Andy Cohen (518) 285-5638

http://ny.usgs.gov/htmls/pub/index.html

Robert Simpson (212) 637-3335

http://www.epa.gov/region02/gis/atlas/aquifers.htm

digital

digital

public/

restricted

public

1:24,000 

1:250,000

1:100,000

Unix 

PC

Windows NT

ARC/INFO

ArcView

ARC/INFO

Tax maps for various cities

Boundaries of tax districts.

Southern Tier Central 

Regional Planning & 

Development Board

Dara Fell (607) 962-5092

http://www.stcrpdb.dst.ny.us/

digital public variable Unix

Windows NT

ARC/INFO

ArcView

Telephone directory

Telephone numbers of state agencies

New York State Office

 of General Services

David Runyon (518) 486-9200

http://www.ogs.state.ny.us/telecom/org/default.htm

digital public -- -- --

Thematic mapping

Topical maps on a variety of subjects.

U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency Region 2

New York State

Department of State

Harvey Simon (212) 637-3594

http://www.epa.gov/mrlc

Thomas Hart (518) 474-6000

http://www.dos.state.ny.us/

digital

digital

public

restricted

1:100,000

25-meter pixels

Windows NT

PC

ARC/INFO

MapInfo

Tourism

Information on recreational 

resources.

New York State

Travel and Tourism

(800) CALL-NYS

http://www.iloveny.state.ny.us/

paper public -- -- --

Database description/application Agency

Contact

phone/email/Web site

Data 

format

Use 

policy

Map base/

scale

HardwareSoftware/

file type

Database description or application Agencyphone - email - WWW siteformatpolicy Source scaleor OSor file 
Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

Toxic release inventory

Compilation of toxic wastes released 

into the environment.

Hazardous substance release/health 

effects database

Types and effects of hazardous 

materials released into the 

environment.

New York State 1995 toxic release 

inventory

Toxic materials released in New 

York State.

U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency

HazDat

Agency for Toxic Substances

& Disease Registry

New York State Department of 

Environmental Conservation

Loren Hall (202) 260-3931

http://earth1.epa.gov/TRI_cover93/MetaRecord.html

Sandra Susten (404) 639-0700, director

Bill Henriques (404) 639-6088, GIS manager

http://atsdr1.atsdr.cdc.gov:8080/hazdat.html

Pollution Prevention Unit (518) 457-2553

http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/pollution/p2tri.html

digital

digital

digital

public

public

public

--

lat./long.

--

--

Unix

--

--

ARC/INFO

ASCII

dbf

Transportation

Airports, bridges, names, railroads, 

remote imagery, roads, survey 

monuments, maps, etc.

New York State 

Transportation Department

Map Information Unit (518) 457-3555

http://dot.state.us/magis/magis.html

http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/gis/inventories/dot.htm

http://www.bts.gov/gis/state/tx_visit.html#new

digital/

paper

public/

restricted

1:1,200

1:24,000

1:250,000

other

Unix ARC/INFO

TIFF

other

Tug Hill Commission

Information for parts of Jefferson, 

Lewis, Oneida, and Oswego 

Counties.

Tug Hill Commission (315) 785-2380/2570, tughill@tughill.org

http://www.imcnet.net/TugHill/tughill.html

digital/

paper

public variable -- --

U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency

Air quality; biological, cultural & 

water resources; control layers; 

image & CAD data; regulatory & 

terrain features; transportation; 

utilities.

U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency 

Region 2

Harvey Simon (212) 637-3594

http://www.epa.gov.region02/gis/dataset/htm

digital public 1:24,000

other

variable ARC/INFO

ArcView

Utilities

gas pipelines, gas & electric 

franchise data, utility infrastructure, 

cable TV, water companies, 

telecommunications

New York State 

Public Service Commission

New York Power Pool

Linda Demers (518) 474-5364, lmd@eps.state.ny.us

http://www.dps.state.ny.us/index.html

Steve Corey (518) 356-6134

http://www.nypowerpool.com/

digital

paper

public/

restricted

public

1:24,000

other

1:2,000,000

Unix

PC

--

ARC/INFO

ArcView

--

Watershed boundaries

Major watersheds in Lake Ontario 

basin; subwatersheds delineated for 

~50% of basin.

U.S. Geological Survey Andy Cohen (518) 285-5638

http://ny.usgs.gov/htmls/pub/index.html

digital/

paper

restricted 1:24,000 Unix ARC/INFO

Database description or application Agency

Contact

phone - email - WWW site

Data

format

Use

policy Source scale

Hardware 

or OS

Type of 

software 

or file 
Table 3 37

Water quality

Ambient & effluent water quality, 

intensive surveys, waterway 

planimetric data.

U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency 

Region 2

Bill Justis (210) 637-3334

http://www.epa.gov.region02/gis/atlas/storet.htm

digital public/

restricted

variable variable ARC/INFO

ArcView

Wetlands

Locations and types of wetlands. New York State Department of 

Environmental Conservation

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

National Wetlands Inventory

Wayne Richter (518) 783-5733

http://www.dec.state.ny.us/

Chief Cartographer (602) 555-1212

http://www.nwi.fws.gov/

digital/

paper

digital

restricted

public/

restricted

1:24,000

1:24,000

SPARC

variable

ARC/INFO

ARC, DLG; 

dxf, GRASS

WWW links

General GIS information National Center for Geographic 

Information & Analysis

National States Geographic 

Information Council

Environmental Systems 

Research Institute

Remote sensing and GIS 

resources

GIS links

Yahoo GIS links

Geodata Information Services

http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/

http://www.geo.drake.edu/nsgic/

http://www.esri.com/base/common/

jumpstation/jumpstation.html

http://www.gis.umn.edu/rsgisinfo/rsgis.html

http://www.gisnet.com/gis/ores/gis/index.html

http://www.yahoo.com/Science/Geography/

Geographic_Information_Systems__GIS_/

http://www.cgrer.uiowa.edu/servers/

servers_geodata.html

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

public

public

public

public

public

public

public

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

Zoning for various cities in 

Southern Tier

Zoning boundaries and types 

Southern Tier Central

Regional Planning &

Development Board

Dara Fell (607) 962-5092

http://www.stcrpdb.dst.ny.us/

digital public variable Unix

Windows NT

ARC/INFO

ArcView

Database description or application Agencyphone - email - WWW siteformatpolicy Source scaleor OSor file 
38 Sources of Geospatial Data for Central and Western New York

Glossary of Terms Used in Table 3

Adobe Acrobat - A program for publishing, displaying and 

downloading information on the World Wide Web.

ARC/INFO, ArcView - Computer programs for compiling, 

displaying and manipulating geospatial information. 

Published by Environmental Systems Research, Inc., 

Redlands, Calif.

ASCII - American Standard Code for Information 

Interchange. A code in which each alphanumeric 

character is represented as a number from 0 to 127, 

translated into a 7-bit binary code for the computer.

Atlas GIS - A computer program for compiling, displaying 

and manipulating geospatial information. Published by 

Environmental Systems Research, Inc., Redlands, Calif.

AViiON - a minicomputer manufactured by the Data 

General Corporation, Westborough, Mass.

binary - data coded in ones and zeros.

CTG - Composite Theme Grid format. A grid-cell oriented 

format for displaying land use-land cover information.

dBase - a database program for personal computers. 

Published by INPRISE Corporation, Scotts Valley, Calif.

dbf - Database file.

DEM - Digital Elevation Model. A digital file consisting of 

terrain elevations at regularly spaced horizontal 

intervals.

DLG - Digital Line Graphs. Digital representations by 

points, lines and areas of planimetric information.

DOQ - Digital Orthophotography Quadrangles. Scanned 

aerial photographs corrected for both camera and 

elevation variations and registered to a geographic 

basemap.

DRG - Digital Raster Graphics. A scanned image of a U.S. 

Geological Survey standard series topographic map.

dxf - Drawing Interchange File Format. A format for vector 

graphics.

ER Mapper - Image processing software published by 

Earth Resources Mapping, San Diego, Calif.

FoxPro - a database program for personal computers. 

Published by Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Wash.

GIF - Graphics Interchange Format. A format for bitmap 

graphics.

GIRAS - Geographic Information Retrieval Ana

System. A system for storing and processing 

land cover information.

GRASS - Geographic Resources Analysis Supp

A public-domain raster- and vector-based GI

image-processing and graphics production.

JPEG - Joint Photography Experts Group. A for

bitmap graphics.

Landsat - A series of satellites developed by the 

acquire high-resolution multispectral data of 

surface.

lat./long. - latitude/longitude.

MapInfo - A computer program for displaying g

information. Published by MapInfo Corporat

N.Y.

Microsoft Powerpoint - A computer program fo

presentation graphics. Published by the Micr

Corporation, Redmond, Wash.

OS - computer operating system.

PC - personal computer.

RADARSAT - a Canadian-led project for obtaini

images of the earth through cloud cover.

SPOT - A series of satellites developed by Franc

and Sweden for gathering multispectral data 

and land cover.

TIFF- Tagged Image File Format. A format for b

graphics.

Tiger files - Data from the U.S. Census Bureau T

contain very detailed street and address infor

which can be used to assign geographic locat

point information.

Unix - A computer operating system.

UTM - Universal Transverse Mercator. A cylind

projection that is the basis for the State Plane 

System used in New York State.

VAX - A minicomputer manufactured by the Dig

Equipment Corporation, Maynard, Mass.

Windows NT - Windows New Technology. A co

operating system published by the Microsoft 

Corporation, Redmond, Wash.