Finding datasets for your app means identifying data sources you trust, validating the content fits your use case, and confirming you can access and use it reliably. The most common sources for developers are ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World, and ArcGIS Hub.
| Consideration | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Coverage | Does the geography, scale, and temporal range meet your needs? |
| Currency | How frequently is the data updated and when was it last refreshed? |
| Quality | Is the content authoritative, verified, and complete (fields, metadata)? |
| Licensing and attribution | What are the usage rights, attribution requirements, and constraints? |
| Access | What formats and APIs are available (Feature Layer, Map Tile, Vector Tile, Table)? |
| Performance | Can you query, filter, and cache efficiently for your workloads? |
The sections below outline practical discovery workflows for each source and tips for integrating multiple datasets.
ArcGIS Online
ArcGIS Online hosts millions of items including layers, maps, apps, and files. You can use the catalog search and filters to narrow results.
To find items, the general steps are:
- Sign in to ArcGIS Online.
- Click the search bar at the top and enter keywords related to your data needs.
- Apply filters to refine results:
- Item Type: Feature Layer, Map Service, Vector Tile Service, Table, Scene Layer.
- Owner/Organization: Limit to trusted publishers (e.g., Esri, government agencies).
- Sharing: Public, Organization, or specific groups.
- Tags: Domain-specific tags; categories like Transportation, Environment, Demographics.
- Updated: Filter by last updated date to ensure recency.
- Content Status: Prioritize Authoritative items where available.
- Open the item details page to review:
- Summary, description, and metadata.
- Layers and fields (names, types, domains), spatial reference, and extent.
- Terms of use and attribution requirements.
- Preview the layer in Map Viewer. Test queries (filter by attributes, set visible scale ranges) to validate usability.
ArcGIS Living Atlas
ArcGIS Living Atlas curates high-quality, global datasets and basemaps maintained by Esri and authoritative partners.
To find items in ArcGIS Living Atlas, the general steps are:
- Navigate to ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World.
- Using the search bar, enter keywords related to your data needs.
- Filter results:
- Authoritative and Verified content.
- Content type (Feature Layer, Imagery, Vector Tile, Map, Scene).
- Geography, topic (e.g., Boundaries, Transportation, Environment), and update frequency.
- Review the item and publisher information; confirm that usage terms meet your needs (Subscriber/Premium content may require entitlements).
- Open in Map Viewer to validate cartography, scale dependencies, and available fields.
ArcGIS Hub
ArcGIS Hub aggregates open data from governments and organizations worldwide and exposes search, downloads, and APIs.
To find data in ArcGIS Hub, the general steps are:
- Navigate to ArcGIS Hub.
- Using the search bar, enter keywords related to your data needs.
- Filter results by:
- Data type (Dataset, Feature Layer, Table, File).
- License (Open/Public Domain vs. restricted).
- Geography (draw or set a bounding box), categories, and keywords.
- Download options (CSV, GeoJSON, Shapefile), and API availability.
- Open a dataset page to review schema, fields, spatial reference, and update cadence.
- Download for offline use or connect via API for live access.
ArcGIS Marketplace (retired)
ArcGIS Marketplace previously listed partner offerings. Many publishers now share datasets directly through ArcGIS Online, Living Atlas, or their ArcGIS Hub sites. Prefer those channels for current content and licensing.
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