The Public Commons of
Geographic Data
The goal of the following material is to explore and recommend legal and technological options for those who would like to make their geographic datasets freely available to the rest of the world.
Free Geographic Data
Several web sites specialize in maintaining links to sources of "free" geographic data. Check the license conditions for the data sets to determine any constraints on use. Geographic data from U.S. federal sources typically may be built upon freely unimpeded by intellectual property constraints but not always.
Spatial Data on the Web (Alexandria Digital Library)
Geography Network: Free Data (ESRI)
Further sites provide links to data clearinghouses, including state and U.S. federal sources of geographic data.
Geography Network: Clearinghouses
National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC)
Affirmatively Placing Geographic Data Sets into the Public Commons
Just because you find a book in the library, does that mean you have a legal right to copy it? Under some circumstances the answer is yes but the typical answer is no. Just because you find a dataset on the web, does that mean you have a legal right to copy it? Again, the same answer applies. If you want to grant people the ability to use, copy, disseminate, build derivative products or archive the data you supply, the best approach is to affirmatively place your geographic data into the public domain (this occurs by action of law for most U.S. federal geographic data sets) or use an "open access" or "commons" licensing approach.
Example user interface for Public Commons of Geographic Data
Research Needs: Overcoming the Technological and Legal Impediments
To optimize a Public Commons of Geographic Data will require progress on several research and development challenges.