GEMS Exchange APIs
A GROWING PORTFOLIO OF INTEROPERABLE STREAMING SERVICES
An Overview of Streaming Services
We began with some essential agri-food data sets that are common to many applications. These form our baseline data sets, e.g., weather, soils, elevation, watersheds. To access this growing portfolio of APIs, review the information below, and click on "Start using our APIs" for documentation and information on generating an API key. Interoperability is achieved through the use of a novel discreet hierarchical grid, which is now openly available to all. For clarity, we provide the Specs for creating gridded data sets in GEMS Exchange. Start creating your Data. Guided by UMN’s Driven to Discover ethos, we are creating a host of fundamental data sets that allow any researcher to apply current and emerging data-driven solutions to agricultural challenges. To access this growing portfolio of APIs, review the information below, and click on the Get Access button for documentation and information on generating an API key.
During the free trial period, the GEMS Exchange APIs are strictly for personal use. You may not share your API access and the data obtained is subject to our license agreement. Please contact us if you would like to explore commercial applications.
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Biotic Risk Geography
Biotic Risk Geography
Global spatial representation of biotic threatsDescription
The Biotic Risk Geography API provides a global spatial representation of the varying degree of climate suitability of a given location for a selection of pests, weeds and pathogens. There are currently 24 risk geographies for biotic threats (pests, pathogens & weeds) that affect agricultural crops.
API Product | Region | Release date | GEMS Grid Level | Period |
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Biotic risk geography | Global | 2022-11-02 | Level 1 (~ 9km) |
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Climate
Climate
Past and future views of global climate on the GEMS GridDescription
Climate critically affects agricultural practices and outcomes throughout the world. GEMS climate brings together numerous variables from leading global climate data sources. Future additions will include high-resolution climate change projections for Minnesota.
API Product | Region | Release date | GEMS Grid Level | Period |
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Climatic Research Unit Time-Series version 4.06 (CRU TS v4.06) | Global | 2023-04-25 | Level 0 (~ 36km) | Monthly 1901 to 2021 |
Daymet Daily Surface Weather Data on a 1-km Grid for North America, V4 R1 | CONUS | 2023-06-01 | Level 3 (~ 1km) | Daily 1980-01-01 to 2021-12-31 |
PRISM climate normals (1991-2020) | CONUS | 2023-07-13 | Level 3 (~ 1km) | 1991-2020 average (monthly and annual normals) |
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Crop Calendar
Crop Calendar
Cropping dates all over the worldDescription
The Crop Calendar API provides global estimates for both planting and harvest dates for several important agricultural crops.
API Product | Region | Release date | GEMS Grid Level | Period |
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Crop calendar circa 2007 | Global | 2021-12-13 | Level 1 (~ 9km) | 2007 |
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Elevation
Elevation
LiDAR derived elevation and slopeDescription
This API includes elevation data from three sources. Two are global, one low and one moderate resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and slope datasets. The third is a high-resolution lidar derived DEM, Digital Surface Model, and slope dataset for Minneosota.
API Product | Region | Release date | GEMS Grid Level | Period |
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Minnesota lidar circa 2010 | Minnesota | 2022-08-02 | Level 6 (~ 1m) | Data collected 2008-2012 |
Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data (GMTED2010) | Global | 2022-12-07 | Level 3 (~ 1km) | Compiled in 2010 from multiple datasets collected over multiple periods |
Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Global 3 arc second (SRTMGL3v003) | Global | 2022-01-24 | Level 4 (~ 100m) | Compiled in 2014 from multiple datasets collected over multiple periods |
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Hydro
Hydro
Follow the path from field to streamDescription
This API includes two spatial datasets related to water in Minnesota. The Lake Water Quality dataset contains satellite derived raster data for variables related to water quality across the state. The catchment and lakes dataset contains vector boundaries for all catchments and lakes as defined by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
API Product | Region | Release date | GEMS Grid Level | Period |
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Minnesota Lake Water Quality | Minnesota | N/A | Level 3 (~ 1km) | 2018 (free), 2015-current/ongoing (inquire for license) |
Minnesota Lakes and Watersheds | Minnesota | N/A | 10/27/2023 |
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Land Cover
Land Cover
USGS land use on the GEMS GridDescription
This API enables exploration of land cover data for the conterminous United States. Currently 3 products are offered: Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP), The National Land Cover Database (NLCD), and Cropland Data Layer (CDL) for Minnesota. These products help characterize land cover and land cover change spatially and temporally in a systematic and consistent way to support a variety of research objectives focused on natural and human-made systems across the United States.
API Product | Region | Release date | GEMS Grid Level | Period |
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Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection - Primary Land Cover (LCPRI) | CONUS | 2022-09-16 | Level 5 (~ 10m) | 1985 – 2020, at annual time step |
The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) | CONUS | 2022-09-16 | Level 5 (~ 10m) | 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2016, and 2019 |
Cropland Data Layer (CDL) - crop-specific land cover data layer created annually for Minnesota | CONUS | N/A | Level 4 (~ 100m) | 2008 - 2023 |
Predicted CDL | CONUS | N/A | Level 4 (~ 100m) | 2024 |
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Market
Market
Global accessibility indicators on the GEMS GridDescription
This API provides access to a suite of global accessibility indicators. The dataset quantifies global accessibility for the year 2015 as an estimate of land-based travel time in minutes to the nearest city and the nearest port, where essential services are likely to be concentrated. The data are suitable for mapping access to cities and ports and for analysis of the inequalities in accessibility by different segments of the population.
API Product | Region | Release date | GEMS Grid Level | Period |
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Travel time to cities and ports in the year 2015 | Global | 2022-11-03 | Level 3 (~ 1km) | 2015 |
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Soils
Soils
Fertile soil for your digital research needsDescription
Soils mediate the flow of water and nutrients to plants, affect the environmental risk of erosion, and play a fundamental role in all biogeochemical cycles. GEMS Soils provides all variables within the Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) anchored to the GEMS Grid, making them interoperable with other GEMS data streams. These data are critical for process-based and statistical modeling as well as for experimental research, land suitability assessment, and a multitude of other applications.
API Product | Region | Release date | GEMS Grid Level | Period |
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SSURGO Soils Data on the GEMS Grid | Minnesota | 2022-03-09 | Level 5 (~ 10m) | Data collected 2014-2022 |
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Weather
Weather
Best-in-class global weather variablesDescription
The Weather API provides point data for historical, current and forecasted weather for any point on the globe.
API Product | Region | Release date | GEMS Grid Level | Period |
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Current Weather | Global | 2022-03-09 | Current | |
Historical Weather | Global | 2022-03-09 | Historical. Depends on location and variables of interest. Hourly/daily data. | |
Weather Forecasts | Global | 2022-03-09 | Future. 16 day, 10 day, 60 minute or 3 day forecasts depending on variable of interest. |