Accessing DNR GIS Data Holdings

Frequently-requested DNR geospatial data holdings managed by the DNR Bureau of Technology Services (BTS) are available for download from the DNR Public FTP site using your web browser and at no cost. DNR geospatial data are shared in the agency's standard Coordinate Reference System and standard Data Format. Data documentation, known as Metadata , is available for many data sets held by the DNR, and includes information about whether the data is available for download from the DNR Public FTP site at no cost.

• Data Held by Other DNR Bureaus
• Geo-Referencing System
• Data Format
• Metadata

Accessing Data Held by Other DNR Bureaus

A wide variety of geographic and non-geographic data is maintained by other individual DNR programs outside the Bureau of Technology Services. These DNR program GIS data sets were developed primarily to fulfill certain regulatory responsibilities or to provide specific customer services, and may include limited locational information. more...

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Coordinate Reference System

Data are provided in the DNR's standard coordinate reference system - the Wisconsin Transverse Mercator coordinate system of 1983 based on the 1991 adjustment to the North American Datum of 1983 (WTM83, NAD83 (1991). Conversion of GIS data from WTM83, NAD83 (1991) to other coordinate reference systems can be carried out using commercially-available GIS software. DNR staff are not available to carry out these conversions as part of a GIS data request.

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Data Format

Data in the GIS Data Repositories is available in the format, geographic extent, and geo-referencing system in which the data is maintained and used on the DNR computer network. Vector data (point, line, or polygon data) may be provided in either ArcView shapefile format or in some cases ArcInfo coverage format; raster data are provided in ArcInfo Grid format; image data are provided in TIFF format (DRGs). DNR staff are not available to convert GIS data to other formats.

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You can download zipped statewide versions of frequently-requested DNR GIS data from the DNR Public FTP site using your web browser.

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DNR Bureau of Technology Services.