September 30, 2020
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is pleased to announce a new publication of the High-Resolution Digital Elevation Model (HRDEM).This new publication brings the total area of LiDAR-derived HRDEM to 385 000 km², an increase of 50 000 km² since the last update in October 2019.
This new data is distributed across six provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Prince Edward Island (see the map below). 51 of Canada's 100 largest cities are now covered by the HRDEM product. This new data also covers areas vulnerable to flooding, including the Ottawa River and Fort McMurray regions. The LiDAR acquisitions for these two regions were funded by the Emergency Management Strategy for Canada.
This new highly detailed 3D information (see the images below) is an essential baseline for many government projects and priorities, such as flood mapping, forest inventories, climate change monitoring and urban management (e.g. smart cities).
For more information on the HRDEM product, consult the product specifications.
Explore the data!
You can download HRDEM data from the Open Government Portal. Use one of the following options to view the current inventory and to download datasets: "View on Map", "Project Footprints" or "Dataset Footprints", in KML, Shapefile or ESRI REST formats.
Instructions for downloading the MNEHR product are now available.
About the National Elevation Data Strategy
The National Elevation Data Strategy aims to increase high-resolution elevation data coverage for Canada and improve accessibility to the products. Collaboration with various partners is a key factor in the success of the Strategy, both to release existing data and to acquire new LiDAR data across the country. The HRDEM product is part of the CanElevation Series created in support of the National Elevation Data Strategy.

Legend: HRDEM coverage map as of September 2020

Legend: Shaded 3D reliefs of the Digital Surface Model (top image) and the Digital Terrain Model (bottom image) covering the Chaudière River near Beauceville, Qc.

Legend: Shaded 3D reliefs of the Digital Surface Model (top image) and the Digital Terrain Model (bottom image) covering part of the North of Edmonton, AB.

Legend: Shaded 3D reliefs of the Digital Surface Model (top image) and the Digital Terrain Model (bottom image) covering part of the Jasper National Park, AB.