Investigate Possible Future Effects of Climate Change in the U.S.

Comparisons and Research Using the Climate Change GIS Shapefiles

Using the data one could look at things like increases or decreases in temperature and precipitation over decades for any area or region in the contiguous U.S. of interest. All sorts of interesting comparisons may result for example, higher precipitation along with lower temperatures may indicate more snowfall and less rain. An increase in temperature later in the year may indicate a flood risk as the snowpack melts. You can probably imagine all sorts of scenarios to investigate with this data.

Data Units

Temperature: The monthly figures within each year represent the air temperature in degrees in K (Kelvin). You can convert K to Farenheit using the following formula:

F = (K - 273.15) * 9/5 + 32

or convert to Centigrade using this formula:

C = K - 273.15

Precipitation: The monthly figures within each year represent the precipitation in mm (milimeters). You can convert mm to inches using the following conversion factor:

1 millimeter = 0.0393700787 inch

or convert mm to cm (centimeters) using the following conversion factor:

1 millimeter = 0.1 centimeters

Click here to access the Climate Change GIS Shapefiles

Mike Meuser

GIS Project Development, Data Research and Custom Shapefile Creation
Free GIS Software, Shapefiles, Maps and Tutorials
Free GPS, Aerial, TOPO Maps and News

If you have data, GIS project or custom shapefile needs send me an email

Premium Shapefiles: ZipCode, Indian & Federal Lands, School Districts, Tornadoes, Dams, Climate Change & Global Warming

One Year Since Fukushima - Maps, Video, Shapefiles, Events

Today is the one year anniversary of the nuclear disaster at Fukushima. I've collected some lists of events today and tomorrow as well as a new movie about the disaster. There are also free maps, images and shapefiles to help you with your nuclear energy research.

Visit One Year Since Fukushima - Maps, Video, Shapefiles, Events Now

Mike Meuser

GIS Project Development, Data Research and Custom Shapefile Creation
Free GIS Software, Shapefiles, Maps and Tutorials
Free GPS, Aerial, TOPO Maps and News

If you have data, GIS project or custom shapefile needs send me an email

Premium Shapefiles: ZipCode, Indian & Federal Lands, School Districts, Tornadoes, Dams, Climate Change & Global Warming

San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant Shutdown Due to Leak

Million of folks in Southern California are at risk to nuclear radiation leaks. Read more about Tuesday afternoon's leak at San Onofre and access related details, maps and shapefiles.

Access San Onofre Nuclear Plant Shutdown due to Leak details, Maps and GIS Shapefiles



Mike Meuser

GIS Project Development, Data Research and Custom Shapefile Creation
Free GIS Software, Shapefiles, Maps and Tutorials
Free GPS, Aerial, TOPO Maps and News

If you have data, GIS project or custom shapefile needs send me an email

Premium Shapefiles: ZipCode, Indian & Federal Lands, School Districts, Tornadoes, Dams, Climate Change & Global Warming

Download free Hurricane GIS Shapefile Map Layers

With hurrican Irene on its way. I thought some of you may be interested in these historical hurricane shapefiles. These cover the period from 1851 up to 2004. I'm working also to include more recent hurricanes in the near future.

The paths of tropical cyclones and major hurricanes from 1851 to 2004.



The term "tropical cyclone" is a generic term for a low-pressure storm system that usually forms in the tropics. The unpredictable behavior, high seas, and devastating winds of tropical storms have challenged us for centuries. One of our best defenses against hurricanes and other tropical storms is informed readiness. The National Hurricane Center (NHC), part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service (NWS), collects tropical cyclone data as part of its mission to save lives and mitigate property loss by issuing advisories of hazardous tropical weather. The NHC tracks hurricanes and other tropical cyclones over the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and Eastern Pacific and issues hurricane forecasts, watches, and warnings to the public. Computer models are used to forecast the track and intensity of a tropical storm. These statistical models use current information about a storm and compare it with historical knowledge about the behavior of similar tropical storms. The historical record for storms over the North Atlantic begins in 1851, and the record in the Pacific begins in 1949.

Download the free hurricane GIS shapefile map layers here

Mike Meuser

GIS Project Development, Data Research and Custom Shapefile Creation
Free GIS Software, Shapefiles, Maps and Tutorials
Free GPS, Aerial, TOPO Maps and News

If you have data, GIS project or custom shapefile needs send me an email

Premium Shapefiles: ZipCode, Indian & Federal Lands, School Districts, Tornadoes, Dams, Climate Change & Global Warming

Discount U.S. Zip Code Shapefiles Based on 2010 U.S. Census Data. Why pay more?

I'm amazed at how much some companies charge for Zip Code boundary shapefiles. It makes no sense to me. Don't pay hundreds until you check these out.



Check out cheap Zip Code GIS shapefiles based on 2010 Census data here

Mike Meuser

GIS Project Development, Data Research and Custom Shapefile Creation
Free GIS Software, Shapefiles, Maps and Tutorials
Free GPS, Aerial, TOPO Maps and News

If you have data, GIS project or custom shapefile needs send me an email

Premium Shapefiles: ZipCode, Indian & Federal Lands, School Districts, Tornadoes, Dams, Climate Change & Global Warming

Extreme Weather, Natural Disaster, Weather Warning, Climate Change Maps, GIS Shapefiles & Resources

Scientists say solar activity is decreasing. Does this mean a new ice age is coming?

The weather this winter and spring has been quite dramatic around the globe. I've gathered some resources that you can use to help prepare yourself for and understand these extreme climate events. Some of these include space weather, climate change impact assessments, natural disaster shapefiles, extreme weather maps, NOAA national warning maps...

Click here to access extreme weather maps, shapefiles and resources.

Mike Meuser

GIS Project Development, Data Research and Custom Shapefile Creation
Free GIS Software, Shapefiles, Maps and Tutorials
Free GPS, Aerial, TOPO Maps and News

If you have data, GIS project or custom shapefile needs send me an email

Premium Shapefiles: ZipCode, Indian & Federal Lands, School Districts, Tornadoes, Dams, Climate Change & Global Warming

U.S. Zip Code Shapefiles Based on 2010 Census

Download the latest U.S. Zip Code Shapefiles based on 2010 Census. Access the Zip Code shapefiles now.

Mike Meuser

GIS Project Development, Data Research and Custom Shapefile Creation
Free GIS Software, Shapefiles, Maps and Tutorials
Free GPS, Aerial, TOPO Maps and News

If you have data, GIS project or custom shapefile needs send me an email

Premium Shapefiles: ZipCode, Indian & Federal Lands, School Districts, Tornadoes, Dams, Climate Change & Global Warming

Download Tornado GIS Shapefiles

U.S. Tornadoes from 1950 through 2008. The United States Tornado Touchdown Points 1950-2008 map layer includes tornado touchdown points for tornadoes that occurred in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Descriptive information includes the latitude and longitude of the touchdown and lift-off points, the number of fatalities or injuries, an estimate of damage costs, and the classification of the storm on the Fujita Tornado Damage Scale.

Download U.S. Tornado GIS Shapefile Map Layers

Mike Meuser

GIS Project Development, Data Research and Custom Shapefile Creation
Free GIS Software, Shapefiles, Maps and Tutorials
Free GPS, Aerial, TOPO Maps and News

If you have data, GIS project or custom shapefile needs send me an email

Premium Shapefiles: ZipCode, Indian & Federal Lands, School Districts, Tornadoes, Dams, Climate Change & Global Warming

Free U.S. Seismic Hazard, Historical Earthquakes and Nuclear Reactor Power Plant ArcGIS Shapefiles

These ArcGIS shapefiles are derived from U.S. Government data sources. Layered together they show the proximity of nuclear reactors in the United States with historical earthquakes. They also show proximity to seismic hazard zones. Each shapefile set includes detailed source and data information in a metadata file.

I have provided some sample maps. I created these with Maptitude GIS. If you are new to GIS, check out our Learn2Map GIS Tutorial and Atlas, learn more and download a free GIS program that you can use to make your own maps with these shapefiles.



Nuclear Facilities and Seismic Hazard Zones



Nuclear Facilities and Historical U.S. Earthquakes



Nuclear Reactors in the United States



U.S. Seismic Hazard Zones

Download U.S. Nuclear Reactor, Historical Earthquakes and Seismic Hazard Shapefiles

2010 National Transportation Atlas ArcGIS Map Layer Shapefiles Download

The free 2010 NTAD (National Transportation Atlas Database) shapefiles include railroads, ports, national parks, counties, states, highways, hazardous waste routes, airports, runways and much more.

Download the 2010 NTAD Shapefiles Here

Indian and Federal Lands ArcGIS Shapefiles Updated

Indian & Federal Lands
ArcGIS Shapefiles

Click here if you are new to GIS and you
want to know what it is and how it is used.

Coverage: All U.S. including Hawaii and Alaska.

I have updated the shapefiles to include a .prj file. The latest version of ArcGIS Explorer (build 1500) requires these files. Some other GIS viewers and programs do not. ArcGIS Explorer is a fine program, but I've found that it needs a quite fast computer with a lot of memory to run well. You can download ArcGIS Explorer here or you can check out some free GIS viewers that are simpler and take less resources. You can use any of these to load, view and query the maps you make with these shapefiles.

TatukGIS Viewer 19.3 mb
TatukGIS Viewer documentation 2.2 mb
ArcExplorer 2.2 13.5 mb
ArcExplorer Java 63.6 mb

These ArcGIS shapefiles work with the free ArcExplorer GIS viewer, ArcView GIS, ArcGIS, Maptitude, Mapinfo, Manifold, TatukGIS and many other commercial GIS and mapping programs and many free GIS programs as well. Each layer includes easy to follow instructions that show you how to add streets, highways, census information and much more to your maps for free. We have included national level base maps with each map archive listed below. Also, check our free GIS software and free GIS ArcGIS shapefiles pages for more information and free ArcGIS shapefiles.

Read full page with live links

Download Mexico Canada U.S. Transportation ArcGIS Shapefiles

Includes railroads, highways, border crossings, ports, states, provinces, airports, intermodal, auto ramps... for Mexico, United States and Canada

Download Free North American GIS Shapefile Maps

New to GIS? Learn more about it and take advantage of our Free Learn2Map GIS Tutorial and Shapefile Atlas

Free Download: Oil and Gas Field ArcGIS Shapefile Maps

Interesting and timely oil and gas field shapefiles. More to come.

Shapefile for the Coalbed Methane Panels

Shapefiles for field boundaries (2007), resources (2006), reserves and production (2006), and the top 100 methane emitting coal mines (2005) ZIP.

Shapefile for the Shale Gas Plays Map.

Shapefiles for basin boundaries.

Shapefiles for play boundaries.

Shapefile for the Regional Oil and Gas Field Maps.

Shapefile for the Powder River, Greater Green River, Uinta-Piceance, and Paradox-San Juan Basins plus Shapefile for the Montana Thrust Belt.

Shapefile for the Appalachian Basin.

Shapefiles for the Black Warrior Basin, Denver Basin, Wyoming Thrust Belt, National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska plus the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 1002 Area, and the South Florida Peninsula.

Shapefiles for the Eastern Great Basin, Eastern Oregon and Washington, Alaskan North Slope, Alaska's Cook Inlet, Ventura Basin, and Williston Basin.

Download the Oil and Gas Field Shapefiles

All in One Guide to Energy Maps and Shapefiles on Mapcruzin.com

Here is our collection of energy related maps and GIS shapefiles. Check back often as we update this page frequently.

Free Maps

United States Coalbed Methane Maps.

Oil and Gas Related Maps

Residential Energy Consumption Maps by U.S. Census Divisions.

World Energy Maps by county.

Renewable Energy Atlas of the West: A Guide to the Region's Resource Potential.

U.S. Regional Oil and Gas Field Maps.

Renewable Energy Potential Maps by U.S. Census Divisions.

Free Shapefiles

Renewable Energy ArcGIS Shapefiles by U.S. State

• U.S. Renewable Energy Biomass Shapefile.
  
  
• U.S. Wind Energy Shapefiles.
  
  
• U.S. Renewable Energy Hydrogen Shapefile.
  
  
• U.S. Renewable Energy Electric Transmission Shapefile.
  
  
• U.S. Renewable Energy Solar Shapefiles.
  
  
• Oil and Gas Field ArcGIS Shapefile Maps.
  

International Renewable Energy Wind Potential Shapefiles by country.

Create Your Own Maps with Free Shapefiles and GIS

If you are new to GIS and wish to create your own maps using shapefiles, there are plenty of free resources that you can use. We provide a free Learn2Map GIS Tutorial and Shapefile Atlas. We also provides listings of many free GIS software programs and other free shapefiles including the U.S. Census Tiger/Line 2009 ArcGIS Shapefiles for creating base layers like roads, highways, political districts, rivers, etc.

2008 TRI National Analysis Public Data Release Data, Maps, Shapefiles

December 8, 2009 EPA makes available the 2008 TRI National Analysis.

12/13/09: This is the first year in TRI's over 20 year history that the data has been released during the same year that it was collected. Over the last few days, since the 8th, we have been working hard to bring all the relevant data, documents and information about the TRI National Analysis (formerly the TRI Public Data Release) together on these pages. At present, we have both the basis and basic-plus data available for download. We have also created state fact sheets in PDF format. We are working on ArcGIS shapefiles and plan on having them available by mid-week. We will also be adding relevant documentation and Google Earth and Google Map KML and KMZ data files.

Download 2008 TRI National Analysis Data and Fact Sheets

Free U.S. States ArcGIS Shapefile Map Layers to Download

Free U.S. States ArcGIS Shapefile Map Layers to Download. Several new ones will be added each day. Include administrative boundaries, parks, forests, water bodies, hospitals, churches, roads, highways, paths, trails .... more.

Download Free U.S. State ArcGIS Shapefiles

New Afghanistan ArcGIS Shapefiles Ready to Download

New Afghanistan ArcGIS Shapefiles are ready to download. Inludes map layers of rivers, provinces, airports, cultivated areas, irrigated areas and more.

Download Afghanistan ArcGIS Shapefile Map Layers

Video of September 2009 Senate Hearing on Health Effects of Cell Phone Use

Video of 2009 Senate Hearing on Health Effects of Cell Phone Use. We also have free cell phone and other wireless tower/antenna shapefiles and google earth maps.

Video September 2009 Senate Hearing on Health Effects of Cell Phone

Cell Phone, Cell Tower and EMF News, Maps and Shapefiles

High Resolution Renewable Energy ArcGIS Shapefiles - Solar, Wind, Biomass, Hydrogen

High Resolution Renewable Energy ArcGIS Shapefiles - Solar, Wind, Biomass, Hydrogen - U.S. and International.

Download Solar, Wind, Biomass and Hydrogen Renewable Energy Shapefiles

Renewable Wind Energy GIS Shapefile Map Layers

Renewable Wind Energy GIS Shapefile Map Layers. Determine wind density and speed.

Download Free Wind Energy Shapefiles.