Randolph Glacier Inventory - A Dataset of Global Glacier Outlines, Version 3
Data set id:
NSIDC-0770
DOI: 10.7265/s6rk-h703
There is a more recent version of these data.
Version Summary
Changes in this version include:

  • Identification of all tidewater basins.

  • Separation of glacier complexes into glaciers in nearly all regions.

Overview

The Randolph Glacier Inventory (RGI) is a global set of glacier outlines; it is intended as a snapshot of the world’s glaciers. This data set provides a single outline for each glacier and is produced in coordination with the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) initiative. The RGI is not suitable for measuring glacier-by-glacier rates of area change, but can be used to estimate glacier volumes, rates of elevation change at regional and global scales, and cryospheric responses to climatic forcing. Glacier mapping data are contributed to both GLIMS and the RGI from the glaciological community. RGI is produced by the Working Group on the Randolph Glacier Inventory and Infrastructure for Glacier Monitoring, a body of the International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS). This data set is updated approximately annually. Glacier outlines are distributed as Shapefiles. Hypsometric data (CSV files) and gridded auxiliary data (GeoTIFFs) are also available. All RGI data are packaged globally and by region, with regions based upon the Global Terrestrial Network for Glaciers.
Parameter(s):
GLACIER EXTENTHYPSOMETRY
Platform(s):
LANDSAT-5, LANDSAT-7, SPOT-5, Terra
Sensor(s):
ASTER, ETM+, HRS, TM
Data Format(s):
Shapefile, CSV, GeoTIFF
Temporal Coverage:
1 January 1950 to 31 December 2010
Temporal Resolution:
  • Not applicable
Spatial Resolution:
  • varies
  • varies
Spatial Reference System(s):
WGS 84
EPSG:4326
Spatial Coverage:
N:
90
S:
-90
E:
180
W:
-180
Blue outlined yellow areas on the map below indicate the spatial coverage for this data set.

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Documentation