Isatis.neo (our comprehensive solution in geostatistics) and Kartotrak (our solution dedicated to contaminated site characterization) can read many file formats including standard image file formats (bmp, gif, jpg, png, tif), CAD DWG/DXF, GeoTIFF, MapInfo, or ESRI Shapefile.

But sometimes, even in our virtual world, information might still be provided on a good old paper map. It’s not an issue. You can import it scanned into Isatis.neo or Kartotrak as an image file, then geolocalize it in a few clicks by translating, rotating, and applying homotheties to the loaded image to superimpose it accurately to the map.

Similarly, aerial views can be georeferenced, allowing you to go back in time and better understand your site context (e.g., buried pipes, removed buildings, former storage zones). It is then like playing the spot-the-differences game!

Here is a first list of websites where you can find worldwide spatial data to improve your large scale maps:

– Vector files by country (administrative boundaries, rivers, roads, rail, elevation, occupation, population): www.diva-gis.org/data
– Files at different resolutions (country, city, raster…): www.naturalearthdata.com
– Topographic files (x,y,z or raster) 1 minute resolution: www.ncei.noaa.gov/maps/grid-extract
– Space and airborne images: earthexplorer.usgs.gov
– OpenStreetMap: extract.bbbike.org

And below are more detailed and national background map providers:
– For our Swiss friends: www.geo.admin.ch
– La même chose en France: www.geoportail.gouv.fr, remonterletemps.ign.fr
– Para España, ya está aquí: centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas

If you also know sites that provide spatial data, we invite you to give the info to Ophélie Lemarchand. She will be happy to share it with our users’ community. Thanks 🙂