Ever wish you had a map that highlighted hiking trails in city limits? Or maybe you want to visually see where local libraries are located.
Look no further, Austin. Meet GIS mapping — a resource used by the city, local organizations, and passionate residents to help discover data about places in our community.
What is GIS?
GIS (geographic information system) is a tool for gathering, managing, and analyzing data. Maps are created through GIS software (like ArcGIS, Google Earth + more) to analyze physical locations and organize layers of info into visualizations in the form of maps and 3D scenes. Simply put, really cool virtually-layered maps.
How is it used locally?
The City of Austin maintains several websites dedicated to GIS. This treasure trove features maps of public parks + trails, watersheds, flooding zones, power outages, and more. This page gets you maps of bike routes, sidewalk program projects, and Austin Police Department district reps. Zooming out, Travis County offers a robust collection of GIS maps spanning infrastructure, natural resources, and emergency services.
Our picks
Ready to explore? Here are few GIS maps we think you’ll enjoy:
- Interactive Parks Map | Use the filter at the bottom or search function on the top right to pinpoint local playgrounds + parks, hiking trails, softball and baseball fields, pickleball courts, and shade structures.
- Austin Bike Routes | Before you take that next ride, hop on this map to find all kinds of biking paths — including “high-comfort routes” with low motor-vehicle speeds and paved trails.
- Council District Map | Explore the boundaries of the 10-member council districts that make up Austin; here are some tips for searching by address.
- City of Austin Capital Projects Explorer | This map shows capital projects — aka ventures funded by the city’s budget — that are anticipated, active, under construction, and in closeout. Psst — this is a great resource to see what that project in your neighborhood could be.
- Nearby Pickleball Courts | Stop searching and get to playing with this app that helps you find courts in a park near you.
Which maps are you most excited to use?
