ABSTRACT High quality data sources are a prerequisite of the successful application of GIS technology. This paper considers the range of rural data available in Britain and considers their suitability for GIS applications. Key national data sets reviewed include those derived from the Monitoring Landscape Change project, the Countryside Survey 1990, the Land Cover of Scotland 1988 and the Land Use Change Statistics, Agriculture and forestry statistics are also reviewed. The adequacy of these data are assessed within the changing rural policy context. Emphasis is placed on the need to ensure that the rural data infrastructure is expanded to include the documentation of processes of rural land use change. The availability of such data will help the development of models describing the interaction between people, landscape and policy.