Open data
Data sources
Every number on this site comes from a public dataset that allows commercial use. This page lists them, what they are used for and how each figure is made.
| Source | Dataset | Period | Licence | Attribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copernicus DEM GLO-30 | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF, AWS Open Data) | 2011-2015 (TanDEM-X) | Copernicus WorldDEM-30 licence (free, worldwide, incl. commercial use) | Relief: produced using Copernicus WorldDEM-30 © DLR e.V. 2010-2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014-2018 provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA; all rights reserved. The organisations in charge of the Copernicus programme do not incur any liability for any use of the Copernicus WorldDEM-30 |
| EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 | Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (WMTS s2cloudless_3857) | 2016 | CC BY 4.0 | Satellite images: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016), CC BY 4.0 |
| GeoNames | cities1000 (towns with 1,000+ people) and countryInfo | CC BY 4.0 | Towns: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) | |
| NASA POWER | Climatology 1991-2020 and monthly values 2020-2025 (MERRA-2, CERES) | 1991-2020 | NASA open data, no restrictions | Climate: NASA Langley Research Center POWER Project |
| NOAA OISST v2.1 | Daily Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature, monthly means and 1991-2020 climatology | 1991-2020, 2020-2025 | US Government work (public domain) | Sea temperature: NOAA OISST v2.1 (public domain) |
| Natural Earth | 1:10m land, minor islands and marine areas (seas, gulfs, oceans) | Public domain | Outlines and seas: Natural Earth (public domain) | |
| OpenFreeMap | Vector map tiles (OpenStreetMap data) | ODbL (data) / free service | Map: OpenFreeMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors | |
| OpenStreetMap | Island outlines (up to 3 000 km2) and what is on each island: beaches, ports, lighthouses, viewpoints, peaks, trails, towns, ferry lines | ODbL 1.0 | Outlines and places: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) | |
| OurAirports | airports.csv (scheduled service) | Public domain | Airports: OurAirports (public domain) | |
| Wikidata | Islands: names in 7 languages, area, population, highest point, archipelago, World Heritage, images | CC0 1.0 (public domain) | Islands: Wikidata (CC0) | |
| Wikimedia Commons | Photographs (free licences only) | Per file: CC0, public domain, CC BY, CC BY-SA | Photos: Wikimedia Commons, author and licence under each photo | |
| flag-icons | Country flags (SVG) | MIT | Flags: flag-icons (MIT) |
Islands, names, areas
The list of islands, their names in seven languages, area, population, highest point, archipelago and World Heritage status come from Wikidata (CC0). Islands in lakes and rivers are left out: the sea is the theme of this atlas.
The outline of each island
Islands up to 3,000 km² are drawn with their exact OpenStreetMap coastline (ODbL); larger ones with Natural Earth (public domain), which also gives the seas and the distance to the mainland.
The sea
Sea temperature is NOAA OISST v2.1 (public domain): satellites and buoys, 0.25° cells, averages 1991–2020 and each month since 2020. For each island we average the cells within 35 km of its coast.
Weather
Air temperature, rain, wet days, sunshine and wind come from NASA POWER (MERRA-2 and CERES, averages 1991–2020).
Relief and 3D model
The relief comes from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30, the 30 m elevation model of the whole Earth (TanDEM-X), used under the Copernicus licence with its attribution and disclaimer.
On the island
Beaches, ferry ports, marinas, lighthouses, viewpoints, peaks, volcanoes, waterfalls, castles, dive centres, surf spots, trails, campsites and towns are counted in OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL). Towns with population come from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) and airports from OurAirports (public domain).
Images
The islands seen from space and the skin of the 3D model are the Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 mosaic by EOX IT Services GmbH (CC BY 4.0). Photos come from Wikimedia Commons, only with free licences; author and licence are under each one.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit 
mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.You are here
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Coming soonVisit