Download the Protected Areas Database (PAD-US) Data:
Data are available for download in an ArcGIS Geodatabase format Nationally or by 56 State/Territory boundaries.
<< Back to PAD-US Data Overview
The latest version of the Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1) is now available. The download options below provide access to PAD-US data.
How to Cite Data:
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gap Analysis Project (GAP), 2024, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) 4.1: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P96WBCHS.
NOTE ON COMPARING VERSIONS OF PAD-US:
We strongly discourage comparing two PAD-US versions to look for changes in protection status as many changes reflect improvements to agency and organization GIS systems and data, rather than actual changes in protected area acquisition on the ground.
PAD-US does include a Date of Establishment field defined as: The Year (yyyy) the protected area was designated, decreed, or otherwise established. Currently this field is not fully attributed and data gaps are difficult to address. Values in the Date_Est field strive to represent the year the area received its current Name and Designation, but this is a complex topic due to changes over time with names and designations. Individual agencies/field offices are the best source of more time specific management practices.
Download PAD-US Nationally
The complete PAD-US full inventory geodatabase containing overlaps that includes the combined Fee, Designation, Easement, Proclamation, and Marine feature classes.
- National Geodatabase (zip file containing data in GDB format)
Download PAD-US by State / Territory
The PAD-US full inventory geodatabase clipped to 56 state and territorial areas using Census geographic boundaries to provide smaller data downloads for specific areas of interest.
- Download data by State (zip file containing data in GDB and KMZ formats)
Download PAD-US Spatial Analysis Data
Spatial analysis files created from the PAD-US full inventory geodatabase prioritized by GAP Status code to remove overlaps. Combines the Fee, Designation, and Easement feature classes. Includes military lands and tribal areas from the Proclamation feature class.
Download PAD-US Processing Scripts
Code repository containing all the scripts and related files used to create PAD-US. Individual tags are created to monument the specific code used to create each version. The "Preprocessing Steps" folder contains scripts used to incorporate new and updated data into the full inventory database. The "Derivative Products" folder contains the scripts used to create PAD-US products and services like spatial analysis files, statistics, and online feature layers.
For more information contact the PAD-US Team.
Download the Protected Areas Database (PAD-US) Data:
Data are available for download in an ArcGIS Geodatabase format Nationally or by 56 State/Territory boundaries.
<< Back to PAD-US Data Overview
The latest version of the Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1) is now available. The download options below provide access to PAD-US data.
How to Cite Data:
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gap Analysis Project (GAP), 2024, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) 4.1: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P96WBCHS.
NOTE ON COMPARING VERSIONS OF PAD-US:
We strongly discourage comparing two PAD-US versions to look for changes in protection status as many changes reflect improvements to agency and organization GIS systems and data, rather than actual changes in protected area acquisition on the ground.
PAD-US does include a Date of Establishment field defined as: The Year (yyyy) the protected area was designated, decreed, or otherwise established. Currently this field is not fully attributed and data gaps are difficult to address. Values in the Date_Est field strive to represent the year the area received its current Name and Designation, but this is a complex topic due to changes over time with names and designations. Individual agencies/field offices are the best source of more time specific management practices.
Download PAD-US Nationally
The complete PAD-US full inventory geodatabase containing overlaps that includes the combined Fee, Designation, Easement, Proclamation, and Marine feature classes.
- National Geodatabase (zip file containing data in GDB format)
Download PAD-US by State / Territory
The PAD-US full inventory geodatabase clipped to 56 state and territorial areas using Census geographic boundaries to provide smaller data downloads for specific areas of interest.
- Download data by State (zip file containing data in GDB and KMZ formats)
Download PAD-US Spatial Analysis Data
Spatial analysis files created from the PAD-US full inventory geodatabase prioritized by GAP Status code to remove overlaps. Combines the Fee, Designation, and Easement feature classes. Includes military lands and tribal areas from the Proclamation feature class.
Download PAD-US Processing Scripts
Code repository containing all the scripts and related files used to create PAD-US. Individual tags are created to monument the specific code used to create each version. The "Preprocessing Steps" folder contains scripts used to incorporate new and updated data into the full inventory database. The "Derivative Products" folder contains the scripts used to create PAD-US products and services like spatial analysis files, statistics, and online feature layers.
For more information contact the PAD-US Team.