A new tool that allows researchers and students to search, map and download various kinds of geospatial data is now available to the Brock community.

The Scholars GeoPortal is the result of a three-year project developed by the Ontario Council of University Libraries.

It offers search, preview, query and download functionality for datasets licensed by Ontario university libraries. This includes topics like land use, transportation networks, census boundaries, geology, soils, aerial images and other points of interest — healthcare facilities, schools, airports, etc.

Although the portal does not include all geospatial data that is available to Brock, it does offer access to the popular datasets used for teaching, research and general geographic inquiry.

The portal is intuitive and easy to use and includes tools for creating customized map views. Data can also be downloaded for use in a GIS.

A sample map output courtesy of Scholars GeoPortal