IGAC Geoportal Instituto Geográfico Agustín Codazzi

History and Background

The Instituto Geográfico Agustín Codazzi (IGAC) is the Colombian government agency responsible for producing official maps, cartography, and cadastral information for the country. Founded on August 13, 1935, as the Military Institute of Geography following the Colombia–Peru War, the institution was restructured in 1940 to take on cadastral duties and transferred to civilian authority. Over more than eight decades, IGAC has served as Colombia's primary source of geographic, geodetic, and agrological information.

The IGAC Geoportal

The IGAC Geoportal is an interactive web platform that makes georeferenced data products produced by the institute freely available to the public. Accessible at geoportal.igac.gov.co, the portal provides access to base maps, cadastral information, soil maps, geodetic data, and geographic web services (WFS/WMS). In 2020, IGAC also launched Colombia en Mapas, a broader national digital atlas built on Esri ArcGIS technology that aggregates geospatial data from IGAC and 29 other national entities, attracting more than 220,000 visitors since its launch.

Collections and Holdings

The Geoportal hosts a variety of datasets including topographic base maps, the national cadastral system map, soil maps, geodetic network data (GNSS/SIRGAS-CON station coordinates and RINEX files), and geographic web services for institutional integration. The institute also maintains a Virtual Library offering documents, cartographic products, and educational materials for the public.

Access and Usage

The Geoportal is freely accessible online. Some datasets—particularly those involving sensitive border or limit information—require users to submit a formal request and, in some cases, obtain authorization from Colombia's Ministry of National Defense. Data with restricted status can be requested by emailing contactenos@igac.gov.co. Most standard cartographic products are available for open download.

Relevance to Research

IGAC is a UN-SPIDER Regional Support Office, supporting space-based disaster response and capacity building across Latin America and the Caribbean. The Geoportal serves government institutions, academia, the private sector, and the general public as an authoritative reference for Colombia's territorial data.