Data sources and access

Livability gives your assistant tools to query public climate, hazard, and community sources. Most tools work without an account. NOAA sea-level trends, IPCC ranges, and Census population require account linking when requested.

Study-area tools sample a radius or Census place boundary. Sample shares describe the queried points; each source retains its own coverage and resolution.

Available sources and known gaps

Source access and Livability tool availability
Dataset	Source access	Livability tools
2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map Which winter-cold hardiness half-zone covers this point? Coverage and limits 2023 USDA/OSU half-zones and temperature bands from the 1991–2020 baseline. Live coordinate polygons and a bundled ZIP lookup are available; ZIP readings do not replace coordinate results. US coverage includes Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Winter survival is one input to perennial plant selection; soil, water, crop suitability and future climate require separate evidence.	Open point query	USDA plant hardiness zoneNo account required USDA plant hardiness by ZIPNo account required
USGS recent earthquake events Which earthquakes occurred nearby? Coverage and limits Magnitude 2.5+ events within 100 km over 30 days. Results are paginated and limited to 300 events.	Open API, no key	USGS recent earthquake eventsNo account required
NWS active weather alerts Which weather alerts affect this point? Coverage and limits Active US weather alerts with issue and expiry times. Area lookups cover the selected sample points.	Open API, no key	NWS active weather alertsNo account required
NWS seven-day weather forecast What weather is forecast here? Coverage and limits Official US land forecast for the requested grid cell. Forecast periods retain their original times and units.	Open API, no key	NWS weather forecastNo account required
GDACS recent disaster alerts Which recent major disasters are reported globally? Coverage and limits Recent global alerts, limited to 100 events. Affected geography determines local relevance; the feed is not an exhaustive local search.	Open API, no key	GDACS recent disaster alertsNo account required
WRI Aqueduct 4.0 water stress and drought What is the basin’s baseline water stress? Coverage and limits Aqueduct 4.0 annual basin-level water stress, depletion, and drought risk. These are regional baseline indicators.	Open point query	Aqueduct baseline water stressNo account required
World Bank governance and social indicators What national governance and social indicators are available? Coverage and limits Governance, rule of law, population, and life expectancy for a confirmed ISO3 country. Reporting years vary by indicator.	Open API, no key	World Bank country contextNo account required
INFORM national risk and coping capacity What does INFORM report for this country? Coverage and limits National hazard exposure, vulnerability, and lack of coping capacity from the verified global INFORM Risk release.	Open API, no key	INFORM country riskNo account required
ECCC global forecast temperature What temperature does the global model forecast here? Coverage and limits One GDPS forecast temperature with model run and valid time. Interpretation requires the source units.	Open point query	ECCC forecast temperatureNo account required
NASA FIRMS active fires Where are active fires detected? Coverage and limits Satellite fire detections. Provider API credentials are required; this source is not yet available in Livability.	Account or API key required	Unavailable
OpenAQ air quality What are nearby air-quality monitors measuring? Coverage and limits Station-based air-quality observations. Provider API credentials are required; this source is not yet available in Livability.	Account or API key required	Unavailable
ERA5 / ERA5-Land climate history What historical climate conditions apply here? Coverage and limits Historical gridded climate data. Requires provider access and processing before hosted lookups are available.	Account or API key required	Unavailable
Copernicus GDO drought / SPI What does the drought index show here? Coverage and limits Drought indicators with specific dates and accumulation periods. Numerical coverage sampling is not yet supported.	Downloadable data	Unavailable
GloFAS flood forecasts What does the river forecast show? Coverage and limits River-flow forecasts by model run and river reach. Forecast ingestion and reach matching are not yet supported.	Downloadable data	Unavailable
Köppen–Geiger climate zones Which climate zone covers this point? Coverage and limits Global climate-classification grids. Hosted sampling is not yet available.	Downloadable data	Unavailable
ND-GAIN Country Index What is the country’s climate vulnerability and readiness? Coverage and limits Annual country-level indicators distributed as CSV files. A hosted country/year lookup is not yet available.	Open file, no key	Unavailable
Global land subsidence What subsidence does the global model estimate? Coverage and limits Modelled global subsidence grids. Hosted sampling is not yet available.	Downloadable data	Unavailable
GHSL built-up surface How much built-up surface is mapped here? Coverage and limits Built-up surface grids by period and resolution. Hosted sampling is not yet available.	Downloadable data	Unavailable
GLWD lakes and wetlands Which lake or wetland class is mapped here? Coverage and limits Global lake and wetland classifications. Hosted spatial lookup is not yet available.	Downloadable data	Unavailable
Copernicus DEM GLO-30 What elevation does the global surface model show? Coverage and limits Global surface-elevation grids with a defined vertical datum. Hosted sampling is not yet available.	Downloadable data	Unavailable
JRC Global Surface Water What water occurrence and seasonality are mapped here? Coverage and limits Satellite-derived water occurrence and seasonality by observation period. Numerical sampling is not yet available.	Downloadable data	Unavailable
JRC riverine and coastal flood layers What inundation is modelled for this scenario? Coverage and limits Riverine and coastal flood grids by return period or scenario. Hosted sampling and coastal product selection are not yet supported.	Downloadable data	Unavailable
Sentinel-2 / MODIS NDVI and MODIS land cover What vegetation and land cover are observed here? Coverage and limits Satellite vegetation and land-cover products. Product selection, quality filtering, and hosted processing are not yet supported.	Downloadable data	Unavailable
IPCC AR6 regional sea-level projections What sea-level rise is projected for this coast? Coverage and limits Regional projections by location, scenario, year, and percentile. Hosted regional lookup is not yet available.	Downloadable data	Unavailable
FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer Is this point in a regulatory 1% flood zone? Coverage and limits Effective regulatory flood zones, including Special Flood Hazard Area status. Coverage gaps remain unknown; future flood depth is a separate product.	Open point query	FEMA flood zoneNo account required
California tsunami hazard area Is this point inside the evacuation hazard area? Coverage and limits California evacuation-planning polygons. Membership indicates the mapped hazard area; wave heights and current evacuation orders are separate products.	Open point query	California tsunami evacuation areaNo account required
CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zones What hazard class is this point, and who is responsible for wildfire protection? Coverage and limits California wildfire hazard severity and protection responsibility. Hazard classes describe environmental exposure, independent of building hardening or insurance pricing.	Open point query	California fire hazard severityNo account required
USGS ASCE 7-22 design ground motion What building-code shaking value applies at this soil class? Coverage and limits ASCE 7-22 design ground motion for risk category II and an explicit site class. Site conditions affect the returned values.	Open point query	USGS design shakingNo account required
USGS Vs30 mosaic What shear-wave velocity does the national site-condition grid give this point? Coverage and limits Global slope-based Vs30 estimates at roughly 1 km resolution. Read alongside regional maps and soil evidence.	Open point query	Earthquake site conditionsNo account required
California Vs30 grid (Thompson, 2022) What Vs30 does the California geology-and-slope grid give this point? Coverage and limits California geology-and-slope Vs30 grid, Thompson 2022. Map-derived classes A and B require measurement; missing land values remain unknown.	Open point query	Earthquake site conditionsNo account required
Washington NEHRP site-class map What site class does the Washington geological survey assign here? Coverage and limits Washington NEHRP site classes from Palmer et al. 2004, including transition classes. Overlapping polygons are retained; water and ice have no building class.	Open point query	Earthquake site conditionsNo account required
Oregon NEHRP site-class map What site class does DOGAMI assign here? Coverage and limits Oregon’s 2022 site-class raster includes B, C, D, and combined E/F. Interpret older classes using the tool’s stated ASCE 7-22 mapping limits.	Open point query	Earthquake site conditionsNo account required
USDA SSURGO soil survey What soil map unit is this point, and does the name suggest soft or tidal ground? Coverage and limits Soil map units and component descriptions at the coordinate. Soil names provide supporting evidence rather than a measured seismic site class.	Open point query	Earthquake site conditionsNo account required
Geologic Map of California, rock type What rock or sediment does the state geologic map show here? Coverage and limits Generalized California rock type, age, and geologic unit. Map scale limits interpretation near shorelines and narrow landforms.	Open point query	Earthquake site conditionsNo account required
FEMA National Risk Index How does this census tract rank, nationally, for several hazards today? Coverage and limits National comparisons of current expected annual loss by Census tract and hazard. Ratings describe tracts, rather than individual properties or future climate.	Open point query	FEMA National Risk IndexNo account required
Cal-Adapt extreme heat (LOCA, CMIP5) How many locally extreme hot days does this point see now and later this century? Coverage and limits California LOCA/CMIP5 projections under RCP 4.5 and 8.5. Extreme heat uses the local 1961–1990 warm-season 98th-percentile threshold.	Open point query	California extreme heatNo account required
NOAA relative sea-level trends How fast has the water risen relative to the nearest long-term tide gauge? Coverage and limits Bundled observed relative sea-level trends from long-term NOAA tide gauges. Each result includes the snapshot date, observation period, uncertainty, and distance to the gauge. Requires account linking.	Open file, no key	NOAA relative sea-level trendsAccount linking required
Census geocoder and TIGERweb places Where is this address or town, and what is its GEOID? Coverage and limits US address geocoding and Census place boundaries. Town coordinates are interior points; many unincorporated communities have no Census place boundary.	Open point query	Resolve a placeNo account required Census place boundaryNo account required
Census population estimates How many people live in the Census place that contains this point? Coverage and limits Bundled 2020 population estimates for SUMLEV 162 places in the Vintage 2024 national estimates file. Other place types may lack estimates. Requires account linking; resolving a coordinate to a place still queries TIGERweb.	Open file, no key	Census place populationAccount linking required
Census tracts in the study area Which Census tracts intersect this study area? Coverage and limits Paged Census tract interior points within a bounding box. Filter them to the study boundary before comparing tract-level indicators.	Open point query	Census tracts in a boxNo account required
USGS 3DEP elevation Which samples sit lower than the others? Coverage and limits USGS 3DEP elevations in meters at the requested sample coordinates. Elevation is measured separately from flood depth.	Open point query	USGS ground elevationNo account required
Census TIGER primary and secondary roads Which named highways and secondary streets cross this area? Coverage and limits Primary and secondary road names and geometry within a bounding box. Local street coverage is limited.	Open point query	Census primary and secondary roadsNo account required
USGS geographic names Which populated places, streams, and landforms sit in this box? Coverage and limits Official populated-place, stream, and landform names for geographic orientation.	Open point query	USGS geographic namesNo account required
OpenStreetMap neighborhood names What do people call the neighborhoods inside this area? Coverage and limits Volunteered neighborhood, suburb, quarter, and hamlet labels. Coverage varies; these labels are separate from legal boundaries.	Open point query	OpenStreetMap neighborhoodsNo account required
USGS Topo Where do the contours, streets, and place names sit in this box? Coverage and limits Topographic map image for geographic orientation, including contours, roads, and place names.	Map or PDF	USGS topographic mapNo account required
CalEnviroScreen 4.0 What is this tract’s pollution and population-burden percentile? Coverage and limits California Census-tract pollution and population-burden scores. This is community context rather than a climate projection.	Open point query	CalEnviroScreen community burdenNo account required
Humboldt DWR awareness floodplains Is this point on a state awareness floodplain the county republishes? Coverage and limits Supplemental DWR floodplain polygons published by Humboldt County. Coverage is limited to Humboldt County; regulatory flood zones come from FEMA.	Open point query	Humboldt awareness floodplainNo account required
IPCC AR6 global mean sea level What is the global sea-level range for 2100? Coverage and limits IPCC AR6 global mean sea-level ranges for 2100 relative to 1995–2014. These ranges exclude deeply uncertain ice-sheet processes and require account linking.	Cited number, no API	IPCC AR6 global mean sea levelAccount linking required
First Street fire, flood, and air projections What is the 30-year property-level climate risk score? Coverage and limits Licensed property-level climate-risk products. A contract and provider credentials are required; no hosted tool is available.	Paid license	Unavailable
Admitted-carrier wildfire scores What score does the insurer use for this house? Coverage and limits Carrier-specific property scores are available through the insurer’s disclosure process. No public address API is available.	No public lookup	Unavailable
FAIR Plan address wildfire score What wildfire score applies to this address? Coverage and limits Address-level wildfire scores are unavailable through a public API. Published ZIP-level policy statistics describe a different measure.	No public lookup	Unavailable
FEMA Risk Rating 2.0 premium What would an NFIP policy cost for this building? Coverage and limits Building-specific NFIP premiums require an insurance quote. FEMA flood zones do not determine the premium alone.	No public lookup	Unavailable
Future of the human climate niche What does the climate-niche research show? Coverage and limits Global research grids from Xu et al., PNAS 2020, distributed through Dryad. Hosted county-level lookup is unavailable.	Downloadable data	Unavailable
USGS CoSMoS northern California flood depth How deep is storm flooding here under a chosen sea-level increment? Coverage and limits Northern California coastal flood-depth grids by storm and sea-level scenario. Hosted numerical sampling is not yet available.	Downloadable data	Unavailable
CoSMoS groundwater shoaling Does sea-level rise bring the water table to the surface? Coverage and limits California groundwater-response projections under sea-level-rise scenarios. Hosted spatial lookup is not yet available.	Downloadable data	Unavailable
Wildfire smoke PM2.5 projections How much smoke reaches this place when the fire is somewhere else? Coverage and limits Historical and projected wildfire-smoke PM2.5 grids. Hosted sampling is not yet available.	Downloadable data	Unavailable
LOCA2 downscaled climate (Analytics Engine) What do the newer California projections say at 3 km? Coverage and limits California downscaled projections at approximately 3 km resolution. Hosted access to this generation of grids is not yet available.	Downloadable data	Unavailable
CPUC High Fire-Threat District and utility shutoff maps Can a wildfire shutoff turn the lights off here? Coverage and limits Public fire-threat and utility shutoff planning maps. A supported hosted address lookup is unavailable.	Map or PDF	Unavailable
Humboldt evacuation zones Which evacuation zone contains this address? Coverage and limits Operational evacuation-zone maps published by Humboldt County through Genasys. A supported hosted address lookup is unavailable.	Map or PDF	Unavailable
California public wildfire catastrophe model Is California’s public wildfire model available? Coverage and limits California’s public wildfire catastrophe model is under development. No queryable product is available.	No public lookup	Unavailable

Use each source’s coverage, dates, and uncertainty when interpreting results. Failed lookups remain unknown.