Accessing the Libraries' Networked Geodata Collection

The Libraries online Geodata collection is network accessible to North Carolina State University Affiliated Users ONLY. It is not technically feasible to make exceptions. If you are not affiliated with NCSU, you may contact Data Science Services to ask for assistance with acquiring the data you need, and we can help as time permits.

To search for data availability, consult the Find GIS Data page.

Because of space limitations, not all data is on the network. Contact Data Science Services to request temporary access to offline data. The following access modes are available:

• Mapped Drive Access (PC)
• Mapped Drive Access (Mac)
• Off-Campus and Web Access

Mapped Drive Access

Windows and Mac users may map the Geodata directory on the gisdata server as a network drive in order to connect directly to the data from within a GIS application. 

If you cannot connect, check with your department's network or system administrator. Please report problems to Data Science Services.

Mapping Geodata as a Network Drive (Win 11 PC)

The options below work for on-campus access as well as off-campus if you are connected to the NCSU VPN.

Alternative 1

1. Open File Explorer.
2. In the left-side pane, right-click on This PC, and choose Map network drive...
3. In the window that opens, choose any available drive letter from the drop-down.
4. In the Folder box, paste:  \\wolftech.ad.ncsu.edu\Lib\prod\GEOData
5. You may want to check Reconnect at sign-in to make the connection permanent.
6. Click Finish. 

Alternative 2

1. Right-click and save the following file to your DESKTOP: mapdrv.bat
2. Double-click on the newly downloaded mapdrv.bat file.
3. A Windows warning message may appear, and if so, click More Info and then Run Anyway.
4. In a few seconds, you should have your R: drive mapped to the Geodata server
5. If you need to change the drive letter to something besides R:, open mapdrv.bat in a text editor, and change the R: assignment.

Alternative 3

1. Right-click and save the following file to your DESKTOP: mapdrv.vbs
2. Double-click on the newly downloaded mapdrv.vbs script.  
3. If you get a Security Warning message, click Open.
4. In a few seconds, you should have your R: drive mapped to the Geodata server
5. If you need to change the drive letter to something besides R:, open mapdrv.vbs in a text editor, and change the R: assignment.

Mapping Geodata as a Network Drive (Mac)

1. Select Go > Connect to Server from the menu bar.
2. In the address field, paste: smb://wolftech.ad.ncsu.edu/Lib/prod/GEOData
3. Leave the Username, Password and Domain fields blank and click OK.
    

Off Campus and Web Access

If you have the NCSU VPN client installed and can connect, it is recommended to use one of the options above.

Web access to the Geodata collection is available for those working in the ncsu.edu domain (on-campus) or those outside ncsu.edu domain (off-campus) who may not have the NCSU VPN client but can authenticate with a UNITY login and password through the proxy link below. After clicking this link, enter your UNITY login and password, and you'll be taken to the root level of the geodata collection.

https://gisdata.lib.ncsu.edu/

If needed, additional explanation is here.

• Right click on files to be downloaded and save as files on your local system.
• Go to the Geospatial Data Formats for file format help.