Pima County Geographic Information Systems

Using the ftpgis.pima.gov FTP Server

This page provides key information on using our FTP server rather than teaching everything you need to know to use FTP.

FTP Software

We don't attempt to provide a tutorial since there are so many different FTP programs. If you aren't familiar with FTP, you may find that using Windows Explorer is easiest (not the Internet Explorer web browser).

See FTP Software for help using Windows Explorer and various FTP software options.

Server Name

ftpgis.pima.gov is the name of our FTP server. Note that "ftpgis" is one word and there are no spaces in the site name. When telling others the name on the phone, it's a good idea to say the name like "ftpgis (one word, no space)" etc. ftpgis.pima.gov is what you enter into host name or address field of FTP programs.

Use ftp://ftpgis.pima.gov as the URL for Windows Explorer or web browsers that support FTP. In this case the first "ftp:" is the protocol (instead of the typical web browser "http://".) With other sites where "ftp" is the first part of the name, such as ftp.microsoft.com, you don't need to enter the "ftp://" protocol. However, since our site name starts with "ftpgis", it is usually necessary to be explicit and include the "ftp://" protocol in the URL. ftp://ftpgis.pima.gov works for anonymous download access to our /pub directory, but passwords are required for the /projects and /gislib directories as explained below. See FTP Software for the complete URL syntax with username and password.

Areas of the FTP server

Our FTP server has several predefined subdirectories at the highest level with different access controls and username/password requirements. If you have a username and password, it will only let you see and access the areas it was intended for. Generally, you will only see a few of the areas below. Some users may have to use more than one username and password, depending on the areas they want to access.

• /pub - Anonymous Public Data Download

  The /pub area is intended for public use and is accessible by anyone for download only using "anonymous FTP". Most users of the FTP site including the general public, can read but not write to the /pub area. Anonymous FTP requires a user name of "anonymous" and your complete e-mail address for the password. You can also access the /pub area if you have another assigned username and password.

• /projects - Project Data Transfer

  The /projects area is for use with specific departmental projects where a member of our staff is typically working on a project with someone outside of our department or outside of county government. It is the area where transfers to or from our clients and project collaborators takes place.

  The /projects area requires special usernames and passwords for all project data transfers - whether you are reading (downloading from the FTP server ) or writing (uploading to the FTP server). To use the /projects area use the userid and password given to you by a member of our staff when you connect with FTP. Your username and password for the /gislib area below cannot be used to access this /projects area.

  Things to remember about the /projects area:

  • The /projects area is not accessible by anonymous FTP.
  • All files in the /projects area are automatically deleted after seven calendar days.
  • Do not use the /projects area for confidential data as it can be seen by all /projects area users.
  • Please create a subdirectory for your data, even if only one file. Typically directories are named with the sender's name, recipient's name, or the project name.

• /gislib - Password-protected Access to GIS Library data

  The /gislib area is password-protected and contains a portion of our GIS library. See Pima County GIS Data FTP Server for an explanation of the contents and instructions for obtaining the required username and password. A username and password for the /projects area cannot be used to access this /gislib area.