VOLUME 65 NUMBER 1, 2011

Transcription

1 VOLUME 65 NUMBER 1, 2011 GEOMATICA THE JOURNAL OF GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND PRACTICE LA REVUE DES SCIENCES DE L INFORMATION GÉOSPATIALE, DE LA TECHNOLOGIE ET DE LA PRATIQUE CARTOGRAPHY IN CANADA LA CARTOGRAPHIE AU CANADA DE VOLUME 65, NUMÉRO 1, 2011

2 CANADIAN NATIONAL REPORT TO THE INTERNATIONAL CARTOGRAPHIC ASSOCIATION Fifteenth General Assembly, Paris, France, July 3-8, 2011 Janet E. Mersey Principal Canadian Delegate to the ICA Guest Editors: Janet E. Mersey, Chair of the Canadian National Committee to the ICA Eric Kramers, Natural Resources Canada, Deputy Canadian Delegate to the ICA F 8 Eric Kramers Deputy Canadian Delegate to the ICA It is a pleasure to present Canada s national report to the ICA, on behalf of the Canadian Institute of Geomatics (CIG), to the delegates of the fifteenth General Assembly. This is in accordance with Article 5 of the ICA statutes on the occasion of the XXV International Cartographic Conference in Paris, France. Titled Cartography in Canada: , this comprehensive report is published as a special issue of the Canadian quarterly journal Geomatica and is distributed to all members of the Canadian Institute of Geomatics. This special issue will be the first issue of Geomatica published and available online through the CIG website. While bringing unique challenges to the publishing process, it allows for a high quality, easily accessible, full colour document. This report contains contributions from over 50 geomatics specialists throughout Canada and reflects the high level of activity in this sector in Canada in government, industry and education. Canada s national report is also a compendium of peer-reviewed feature articles and activity reports from organizations with a geomatics mandate, which together highlight Canada s cartographic achievements over the past five years. The cover of the report features the award winning map of the North Circumpolar Region and was produced by Natural Resources Canada s, Mapping and Information Branch, Atlas of Canada in The map incorporated considerable new data for all map features. Circumpolar MODIS imagery, from the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, was used to update glacial extents. The most up-to-date International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean was innovatively adapted and integrated into this new map. The articles in this report were obtained in response to a call for papers, and underwent the journal s usual rigorous peer review process. The three-featured articles illustrate the thematic breadth of the field of geomatics, in this case encompassing topographic mapping, remote sensing, and online atlas creation. The paper by Daniel Clavet, from Natural Resources Canada, explains the innovative use of multiple data sources, including imagery from Canada s Radarsat 2 satellite, to produce topographic maps of northern Canada. By 2012, the CartoNord project will have achieved its objective of providing complete coverage of all of northern Canada at 1: Radarsat imagery is also central to the article by Gangyao Kuang, Jonathan Li and Zhiguo He. They derive and test a sophisticated edge detection algorithm, allowing for accurate detection of water bodies from SAR imagery with high noise speckle. Lastly, a contribution by Glenn Brauen, Stephanie Pyne, Amos Hayes, J.P. Fiset and D.R. Taylor, a multidisciplinary research team at the Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre at Carleton University, highlights the creative design of a web atlas developed with open source software. Focusing on the Lake Huron Treaty Relationship Process, the atlas represents a unique tool for expressing geonarratives or stories told through maps. Also included in this issue are summary reports of cartographic initiatives carried out by federal and provincial/territorial government agencies; national societies and associations; and educational institutions in Canada. These reports clearly illustrate the importance and scope of geomatics in Canada, and provide rich detail showcasing the breadth of geomatics science that is part of the work of many Canadians. The complexity and diversity of cartographic and geomatics activity in Canada demonstrates how vital they are to all sectors of government, industry and education. These reports also show how difficult it is to imagine a nation and a World without the high level of integrated maps and data we currently use and experience daily. This publication was a team effort, and we would like to sincerely thank everyone who contributed his or her time and energy in its preparation. This includes authors who submitted material and those unmentioned, but equally important, individuals who reviewed this material. Special thanks goes to Carol Railer, Production Manager of Geomatica, for her endless patience and advice throughout the compilation process and Jean Thie, Editor. We look forward to participating in the XXV International Cartographic Conference, set to commence in July 2011, in Paris, France. A stimulating and diverse program has been planned, thanks to the admirable efforts of the Local Organizing Committee, the International Scientific Committee, the French Scientific Committee and the ICA Executive Committee. Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011 GEOMATICA 7

3 Janet E. Mersey Déléguée principale canadienne à l'aci Au nom de l Association canadienne des sciences géomatiques (ACSG), nous avons le plaisir de présenter le rapport national canadien aux délégués de la quinzième assemblée générale de l ACI. Ceci fait conformément à l article 5 des statuts de l ACI, à l occasion de la XXV e Conférence internationale sur la cartographie à Paris, France. Intitulé La cartographie au Canada : , ce rapport détaillé paraît en tant que numéro spécial de la publication trimestrielle canadienne Geomatica et il est distribué à tous les membres de l Association canadienne des sciences géomatiques. Ce numéro spécial sera la première parution de Geomatica diffusée et disponible en ligne sur le site Web de l ACSG. Tout en introduisant des enjeux uniques dans le processus de publication, cela nous a permis de créer un document de qualité supérieure, facilement accessible, pleine couleur. Ce rapport existe grâce à la contribution de plus de 50 spécialistes des sciences géomatiques du Canada et tient compte du niveau élevé d activités dans ce secteur au Canada, dans les gouvernements, l industrie et l éducation. Le rapport national du Canada se veut également un recueil d articles évalués par des pairs et de rapports sur les activités des organismes ayant un mandat géomatique, ce qui, de concert, met en valeur les réalisations cartographiques du Canada au cours des cinq dernières années. La couverture du rapport présente la carte primée de la région circumpolaire-nord et a été produite en 2008 par l Atlas du Canada, Direction de l information cartographique, Ressources naturelles Canada. La carte incorpore une quantité importante de nouvelles données pour toutes les entités cartographiques. L imagerie MODIS de la RAPPORT NATIONAL CANADIEN À L'ASSOCIATION CARTOGRAPHIQUE INTERNATIONALE Quinzième assemblée générale, Paris, France, 3-8 juillet 2011 E 7 Rédacteurs invités : Janet E. Mersey, Présidente du Comité national canadien à l'aci Eric Kramers, Ressources naturelles Canada, Délégué adjoint canadien à l'aci Eric Kramers Délégué adjoint canadien à l'aci zone circumpolaire, du Centre canadien de télédétection, a permis de mettre à jour l étendue glaciaire. La Carte bathymétrique internationale de l océan Arctique la plus à jour a été adaptée et intégrée de façon novatrice dans cette nouvelle carte. Les articles du présent rapport nous ont été envoyés suite à une invitation à présenter des communications, et soumis au rigoureux processus habituel de publication de Geomatica, soit une évaluation par les pairs. Les trois articles illustrent l ampleur thématique du domaine de la géomatique, qui englobe dans le cas présent la cartographie topographique, la télédétection et la création d atlas en ligne. L article de Daniel Clavet, de Ressources naturelles Canada, explique l utilisation novatrice de sources multiples de données, notamment l imagerie du satellite RADARSAT-2 du Canada, pour produire des cartes topographiques du nord du Canada. D ici 2012, le projet CartoNord aura atteint son objectif d effectuer une couverture complète de tout le nord du Canada à l échelle de 1/ L imagerie RADARSAT est aussi au cœur de l article de Gangyao Kuang, Jonathan Li et Zhiguo He. Ils calculent et testent un algorithme haut de gamme de détection des contours, permettant une détection exacte des plans d eau à partir d images RSO avec bruits de chatoiement élevés. Enfin, la contribution de Glenn Brauen, Stephanie Pyne, Amos Hayes, J.P. Fiset et D.R. Taylor, une équipe de recherche pluridisciplinaire du centre de recherche en géomatique et en cartographie de l Université Carleton, a mis en valeur la conception graphique d un atlas Web préparé avec un logiciel en libre accès. Centré sur le processus de relations pour le traité du lac Huron, l atlas représente un outil unique permettant d exprimer les géonarrations ou les histoires racontées grâce aux cartes. Ce numéro comprend aussi les rapports sommaires sur les initiatives cartographiques entreprises par les organismes des gouvernements fédéraux, provinciaux et territoriaux, les sociétés et les associations nationales ainsi que les établissements d enseignement du Canada. Ces rapports font nettement ressortir l importance et la portée de la géomatique au Canada, et fournissent des détails précis démontrant l ampleur des sciences géomatiques qui font partie du travail de nombreux Canadiens. La complexité et la diversité des activités cartographiques et géomatiques au Canada révèlent à quel point ils sont vitaux dans tous les secteurs du gouvernement, de l industrie et de l enseignement. Ces rapports prouvent également combien il est difficile d imaginer une nation et un monde sans le degré élevé d intégration des cartes et des données que nous utilisons et expérimentons chaque jour actuellement. La présente publication représente un effort d équipe, et nous souhaitons remercier sincèrement les personnes qui ont consacré leur temps et leurs énergies à sa préparation, dont les auteurs qui ont présenté des articles et les personnes, non mentionnées, mais tout aussi importantes, qui ont évalué ces articles. Nous offrons nos remerciements particuliers à Carol Railer, gestionnaire de la production de Geomatica, pour son infinie patience et ses conseils tout au long de la compilation ainsi qu à Jean Thie, rédacteur en chef. Nous nous réjouissons de participer à la XXV e Conférence internationale sur la cartographie, qui doit commencer en juillet 2011 à Paris, France. Les organisateurs ont prévu un programme stimulant et diversifié, merci pour leurs efforts remarquables au comité organisateur local, au Comité scientifique international, au Comité scientifique français et au Comité directeur de l ACI. 8 GEOMATICA Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011

4 G E O M A T I C A NEW DATA SOURCES FOR COMPLETING NATIONAL TOPOGRAPHIC MAPPING OF NORTHERN CANADA AT 1:50,000 Daniel Clavet, Natural Resources Canada, Centre for Topographic Information Complete topographic mapping coverage of Canada is essential as a basis for the sustainable development of its resources. In 2000, the unmapped areas at a scale of 1:50,000 in the Arctic islands in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, amount to over 800,000 square kilometres, equivalent to approximately 1,500 map sheets. In 2003, a northern mapping project was launched to complete the topographic map coverage in Northern Canada. In order to explore all possible scenarios, the Centre for Topographic Information Sherbrooke (CTIS) worked closely with the Canadian Space Agency and the private sector on various feasibility tests. After investigating multiple data sources, the combination of existing aerial photography, LANDSAT 7 ETM+, SPOT5/HRS imagery, interferometric pairs of ERS 1-2 tandem and RADARSAT-2 imagery were chosen for planimetric data and Canadian Digital Elevation Data (CDED) acquisition. In 2004, mapping contracts were carried out on a test site and positive results from these tests initiated the production of the unmapped areas of Canada. The planimetric vector data are available on the GeoGratis Web portal and the CDED data sets are available on the GeoBase Web portal. La cartographie topographique complète du territoire canadien est essentielle pour le développement durable des ressources, car elle assure une géoréférence de base. En 2000, les régions non cartographiées à l échelle de 1/ dans les îles de l Arctique au Nunavut et aux Territoires du Nord-Ouest couvraient plus de kilomètres carrés, soit environ feuillets cartographiques. En 2003, un projet de cartographie topographique du Nord canadien a été initié afin de compléter la couverture cartographique. Différentes technologies satellitales et scénarios de production ont été investigués par le Centre d information topographique Sherbrooke (CIT-S) en collaboration avec l Agence spatiale canadienne et l industrie privée pour effectuer des tests de faisabilité. Après avoir testé plusieurs sources de données, des combinaisons de photographies aériennes, d images des satellites LANDSAT 7 ETM+, SPOT5/HRS, de paires interférométriques ERS1-2 et d images RADARSAT-2 ont été retenues pour l acquisition de données planimétriques et altimétriques. En 2004, des contrats de production expérimentale ont été émis sur un site test et les résultats positifs de ces travaux ont permis de débuter la production des zones non cartographiées du Canada. Les données planimétriques vectorielles sont disponibles sur le portail Web GéoGratis et les Données numériques d élévation du Canada (DNEC) sont disponibles sur le portail Web GéoBase. Introduction Unmapped Areas of Canada Daniel Clavet The Centre for Topographic Information produces and maintains topographic data for Canada at scales of 1:250,000 and 1:50,000. While the 1:250,000 scale coverage was completed in 1970 [Sebert 1970], the 1:50,000 scale map production was stalled in the late nineties, leaving a large portion of northern Canada unmapped. Complete topographic mapping coverage of Canada s North is essential as a basis for the sustainable development of its resources. The unmapped areas, as of 2003, in the Nunavut and the Northwest Territories amount to over 800,000 square kilometres, equivalent to almost 1,500 map tiles (Figure 1). This is the context in which the CartoNord project was launched. The essential thrust was to develop the capabilities for gathering digital topographic data at the scale of 1:50,000 in northern Canada. Mapping this area is a big challenge. It is a remote territory with limited access and a short summer season, complicating access to quality checkpoints. The summer length is a critical factor as it s difficult to identify terrain features under snow cover. Cloud cover is also an important factor, as the main data sources are aerial or optical satellites images. The terrain is also variable from GEOMATICA Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011 pp. 9 to 14

5 G E O M A T I C A DETECTING WATER BODIES ON RADARSAT IMAGERY Gangyao Kuang, and Zhiguo He, School of Electronics Science and Engineering, National University of Defense Technology, China Jonathan Li, Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario This paper presents a novel geodesic active contour (GAC) model based on an edge detector for rapid detection of water bodies from spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery with high speckle noise. The original edge indicator function based on gradients is replaced by an edge indicator function based on the ratio of exponentially weighted averages (ROEWA) operator. Thus, the capability of edge detection and the accuracy of locating edges are greatly improved, which makes the model more appropriate for SAR images. In addition, an enhancing term is added to the original model s energy function in order to boost the strength for the contour s evolution. An unconditionally stable additive operator splitting (AOS) scheme and a fast algorithm for re-initialization of the level set function are adopted, which not only enhances the model s stability, but also speeds up the model s convergence remarkably. The experimental results on simulated and real RADARSAT-1/-2 images show its efficiency and accuracy. Cet article présente un nouveau modèle de contour actif géodésique (GAC, de l anglais geodesic active contour) fondé sur un détecteur de contours pour détection rapide des plans d eau à partir d images radar à synthèse d ouverture (RSO) spatioporté avec bruits de chatoiement élevés. La fonction originale d indicateur de contours fondée sur les gradients est remplacée par une fonction d indicateur de contours fondée sur le rapport d un opérateur de moyennes pondérées de façon exponentielle (ROEWA). Par conséquent, la capacité de détection des contours et l exactitude des contours localisés sont grandement améliorées, ce qui rend le modèle plus adéquat pour les images RSO. De plus, une modalité d amélioration s ajoute à la fonction d énergie du modèle original dans le but de renforcir la puissance de l évolution des contours. On a adopté un scénario de séparation d opérateur additif (SOA) inconditionnellement stable et un algorithme rapide pour la réinitialisation des surfaces de niveau, ce qui non seulement améliore la stabilité du modèle, mais accélère aussi la convergence du modèle de façon remarquable. Les résultats expérimentaux sur des images simulées et réelles RADARSAT-1/-2 démontrent son efficience et son exactitude. Jonathan Li junli@uwaterloo.ca 1. Introduction Water resources play an important role in environmental, transportation and regional planning, disaster management, industrial and agricultural production. Detecting water bodies is the first step for any planning, especially for Ontario, Canada, where the land-cover is dominated by water bodies. Earth observation data, including spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, when used jointly with in situ data, can provide an essential contribution for the creation of inventories of surface water resources, the extraction of thematic maps relevant for hydrogeographical studies and models (e.g., land cover, surface geomorphology) or for the retrieval of (bio)geographical parameters (e.g., water quality and temperature, soil moisture) [Shultz and Engman 2000]. SAR data are suitable for mapping water bodies, as the signal is principally sensitive to moisture and to surface roughness. These data can be preferred to optical imagery taking into considera- Gangyao Kuang tion the cloud penetration capabilities that are fundamental when mapping transient waters typically associated to rainy periods. However, speckle noise usually occurs in SAR images due to the nature of coherent imaging. It makes feature extraction from SAR image much more difficult than that from optical imagery. In order to eliminate the speckle effects, a significant research effort has been devoted to the design of effective segmentation methods over last few decades. Among them, four types of the segmentation methods have been commonly used, namely, the edge-based scheme [Oliver et al. 1996; Collins and Kopp 2008], the Markov random field (MRF) model [Fjortoft et al. 2003], level set theory [Shu et al. 2010], and the region merging / region growing family of methods [Cook et al. 1994]. The edge-based scheme aims to find transitions between uniform areas, rather than directly identifying them. Zhiguo He GEOMATICA Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011, pp. 15 to 25

6 G E O M A T I C A ENCOURAGING TRANSDISCIPLINARY PARTICIPATION USING AN OPEN SOURCE CYBERCARTOGRAPHIC TOOLKIT: THE ATLAS OF THE LAKE HURON TREATY RELATIONSHIP PROCESS Glenn Brauen, Stephanie Pyne, Amos Hayes, Jean-Pierre Fiset and D.R. Fraser Taylor, Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario glenn@gbrauen.ca, sapyne@gmail.com, ahayes@gcrc.carleton.ca, jp@fiset.ca, fraser_taylor@carleton.ca Digital web atlases can incorporate perspectives derived from diverse participants or communities to create and present narratives using qualitative and quantitative information structured around a set of maps as organizational and analytical tools. Development of such an atlas requires a transdisciplinary team to contend with complexity in subject matter, technologies, and project dynamics. Technologies required are potentially as much an obstacle to some potential participants as they may be necessary to the fulfilment of a project s outreach and communication goals. This paper describes the Cybercartographic Atlas of the Lake Huron Treaty Relationship Process, the open source atlas toolkit used to implement it, and features of the toolkit that are intended to encourage transdisciplinary participation. The discussion explicitly addresses issues related to the iterative processes, at multiple scales, required to develop atlas projects within an academic research setting while using and creating open source software. Les atlas Web numériques peuvent incorporer les points de vue issus de divers participants ou communautés, afin de créer et de présenter des narrations comprenant des renseignements qualitatifs et quantitatifs structurés à partir d un ensemble de cartes servant d outils organisationnels et analytiques. La préparation d un tel atlas requiert une équipe multidisciplinaire pour soutenir la complexité des éléments essentiels, des technologies et des dynamiques de projet. Les technologies requises représentent tant un obstacle en puissance pour certains participants éventuels qu elles peuvent s avérer nécessaires à l accomplissement de la diffusion et des objectifs de communication d un projet. Le présent article décrit le processus et les relations à l'implantation de l atlas cybercartographique pour le traité du lac Huron, la trousse d'atlas, qui est un logiciel libre, utilisée pour sa mis-en-œuvre et les caractéristiques de la trousse qui sont destinées à favoriser la participation pluridisciplinaire. La discussion traite explicitement des questions relatives aux processus itératifs à des échelles multiples qui sont indispensables pour élaborer des projets d atlas dans un cadre de recherche universitaire tout en utilisant et en créant un logiciel libre. Glenn Brauen Stephanie Pyne Amos Hayes Introduction An atlas, containing an organized selection of maps [Wood 1987], can be an excellent medium for conveying a range of perspectives on the many aspects of a topic, issue or theme. Conventional atlases have historically focused their central themes around particular places or regions, such as cities or towns, provinces or states, nations or continents. The various maps in an atlas may highlight different types of information. For example, they may draw attention, through the use of map ordering and the relations established between themes by the atlas narrative, to one or more of the following dimensions that make up a place : geophysical, weather, navigational, political, cultural, economic, social, or various combinations of these. In recent years, critical approaches to cartography [Wood and Fels 1986; Harley 1989; Pickles 1995; Crampton and Krygier 2005] have considered the political nature of maps and have looked at mapping as a process [Turnbull 2007], both in terms of the design and development of maps and in terms of their use. These approaches have attended to information that historically has been omitted from conventional often colonial maps and atlases and have expanded the scope of possible map themes to include all manner of social Jean-Pierre Fiset D.R. Fraser Taylor GEOMATICA Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011 pp. 27 to 45

7 CANADIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR THE ICA Janet E. Mersey, Chair Canada s membership in the International Cartographic Association is held by the Canadian Institute of Geomatics (CIG), Canada s oldest surveying and mapping organization. Founded in 1882, and originally known as the Canadian Institute of Surveying, the CIG has a broad mandate to represent all the diverse aspects of geomatics in Canada, including surveying, charting, remote sensing, navigation, geographic information systems, and cartography. Recognizing that there exist within Canada other national associations with interests in geomatics, notably the Canadian Cartographic Association (CCA) and the Association of Canadian Map Librarians and Archives (ACMLA), the Canadian Institute of Geomatics formed the Canadian National Committee (CNC) for the International Cartographic Association. As defined in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the CIG and the CCA, the CNC is chaired by a CIG member who also serves as the Technical Councillor for cartography on the CIG executive. Membership of the CNC, as described in a 2007 revision to the original 1993 MOU, includes a representative from the CIG, CCA and ACMLA, along with three other members who coordinate ICA activities such as the National reports, Canada s contribution to the International Map Exhibition and the Children s Map Competition. The CNC is currently made up with representation as follows: Canadian Institute of Geomatics (CIG) and Principal ICA Delegate Janet E. Mersey Canadian Cartographic Association (CCA) Roger Wheate Association of Canadian Map Librarians and Archives (ACMLA) Colleen Beard Deputy Delegate to the ICA Eric Kramers Coordinator for the International Map Exhibition Dan Duda Coordinator for the Children s Map Competition Karen Van Kerkoerle The Chair of the Canadian National Committee for the ICA has a four-year term of office coinciding with the time between ICA General Assemblies. According to procedures outlined in the MOU, the Chair is nominated by the Canadian Cartographic Association and ratified by the Canadian Institute of Geomatics. Clifford Wood held this position from , Norman Drummond from , Peter Keller from , and Janet Mersey from The mandate of the Canadian National Committee, articulated in the Terms of Reference document, includes the following: To represent the Canadian cartographic community internationally through Canada s membership in the International Cartographic Association; To review and develop a national position on administrative and cartographic matters relevant to the International Cartographic Association; To ensure that Canada is appropriately represented on ICA standing commissions, ad hoc commissions, working groups, joint inter-associations working groups, and committees; To prepare for each quadrennial ICA General Assembly and International Technical Conference by: a. Publishing a national report covering government and non-government mapping activities, cartographic education, technological developments (including geographic information systems), cartographic literature, activities of professional societies, and special activities of interest; b. Identifying key issues which will be discussed and voted on at the General Assembly, and preparing a Canadian position on these issues; c. Considering the nomination of Canadians for executive positions and, if appropriate, encouraging such individuals to stand for election at the General Assembly; d. Ensuring that high-quality technical papers are prepared by Canadian authors for presentation at the International Technical Conference and publication in the conference proceedings; and e. Providing a national exhibit illustrating advances in Canadian cartography by displaying representative maps, charts, atlases and other cartographic developments since the previous conference, and 46 GEOMATICA Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011

8 To encourage Canadian participation in support of ICA educational seminars, publication of cartographic texts, and similar special projects. The national committee normally holds an annual meeting in conjunction with the conference of the Canadian Cartographic Association. This term, meetings were chaired by Janet Mersey in Vancouver, British Columbia (2008), Wolfville, Nova Scotia (2009), and Regina, Saskatchewan (2010); the next meeting is planned for Calgary, Alberta, in June Canadians continue to be actively involved in ICA activities, both through serving on ICA commissions and working groups, and by preparing national submissions for ICA conferences. Positions currently held by Canadians on ICA Commissions and Working Groups include: Commission on Maps and Graphics for Blind and Partially Sighted People Chair: Dan Jacobson (University of Calgary) Commission on Mapping from Satellite Imagery Vice-Chair: Jonathan Li, (University of Waterloo) Commission on Theoretical Cartography Vice-Chair: Yaïves Ferland (Defence R&D Canada) Commission on Use and User Issues Vice-Chair: Eric Kramers (NRCan) Working Group on Art and Cartography Co-Chair: Sébastien Caquard (Concordia University) A proposal will be put forward in Paris for the creation of a new Commission on Art and Cartography to be chaired by Sébastien Caquard. Canadians made a strong contribution to the technical program of the 2009 ICA conference in Santiago, Chile. Among the presenters from Canada were Yvan Désy (NRCan), Jonathan Li (Univ. of Waterloo), D.R. Fraser Taylor (Carleton Univ), Eric Kramers (NRCan), Janet Mersey (Univ. of Guelph), Hansgeog Schlichtmann (Univ. of Regina), Jacqueline Anderson (Concordia Univ.), Douglas Hagedorn (Univ. of Calgary), Daniel Jacobson (Univ. of Calgary), Sébastien Caquard (Concordia Univ.), Songnian Li (Ryerson Univ.), and Nicholas Chrisman (Université Laval). A special highlight for the Canadian delegation was the splendidly illustrated presentation by Helen Kerfoot, an Emeritus Scientist with NRCan. Currently serving as Chair of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, Kerfoot is a leading scholar in the field of geographic toponymy who has been particularly concerned with the standardization of indigenous place names and the protection of cultural heritage. Canadian entries to the 2009 Barbara Petchenik Children s World Map Competition were organized by Karen Van Kerkoerle, while entries to the International Map Exhibition were coordinated by Dan Duda. The Canadian exhibit consisted of 14 paper maps and 3 atlases, which were also displayed at the 2010 Canadian Cartographic Association Conference in Regina, Saskatchewan. Two of our entries merited ICA awards. Congratulations to the cartographers at NRCan for their striking circular map of the circumpolar region entitled International Polar Year (selected for the cover of this national report). The map was awarded first place in the Thematic Map Category. In the Maps based on Satellite Imagery category, a map from the North American Environmental Atlas, Land Use 2005, was awarded second place. The map is the result of a multinational mapping partnership among Canada, Mexico and the United States. Thanks to both Karen and Dan for their efforts in preparing these entries. The ICA General Assembly in Paris marks the end of my term as Chair of the CNC. I am grateful to the CIG and the ICA for providing the opportunity to represent Canada s cartographic community at the international level. It is always a pleasure to participate in ICA congresses and technical programs, and I look forward to the exciting and diverse program planned for the ICA meeting in Paris in July GEOMATICA BACK ISSUES SALE ANY SET OF 4 ISSUES (BEFORE 2000) $140 For Canadian Addresses (postage included) For International and USA Add $40 for postage. SINGLE ISSUES (BEFORE 2000) $40 Add $10 postage for International and USA TO ORDER, CONTACT: Canadian Institute of Geomatics 900 Dynes Road, Suite 100 D Ottawa, Ontario K2C 3L6 Telephone at (613) Fax (613) admincig@magma.ca Web site: VISA, MasterCard are accepted Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011 GEOMATICA 47

9 Federal Government Activities Activités du gouvernement fédéral Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Agri-Geomatics, at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), now has an enterprise geomatics system that provides access to an external Web portal (i.e. and an internal Geospatial Discovery Portal. Hosted by the new Agri- Geomatics Service (AGS), the enterprise system was created to provide information and support for improved decision-making and risk management, better agricultural policies, enhanced innovation and discovery, and improved public awareness. AGS builds upon the processes and infrastructure put in place by the National Land and Water Information Service (NLWIS) Major Crown Project which was successfully completed on March 31, AGS also provides expertise on activities such as geospatial data management, geospatial analytical services, licensing and partnership negotiations, and training to AAFC resources. The external Web portal provides geospatial products and services such as web-based interactive maps, planning tools, and integrated geospatial data on land use, soil, water, climate and biodiversity. Using interoperable Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, the portal brings together data from dispersed sources. It also provides expert help in applying and interpreting the information. There are a number of geographic applications and downloadable datasets available over the Internet in Canada s two official languages. Many organizations have contributed to these data and applications, resulting in greater value for all users. The Web portal has a wide range of interactive maps. These maps provide an effective way to visualize and explore the data created and/or maintained by AAFC and its collaborators. Some compilations have broad public appeal, such as the Plant Hardiness Zones of Canada ( a joint initiative with Natural Resources Canada) that is useful for landowners to select shelterbelt species for planting. Others are important components of policy-oriented programs such as the Agri-Environmental Indicators (AEI) web map product ( The AEI application allows users to interactively explore, and compare, a suite of ten agri-environmental indicators of agri-environmental interactions and risk between 1981 and 2006, allowing various calculations like annual comparisons and changes over time. This type of analysis is very useful for understanding the impact of policies and programs. One of the newest tools, the Biomass Inventory Mapping and Analysis Tool (BIMAT, was developed to broaden our knowledge about the availability of Canadian residual biomass as a renewable resource substitute for petroleumbased fuels and for other industrial processes. Users of the tool can make well-informed decisions based on spatially explicit information that presents a comprehensive view of biomass quantity and opportunity in 48 GEOMATICA Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011

10 Canada. This tool has already been used by the biomass industry to refine their business plans based on the volume and sustainability of biomass available at any given location. The enterprise system also hosts more than 700 datasets. One example of a publicly available, downloadable dataset is the 2009 Land Cover ( choose Data). This comprehensive, consistent, and detailed dataset has advanced our knowledge of agricultural lands; it is based on modern remote sensing techniques and it is used as a foundation for a diverse set of agri-environmental models that will form a baseline for assessing change into the future. Another newly completed geospatial product available to the public is the Daily 10 km Raster-Gridded Climate Dataset for Canada, This dataset provides spatial and temporal variations in precipitation and temperature at a daily time-step; it will allow the impacts of extreme events and conditions to be better understood, thereby allowing decision-makers to best mitigate harmful impacts and support agricultural producers to become more resilient to crop destructive events. The Agri-Geomatics Service continues the work of NLWIS in sustaining the enterprise geomatics system through the ongoing transformation of geomatics delivery at AAFC. These services also provide continual enhancements to the portals and increasing availability to our nations data and information. Please share any comments or suggestions you may have via the Contact Agri-Geomatics page at: Interactive mapping applications available at: Agri-Environmental Indicators Agro-Pedological Atlas of South Eastern Montreal Plain, Quebec Biomass Inventory Mapping and Analysis Tool Canada Land Inventory (Agriculture) Data Download Canadian Census of Agriculture 2006 Map Series Crop Condition Assessment Program (CCAP) Drought Watch Interactive Mapping Manitoba Riparian Health National Ecological Framework for Canada Plant Hardiness Zones of Canada Soils of Canada Dr. Sherman D. Nelson, Director Agri-Environmental Information and Decision Support Systems Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada L agrogéomatique à Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada (AAC) dispose désormais d un système intégré de géomatique qui donne accès à un portail Web externe (atlas.agr.gc.ca) et à un portail interne de découverte géospatiale. Hébergé dans le nouveau Service d agrogéomatique, le système intégré a été créé pour fournir des renseignements et de l aide qui améliorent la prise de décisions et la gestion des risques, les politiques agricoles, l innovation et la découverte ainsi que la sensibilisation du public. Le Service d agrogéomatique s appuie sur les processus et l infrastructure mis en place par le Service national d information sur les terres et les eaux (SNITE), un grand projet de l État mené à bonne fin le 31 mars Le Service d agrogéomatique offre également de l expertise en gestion des données géospatiales, en analyse des données géospatiales, en négociation de droits d utilisation et de partenariats ainsi qu en formation des ressources d AAC. Le portail Web externe fournit des produits et services en matière géospatiale, comme des cartes interactives, des outils de planification et des données géospatiales intégrées sur l utilisation des terres, le sol, l eau, le climat et la biodiversité. Il vise à regrouper des données de sources disparates au moyen de la technologie interopérable des Systèmes d information géographique (SIG). En outre, il fournit une aide d expert aux fins d application et d interprétation de l information. Un certain nombre d applications géographiques et de jeux de données téléchargeables se trouvent dans Internet dans les deux langues officielles du Canada. De nombreux organismes ont contribué à l élaboration de ces données et de ces applications, ce qui les rend encore plus utiles pour tous les utilisateurs. Le portail Web offre un vaste éventail de cartes interactives qui fournissent un moyen efficace de visualiser et d explorer les données créées ou mises à jour par AAC et ses collaborateurs. Certaines d entre elles attirent un vaste public, comme les Zones de rusticité des plantes au Canada ( (site exploité de concert avec Ressources naturelles Canada), qui sont utiles lorsque les propriétaires fonciers choisissent des espèces à planter comme brise-vent. D autres sont des composantes importantes de programmes axés sur les politiques, comme le produit de cartes Web des Indicateurs agroenvironnementaux (IAE, L application IAE permet aux utilisateurs d explorer interactivement et de comparer 10 indicateurs d interactions et de risques agroenvironnementaux, de 1981 à 2006, et d effectuer divers calculs comme des comparaisons entre les années et les changements au fil des ans. Ce type d analyse est très utile pour comprendre l incidence des politiques et des programmes. L Outil de visualisation cartographique et d analyse de l inventaire de la biomasse ( est un tout nouveau moyen d accroître nos connaissances sur la disponibilité de biomasse résiduelle canadienne en tant que ressource renouvelable de remplacement des hydrocarbures et d autres processus industriels. Les utilisateurs de l outil peuvent prendre des décisions éclairées fondées sur de l information spatialement explicite qui donne une vue complète de la quantité et de la disponibilité de biomasse au Canada. Le secteur de la biomasse s est servi de cet outil pour adapter ses plans d affaires en fonction du volume et de la disponibilité de la biomasse dans un lieu donné. Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011 GEOMATICA 49

11 Le système intégré contient également plus de 700 jeux de données dont le jeu de données publiquement téléchargeable intitulé Couverture du sol 2009 ( choisissez Données). Cette carte complète, cohérente et détaillée fait avancer les connaissances sur les terres agricoles, repose sur des techniques de télédétection modernes et sert de fondement à diverses modélisations agroenvironnementales qui deviendront la référence pour évaluer les changements à venir. Le Jeu de données climatiques quotidiennes rastrées à maille de 10 km pour le Canada de 1961 à 2003 est un autre produit de renseignements géospatiaux nouvellement offert au public. Fournissant les variations spatiales et temporelles quotidiennes des précipitations et des températures, il servira à mieux comprendre les répercussions des événements et des conditions extrêmes. Aussi permettra-t-il aux décideurs de trouver la meilleure façon d en atténuer les effets néfastes et d aider les producteurs agricoles à s adapter aux événements qui détruisent les cultures. Le Service d agrogéomatique poursuit la mission du SNITE qui consiste à soutenir le système intégré de géomatique grâce à la transformation permanente de la diffusion de la géomatique à AAC, aux améliorations continuelles des portails et à l accessibilité grandissante aux données et à l information. Veuillez nous faire part de tout commentaire ou de toute suggestion à la page «Contactez-nous» du site : atlas.agr.gc.ca. Applications de cartographie interactive disponibles à Atlas agropédologique du sud-est de la plaine de Montréal, Québec Cadre écologique national pour le Canada Cartographie interactive pour la surveillance de la sécheresse Indicateurs agroenvironnementaux Inventaire des terres du Canada en agriculture Les sols du Canada Manitoba Riparian Health Outil cartographique d inventaire de la biomasse Programme d évaluation de l état des cultures Recensement de l agriculture du Canada - Série cartographique de 2006 Zones de rusticité des plantes du Canada Dr. Sherman D. Nelson, Directeur Systèmes d aide aux décisions pour les services d information agroenvironnementale Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada Canadian Hydrographic Service The Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) contributes to the Government of Canada s priorities of sovereignty and safety in Canadian waters and participates in research as the authoritative source for hydrography and marine cartography in Canada. The CHS offers mariners a suite of papers as well as BSB-format Raster Navigational Charts and Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) in the international S-57 standard through a network of dealers worldwide. ENCs combined with GPS, radar, ship course, speed and draught data make a powerful Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) enabling mariners to fix a ship s position accurately and be alerted of hazards instantly. The CHS also licenses data to valueadded-resellers so that innovative products can be generated for use with electronic chart systems, chart plotters, and devices such as the Blackberry, iphone and ipad are available as additional aids to navigation. e- Navigation, the harmonized collection, integration, exchange and presentation of maritime information onboard and ashore by electronic means to enhance berth to berth navigation and related services, promises to deliver improved navigational safety and security at sea and protection of the marine environment. The CHS contributions to the International Marine Organization (IMO) in the development of e-navigation systems are an integral part. Canada ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 2003 and thus has until 2013 to make its submission to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to extend its jurisdiction over the resources on or below the seabed beyond 200 nautical miles to the outer limits of the continental shelf. The CHS is part of the Canadian team along with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade who are all working together towards this effort and are responsible for the bathymetric component of the submission. During the period the CHS also provided data and expertise in the delineation of international boundaries, dispute settlement and legal cases not related to UNCLOS. From west to east to north, the CHS has worked to increase safe navigation and aid the economic development of coastal communities. Hydrographic surveys in the Canadian Arctic including Pangnirtung, Cumberland Sound, Resolute, Arctic Bay and Nanisivik, were all conducted to support the design and construction of new harbours and ports as well as to update nautical charts for existing facilities. The CHS also conducted collaborative surveys to support potential oil and gas development on the Makkovik Bank, off the coast of Labrador. Additional surveys were undertaken to chart safe routes from the Newfoundland communities of Ramea and Francois to the Penguin Islands for the resupply of the light station, for tourism navigation, and in aid of search and rescue missions. In the waters around Kitimat, B.C. between the CHS resurveyed the waters encompassing the northern end of the main channel into Kitimat (Douglas Channel) and subsidiary channels (Devastation, Loretta and Sue channels, Verney Passage). 50 GEOMATICA Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011

12 The multibeam imaging of the sea bottom and the water column can provide useful information for integrated management of the aquatic ecosystem. The CHS personnel with NRCan Earth Sciences staff received a Federal Partners in Technology Transfer Award in 2008 for their expertise in applying the technology into practical situations related to fisheries. Focused initially on hydrography the fishing industry also adopted the software that generates digital seafloor maps from multi-beam sonar data to target key species and reduce operating costs and the area of seafloor trawled. The CHS collaborates with other maritime countries through the international Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) to influence the global policies on navigation to ensure the establishment of and adherence to international standards and to benefit from economies of scale through knowledge sharing. The CHS was a very early adopter of a Quality Management System to meet and maintain the requirements of the IS0 9001: 2000 international quality management standards. The benefits include improved operational efficiency and quality of products and services. In summary, the CHS with its four pillars supporting navigation, natural hazards preparedness and response, boundary delineation and sustainable ecosystem, plays a very important role in the management of Canada s aquatic environment and to support the Canada Shipping Act, the Oceans Act, the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act and the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) to which Canada is a signatory. Kian Fadaie, Ph.D. Director, Hydrography Canadian Hydrographic Fisheries & Oceans Canada Defence Geomatics Since the last Defence Geomatics update in Geomatica in 2007, the Mapping and Charting Establishment (MCE) has focused on providing geospatial support to the Canadian Forces (CF) both domestically and internationally. The CF s geomatics resources have been strained by increased operational commitments with the continuation of OPERATION (OP) ATHENA in Afghanistan, OP HESTIA in Haiti, OP PODIUM (support to the Vancouver Olympic 2010 games) and many other international and national operations. All technical expertise within the Geomatics Technician trade has been exploited, including very challenging and rewarding aerial survey missions over Afghanistan. With increased numbers of Geomatics Technicians graduating from the School of Military Mapping (where they undergo a technically challenging 20-month initial training course delivered in partnership with Algonquin College in Ottawa) the Geospatial Technicians trade has also seen a significant increase in its force generation capabilities. This now enables Geomatics Support Teams located outside of Ottawa, primarily situated in the army brigades, to be self-sufficient with their force generation needs for deployed operations and support to domestic operations within the control of their area headquarters. MCE has also developed webenabled services that are progressively reinventing the way geographic data and products are provided to its customers. The general structure of MCE has not changed significantly since The unit is composed of slightly more than 260 personnel made up of 120 military and 140 civilians. The primary mandate of MCE remains to provide timely and relevant geospatial support to CF operations. This is accomplished through its division into five sub-units, namely Geomatics Support Squadron, Digital Production Squadron, Geospatial Information and Services Squadron, Engineering Section and the School of Military Mapping. Geomatics Support Squadron (Geo Sp Sqn) is organized into two troops and is responsible for the training, employment and force generation of Geomatics Technicians for CF requirements. Troop number 1 holds all of the deployable geomatics support capability of MCE and focuses on providing timely geomatics products and advice to commanders and troops on military operations. Troop number 2 is responsible for all survey tasks, both terrestrial and aerial. It has been involved in three successive and very successful aerial data collection missions over Afghanistan, aimed at providing current and accurate high-resolution colour-imagery of the entire area of operations as it evolved. Since 2008 the squadron s resources have been stretched very thin with the continuous support of five to ten Geomatics Technicians in Afghanistan, OP ATHENA; the 2010 Winter Olympics, OP PODIUM; various high-level meetings such as the G8/G20 with the RCMP; the evacuation of Canadian citizens in Lebanon, OP LION; the earthquake in Haiti, OP HESTIA; many other lower-key operations; and continuing support to many national military training venues and planning requirements. Digital Production Squadron (DP Sqn) is a base plant organization primarily manned by civilian personnel. This squadron s role is to focus on the longer-term mapping requirements of the CF and its partners and allies, notably through multinational agreements. One of the keystone projects, the Multinational Geospatial Co-production Program (MGCP), has continued since its launch to provide worldwide mapping coverage at scales of 1: or 1: It is currently putting Canada at the forefront of the initiative through well-defined workflows and outstanding quality management. DP Sqn also produces a very wide array of data products for various users, provides response work for operations, contributes to the Air Force through high-resolution and highaccuracy 3-D flight simulator data and runs one of the last governmentoperated large-volume lithographic presses in Canada. Geospatial Information and Services Squadron (GI&S Sqn) is Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011 GEOMATICA 51

13 responsible for the delivery of all geographic products and data to users across the CF, its partners and allies. With Hydrographic Services Offices (HSO) in Halifax and Esquimalt acquiring, storing and distributing upto-date maritime geomatics products to Canada s Navy, Coast Guard and RCMP, this squadron s mandate is extremely wide and covers Canada from coast to coast. This squadron also manages the Canadian Map Depot to acquire, store, maintain and distribute both domestic and foreign mapping to all its customers. Webservices under the name GeoLap have also grown to become a primary focus of this squadron and consist of an online hub for the dissemination of all geographic data and products. With this online tool and various add-ons, users can conduct their own data and products exploration. This capacity alone has dramatically increased the squadron s outreach capability. Engineering Section (Engr Sect) continues to conduct research and development into new and upcoming geospatial technology while providing the services of life cycle management for much of the complex geospatial equipment used in the CF. It has successfully integrated arising technology within their workflows and influenced the operations in order to stay ahead of the mesmerizing speed of technological advancements, as illustrated with GeoLap and GeoPDFs. The School of Military Mapping (SMM) has continued to provide well-adapted institutional training to Geomatics Technicians within the very formal Canadian Forces Individual Training and Education System (CFITES). Having developed and now implemented a total of five courses ranging in duration from five weeks to two years, the School enables the development and maintenance of technical knowledge for the Geomatics Technicians across the CF. Key to the School s success is an alternate delivery strategy where Algonquin College assists in the delivery of the content that was developed for the 20-month QL5A Geomatics Technicians course and the Military GI&S Basic course. MCE Headquarters is working feverishly to develop a long-term plan for the future of MCE as the CF shifts its focus from Afghanistan to reconstitution or other potential operations. With current plans for a CF transformation and a clear intent to conduct more military-related activities in the High Arctic, it is an exciting time for CF geomatics. Despite any foreseeable, and perhaps unforeseeable, changes in military mapping requirements, Canadian Military Mappers will continue to provide geomatics support with both exceptional technical knowledge and professionalism. Ostendamus viam We show the way. Major Primeau, CD Commandant - School of Military Mapping Mapping and Charting Establishment Department of National Defence Elections Canada The National Geographic Database (NGD), a national street network containing geographical features developed and maintained jointly by Elections Canada and Statistics Canada, has been redesigned since our article appeared in Geomatica in The redesign now includes Statistics Canada boundaries and basic blocks. The data enhancements were focused on improving convergence with the GeoBase National Road Network (NRN) layer and other suitable geographic data sets widely used by clients of Elections Canada and Statistics Canada. At this time, British Columbia and major municipalities of Ontario have or are in the process of being aligned. Thus, the basic geographical framework Elections Canada is using will become a widely accepted standard facilitating the integration of other types of spatial information. In the long term, street network maintenance efforts will be undertaken with a broader number of partners as convergence is completed in other parts of the country. Continuous efforts in improving the level of street attribution in the NGD has significantly increased the number of Named Streets and fully or partially addressed road segments allowing a very high level of geo-referencing rates of electors. Election Canada s Electoral Geography Database is also maintained on a permanent basis to reflect population movement and growth. It provides a cartographic representation of Canada s 308 federal electoral districts and is now divided into 64,385 polling divisions and regrouped into 4,700 advance polling districts following our last maintenance cycle completed in October In spring 2010, the Canadian Council on Geomatics (CCOG) approved the standards and datataset for a new GeoBase layer, Federal Electoral Districts. Information and data has been available since May 2010 on the GeoBase Web Site at ata/admin/index.html With the approach of the 2011 decennial (10-year) census, the databases are being prepared for use in the readjustment of electoral district boundaries. Representation in Government of Canada s House of Commons is readjusted after each decennial census to reflect changes and movements in Canada s population in accordance with the Constitution Act, 1867, and the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act (1985, as amended). Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are critical to the success of readjusting boundaries, also known as redistribution. Three applications are added to the toolset for redistribution purposes: the Commission Redistricting Tool (CRT), the Data and Mapping Tools (DMT) and the Public Web Tool (PWT). The CRT is a fully functional redistricting application offering the ten boundary commissions, with the support of Geography specialists from Elections Canada, the capability to prepare various boundary scenarios with demographic information. The DMT focuses on preparing Elections Canada s geographic data, which is 52 GEOMATICA Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011

14 currently conditioned for election purposes and providing mapping tools, to respond to ad-hoc and redistribution mapping activities needed for redistribution. The PWT offers the public the capability to view the commission s boundary proposals and to respond in preparation for public hearings. Furthermore, during redistribution, the GIS must prepare and hold multiple and overlapping scenarios of electoral geography data for the current 308 electoral district boundaries and the 308+ boundaries that will: 1) be proposed by the boundary commissions, 2) appear in the commissions reports, and 3) form the next representation order. The representation order states the names and defines the electoral districts of Canada that will be in effect for a minimum 10-year period until the completion of the redistribution that occurs following the 2021 census. Herschell Sax Senior Policy Advisor Electoral Geography Elections Canada Environment Canada Environment Canada (EC) has a geospatial community of approximately 500 people, actively carrying out mapping activities on a day-to-day basis. These activities contribute to the strategic outcomes of EC: ensuring that Canada s natural environment is restored and conserved; equipping Canadians to make informed decisions on changing weather, water, and climate conditions; minimizing threats to Canadians and their environment from pollution; and enabling Canadians to benefit from responsible development of Mackenzie gas resources. Geospatial Governance Activities Information management is at the core of meeting EC s strategic outcomes, and the Department has taken steps to ensure that geospatial data and tools are managed appropriately. In 2008, an Advisory Committee on Geospatial Data and Tools Management (ACGDTM) was created to help with the coordination of the EC geospatial community and to provide leadership and recommendations on geospatial information management. A Geospatial Coordination Office (GCO) was established within the Information Management Directorate, Chief Information Officer Branch to develop and implement a roadmap towards effective geospatial data and tools management. EC s Geospatial Data and Tools Management Strategy (only available on Government of Canada networks), as well as other geospatial strategies can be found on GCPEDIA. These strategies provide a roadmap for good governance and management of geospatial data as well as interoperability of geospatial data, services and systems, in order to streamline the geospatial data life cycle. Another driver for strong geospatial governance is the recently endorsed Treasury Board of Canada Standard on Geospatial Data ( Under this standard, government departments must apply the metadata standard (ISO 19115) and Web Map Server Interface Standard (ISO 19128) to geospatial data by May EC is actively working towards the implementation of these standards, by developing and implementing several initiatives such as: A Geospatial Data Repository a shared network drive where geospatial practitioners can access authoritative, managed geospatial data collected or purchased by EC. Having data in one central location protects Environment Canada s investment in geospatial data resources in accordance with proper Information Management practices. The goal is to promote collaboration amongst Environment Canada s geospatial practitioners, while eliminating nonauthoritative data sources, duplication of data and out-of-date data. A Geospatial Data Dissemination Strategy (only available on Government of Canada networks) to ensure that Departmental geospatial data is easy to publish, and obeys industry standards that support discovery, access and visualization in a consistent and application neutral manner, contributing to the preservation and enhancement of society, culture and the environment. A Geospatial Data Discovery Strategy (only available on Government of Canada networks) to ensure that Departmental geospatial resources are discoverable, obey industry standards and leverage mass market approaches in supporting geospatial discovery for all. A Geospatial Publishing Facility to provide one-stop, centralized access to aid Departmental data stewards in publishing their geospatial data in an easy, efficient and userfriendly manner. Software Licence Consolidation In terms of geospatial tool management, the Geospatial Coordination Office successfully consolidated ESRI licencing across the Department to increase efficiency, accessibility and decrease cost. One ESRI client number was created for the entire Department, and licences for Arc/Info, ArcView and extensions are now shared from one central licence server. The Geospatial Coordination Office maintains and monitors the licence server to ensure optimal software access for geospatial practitioners in the Department. This consolidation process has reduced the overall departmental administrative overhead significantly. The Department is also working towards deploying one central Open Source geospatial tool to address the business needs of its geospatial practitioners. Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011 GEOMATICA 53

15 Environment Canada Geospatial Symposium 2010 The Chief Information Officer Branch s Information Management (IM) Geospatial Coordination Office (GCO) held a Geospatial Symposium on February 9th and 10th, 2010 at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters in Burlington, Ontario. The symposium was an opportunity for a face-to-face meeting of EC s geospatial community, managers, and participants from other government departments to facilitate knowledge sharing, networking and improvement of geospatial information management. The symposium presentations highlighted EC s applied geospatial activities with common themes such as data acquisition, building user-friendly applications, and collaboration. Some examples of the presentation topics include bird surveying, air quality measurements and visualization, water supply studies, data integration for developing sustainability indicators, regional and global weather prediction modeling, and identifying environmentally sensitive areas for emergency preparedness and response. The symposium was a huge success and another symposium is planned for Fall Project Highlights In addition to the internal efforts to govern EC s geospatial resources and foster a collaborative geospatial community, there have been several project highlights that are available to Canadians. Here are some examples: Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators The Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI) initiative provides data and information to track Canada s performance on key environmental sustainability issues of concern to Canadians: air quality, water quality, greenhouse gas emissions, water levels and protected areas. A new and improved interactive mapping application gives users an increased opportunity to interact with the data behind the indicators. The data used in CESI come from a variety of sources, depending on the indicator. Data are compiled by Environment Canada from numerous federal, provincial, territorial, and joint monitoring programs. Other government departments, such as Statistics Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Health Canada, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, provide monitoring, survey and census data. The CESI report can be found at: The mapping application can be found at: Canadian Information System for Protected Areas (CISPA) Environment Canada s Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) identifies nationally important wildlife habitat whose loss would have a direct impact on the Canadian population of one or more wild species. Environment Canada works closely with other organizations to ensure that these nationally important areas are officially protected through its system of Protected Areas. The Canadian Information System for Protected Areas (CISPA) is a Web Map Interface for Environment Canada s Protected Areas. The system is available in a fully accessible version ( and in a graphical feature-rich version ( This application allows the visualization of Environment Canada s Protected Areas network with Canada s Ecological framework of Ecozones and Ecoregions. Reports can be produced by Ecozone, Ecoregion, Protected Area, or by Custom defined area, which summarize the area in hectares and the percentage protected area or ecozone/ecoregion within the selected area. Map views and reports can be printed and exported from the application as well. Conclusion Complying with the Treasury Board Standard on Geospatial Data will continue to drive efforts within the Department to create ISO metadata and ISO19128 Web Map Services. EC will continue to participate on committees such as the Inter-Agency Committee on Geomatics, the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), and the Canadian Advisory Committee to ISO Technical Committee 211 Geographic Information / Geomatics. Improving geospatial information management throughout the data lifecycle will continue to be a main goal of Environment Canada over the coming years. By streamlining data production from capture to dissemination, it is expected that EC will increase its service to Canadians further. For more information on geospatial activities within Environment Canada, please contact the Geospatial Coordination Office (gco-bcg@ec.gc.ca). Debbie Pagurek, M.Sc. Geospatial Coordination Office Chief Information Officer Branch Environment Canada Environnement Canada Environnement Canada (EC) compte près de 500 personnes qui œuvrent dans le domaine géospatial et qui effectuent quotidiennement des travaux de cartographie. Ces activités contribuent aux résultats stratégiques d EC : conserver et restaurer l environnement naturel du Canada; doter les Canadiens des outils nécessaires pour prendre des décisions éclairées sur les changements climatiques, l eau et les conditions climatiques; minimiser les effets de la pollution sur la population et son environnement et lui permettre de bénéficier d une exploitation responsable des ressources gazières de la vallée du Mackenzie. Activités de gouvernance géospatiale La gestion de l information est un élément fondamental pour atteindre 54 GEOMATICA Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011

16 ces résultats stratégiques et le Ministère veille à ce que les données et outils géospatiaux soient gérés convenablement. En 2008, un Comité consultatif sur la gestion des données et des outils géospatiaux a été mis sur pied pour faciliter la coordination de la communauté géospatiale d EC et fournir un encadrement et des recommandations sur la gestion de l information géospatiale. Un Bureau de coordination géospatiale (BCG) a été mis sur pied au sein de la Direction de la gestion de l information, Direction générale du dirigeant principal de l information pour créer et mettre en œuvre une feuille de route favorisant une gestion efficace des données et des outils géospatiaux. On en trouve les stratégies sur GCPEDIA (disponible exclusivement sur les réseaux du gouvernement du Canada) ainsi que d autres stratégies liées au domaine géospatial. Ces stratégies établissent une feuille de route de saine gouvernance et de gestion des données géospatiales et assurent l interopérabilité des données, services et systèmes géospatiaux afin de rationaliser le cycle de vie de ces données. La norme sur les données géospatiales ( récemment endossée par le Conseil du Trésor du Canada, est également un outil fondamental de saine gestion. En vertu de cette norme, d ici mai 2014 les ministères fédéraux doivent appliquer aux données géospatiales la norme ISO sur les métadonnées et la norme ISO sur l interface de carte du serveur Web. EC travaille activement à mettre ces normes en œuvre en concevant et en appliquant diverses initiatives, notamment : Un entrepôt de données géospatiales : disque réseau partagé où les spécialistes du domaine pourront consulter des données géospatiales fiables qui ont été collectées ou achetées par EC. En regroupant toutes les données au même endroit, Environnement Canada investit dans les ressources géospatiales conformément aux pratiques appropriées de gestion de l information. On veut ainsi favoriser la collaboration entre les spécialistes du domaine géospatial d EC tout en éliminant les sources de données moins fiables ou périmées. Une stratégie de diffusion des données géospatiales (disponible exclusivement sur les réseaux du gouvernement du Canada) : pour que les données géospatiales du Ministère puissent être facilement publiées et qu elles obéissent aux normes de l industrie sur la découverte, l accès et la visualisation de façon cohérente et objective et contribuant ainsi à la préservation et à l amélioration de notre société, de notre culture et de notre environnement. Une stratégie de découverte des données géospatiales (disponible exclusivement sur les réseaux du gouvernement du Canada) : pour que les ressources géospatiales du Ministère soient identifiables, qu elles respectent les normes de l industrie et qu elles s appuient sur des approches du marché de masse en étant mises à la disponibilité de tous. Un centre de publication des données géospatiales : qui permettra au Ministère de les administrer efficacement, facilement et de façon conviviale. Regroupement des licences de logiciel En ce qui a trait à la gestion des outils géospatiaux, le Bureau de coordination géospatiale a regroupé les licences d ESRI de tout le Ministère afin d accroître l efficacité et la disponibilité du service tout en en réduisant les coûts. Un numéro de client ESRI a été créé pour l ensemble du Ministère et les licences pour Arc/Info, ArcView et toutes les extensions sont dorénavant partagées à partir d un serveur de licences central. Le Bureau de coordination géospatiale entretient et contrôle le serveur de licences afin d offrir le meilleur accès possible aux spécialistes en données géospatiales du Ministère. Ce regroupement a permis de réduire sensiblement les frais ministériels généraux. Le Ministère travaille également à mettre en œuvre un outil géospatial centralisé de type Open Source afin de répondre aux besoins d affaires de ses propres spécialistes. Symposium géospatial 2010 d Environnement Canada Le Bureau de coordination géospatiale (BCG) responsable de gérer l information pour la Direction générale du dirigeant principal de l information a organisé un symposium géospatial les 9 et 10 février 2010 au Centre canadien des eaux intérieures de Burlington, en Ontario. Le symposium a permis aux membres de la communauté géospatiale et aux gestionnaires d EC, tout comme aux participants d autres ministères, de se rencontrer, d échanger, d établir des liens et de chercher comment gérer plus efficacement l information géospatiale. Les présentations du Symposium ont mis en lumière les activités géospatiales d EC s articulant autour de thèmes communs, par exemple l acquisition de données, le développement d applications conviviales et la collaboration. Quelques exemples utilisés pour les présentations incluaient des recensements d oiseaux, des mesures et la visualisation de la qualité de l air, des études sur les réserves d eau, l intégration de données afin de concevoir des indicateurs de durabilité, la modélisation prédictive du climat planétaire et la détermination des zones environnementales les plus sensibles afin de développer des préparatifs et des mesures d intervention d urgence. Le symposium a connu un grand succès; un autre est prévu pour l automne Coup d œil sur certains projets Outre les efforts internes déployés par EC pour mieux gérer ses ressources géospatiales et favoriser le développement d une communauté géospatiale participative, plusieurs autres projets sont mis à la disposition de la population. En voici quelques-uns : Indicateurs canadiens de durabilité de l environnement (ICDE) Les indicateurs canadiens de durabilité de l environnement fournis- Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011 GEOMATICA 55

17 sent aux Canadiens des données et de l information sur le rendement du Canada quant aux problèmes de durabilité de l environnement qui les préoccupent : qualité de l air et de l eau, émissions de gaz à effet de serre, niveaux d eau et aires protégées. Il s agit d une nouvelle application cartographique interactive et améliorée qui permet aux utilisateurs de mieux interagir avec les données sous-jacentes aux indicateurs. Les données de ces indicateurs proviennent de diverses sources et varient selon l indicateur. EC compile les données de nombreux programmes fédéraux, provinciaux, territoriaux et conjoints. D autres ministères fédéraux tels que Statistique Canada, Ressources naturelles Canada, Santé Canada et Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada fournissent également les résultats de leurs surveillances, levés et recensements. Les rapports des ICDE sont présentés à l adresse suivante : E-1. L application de cartographie est fournie à l adresse : Système canadien d information sur les aires protégées (SCIAP) Le Service canadien de la Faune d Environnement Canada recense les habitats fauniques importants dont la perte aurait un impact direct sur la population canadienne d une ou de plusieurs espèces sauvages. EC travaille en étroite collaboration avec d autres organismes afin que ces aires importantes à l échelle nationale soient officiellement protégées par son programme des Aires protégées. Le Système canadien d information sur les aires protégées est une interface cartographique en ligne des aires protégées par EC. Le système est disponible dans sa version complète à l adresse suivante : et en version graphique à l adresse suivante : Cette application montre le réseau des aires protégées d EC avec toutes les écozones et écorégions du Canada. On peut générer les rapports par écozone, écorégion, aire protégée ou par zone personnalisée. Le système fournit la superficie (hectares) avec le pourcentage d aires protégées ou d écozones et écorégions dans la région sélectionnée. On peut imprimer les cartes et les rapports ou les exporter. Conclusion Conformément à la norme du Conseil du Trésor sur les données géospatiales, EC poursuit des travaux de développement de métadonnées (norme ISO 19115) et de services d interface de carte du serveur Internet. EC maintient sa participation aux différents comités tels que le Comité mixte des organismes intéressés à la géomatique, l Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) et le Comité consultatif canadien du Comité technique 211 de l ISO Information géographique/géomatique. L amélioration de la gestion de l information géospatiale tout au long du cycle de vie des données continuera à être l un des principaux objectifs d Environnement Canada pour les années à venir. En rationalisant la production des données, de leur capture à leur diffusion, EC estime qu il pourra améliorer le service qu il donne aux Canadiens. Pour plus de renseignements sur les activités géospatiales d Environnement Canada, communiquez avec le Bureau de coordination géospatiale (gco-bcg@ec.gc.ca). Debbie Pagurek, M.Sc. Bureau de coordination géospatiale Direction générale du dirigeant principal de l information Environnement Canada Indian and Northern Affairs Canada With the advent of mobile, web services and Google, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology has matured and more organizations have begun to apply its capabilities to improve the way they manage and use geospatial information. The organic growth of GIS in organizations as disconnected GIS islands, implemented in departmental silos is obsolete as it fails to capitalize on the benefits of scale. In the spring of 2007, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) embarked on a three (3) year plan to implement an Enterprise level geographic infrastructure with a corporate Geomatics Services function. The function includes access to a spatial data repository, a corporate compliant GIS technology for both desktop and Web, access to geomatics standards and best practices as well as access to geographic expertise for the delivery of geographic based products and services. A number of interactive Web map applications developed for our programs are available on the INAC website: The Geomatics Services unit is designed to work with departmental sectors and program managers to meet increasing demands for geospatial information relating to INAC s mandated responsibilities. This eliminates duplication of Information Management (IM)/Information Technology (IT) effort and investments. It has developed and continues to enhance the geospatial platform to more effectively provide geo-based products and services to the programs, Aboriginals, and Northerners. It also plays a key role in managing its enterprise geo-systems. The main benefit for the organization and its clients is an increased data sharing and crossfunctional collaboration between programs in the delivery of services to Aboriginals and Northerners thus leading to enhanced business decisions. Implementing an enterprise GIS infrastructure does not happen overnight. It requires the development of an effective business case with senior management along with levels of engagement throughout the organization. Engagement has been obtained through the provision of value-added services and success stories with the key organizational stakeholders. 56 GEOMATICA Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011

18 Between 2008 and 2011, INAC Geomatics Services has worked closely with its community of practice, stakeholders, and clients to geographically enable programs. Through that engagement, our role is designed to: 1. develop, enhance and coordinate geographic information management and technology to ensure reliable and consistent data and systems 2. facilitate the integration of geospatial information for business applications 3. build an understanding of the use of geospatial information and technology 4. ensure economic benefits to the department, offering a common geoplatform, mitigating duplication of data and systems (time & costs), reliability of tools and information. Hélène Lachance National Geomatics Manager Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has been actively acquiring cartographic materials in their various forms since Cartography, Architecture and Geomatics (CAG), of the Canadian Archives and Special Collections Branch (CASC), and its predecessors have been acquiring these materials as a separate archival unit since At that time, the section held 4,285 maps, plans, and charts. Between 1907 and 1924, the collection grew to 30,000 cartographic items. From 1925 to 1945, cartographic acquisitions were almost entirely in the form of private documents and collections, or consisted of copies of cartographic materials that were obtained from other archives around the world. In 1949, the section developed a plan for the strategic acquisition of published map series and charts from the Canadian federal government. Between 1969 and 2006, the section acquired current published maps of other parts of the world so they could be consulted by Canadian federal government departments that have interests abroad. In 1976, CAG started to acquire major groups of manuscript and unpublished cartographic materials from Canadian federal government departments and agencies. With the shift to the creation of digital maps in the 1980s, CAG has been actively acquiring digital cartographic materials, that is, geomatics materials, since This practice is now aligned with LAC s strategic priority relating to digital information. To date, the digital collection consists of approximately 750,000 digital aerial photographs, 40,000 satellite and remotely sensed images, and 100,000 digital maps. These digital objects represent approximately 40 terabytes of data. Since LAC last reported to Geomatica, published cartographic materials that are produced by Canadian federal government departments have became become subject to Legal Deposit legislation. This legislation also encompasses published cartographic materials that are produced by private sector publishers. Today, CAG is responsible for and the acquisition of architectural, cartographic, and geomatics materials of national significance from departments and agencies of the Government of Canada. In support of this mandate, CAG will also identify, appraise, and acquire the documentary records of private sector architects, cartographers, engineers, and surveyors that are appraised as being of national significance. They must encompass representative activities of the surveying, mapping, and charting industry, ; private institutions, and members of the general public. Cartographic materials covered by the Legal Deposit regulations are acquired by the Published Heritage Branch, LAC. Due to the specialized expertise that resides in CAG about historical and modern cartographic and geomatics materials, the section operates collaboratively with archivists from the Government Records Branch to appraise and acquire cartographic and geomatics materials of archival and historical value from departments and agencies of the government of Canada. Over the past four years, CAG s acquisition priorities have been fourfold and have concentrated on activities associated with the development of the: Early Cartography Collection; Collection of published government maps series that are not covered under Legal Deposit; Collection of cartographic and geomatics materials relating to the Arctic; and the, Directive on Recordkeeping that pertains to cartographic and geomatics materials that are created to support government business. In terms of the development of the Early Cartography Collection, CAG continues to seek out rare historical maps, hydrographic charts, plans, atlases, and globes that present new geographic knowledge about Canada. These contribute to an understanding of the history of Canadian society and cartographic techniques and practices. Under the auspices of this program, 29 maps have been acquired. The two most significant acquisitions include are a chart by James Cook and a map by Paolo Forlani. James Cook: A Chart of the Sea-Coast of Newfoundland between St. Laurence and Point May. Survey d by Order of Hugh Palliser Esqr. Commodore & c. & c. by James Cook, c Forlani, Paolo: Il Disegno del discoperto della nova Franza, ilquale s è havuto ulti, mamente dalla novissima navigatione dè Franzesi in quel luogo, nel quale sivedono tutte l Isole, Porti, Capi, et luoghi fraterra chein quella sono / Venetijs aneis formis Bolognini Zalterij Anno. M.D.L.X.V.I.(1566) [The drawing of the discovery of New France, recently derived from the newest voyage of the French in that region: In Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011 GEOMATICA 57

19 which are seen all the islands, ports, capes, and places inland which are in it (1566)]. In terms of the development of the collection of cartographic and geomatics materials that are not covered under the Legal Deposit program, CAG has acquired 20 maps and 3 archival collections to fill gaps in the collection. With respect to material that is acquired from Canadian federal government departments and agencies, CAG has acquired analogue and digital collections from the Cape Breton Development Corporation; Canadian Ice Service, Environment Canada; Elections Canada; International Joint Commission; National Air Photo Library (NAPL), Natural Resources Canada; and Statistics Canada. As part of the acquisition function, CAG continues to appraise collections and provide advice to federal government departments and agencies concerning their archival practices associated with architectural, cartographic, and geomatics materials. Over the past four years, appraisals and advice have been provided to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Canada Aviation Museum; Canada Post; Canadian Book Exchange Centre; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Foreign Affairs and international International Trade Canada; Geographical Names Board of Canada Secretariat, Natural Resources Canada; House of Commons; National Capital Commission; National Defence and the Canadian Forces; Public Works and Government Services Canada; and Transport Canada. From a strategic perspective, CAG is continuing to develop the section s collection of cartographic and geomatics materials relating to the Arctic. The objective is to align the section s acquisition priorities in harmony with the government s focus of protecting our nation s sovereignty and security. As well, the government s commitment to defending Canada s place in the world through the realization of a strong Arctic vision is also supported. As a result, over the next five years CAG will identify and fill gaps in the section s cartographic and geomatics data holdings that relate to the Arctic. Similar to the goal associated with the Early Cartography Collection, an Arctic collection of maps and geospatial data will provide essential evidence about Canadian occupation and activities in the North over time. As part of this priority, CAG will partner with others to ensure the collection is as comprehensive and as encompassing as possible. Also from a strategic perspective, and with respect to the Directive on Recordkeeping, departments in the Canadian federal government gather, analyze, interpret, use, and distribute geographic information to support the government s surveying, mapping, charting, resource, and infrastructure management activities and programs, and deliver reliable services. In these activities, there is a requirement for departments to define their core cartographic and geospatial data products, develop the business case for their creation, identify the risks and liabilities associated with their use, and maintain their integrity through the implementation of sound recordkeeping practices. The latter activity is especially important because maps and geospatial data are often used as decision decision-making tools in support of the demarcation, development, and management of Canadian lands and resources. They are used to improve our knowledge about land use and human occupancy. They can be used to delineate spatial patterns associated with agricultural activities and define patterns associated with the health of our forests, lakes, and rivers. Cartographic materials and geospatial data are invaluable resources that can also be used to communicate information about natural hazards and weather patterns that could potentially imperil the safety of Canadian citizens on land and at sea. In summary, maps, charts, and geospatial data are essential to documenting and communicating important elements of Canadian activity and society over time and space. Often collectively they represent elements about Canadians that do not appear in any other government record. In this environment, CAG will continue to work with its federal government partners in the management of its architectural, cartographic, and geomatics assets. For more information, please refer to the Library and Archives Canada website at: David L. Brown, Manager Cartography, Architecture & Geomatics Canadian Archives & Special Collections Library and Archives Canada Natural Resources Canada Earth Sciences Sector Role of Natural Resources Canada Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is the primary federal partner for the provinces and territories, industry and other domestic players in shaping Canada s resource future. NRCan develops knowledge and expertise on Canada s vast and diverse landmass, which in turn strengthens the safety and security of Canadians and the stewardship of Canada s natural resources and lands. Through Geomatics Canada, part of the Earth Sciences Sector, NRCan provides a variety of location-based data and expert knowledge and services that are used to inform policy and programs on natural resource issues, as well as public health, safety and security. Geographical information, which is essential to governing Canada, is managed, made accessible, and used, including: legal surveys of Canada, remotely sensed data, and basic mapping information. As a leader in mapping and geosciences, NRCan has a long history of efficient and effective management of geo-information assets and pioneering new geographic and knowledge frontiers. 58 GEOMATICA Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011

20 Highlights for Surveyor General Branch The Surveyor General has the legal responsibility to manage all surveys and the parcel fabric on Canada Lands, and to also maintain the original plans, journals, field notes and other papers associated with those surveys. Canada Lands generally consist of Indian Reserves, National Parks, the offshore and land in Yukon, Northwest and Nunavut Territories. The Surveyor General also serves as the Canadian member of the International Boundary Commission, which is responsible for maintaining the km long boundary between Canada and the United States ( Canada Lands Survey System The primary objective of the Canada Lands Survey System is to provide the foundation to establish property rights on Canada Lands by defining, describing and documenting the extent of all land interests ( The system provides the legal parcels that support all registered land transactions on Canada Lands. Key recent activities include: Aboriginal Land Administrative Boundaries on GeoBase The Aboriginal Lands data layer was added to GeoBase in June 2009 and upgraded in April 2010 ( Canada Lands Survey Registry accessible in KML format The Canada Lands Survey Registry overlay in KML format was introduced in 2008 and is available for display in various earth browsers, such as Google Earth ( Reconciliation with Indian Land Registry Over 80,000 parcels were reconciled with the Indian Land Registry in The electronic Registry Index Plan (erip) simplifies research of land records by providing access to an integrated view of reserve land information ( inac.gc.ca/ai/scr/qc/pm/infoenv/itfev10- eng.asp). ISO Land Administration Domain Model The Surveyor General Branch is participating actively in the development of the international standard on Land Administration Domain Model (ISO19152) ( International Boundary Commission The International Boundary Commission (IBC) is responsible for maintaining the boundary in an effective state of demarcation. The Commission also regulates all construction within three metres of the boundary and is responsible for defining the boundary location in any legal situation involving the border ( The IBC is currently modernizing information systems. Information will be managed in a GIS with several thematic layers including new high resolution imagery. The system has been used to create the first new official maps of the Canada US boundary since the 1920s. Canada Centre for Remote Sensing The Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) receives and archives remotely-sensed data for Canada, develops methods and applications to enable effective use of this data, and provides the Canadian Spatial Reference System. Earth Observation GeoSolutions Division (EOGD) EOGD, CCRS science foundation, supports development of Earth Observation (EO) sensors, improves EO data quality and data handling methodologies, and develops value-added EO-based information, applications and services. The goal is to ensure EO s potential is harnessed to provide solutions enabling government to better deliver mandates including sovereignty, safety and security, environmental monitoring, and natural resource management. EOGD is also involved in the development of next-generation satellite sensors, and the scientific preparations for effective and immediate use of data from soon-to-belaunched sensors. Seven products illustrate EOGD s work to develop remote sensing products and applications within mapping and monitoring programs: Satellite data to support updating topographic maps in the North, by providing topographic information and land cover information (Land Cover Fact Sheet: Extraction of 3-D info from RADARSAT-2 Fact Sheet: h) Orthorectified Landsat 7 mosaic of the Canadian arctic archipelago (Fact Sheet: Satellite Image Techniques used for Terrain Mapping and Monitoring of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Route (InSAR monitoring techniques Fact Sheet: ar_e.php; IEEE publication on geological image base maps: Mapping and Monitoring River Ice and Lake Ice Break-up and Freezeup using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Satellites (Fact Sheets: er_ice_e.php and e_ice_e.php) Geomatics information for the watershed serving Iqaluit, Nunavut, using EO data and ground surveys (Fact Sheet: Using satellite remote sensing to monitor and assess ecosystem integrity and climate change in Canada s National Parks (Fact Sheet: National and Continental Scale Land Cover Mapping with satellite data (Fact Sheet: cc_e.php). The Commission for Environmental Cooperation s Vol. 65, No. 1, 2011 GEOMATICA 59