This repository is a list of links to historical vector-based gis-data (I intend to add a list for raster-based data in the future).
Please respect the data providers license requirements and always do credit the data source in your published work.
A collection of Historical GIS files mainly from Europe, Germany and Austro-Hungarian Empire. Suitable especially for choropleth maps (can be linked via the ID to statistical datasets).
Registration: Yes
Data can be downloaded here
A dataset of the changing world borders (1886 to present) at medium resolution. Available to download or - if your are interested in particular point in time - accessible thŕough a web application using a slider widget.
Registration: No
The Spatial History Project has mapped the territorial changes during the second world war from April 1938 - to November 1944. Shapefiles could be downloaded in a zip file from their website, which is no longer valid. Data can be accessed via web.archive
Registration: No
Historical Vector Data mainly for france, benelux and italy. Data is provided as shapefiles. here
Registration: No
A GeoDjango based project by the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities providing historical vector data for germany and austria. Aims to map the political territoriality of the habsburg austrian-hungarian empire (KuK). Project started May 2018. You can browse the currently available data here
Registration: No
Data can be downloaded here
Registration: No (restricted Access)
Data can be downloaded on the A Vision of Britain Through Time Website
County boundaries are released under CC-BY-NC-SA (s. License Agreement in the zip-files). Districts, Constituencies and Parishes are only available to institutions within the UK.
This project aimed to track the territorial changes in Germany between 1830 and 1918, online version here. The data can be accessed via the Earth Works Geoportal (search for 'hgis germany').
Registration: No
Notes: Please note that there is a slight offset to the north.
The data can be accessed via the Harvard Geoportal. Data access is described on the hgis-website.
Registration: Yes
Data can be downloaded here Permalink to shapefile datavDOI
Registration: No
As of 2023 a sample of the data with high-resolution historical boundaries can be downloaded via this portal
Registration: No
Data can be downloaded here
Registration: Yes
Data can be downloaded here
Registration: No
Historical county files for the entire US from colonial times to the present:
Realeased under CC-BY-SA-ND through their website
The Stanford Spatial History Project has compiled a list of historical census data for the US 1790 to present. The data is available as a repository on [github] (https://github.com/cestastanford/historical-us-city-populations)