Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)
Overview | Data Formats & Access | Specifications and Documentation
Overview
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), developed by the USGS in cooperation with the
U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN), contains information about almost 2 million physical and cultural geographic features in the United States. The Federally recognized name of each feature described in the data base is identified, and references are made to a feature's location by State, county, and geographic coordinates. The GNIS data includes physical features such as caves, forests and springs as well as cultural features such as churches, cemetaries and small populated places (see GNIS feature definitions).
The GNIS is the official repository of U.S. domestic geographic names information. Information about foreign geographic feature names can be obtained from the GEOnet Names Server, developed and maintained by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency.
The Antarctica Geographic Names Data Base contains geographic names in Antarctica which are approved by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names for use by the Federal Government.
Data Formats & Access
ArcView Shapefiles
GNIS Labels are available as a point data set in ArcView shapefile format via the Wessex Streets & Boundaries CD's. GNIS data for North Carolina is available via the campus network in the following locations (Windows 95/NT users should connect to RPP):
Unity Location: /tiger95/statewide/
RPP Location: /tiger95/statewide/
Filename: LBL37.*
Projection: geographic coordinates
Map Units: decimal degrees
Datum: NAD83
File Size: 5.89 mb
NCSU-affiliates may request that the Wessex GNIS data be extracted and placed on an FTP server for remote access. Contact Data Services. GNIS data can be downloaded in tabular format from the Web via the GNIS Data Anonymous FTP Site. The data is organized into columnar text files by US state or territory. The data can be imported into a .dbf file using ArcView or other DBMS software and then built as a point shapefile in ArcView using Add Event Theme based on latitude and longitude coordinates.
CD-ROM
GNIS data is also available in tabular format at the DH Hill Library reference desk in CD-ROM format (call number: I 19.120:G25).
Web-based Query
The GNIS United States and Territories Data Base Query Form provides online search of the GNIS Database.
Specifications and Documentation
The following documentation is available on the Web:
GNIS Home Page (USGS)
GNIS User's Guide
GNIS Features Class Definition
Go to the GIS Data List Page
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