Canadian Geodata

One thing the Geodata Committee would like to do for the FOSS4G2007 conference in Victoria, BC, Canada (September 24-27, 2007) is to pull together a data catalog of data from the area around Victoria so that we could have a readily available pool of services and datasets for attendees and presenters to use for the local area during the conference. The hope is that this will bring attention to the efforts being made by the Geodata committee. Benefits to the conference would be fast access to services (if we were to host them somewhere locally during the conference), an increased local feel, and a resource so that we could see different applications all working with the same data.

Data Custodians

Government

Federal

The Canadian Federal Government, often in partnership with Provincial governments, makes various types of data available for free, from various sources.

Provincial

The British Columbia Provincial Government makes some of it's data publicly available for free.

Local

Local governments, such as the City of Victoria, or the Capital Region District may have some data available for free.

Commercial

Various companies and organizations, whether they are Canadian or not, may have data that they would be willing to provide for free.

DataSets

Requested Datasets

If there is a particular Canadian dataset that you would like to see be available at FOSS4G2007, add your request to this section. Please include the following information:

• Dataset information:
  • dataset name
  • link to dataset information (e.g. metadata)
  • link to dataset location (if publicly available)
• Your information:
  • your name (and optionally organization)
  • your role in the FOSS4G2007 conference (e.g. attendee, workshop/lab instructor, sponsor, etc.)
  • why you are requesting the dataset

Dataset Sources

While the authoritative source for a dataset is the dataset's owner, for FOSS4G2007 the goal is to have copies of datasets, or partial datasets, on local servers at the conference. To accomplish that, local people will have to do the work of obtaining copies of the datasets and loading them onto local servers.

If you can help with this, by providing the conference organizers with a copy of all or part of one or more of the Requested Datasets, add your information to this section.

• Dave Patton, Victoria, BC - here are some datasets that I could provide, via a USB drive:

1. Toporama, version 1
   • this is a raster dataset, consisting of computer-generated topo map images (i.e. lacking some cartographic features)
   • Note that this is the "original Toporama" dataset, not the newer Atlas of Canada Toporama (Toporama version 2).
   • http://toporama.cits.rncan.gc.ca/
   • the images are collarless GIF images, designed to be able to be easily mosaiced
   • the GIF images can be provided with corresponding world files
   • any of the 1:250,000 or 1:50,000 scale images for any part of Canada can be provided
   • Natural Resources Canada Licence Agreement
2. Canadian Digital Elevation Data, Level 1 (CDED1)
   • Digital Elevation Model data
   • http://www.geobase.ca/geobase/en/data/cded/index.html
   • any of the files for the 1:50,000 (0.75 arc second) or 1:250,000 (3 arc second) scale cells for any part of Canada can be provided
   • Geobase Unrestricted Use Licence Agreement
3. CanMatrix
   • raster dataset, consisting of scans of paper topographic maps, at both 1:50,000 and 1:250,000 scales
   • http://geogratis.cgdi.gc.ca/geogratis/en/collection/detail.do?id=10119
   • the images are GeoTIFF, and include the map collars
   • any of the files for the 1:50,000 or 1:250,000 scale maps for British Columbia can be provided
   • Geogratis Licence Agreement For Unrestricted Use Of Digital Data