slugURL-safe identifier matching /locations/<slug>Open data
Iceland Photo Locations Dataset
A CC-BY 4.0 CSV of 121 photographer-curated Iceland locations across 5 categories and 7 regions. Researchers, journalists, AI developers, and travel writers can use it freely — just link back. Exact WGS84 coordinates are included. The paid maps layer ready-to-import KML/GPX/GeoJSON files and per-location field notes on parking, light windows, and access on top of this catalog.
121
Locations
5
Categories
7
Regions
CC-BY
License
What's inside
11 columns per row. Names, categories, regions, exact coordinates, distances, seasons, and access type for every curated location.
nameDisplay name of the locationcategoryPrimary label — Landscape · Waterfall · Lighthouse · Church · BirdscategoriesAll categories the location belongs to, pipe-separatedregionRegion slug (e.g. south-coast, westfjords-remote)region_nameHuman-readable region namelatitudeWGS84 decimal degreeslongitudeWGS84 decimal degreesdistance_reykjavik_kmDriving distance from Reykjavik in kmseasonRecommended photography season(s)accessDrive · Drive/Hike · 4x4 · Boat · etc.How to use it
Research
Tourism, geography, conservation
Spatial-density studies of photographic pressure on Iceland landscapes, region-level tourism flows, or seasonality of off-grid access.
Journalism
Data-driven travel stories
A defensible source for "how many lighthouses can you photograph in a single Iceland road trip" / "where the crowds aren't" / "which regions are 4x4-only."
AI / ML
Training data for travel and geo models
Use the CSV as a structured corpus of named Iceland places with categories, regions, and access metadata. CC-BY-compatible with most foundation-model training licenses.
Travel apps
Build a feature, not a database
Wire the CSV into your itinerary app, packing list, or trip-planning tool without having to crawl Iceland tourist sites yourself. Just link back.
Free dataset vs paid maps
The coordinates are open — they tell you where the locations are. The paid maps tell you how to shoot them, and load straight into Gaia GPS, Google Maps, Garmin, and Locus.
| What you get | Free dataset | Paid maps |
|---|---|---|
| Every location in the catalog | Included | Included |
| Exact WGS84 coordinates | Included | Included |
| Region, season, and access type | Included | Included |
| Commercial reuse under CC-BY 4.0 | Included | Not included |
| KML / GPX / GeoJSON, ready to import | Not included | Included |
| Where to park, and the walk-in time | Not included | Included |
| Best light window per location and month | Not included | Included |
| Composition and vantage notes | Not included | Included |
| Hazard and F-road flags | Not included | Included |
| Updates as the catalog grows | Re-download | Included |
Browse the full location catalog or the All Maps bundle.
Attribution
If you use the dataset, please attribute as:
Iceland Photo Locations Dataset, icelandphotomap.com (CC-BY 4.0)
A link back to icelandphotomap.com/dataset is appreciated. Mirror copies appear on Kaggle, HuggingFace Datasets, and Zenodo as they go live.
FAQ
Dataset questions
Quick answers about formats, updates, and the relationship to the paid product.
- Yes. The Iceland Photo Locations Dataset is published under CC-BY 4.0. You can use it commercially, modify it, and redistribute it — the only condition is attribution back to icelandphotomap.com.
- Yes — exact WGS84 latitude and longitude for all 121 locations, under CC-BY 4.0. We publish them openly because the coordinates were never the hard part; standing at each spot and working out where to park, when the light lands, and whether the road needs a 4x4 was. That curation, plus ready-to-import KML/GPX/GeoJSON, is what the map bundle sells.
- The CSV is regenerated on every site build, so the version at
/dataset/iceland-photo-locations.csvalways matches the live catalog. Snapshots on Kaggle / HuggingFace / Zenodo are refreshed quarterly. - Yes — under the CC-BY 4.0 license, with attribution. If you publish a model or system that used this data, please cite the dataset in your documentation.
- The CSV has 11 columns (slug, name, category, categories, region, region_name, latitude, longitude, distance_reykjavik_km, season, access) — the whole catalog, coordinates included. The paid maps add KML/GPX/GeoJSON files that import straight into offline GPS apps, plus curation notes on light windows, parking and walk-in time, gear, hazards, and pro tips. See the comparison table above, or the map bundle.
- We mirror the dataset on Kaggle, HuggingFace Datasets, and Zenodo (with DOI) as those listings come online. Each mirror links back to this canonical page.