New GLIN Maps and GIS for the Great Lakes region

The Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN), managed by the Great Lakes Commission, is pleased to announce the release of new GLIN Maps & GIS pages for the region. See http://gis.glin.net

Current datasets available focus on Great Lakes biota, geo/political boundaries, climate/meteorology/atmosphere, elevation, environment, basemaps/earth cover, inland waters/hydrography, and more. Registered users can also upload/publish their own Great Lakes-themed data.

The mission of GLIN Maps and GIS is to provide a centralized location to discover and acquire geospatial data for areas within the Great Lakes region. The site has four major components: 1) a portal for viewing and exploring the Great Lakes and associated data layers, 2) a data portal (GLINDA) through which GIS and geospatial data for the Great Lakes can be acquired, 3) a gallery of downloadable images depicting Great Lakes geophysical data, and 4) a collection of links and tools intended to connect users to additional resources relating to Great Lakes datasets.

Among the many new features of the new site is the Great Lakes Information Network Data Access Clearinghouse (GLINDA). GLINDA is an open source-driven, standards-compliant system intended to facilitate the discovery, dissemination and publication of Great Lakes-themed geospatial datasets. Data residing within GLINDA come from a variety of sources including federal, state and non-governmental organizations.

These data are available in a variety of popular formats including KML (for Googlemaps), Shapefiles, PDF, GIF, WMS, WFS, and GML.

Established by the Great Lakes Commission in 1993, GLIN is web-based information service that provides a broad range of news and information related to the Great Lakes' environment, economy, tourism, education and more.

Questions and comments can be routed through the GLINDA Feedback/Contact page at http://gis.glin.net/glindaContact.php, or contact Pete Giencke at pgiencke@glc.org.

The Great Lakes Commission, chaired by Lt. Gov. John Cherry (Mich.), is a nonpartisan, binational compact agency established under state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region and its residents. The Commission consists of governors' appointees, state legislators, and agency officials from its eight member states. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a "Declaration of Partnership." The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission offices are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.