ESS Contribution to GeoBase

Geospatial professionals at the CTI-S are key contributors of several data acquisition, management and dissemination initiatives, such as the Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) Earth Sciences Sector's contribution to the GeoBase program.

With leadership from NRCan, GeoBase is a federal, provincial and territorial government initiative that is overseen by the Canadian Council on Geomatics (CCOG). This cooperation ensures the provision of, and access to, a common, up-to-date and maintained base of quality geospatial framework data covering the entire Canadian landmass.

The GeoBase portal, updated and managed at CTI-S, provides at no-cost and without restrictions geospatial data layers that are used by many private-sector, non-profit, and government organizations in a wide range of applications.

Topographic Mapping Initiatives

Along with colleagues at the Centre for Topographic Information in Ottawa, CTI-S staff members contribute to the Topographic Mapping Initiatives (TMI) program.

The TMI program was created to improve map quality by updating topographic maps in the Canadian South and to publish missing topographic maps in the Canadian North. Natural Resources Canada has a mandate to produce and disseminate topographic information and maps at the scales of 1:50,000 and 1:250,000 that are standardized and consistent across the country.

This new program establishes a necessary link between paper map production and digital geospatial databases.

Data Management & Dissemination

Staff members at the CTI-S participate in several data management and dissemination initiatives, such as GeoGratis, provided by the Earth Sciences Sector (ESS) of Natural Resources Canada.

The GeoGratis portal provides geospatial data to the public at no cost and without restrictions via Web browsers. The data are useful for a wide range of users - from a novice who needs a geographic map for a presentation to an expert user who wants to overlay a vector layer of digital data on a classified multi-band image, with a digital elevation model as a backdrop.

CTI-S staff acquire and manage data - often meeting international geomatics standards - for dozens of GeoGratis collections featuring raster data, such as satellite images or scanned topographic maps, vector data, such as national-scale frameworks, and a database of ground control points.

Emergency Measures

The emergency mapping service of the Centre for Topographic Information in Sherbrooke, CTI-S, is one of the contributions of Natural Resources Canada to the field of emergency.

In case of crisis or emergency situation, Natural Resources Canada supports emergency operation teams, decision makers and managers by supplying its collections of topographic maps and mapping expertise. This service allows access, under a surveillance phase or during a local or national emergency event, to digital topographic data to various stakeholders.

Organisations looking for general Digital Topographic Data may, at any time, search and download various topographic products available from GeoBase et GeoGratis web sites.

During an emergency situation, organisations wishing to have access to digital topographic data, specific to the area of assistance, should contact the Emergency mapping service number: 1-800-661-2638 or send an email at: geoginfo@NRCan.gc.ca