GeoBase is a federal, provincial and territorial government initiative that is overseen by the Canadian Council on Geomatics (CCOG). It is undertaken to ensure the provision of, and access to, a common, up-to-date and maintained base of quality

geospatial Geographic data and information is defined in the ISO/TC 211 series of standards as data and information having an implicit or explicit association with a location relative to Earth (a geographic location or geographic position). It is also call ...

data for Canada. Through the GeoBase, users with an interest in

geomatics Geomatics is defined in the ISO/TC 211 series of standards as the "discipline concerned with the collection, distribution, storage, analysis, processing, presentation of geographic data or geographic information". Under another definition, it ...

have access to quality geospatial information at no cost and with unrestricted use.

GeoBase Principles

These are the fundamental principles that GeoBase operates under and that direct the decision making process on a regular basis: # Source, regional and—where practical—national data all share the same geometry. # GeoBase provides national data coverages. # Source data is collected once and used by many. # Source data is collected and maintained closest to the source. # The cost of maintenance and update is shared among the levels of government. # All GeoBase data is available at no charge. # GeoBase data has no restrictions on its subsequent use. # GeoBase data uses a common license.

Data Layers

Provincial, territorial, and municipal stakeholders agreed to work together to ensure the availability of high-quality geospatial data covering the entire Canadian landmass. These data is collected once and maintained closest to the source and provided free through the GeoBase with no restrictions for users. GeoBase has partnerships with federal, provincial, territorial, municipal government, and private companies, with the dual goals of eliminating data duplication and optimizing collectively available resources. GeoBase partners are involved in different levels of the data production process such as project funding, sharing of source data or by working on data collection and data processing.GeoBase - Partners List
Accessed May 16, 2008. All GeoBase data must conform to the following technical characteristics: # GeoBase data elements carry a unique and singular ID. # GeoBase data comply with a standard data model and meet or exceed a minimum standard for accuracy, resolution, and currency. #

Metadata Metadata (or metainformation) is "data that provides information about other data", but not the content of the data itself, such as the text of a message or the image itself. There are many distinct types of metadata, including: * Descriptive ...

is defined and

standardized Standardization (American English) or standardisation (British English) is the process of implementing and developing technical standards based on the consensus of different parties that include firms, users, interest groups, standards organiza ...

at the

entity An entity is something that Existence, exists as itself. It does not need to be of material existence. In particular, abstractions and legal fictions are usually regarded as entities. In general, there is also no presumption that an entity is Lif ...

level. # GeoBase data and all associated tools adhere to

international standards An international standard is a technical standard developed by one or more international standards organizations. International standards are available for consideration and use worldwide. The most prominent such organization is the International O ...

. # GeoBase data is seamless across Canada. # GeoBase data is consistent across layers.

Geographical Names Data Base

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

Geographical Names Board of Canada The Geographical Names Board of Canada (GNBC) is a national committee with a secretariat in Natural Resources Canada, part of the Government of Canada, which authorizes the names used and name changes on official federal government maps of Canad ...

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

Partners

:''Provincial and Territorial Agencies'' : :''Federal Agencies'' :

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (, trading as Canada Post (), is a Canadian Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the operating name of the Post Office Department of the Can ...

;

Canadian Hydrographic Service ''Retired Canadian Hydrographic Service logo or crest'' The Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) is part of the federal department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and is Canada's authoritative hydrographic office. The CHS represents Canada in ...

;

Elections Canada Elections Canada () is the non-partisan agency responsible for administering elections in Canada, Canadian federal elections and Referendums in Canada, referendums. History Elections Canada is an agency of the Parliament of Canada, and reports ...

; Earth Sciences;

Geological Survey of Canada The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC; , CGC) is a Canadian federal government agency responsible for performing geological surveys of the country developing Canada's natural resources and protecting the environment. A branch of the Earth Science ...

;

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

;

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...

;

Natural Resources Canada Natural Resources Canada (NRCan; ; )Natural Resources Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Natural Resources (). is the department of the Government of Canada responsible for natural r ...

; Department of National Defence;

Parks Canada Parks Canada ()Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 37 National Parks, three National Marine Co ...

;

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

;

Translation Bureau The Translation Bureau is an institution of the federal government of Canada operated by Public Services and Procurement Canada that provides translation services for all agencies, boards, commissions, and departments of the government. , the bure ...

National Road Network

Since 2003, GeoBase has provided a consistent, accurate, and current NRN. The first edition of the NRN depicted the centerline of over 1.1 million kilometers of non-restricted use roads in Canada. In the fall of 2007, the second edition of the NRN was launched. NRN 2.0 includes place names, street names, and address ranges between intersections. Road network data provides the framework for many geomatics applications such as mapping, geocoding, geographic searching, and area delineations. NRN data can be used in a wide variety of activities, including managing road operations, business development and marketing, transportation, and government services delivery (e.g. census and elections).

Partners

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

Geopolitical Boundaries

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

exclusive economic zone An exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is an area of the sea in which a sovereign state has exclusive rights regarding the exploration and use of marine natural resource, reso ...

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

National Hydro Network

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

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...

ic information (geographical names) associated to hydrography.

Partners

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

Geodetic Network

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

Satellite Orthoimages

GeoBase Orthoimage 2005–2010 is made from SPOT 4/5 earth observation data covering Canada's landmass south of the 81st parallel; approximately 5000 images will be acquired during the period 2005–2010. Each orthorectified satellite image covers an area of approximately 3 600 km², or 60×60 km of the Earth’s surface. In addition,

Landsat 7 Landsat 7 is the seventh satellite of the Landsat program. Launched on 15 April 1999, Landsat 7's primary goal is to refresh the global archive of satellite photos, providing up-to-date and cloud-free images. The Landsat program is managed and ...

provides a complete set of cloud-free orthoimages covering the Canadian landmass. The GeoBase SPOT 4 and SPOT 5 orthoimagery can be used in a wide variety of applications including: mapping;

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

;

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

;

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

;

land-use planning Land use planning or ''Land-use regulation'' is the process of regulating the use of land by a central authority. Usually, this is done to promote more desirable social and environmental outcomes as well as a more efficient use of resources. ...

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

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can be described as t ...

, and

security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercion). Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be persons and social groups, objects and institutions, ecosystems, or any other entity or ...

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

Partners

With funding support from GeoConnections, the following federal and provincial/territorial agencies jointly contributed to the production of the orthoimages: :''Provincial and Territorial Agencies'' : :''Federal Agencies''
Agriculture and Agri-Food CanadaCanadian Transport AgencyElections CanadaEnvironment CanadaFisheries and Oceans CanadaIndian and Northern Affairs Canada

National DefenceNatural Resources CanadaParks CanadaStatistics CanadaPublic Safety Canada

Canadian Digital Elevation Data

Canadian Digital Elevation Data (CDED) consists of an ordered array of ground elevations at regularly spaced intervals. The source digital data for CDED is extracted from the hypsographic and hydrographic elements of the National Topographic Data Base (NTDB) or various scaled positional data acquired from the provinces and territories.GeoBase - Canadian Digital Elevation Data
Accessed May 15, 2008.

Partners

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

New Data Layers

A process is required for the acceptance of a new data theme into GeoBase. The objectives of having such a process are: # Ensure that any theme added to GeoBase will meet the requirements of most Canadian geomatics data clients. # Ensure that the data for the theme to be added is or will be available with some long term certainty. # Ensure that data custodians and coordinators will adhere to the GeoBase principles.

References

External links

Government of Canada , Gouvernement du Canada

GeoGratis , GéoGratis

Natural Resources Canada , Ressources naturelles Canada

GeoConnections , GéoConnexions

Canadian Council on Geomatics , Conseil canadien de géomatique
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geobase (Geospatial Data) Government of Canada Geographic data and information organizations