Last December, the Data Rescue Project (DRP) finished an initiative to download and archive over 400 geospatial data layers from the defunct HIFLD Open repository to DataLumos, an ICPSR-sponsored repository for federal government datasets. I wrote this brief post that summarized our work.

The Public Environmental Data Partners and Fulton Ring have launched a new community-shaped hub for finding, previewing and downloading GIS data collections, and its debut HIFLD Next collection is built on this rescued dataset. The portal increases the accessibility of the HIFLD Open data, with enhanced options for searching, previewing attribute tables and layers, and downloading or streaming data in a number of different formats. Beyond publishing a website, the group is hoping to build a community of practitioners around this project to support and sustain it, and to provide updated datasets and additional collections in the future.

They are keen to solicit feedback from GIS data users, and particularly from librarians and data specialists who provide active user support and who would potentially refer to the portal as a source. After you’ve explored the portal, feel free to submit feedback via their survey.

To learn more about the project, you can read this press release from the PEDP and this announcement from the DRP. The project is likely to be a primary topic of discussion at FedGeoDay 2026, which takes place in late April in Washington DC.