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GEO 5395 & 7334: Stroup: Suggested Geography Databases

This guide was created for students in Dr. Laura Stroup's GEO 5395 and GEO 7334.

Need help?

If you need help with the Geography databases, check the tips in the Finding Articles tab or contact a librarian via Alkek's Ask-a-Librarian service.

General databases

These multi-subject databases are good places to begin your research.  They often return full-text articles.

Recommended databases

Use these databases as first stops for your research.

Aquatic Sciences & Fisheries Abstracts

Created as a component of the Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Information System (ASFIS), formed by four United Nations agency sponsors and a network of international partners. The database includes information from 1971 to present, with almost 1.5 million records.  Major areas of coverage include aquaculture, aquatic pollution, brackish water environments, conservation, fisheries, freshwater environments, limnology, marine biotechnology, meteorology, oceanography, and wildlife management.

General Science Full Text

Provides indexing of nearly 300 periodicals in broad range of science disciplines from 1984 to present. Full text is available for nearly 100 titles. Disciplines covered include astronomy, atmospheric science, conservation, earth science, environmental science, mathematics, and oceanography.

Geobase

Supplies bibliographic information and abstracts for the earth sciences, ecology, geomechanics, human geography, developmental studies, and oceanography. The database provides current coverage of almost 2,000 international journals, including both peer-reviewed titles and trade publications, and provides archival coverage of several thousand additional journal titles and books. Geobase contains over 2.1 million records from 1973 to present, with more than 300,000 citations and abstracts added annually.  Geobase and Georef are on the Engineering Village platform and may be searched simultaneously, or with other databases on the platform.

GeoRef

Established by the American Geological Institute in 1966, GeoRef provides access to the geoscience literature of the world. GeoRef is the most comprehensive database in the geosciences and continues to grow by more than 100,000 references a year. North American coverage dates back to 1785, with international coverage from 1933 to present. The database contains over 3.1 million references to geoscience journal articles, books, maps, conference papers, reports and theses. Geobase and GeoRef are on the Engineering Village platform and may be searched simultaneously, or with other databases on the platform.

GreenFILE

Covering all aspects of human impact to the environment, GreenFILE's collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles includes content on the environmental effects of individuals, corporations and local/national governments, and what can be done at each level to minimize these effects. Topics covered include global climate change, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more. The database provides indexing and abstracts for more than 535,000 records, as well as full text for more than 5,800 records.

National Climatic Data Center

Provides over 150 years of data, including Local Climatological Data and weather satellite images dating back to 196 0.  The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) archives 99 percent of the nation's weather data. NCDC maintains over 500 digital data sets, many of which are available on this website.
 

Oceanic Abstracts

Focused on worldwide technical literature pertaining to the marine and brackish-water environment. The database focuses on marine biology and physical oceanography, fisheries, aquaculture, non-living resources, meteorology and geology, plus environmental, technological, and legislative topics. The database includes coverage of living and non-living resources, meteorology and geology, plus environmental, technological, and legislative topics. The database contains over 400,000 references from 1981 to present.

Sanborn Maps (Texas Cities)

Founded in 1867, the Sanborn Map Company was the primary American publisher of fire insurance maps for nearly 100 years. These maps are valuable historical tools for urban specialists, social historians, architects, geographers, genealogists, local historians, planners, environmentalists and anyone who wants to learn about the history, growth, & development of Texas cities, towns, & neighborhoods.  ProQuest provides digital access to these Sanborn maps.

SimplyAnalytics

Provides mapping application to create thematic maps and reports.  Available data includes Census data, the Experian SimmonsLOCAL® and Nielsen Claritas PRIZM® Data Packages. View the Getting Started with Simply Analytics or Simply Analytics Quick Reference Guide tutorials for more information.

URISA

Provides information on database management, enterprise GIS, assessment, transportation, public works, tax assessment, design, implementation and evaluation of information systems for federal, state, provincial, regional, and municipal governments. Includes full text of URISA books, compendiums, conference proceedings (1999 to present), papers, quick studies and the URISA Journal(1989 to present). Database is available on second floor of Alkek Library.  Ask reference staff to log you in.

Water Resources Abstracts

Provides summaries of the world's technical and scientific literature on water-related topics covering the characteristics, conservation, control, pollution, treatment, use and management of water resources. Abstracts are drawn from journals, books, conference proceedings, and technical reports in the physical and life sciences, as well as from engineering, legal and government publications. Until 1994, the database was produced by the United States Geological Survey. Since that time, Water Resources Abstracts has been produced by Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, which broadened the scope by including more material published outside the U.S.A. This database, which concentrates on water supply and water treatment, complements the Aquatic Sciences & Fisheries Abstracts database. The database contains over 500,000 abstracts, dating from 1967 to present.

Additional relevant databases

These additional resources may be valuable to you.  Please don't hesitate databases by clicking on the stars!