Exploring the Colorado Geospatial Portal

The Colorado Geospatial Portal (https://geodata.colorado.gov/) allows both trained GIS professionals and members of the general public to discover geospatial technology across the state. The site includes a spatial data portal, a map viewer to visualize various datasets, links to state and federal geospatial partners, and open resources such as trainings. The goal of the site is to provide a centralized location for all GIS users to find data, explore applications, or find contacts for their own purposes. As a longtime resident of Colorado, I can attest to the vibrancy of the GIS community here. This portal is indeed what many of us have been dreaming about for years; therefore I salute Jackie Phipps Montes, our state of Colorado GIO, and her team. Jackie says the following:

“The Spatial Data Portal aims to provide accessible and authoritative data to drive decision-making statewide. Previously, geospatial data could be found across 14 different locations such as the  Colorado Information Marketplace (CIM) or individual agency websites. However, these methods either have limited geospatial functionality or rely on the end user to understand the agency structure across the state. The Spatial Data Portal tries to remove this barrier. We work with our agency partners to pull their data, maps, applications, and links to their geospatial resources. The result is one place to discover the numerous resources across the state.”

“These efforts aim to make geospatial more discoverable for a wide audience. We want our geospatial technologies, data, and resources to fully embrace the Digital Equity, Literacy, and Inclusion Initiative.  The Governor’s Office of Information Technology will continue curating content for the Spatial Data Portal striving to provide relevant data, consistent sources, and to provide resources to make navigating and using geospatial technology and data easier in the State of Colorado.”

I look forward to your reactions and how you are using the portal!

—Joseph Kerski