Alaska is endowed with a rich diversity of potential renewable and non-renewable energy resources. Unfortunately, the occurrence of these resources does not always coincide with geopolitical boundaries, nor present themselves near areas of significant population. While much is known about the large oil and gas resources in Alaska, other potential sources of energy are dispersed across a diverse landscape and relatively little is known about them. To further exacerbate the issue, when data does exist on these other resources, it can be very difficult to locate in a usable form.

As a result, the AEDI project's main goals are to (1) inventory and provide all available Alaska energy resource data suitable for electrical power generation and space heating needs and (2) help identify locations or regions where the most economic energy resource or combination of energy resources can be developed to meet local needs. High quality data will be non-existent in most areas of the state, but knowing that there are regions without data is important information as well and will help agencies and managers focus their efforts on identification.

The data is accessible through a web-based interactive map, the Alaska DNR LRIS Alaska Mapper and available in Google Earth and GIS shapefile formats to display the location and type of energy resources available in Alaska. Google Earth files and image layers are hosted by GINA. The project is the result of a partnership between the AEA and DNR's DGGS.