Scope

Since 2015, we have collected, normalized, and enhanced geospatial metadata from hundreds of sources, including open data from local, state, and federal governments, nonprofits, research institutes, and universities. We also provide access to scanned maps from all Big Ten libraries. The collection now includes more than 100,000 geospatial resources.

In 2025, BTAA-GIN expanded its scope from metadata aggregation to data stewardship: we now collect, preserve, and provide access to open geospatial data. This initiative helps close gaps in recent historical coverage and advances the mission of libraries to steward the history of our geospatial landscape.

Collection Plans

Read our Geodata Collection Plan Our plan includes an overview of the expanded scope and the technology building blocks needed to meet this vision.

Follow our Geodata Collection Roadmap Our roadmap tracks our progress to fully implement the technology, partnerships, and curation strategies.

Urban Base Layers

Our first geodata curation collection is the Urban Base Layers project. This initiative aims to collect foundational geospatial datasets that document the basic structure and function of major cities in the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) region.

Read the plan.