Florida Geographic Data Library

Florida Geographic Data Library
Name	Florida Geographic Data Library
Formation	1999
Type	Repository
Headquarters	Tallahassee, Florida
Leader title	Director

Florida Geographic Data Library

The Florida Geographic Data Library serves as a centralized spatial data repository supporting Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Transportation, Florida State University, University of Florida, Florida International University, Florida A&M University, and Florida Polytechnic University with geospatial datasets, metadata, and map services. It provides statewide coverage for thematic layers used by agencies such as U.S. Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, United States Census Bureau, and Environmental Protection Agency in planning, emergency response, and research. The collection underpins projects connected to Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Kennedy Space Center, Tampa Bay History Center, and regional initiatives involving Miami-Dade County, Broward County, Hillsborough County, Orange County, and Pinellas County.

Overview

The repository aggregates spatial data, cartography, and geodatabase standards aligned with Federal Geographic Data Committee recommendations, the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, and interoperability profiles used by Open Geospatial Consortium services, International Organization for Standardization, and the Geospatial Data Act of 2018 frameworks. Serving stakeholders from Florida Department of Health to United States Army Corps of Engineers, the library supports thematic domains including coastal management around Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, wetlands mapping near Lake Okeechobee, transportation planning near Port of Miami, and hazard modeling for Hurricane Andrew-era studies. It emphasizes provenance and citation standards informed by practices at institutions like Library of Congress and Smithsonian Institution.

Data Collections and Datasets

Collections include land cover and land use datasets used by National Land Cover Database, high-resolution elevation derived from Light Detection and Ranging flights, hydrology networks tied to National Hydrography Dataset, and shoreline delineations relevant to National Ocean Service. Notable datasets support conservation efforts for Florida panther, habitat suitability studies for Manatee Protection Plan, and sea-level rise inundation models used in Miami-Dade County Sea Level Rise Strategy. The repository hosts cadastral parcels compatible with county property appraiser systems in Duval County, ecosystem classifications aligned with NatureServe, and transportation layers interoperable with Federal Highway Administration standards. It also contains imagery mosaics for coastal restoration projects at St. Johns River Water Management District and bathymetry surfaces used by NOAA Office for Coastal Management.

Access and Distribution

Data distribution follows modalities common to Esri, OpenLayers, GeoServer, and Amazon Web Services hosting practices while supporting Web Map Service and Web Feature Service endpoints. Users include practitioners from Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, researchers at Southeastern Universities Research Association, and staff from National Park Service units such as Biscayne National Park. The repository interoperates with clearinghouses like Data.gov, cataloging principles used by Digital Public Library of America, and metadata schemas linked to Dublin Core and ISO 19115. Access policies coordinate with procurement units at State of Florida and partner agreements with municipal GIS programs in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and St. Petersburg.

Governance and Partnerships

Governance involves coordination among state agencies including Florida Department of Environmental Protection, academic partners such as University of South Florida and Florida Gulf Coast University, and federal collaborators like United States Geological Survey. Partnerships extend to regional authorities including South Florida Water Management District and non‑governmental organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, Audubon Society, and Sierra Club Florida. Collaborative initiatives have linked the repository to projects funded by National Science Foundation, United States Department of Agriculture, and foundation grants from entities like Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Kresge Foundation for resilience planning. Data stewardship practices reference legal frameworks including the Sunshine Law (Florida) for public records and procurement oversight by Florida Department of Financial Services.

Applications and Users

End users span emergency management offices coordinating responses to events like Hurricane Michael and Hurricane Irma, coastal engineers working on Beach Nourishment projects, public health analysts tracking vector‑borne disease patterns in Miami, and transportation planners managing assets around I-95 and Florida's Turnpike. Academic research leverages datasets for studies at Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, and Mote Marine Laboratory on topics including wetland restoration at Everglades, coral reef monitoring near Dry Tortugas National Park, and urban growth modeling in Jacksonville. Private sector users include consultants engaged with Port Everglades expansions, renewable energy developers near Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and insurers performing flood risk assessments for properties in Broward County.

History and Development

Founded in the late 1990s amid efforts to modernize geospatial readiness across state agencies, the repository evolved through collaborations with Florida Geographic Information Council, adoption of standards promoted by FGDC, and integration of datasets from federal partners like USGS and NOAA. Milestones include statewide imagery acquisitions supported by cooperative agreements with Federal Emergency Management Agency after Hurricane Katrina and enhanced elevation mapping following initiatives by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and United States Army Corps of Engineers. Academic partnerships with University of Florida and Florida State University accelerated metadata standardization, while interagency memoranda involving Florida Department of Transportation expanded transportation data holdings. Ongoing development continues through grants and cooperative ventures with entities such as National Science Foundation and regional planning councils including Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council.

Category:Geographic information systems in Florida