City of Austin Real Estate GIS Data — Resources
Those in the Austin area real estate industry are in luck—there are several sources for city of Austin GIS data that can aid them in decision-making by providing accurate and up-to-date geospatial data.
Why is location-specific data so important? We’ll dive into why systems or data for a specific location matters, then list some of the best resources for city of Austin GIS data.
WHY DOES LOCATION MATTER?
Finding location-specific GIS data is important for several reasons. Primarily, though, specialized GIS systems can provide more and higher-quality data for a lower price.
For example, an individual looking for city of Austin GIS data for real estate doesn’t need access to data for cities where they don’t operate or that is only applicable to other industries. They are likely interested in school zoning in Austin, but the location of major watersheds in the Southeastern US is useless to them.
Having more relevant and specific layers available to them makes the user interface more accessible and the functions more straightforward.
Because the GIS provider only has to pay for and collect data for one area and often only for a specific industry, development costs are lower and they can charge users less.
RESOURCES
Academic and government organizations often offer GIS data and maps for free. In the city of Austin, GIS data is available from the local government and the University of Texas library system.
AUSTIN CITY GOVERNMENT
The city of Austin posts downloadable GIS data here and here. Their maps include data about local demographics, public safety, and wastewater. They also provide planimetric data and aerial photography downloads.
Some users may not be able to open some of the files without additional software. We recommend QGIS, which is open source and available to the public.
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
The University of Texas libraries also provide a list of various GIS data providers in and around Austin, as well as a guide to finding and using local area data. You can find their guide here.
One helpful feature of the University of Texas page is that they break down available resources by city in the greater Austin area. Unfortunately, this feature also makes clear that there is no available data for many of the cities surrounding Austin.
What’s more, the available resources are in a variety of formats and file types. Some are pictures of paper maps available within the city office, while others are PDFs. A lot of information isn’t available at all, and what is often low quality and difficult to use.
Like the topic? Click the links below to read the previous two parts:
WHY CHOOSE FUSEGIS?
For those in the real estate industry, FuseGIS makes the search for city of Austin GIS data simple. The most important and most accurate data is right there when you need it, and specific to the greater Austin area.
Unlike the free resources available online, FuseGIS compiles data from all of the cities in the Austin area. The data is consistent, comprehensive, and high-quality, removing the guesswork and making your job easy.
Not sure if FuseGIS is for you? Schedule a free demo or sign up today.
