Geospatial Program
Managing 245 million acres of land and 700 million acres of mineral estate is a big task. The BLM recognizes that geospatial information is a critical tool for managing public lands. We’ve already made great strides in creating national datasets, supporting almost every program in the Bureau. The BLM has adopted a ground-up approach to managing public lands, and the geospatial program is providing the structure and tools to accomplish this strategy. We manage spatial data to support multiple activities at varying scales.
The BLM's geospatial strategy focuses on collection, organization, and use of baseline resource management data, like fenceline and transportation data and enhancing predictions based on geospatial data. Examples of activities that require geospatial data include planning and resource management, special status species monitoring, regional mitigation, and renewable energy projects, just to name a few.
An important factor in implementing our strategy is using a geographic information system (GIS) that is consistent and integrated within the Bureau and the Department of the Interior. This internal cohesion enhances the BLM's ability to partner with other Federal agencies, collaborate with State and Tribal governments, and communicate with the public.
National and State BLM GIS Services Migration to Cloud Infrastructure
The BLM Geospatial Program is migrating National and State GIS services to a modern cloud-based infrastructure. This transition will improve the reliability, scalability, security, and long-term sustainability of BLM geospatial services while providing a foundation for future enhancements.
As part of this effort, National BLM GIS services previously hosted under a single ArcGIS Server endpoint are being reorganized into dedicated service environments. Existing URLs will remain in place until February 1st, 2027, but users should update all references as soon as possible to avoid future disruptions. State service URLs will not change, but the underlying services will also be migrated to the new cloud infrastructure.
What Do Users Need to Do?
If you maintain GIS applications, web maps, ArcGIS projects, scripts, dashboards, layer files, or automated workflows that reference National BLM GIS services, update any service URLs that currently use https://gis.blm.gov/arcgis/rest/services/ and replace them with the appropriate new service endpoint:
- https://gis.blm.gov/natl/rest/services/
- https://gis.blm.gov/natlprograms/rest/services/
- https://gis.blm.gov/natlplss/rest/services/
Below are commonly used services with the old and new service URLs:
Need Assistance?
If you have questions or need help updating your systems, please contact the BLM at BLM_OC_GIS_Hub_UserSupport@blm.gov.