Search Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory
Data Products and Services
The Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory (ONHI) maintains several databases related to Oklahoma's biodiversity. Additionally, ONHI maintains and/or contributes to other datasets available through ONHI or other data stewards. Information related to requesting data from our various databases can be found on our About Requesting ONHI Data page. Data available for download or online viewing may be found here.
Oklahoma Biodiversity Information System (OBIS)
The Oklahoma Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) is a comprehensive web-based application that draws upon multiple existing biodiversity databases in order to facilitate biodiversity conservation planning in the state of Oklahoma and beyond. OBIS began as a project to integrate data from five disparate databases into a single, integrated data management system. It has expanded to include biodiversity data from a number of stakeholders, including state and federal government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and citizen naturalists.
Hosted Feature Layers
ONHI manages a number of hosted feature layers for use in our various web mapping applications (such as OBIS). Several of these were either created directly by ONHI or in collaboration with our partners. Others were created by third parties, but are hosted by ONHI for use within our applications. The publicly available hosted layers can be accessed via our ArcGIS Online gallery.
Oklahoma Ecological Systems Mapping
ONHI, in collaboration with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC), the Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership (MoRAP), the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative, and the Gulf Coast Prairie Landscape Conservation Cooperative, helped produce a new land cover dataset for the state. Based on NatureServe's Terrestrial Ecological Systems of the United States, the land cover raster dataset and associated interpretive booklet are available from ODWC (links below).
ODWC Ecological Systems Mapping Site
Raster Dataset (ODWC Website)
Interpretive Booklet (ODWC Website)
Protected Areas Database
Though Oklahoma public lands account for less than 5% of the state’s total land area, there are many disparate governmental agencies, NGOs, and private land owners tasked with managing these and other protected areas in the state. Beginning in 2012, ONHI began to collate spatial information from these various entities in order to create a new protected areas database for the state. In addition to sharing these data for inclusion in the Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US), ONHI provides these data to all interested parties.
The Protected Areas Database of Oklahoma is updated as new data become available. PAD-OK is an aggregated dataset, incorporating data as provided by land owners, administrators, or best available sources. Inconsistencies in data quality and scale may be present. Because of possible data inconsistencies, PAD-OK is best for landscape level analysis (1:100,000 or greater). The user acknowledges that these data may contain nonconformities, defects, and errors. Additionally, all protected area boundaries are approximations and should not be viewed as legal boundaries for regulation or acquisition purposes. The Protected Areas of Oklahoma database is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind.
File Geodatabase Format (10)
Shapefile Format
Metadata (FGDC Text)
Metadata (FGDC XML)
The Game Types of Oklahoma
The Game Types of Oklahoma and A Game Type Map of Oklahoma, prepared by L.G. Duck and Jack B. Fletcher, were early efforts to describe and map the natural vegetation of Oklahoma. The continued use of A Game Type Map of Oklahoma as a potential natural vegetation map by educators and state agencies marks the success of their efforts. By providing descriptions of the Oklahoma landscape immediately following the "dust bowl" era of the 1930's, these works are of historical interest. Information provided in The Game Types of Oklahoma was not restricted to vegetation and game animals. Duck and Fletcher included information regarding land use characteristics, agricultural practices, and demographics.
Online Version of The Game Types of Oklahoma
ArcGIS Online Feature Layer
A GAP Analysis of Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Gap Analysis project (OK-GAP) was initiated in 1993 as a cooperative effort between the US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, and other federal, state, and private natural resource interests in Oklahoma. The objectives of the project were to: (1) prepare a map of the current distribution of land cover types, (2) estimate terrestrial vertebrate species distributions relative to land cover types, (3) classify land stewardship by categories of conservation status, and (4) identify and analyze gaps in the conservation of biological diversity from representative areas. The OK-GAP was an initial step toward a more detailed and comprehensive effort at long-term planning for biodiversity conservation in Oklahoma. To request a copy of the data, please contact our data manager or submit a request via our online request form.