Welcome to free geospatial data!
The GIS Center at Radford University makes available VGIN (Virginia Geographic Information Network) 2002 aerial photography for the southern and northern halves of the Commonwealth of Virginia. This data is available for free download via an ArcIMS server. Please read important copyright information!
Important! VGIN 2002 aerial photography is now available for both the northern and southern half of the Commonwealth! Aerial photos may be downloaded by clicking on the top link on the left. Video tutorials on how to download data are also available on the left (Caution: These are big files!) If you have a problem downloading photos, please e-mail us for help!
The data available for download includes 100, 200, and 400 scale aerial photography taken in 2002. Also available are USGS DRGs, DEMs, and DOQQs (1999 photography).
Downloading data from the USGS 1:24,000 quad sheet index
- Make sure the "USGS 24k Quad Sheet Index" layer is checked as the Active Layer
- Click on the Hyperlink button (the button that resembles a lightning bolt) from the toolbar on the left side of the screen
- Select a quad sheet
- A new window will pop up displaying what data is available for that quad sheet. Be sure pop-up windows are turned on in your browser. Typical data includes:
- Digital ortho quarter quad (DOQQ) aerial photography flown in the mid to late 1990s
- USGS digital raster graphics (DRG), which are geo-referenced USGS topographic map sheets
- 30 meter digital elevation model (DEM)
- Simply click on the data set you wish to download and follow the instructions to save it to your hard drive
View a tutorial on how to access data via the USGS quad sheet index by clicking on the video tutorial button to the left.
Downloading data from the VGIN indexes
- There are two ways to do it, depending on your browser:
- Make sure that the appropriate VGIN layer is selected as the Active Layer
- Click on the Select button (it resembles a rectangle drawn with a broken red line and an arrow pointing in to it
- Select the quad sheet you'd like to download (you'll probably need to zoom in close in order to see the quad sheets well)
- Once you select a sheet, you will see the download link appear in a window at the bottom of the screen. This window displays the attribute record for the selected sheet
- Click on the link and you will then be prompted to save it to your hard drive
- Or...
- Click on the hyperlink button. Then select the photo on the map. A new window will open prompting you to save the file
View a tutorial on how to access VGIN data by clicking on the tutorial button to the left.
Please note: This is an experimental product and will be modified and updated as time permits. It runs under ESRI's ArcIMS 9.2 software.
Information About Spatial Data
DOQQ: These files are in MrSID format. Once you uncompress them, you may use them in many GIS software or image processing software. If you simply want to view the file on the screen, you must download a free plug-in to either Internet Explorer or Netscape from www.lizardtech.com. Loading this plug-in allows you to view the photos using your browser. For GIS users, these files are stored using UTM projection, NAD 83.
DRGs: These map sheets are geotiff files, meaning that they are stored as graphics which can be used in many software packages ranging from GIS to paint programs. They are also geo-referenced, meaning that GIS software recognizes the map's true position on the face of the earth. For GIS users, these files are stored using UTM projection, NAD 27.
DEMs: These elevation models may be used by a variety of GIS and remote sensing programs. Their projection are UTM projection, NAD 27.
VGIN Imagery: These files are also zipped and must be uncompressed. They are in Virginia state plane coordinate system projection and use US survey foot as the unit of measurement. There are also two state plane coordinate zones for Virginia, "north" and "south." Photos of the northern half of the Commonwealth use Virginia North and photos of the southern half use Virginia South. Once this part of the project is completed, the northern half of the state will be placed on line. Three scales are available: 1:100, 1:200, and 1:400. Urban areas of the state are mapped at 1:200 and 1:100 while more rural areas are mapped at 1:400.
o Regarding the 2002 VGIN aerial photography, the following stipulation applies: “Aerial Imagery Copyright 2002 Commonwealth of Virginia.” ALL DATA IS PROVIDED “AS IS.” The Commonwealth of Virginia, the Virginia Geographic Information Network and their respective, officers, agents and employees jointly and severally disclaim any and all representations or warranties, express or implied, written or oral, in fact or arising by operation of law, including any warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, ACCURACY, CurRENCY, commercial value, or freedom of data from infringement of any THIRD PARTY intellectual property rights.
This data is provided free of charge to the public. Radford University and the Commonwealth of Virginia assume no responsibility for its accuracy or its use.