When implementing maps in Oracle Business Intelligence a lot of people may have the mistaken impression that they must purchase map data or use external map providers to create background maps or create themes for use with their business data. In truth there are numerous free sources of shape files that can be used under open source licenses for your business. These files are easily imported into your Oracle database using Oracle Map Builder.
Following is a list of free map data I have compiled and will continue to add to over time.
One fantastic source of United States shape files is the United States Census Bureau Tiger/Line Shapefiles. They make available files from the state level down to the zip code as well as many features such as Landmarks and Roads.
Canada also has a Census Program and provides many files that can accessed via the Statistics Canada Geography page.
Another immense source of freely available and usable shape files is Natural Earth which is a “collaboration involving many volunteer NACIS members and cartographers around the globe”.