OPEN SOURCE TOOLS

There are many wonderful open source tools for communities to engage with online to learn more about the land, animals and plants in our bioregion. Below is a list of some of our favorites - click on a title or image below to be taken directly to the tool, or you can click HERE to download a PDF list. Please stay tuned and sign up to our Newsletter, as we will be hosting a webinar series with respective agencies to offer step-by-step walkthroughs and explanations on how to get the most our of these tools. All webinars will be recorded and archived in our Bioregional Video Library.

MAPS & INTERACTIVE TOOLS

Environmental Resource Mapper

Agency: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

The Environmental Resource Mapper is an interactive mapping application that can be used to identify some of New York State's natural resources and environmental features that are state or federally protected, or of conservation concern.

DECInfo Locator

Agency: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

DECinfo Locator is an interactive map that lets you access DEC documents and public data about the environmental quality of specific sites in New York State, as well as outdoor recreation information. A tutorial on how to use the mapper can be viewed HERE.

DEC Nature Explorer

Agency: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

New York Nature Explorer is an online tool for finding out about the animals, plants and habitats in your neighborhood or in your area of interest. Users may choose a county, town, or watershed, or they may specify their own location on a map. They will then receive a list of the animals, plants, and significant natural communities that have been found there, as documented in databases maintained by NYS DEC.

Potential Environmental Justice Area PEJA Communities

Agency: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Data shows polygon locations of Potential Environmental Justice Areas.

Wildfire Suppression Difficulty Index 97th Percentile 2025

Agency: USDA - US Forest Service

97th percentile of the Wildfire Suppression Difficulty Index for fire season 2025. Wildfire Suppression Difficulty Index (SDI) provides a spatial summary of “watch out” situations as well as areas with reduced risk to fire responders that can be used to facilitate strategic and tactical fire management decisions.

Forest Health Advisory System

Agency: USDA - US Forest Service

Designed to report on existing and predicted insect and disease conditions, raising awareness about forest health in many of the places you have come to know and love. Remember a healthy forest can make a world of difference!

National Insect & Disease Risk Map Viewer

Agency: USDA - US Forest Service

U.S. Forest Service National Insect and Disease Risk Map Viewer

Forest Ranger Contact

Agency: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Telephone and email contact information for Forest Rangers, and their respective supervisors, by territory.

Forest Blocks & Linkages

Agency: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Matrix sites are large contiguous areas whose size and natural condition allow for the maintenance of ecological processes. The goal of the matrix forest selection was to identify viable examples of the dominant forest types that, if protected and allowed to regain their natural condition, would serve as critical source areas for all species requiring interior forest conditions or associated with the dominant forest types.

Daily Fire Danger Map

Agency: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Check daily updates for current fire dangers.

New York State Extreme Heat Maps

Agency: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Maps and tools to identify areas that are disproportionately exposed to extreme heat, including urban disadvantaged communities (DACs). Preliminary maps show heat exposure intensity throughout New York State and depict the UHI as areas with higher temperatures than surrounding, less developed areas.

Daily Air Quality Index (AQI) For New York State

Agency: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

The AQI is a scale used for reporting daily air quality. It tells you how clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for you. The AQI correlates levels of different pollutants to one scale. The higher the AQI value, the greater the health concern.

Fire & Smoke Map

Agency: AirNow

Check on current air and wildfire smoke conditions, which can be both a health hazard and a hazard to crops.

Main Unconsolidated Aquifers

Agency: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

An increase in demand for New York State's groundwater resources has led to an increased need to develop groundwater protection and management policies. The aquifers represented in this theme resulted from an effort to facilitate the identification of the location and extent of significant unconsolidated aquifers.

FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer Map

Agency: FEMA

Access localized National Flood Hazard Layer data by searching FEMA's Map Service Center.

https://www.fema.gov/flood-maps/national-flood-hazard-layer

New York State Agricultural Districts

Agency: New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets

NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets data indicating Agricultural Districts, as defined by NYS Agricultural District Law.These GIS files represent geographic boundaries for lands that are under the protection of NYS Agricultural District Law, administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Crop Scape - Cropland Data Layer

Agency: USDA

An interactive web-based mapping application which shows the type, quantity, and location of crops. Land-use and primary food crop statistics, along with satellite data, can be used to identify areas in need and underlying causes of food insecurity.

Web Soil Survey

Agency: USDA

Web Soil Survey (WSS) provides soil data and information produced by the National Cooperative Soil Survey. Soil surveys can be used for general farm, local, and wider area planning. To view a tutorial on how to use this too click HERE

Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS)

Agency: RegrowAg & The Nature Conservancy

Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), an automated system to map tillage, residue cover, winter cover, and soil health practices using remote sensing data. OpTIS is producing crucial data on where climate-smart practices are being adopted, and how much impact they are having on soils and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Please note, to view the data you must sign up for an account HERE

ThinkHazards - Schoharie County

hinkHazard! provides a general view of the hazards, for a given location, that should be considered in project design and implementation to promote disaster and climate resilience. The tool highlights the likelihood of different natural hazards affecting project areas (very low, low, medium and high), provides guidance on how to reduce the impact of these hazards, and where to find more information. The hazard levels provided are based on published hazard data, provided by a range of private, academic and public organizations.

OPEN SOURCE TOOLS

MAPS & INTERACTIVE TOOLS

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES