About this Page
On this page you will find a mix databases, websites, and tools that you can use to find interdisciplinary data from the social sciences, hard sciences, and life sciences.
Online Identification Tools
- iDigBioFind natural history museum and fossil records about specimens all over the world. Records may include origination information, species information, measurements (metric), and images.
- Geology.comPictures of rocks (igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary) that include written visual descriptions of the images as well as brief descriptions on how those rocks form.
Data Sources
- Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC)This portal provides access to a wide range of global data, associated documentation, and visualization and analysis tools, and to the community of experts on global data. Themes include Climate, Conservation, Governance, Hazards, Health, Population, Poverty, and Sustainability.
- Environment Data from The World BankData here cover forests, biodiversity, emissions, and pollution.
- Global Change Master DirectoryThe GCMD holds more than 29,000 Earth science data set and service descriptions, which cover subject areas within the Earth and environmental sciences. The project mission is to assist researchers, policy makers, and the public in the discovery of and access to data, related services, and ancillary information (which includes descriptions of instruments and platforms) relevant to global change and Earth science research.
- NOAA National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC)NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) provides scientific stewardship, products, and services for geophysical data from the Sun to the Earth and Earth's sea floor and solid earth environment, including Earth observations from space. GIS focus.
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) hosts and provides public access to one of the most significant archives for environmental data on Earth. Hosts over 37 petabytes of comprehensive atmospheric, coastal, oceanic, and geophysical data.
- NOAA OneStopNOAA OneStop can be used to search for any NOAA data with a metadata record. It is an interoperable tool designed to explore data from across scientific disciplines, formats, time periods, and locations. OneStop’s wide range of filtering options can pinpoint specific collections or granules that may not be discoverable in other mediums.
- EPA Open DataThis site is a single place to find a vast selection of EPA data sources, organized into topics such as air and water that are in easily downloadable formats.
- Data.govData.gov provides descriptions of the Federal datasets (metadata), information about how to access the datasets, and tools that leverage government datasets.
Statistic Sources
- FedStatsProvides access to the full range of official statistical information produced by the Federal Government without having to know in advance which Federal agency produces which particular statistic.
- Geography & Environment from the U.S. Statistical AbstractThis section presents a variety of information on the physical environment of the United States. The subjects covered are mostly concerned with environmental trends but include related subjects such as land use, water consumption, air pollutant emissions, toxic releases, oil spills, hazardous waste sites, municipal waste and recycling, threatened and endangered wildlife, and the environmental industry.
- S.C. DHEC Data & StatisticsHealth statistics and surveys, vital statistics, and environmental tools for South Carolina.
- NationMasterNationMaster is a massive central data source and a handy way to graphically compare nations. NationMaster is a vast compilation of data from such sources as the CIA World Factbook, UN, and OECD. You can generate maps and graphs on all kinds of statistics with ease.
- Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher EducationAASHE provides access to their reports and research to Furman-affiliates. Create a personal account using your Furman email address to obtain full-text access.
- Environmental Indicators from the United Nations Statistics DivisonUNSD Environmental Indicators disseminate global environment statistics, maps, and charts on ten indicator themes compiled from a wide range of data sources.
- NOAA Ocean and Coastal ToolsReal-time and historical tools and datasets used to measure variance in coastal regions (tides, temperatures, algal blooms, etc.).
- Social ExplorerSocial Explorer provides access to current and historical census data and demographic information and lets users create maps and reports to illustrate, analyze, and understand demography and social change. Among other documents Social Explorer includes the entire US Census from 1790 to 2010, annual updates from the American Community Survey, the Religious Congregations and Membership Study (RCMS) from 1980 to 2010 and Carbon Emissions Data for 2002 from the Vulcan Project.