GeoBase (geospatial data) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

GeoBase is a federal

Government of Canada

The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...

, provincial and territorial

Provinces and territories of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...

government initiative that is overseen by the Canadian Council on Geomatics

Canadian Council on Geomatics

The Canadian Council on Geomatics was created in 1972. It is the major federal-provincial-territorial consultative body for geographic information management. CCOG meets twice a year to discuss programs, developments, legislation, and issues relevant to geomatics. CCOG oversees the GeoBase...

(CCOG). It is undertaken to ensure the provision of, and access to, a common, up-to-date and maintained base of quality geospatial

Geospatial

Geospatial analysis is an approach to applying statistical analysis and other informational techniques to geographically based data. Such analysis employs spatial software and analytical methods with terrestrial or geographic datasets, including geographic information systems and...

data for Canada. Through the GeoBase portal

Web portal

A web portal or links page is a web site that functions as a point of access to information in the World Wide Web. A portal presents information from diverse sources in a unified way....

, users with an interest in geomatics

Geomatics

Geomatics is the discipline of gathering, storing, processing, and delivering geographic information, or spatially referenced information.-Overview and etymology:...

have access to quality geospatial information at no cost and with unrestricted use, although a fee is charged for users in Quebec due to the provincial government's decision not to support funding of the service.

GeoBase Principles

These are the fundamental principles that GeoBase operates under and that direct the decision making process on a regular basis:

Source, regional and—where practical—national data all share the same geometry.
GeoBase provides national data coverages.
Source data is collected once and used by many.
Source data is collected and maintained closest to source.
The cost of maintenance and update is shared among the levels of government.
All GeoBase data is available at no charge.
GeoBase data has no restrictions on its subsequent use.
GeoBase data uses a common license.

Data Layers

Provincial, territorial, and municipal stakeholders agreed to work together to ensure the availability of high-quality geospatial data covering the entire Canadian landmass. This data is collected once and maintained closest to the source, and provided freely through the GeoBase portal with no restrictions for users.

GeoBase has partnerships with federal, provincial, and territorial agencies, with the dual goals of eliminating data duplication and optimizing collectively available resources. GeoBase partners are involved in different levels of the data production process such as project funding, sharing of source data or by working on data collection and data processing.

All GeoBase data must conform to the following technical characteristics:

GeoBase data elements carry a unique and singular ID.
GeoBase data comply with a standard data model and meet or exceed a minimum standard for accuracy, resolution and currency.
Metadata
Metadata
The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...

is defined and standardized at the entity
Entity
An entity is something that has a distinct, separate existence, although it need not be a material existence. In particular, abstractions and legal fictions are usually regarded as entities. In general, there is also no presumption that an entity is animate.An entity could be viewed as a set...

level.
GeoBase data and all associated tools adhere to international standards.
GeoBase data is seamless across Canada.
GeoBase data is consistent across layers.

Geographical Names Data Base

The purpose of this layer is to store names and their attributes that have been approved by the Geographical Names Board of Canada

Geographical Names Board of Canada

Geographical Names Board of Canada is a national committee of the Canadian Government Department of Natural Resources which authorizes the names used on official federal government maps of Canada since 1897. The board consists of 27 members including one from each of the provinces and territories...

(GNBC) and to make these authoritative records available for government and public use. These records include the names of over 70,000 populated places and administrative areas; 300,000 water features; and 115,000 terrain features (e.g., mountains and peninsulas).

Partners

Provincial and Territorial Agencies

British Columbia British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...	Integrated Land Management Bureau
Alberta Alberta Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...	Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....	Information Services Corporation of Saskatchewan
Manitoba Manitoba Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...	Manitoba Geographical Names Program
Ontario Ontario Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....	Ministry of Natural Resources
Quebec Quebec Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....	Commission de toponymie du Québec
New Brunswick New Brunswick New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...	Historic Places
Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...	Provincial Treasury
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...	Geographic Information Services
Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...	Department of Environment and Conservation
Yukon Yukon Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....	Department of Tourism and Culture
Northwest Territories Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...	Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre
Nunavut Nunavut Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...	Government of Nunavut

Federal Agencies

Canada Post; Canadian Hydrographic Service; Elections Canada; Earth Sciences Sector; Geological Survey of Canada; Indian and Northern Affairs Canada; Library and Archives Canada; Centre for Topographic Information; National Defence; Parks Canada; Statistics Canada; Translation Bureau

National Road Network

Since 2003, GeoBase has provided a consistent, accurate, and current NRN. The first edition of the NRN depicted the centerline of over 1.1 million kilometers of non-restricted use roads in Canada. In the fall of 2007 the second edition of the NRN was launched. NRN 2.0 includes place names, street names, and address ranges between intersections.

Road network data provides the framework for many geomatics applications such as mapping, geo-coding, geographic searching, and area delineations. NRN data can be used in a wide variety of activities, including: managing road operations, business development and marketing, transportation, and government services delivery (e.g. census and elections).

Partners

The following organizations are 'closest to the source' partners actively working as the authoritative data providers of GeoBase's National Road Network:

Provincial and Territorial Agencies

British Columbia British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...	Integrated Land Management Bureau
Alberta Alberta Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...	Infrastructure and Transportation
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....	Information Services Corporation
Manitoba Manitoba Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...	Manitoba Conservation
Ontario Ontario Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....	Land Information Ontario
Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...	Transportation and Public Works
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...	Geographic Information Services
Newfoundland & Labrador	Environment and Conservation - Lands - Surveys and Mapping
Yukon Yukon Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....	Yukon Government
Northwest Territories Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...	Northwest Territories Centre for Geomatics

Federal Agencies

Natural Resources Canada Natural Resources Canada The Department of Natural Resources , operating under the FIP applied title Natural Resources Canada , is the ministry of the government of Canada responsible for natural resources, energy, minerals and metals, forests, earth sciences, mapping and remote sensing...	Centre for Topographic Information
GeoConnections	GeoConnections
Statistics Canada Statistics Canada Statistics Canada is the Canadian federal government agency commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. Its headquarters is in Ottawa....	Statistics Canada

Geopolitical Boundaries

This data layer contains the international, inter-provincial, and territorial boundaries, as well as the boundaries of Canada’s exclusive economic zone

Exclusive Economic Zone

Under the law of the sea, an exclusive economic zone is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including production of energy from water and wind. It stretches from the seaward edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical...

. It is not intended for legal use, and should be utilized for cartographic purposes only. The dataset is composed of three files: an administrative boundary file, an administrative areas file, and a metadata file.

Partners

The authoritative data source providers for this data layer are:

National Hydro Network

The NHN focuses on providing a quality geometric description and a set of basic attributes describing Canada’s inland surface waters. It provides geospatial digital data describing hydrographic features such as lakes, reservoirs, rivers, etc., as well as a linear drainage network and the toponymic information (geographical names) associated to hydrography.

The initial release of the NHN contained data on 287 drainage basin

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

s. On March 20, 2008—in celebration of United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

World Water Day on March 22—an additional 552 drainage basins were added, bringing the available total to 839. Also on this date, a web viewer for NHN data and a national index of drainage area limits were both added to the GeoBase portal.

Three additional NHN data releases of approximately 100 drainage basins each are planned for release in June, October, and December 2008. This will complete the national coverage of more than 1100 areas.

Partners

GeoBase is joined by the following provincial/territorial partners for this data layer:

British Columbia British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...	Integrated Land Management Bureau
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...	Geographic Information Services
Yukon Yukon Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....	Highways and Public Works - Geomatics Yukon
Manitoba Manitoba Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...	Manitoba Water Stewardship
Ontario Ontario Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....	Ministry of Natural Resources

Geodetic Network

The Canadian Geodetic

Geodetic

Geodetic is an adjective meaning pertaining to geodesy, the science of measurement of the earth. See also:* Geodetic system* Geodetic airframe...

Network data has created a dynamic infrastructure to serve both present and future needs for positioning. As well as being a GPS control network, the Geodetic Network can serve as a monitoring network for deformation studies of the Canadian landmass.

Satellite Orthoimages

GeoBase Orthoimage 2005–2010 is made from SPOT 4/5 earth observation data covering Canada's landmass south of the 81st parallel

81st parallel north

The 81st parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 81 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane, in the Arctic. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Asia, the Arctic Ocean and North America....

; approximately 5000 images will be acquired during the period 2005–2010. Each orthorectified

Orthophoto

An orthophoto, orthophotograph or orthoimage is an aerial photograph geometrically corrected such that the scale is uniform: the photo has the same lack of distortion as a map...

satellite image covers an area of approximately 3 600 km², or 60×60 km of the Earth’s surface. In addition, Landsat 7

Landsat 7

Landsat 7, launched on April 15, 1999, is the latest satellite of the Landsat program. Landsat 7's primary goal is to refresh the global archive of satellite photos, providing up-to-date and cloud-free images. The Landsat Program is managed and operated by the USGS, and data from Landsat 7 is...

provides a complete set of cloud-free orthoimages covering the Canadian landmass.

The GeoBase SPOT 4 and SPOT 5 orthoimagery can be used in a wide variety of applications including: mapping

Cartography

Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...

; agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

; forestry

Forestry

Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...

; geology

Geology

Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...

; land use

Land use

Land use is the human use of land. Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements. It has also been defined as "the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover...

planning and management; maritime monitoring; disaster management and mitigation; and in defence

Defense (military)

Defense has several uses in the sphere of military application.Personal defense implies measures taken by individual soldiers in protecting themselves whether by use of protective materials such as armor, or field construction of trenches or a bunker, or by using weapons that prevent the enemy...

, intelligence

Intelligence (information gathering)

Intelligence assessment is the development of forecasts of behaviour or recommended courses of action to the leadership of an organization, based on a wide range of available information sources both overt and covert. Assessments are developed in response to requirements declared by the leadership...

, and security

National security

National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...

.

GeoBase SPOT orthoimagery is aligned with, and can be integrated with, other GeoBase data layers. It can also be used in combination with other remotely sensed

Remote sensing

Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon, without making physical contact with the object. In modern usage, the term generally refers to the use of aerial sensor technologies to detect and classify objects on Earth by means of propagated signals Remote sensing...

data.

Partners

With funding support from GeoConnections, the following federal and provincial/territorial agencies jointly contributed to the production of the orthoimages:

Provincial and Territorial Agencies

British Columbia British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...	Integrated Land Management Bureau; Base Mapping and Geomatic Services
Alberta Alberta Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...	Sustainable Resource Development
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....	Information Services Corporation of Saskatchewan; Saskatchewan Research Council
Manitoba Manitoba Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...	Remote Sensing Centre
Ontario Ontario Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....	Ministry of Natural Resources
Quebec Quebec Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....	Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune
New Brunswick New Brunswick New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...	Service New Brunswick
Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...	Government of Prince Edward Island; Taxation and Property Commissioner
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...	Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations
Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...	Government Services
Yukon Yukon Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....	Highways and Public Works - Geomatics Yukon
Northwest Territories Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...	Centre for Geomatics
Nunavut Nunavut Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...	Department of Sustainable Development

Federal Agencies

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Canadian Transport Agency; Elections Canada; Environment Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Indian and Northern Affairs Canada; National Defence; Natural Resources Canada; Parks Canada; Statistics Canada; Public Safety Canada.

Canadian Digital Elevation Data

Canadian Digital Elevation

Digital elevation model

A digital elevation model is a digital model or 3-D representation of a terrain's surface — commonly for a planet , moon, or asteroid — created from terrain elevation data....

Data (CDED) consists of an ordered array of ground elevations at regularly spaced intervals. The source digital data for CDED is extracted from the hypsographic and hydrographic

Hydrography

Hydrography is the measurement of the depths, the tides and currents of a body of water and establishment of the sea, river or lake bed topography and morphology. Normally and historically for the purpose of charting a body of water for the safe navigation of shipping...

elements of the National Topographic Data Base (NTDB) or various scaled positional data acquired from the provinces and territories

Provinces and territories of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...

Partners

Natural Resources Canada

The Department of Natural Resources , operating under the FIP applied title Natural Resources Canada , is the ministry of the government of Canada responsible for natural resources, energy, minerals and metals, forests, earth sciences, mapping and remote sensing...

(NRCan) and the following provincial agencies jointly produced the CDED files, with funding support from GeoConnections:

Provincial Agencies

British Columbia British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...	Integrated Land Management Bureau
Alberta Alberta Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...	Sustainable Resource Development
Ontario Ontario Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....	Ministry of Natural Resources
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...	Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations
Yukon Yukon Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....	Yukon Department of Highways & Public Works

Federal Agencies

Natural Resources Canada
Natural Resources Canada
The Department of Natural Resources , operating under the FIP applied title Natural Resources Canada , is the ministry of the government of Canada responsible for natural resources, energy, minerals and metals, forests, earth sciences, mapping and remote sensing...

Canadian Forest Service; Centre for Topographic Information

New Data Layers

A process is required for the acceptance of a new data theme into GeoBase. The objectives of having such a process are:

Ensure that any theme added to GeoBase will meet the requirements of most Canadian geomatics data clients.
Ensure that the data for the theme to be added is or will be available with some long term certainty.
Ensure that data custodians and coordinators will adhere to the GeoBase principles.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.