GeoBase (geospatial data)

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 data for Canada. Through the GeoBase portal, users with an interest in geomatics have access to quality geospatial information at no cost and with unrestricted use. [ [http://www.geobase.ca/geobase/en/index.html GeoBase - Home] . Accessed May 15, 2008. "For more information, see the [http://www.geobase.ca/geobase/en/licence.jsp GeoBase Unrestricted Use Licence Agreement.] ")]

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 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. ["GeoBase: Principles, Policies, and Procedures", pp. 4-6, version 1.4, March 10, 2008.]

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. This data is collected once and maintained closest to the source, and provided freely through the GeoBase portal with no restrictions for users.

GeoBase has partnerships with federal, provincial, and territorial agencies, 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. [ [http://www.geobase.ca/geobase/en/about/index.html GeoBase - About] . Accessed May 16, 2008.] [ [http://www.geobase.ca/geobase/en/partners/index.html GeoBase - Partners List] . Accessed May 16, 2008.]

All GeoBase data must conform to the following technical characterisitics:
# 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 is defined and standardized at the entity level.
# GeoBase data and all associated tools adhere to international standards.
# GeoBase data is seamless across Canada.
# GeoBase data is consistent across layers. ["GeoBase: Principles, Policies, and Procedures", pp. 6-7, version 1.4, March 10, 2008.]

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 (GNBC) and to make these authoritative records available for government and public use. [ [http://www.geobase.ca/geobase/en/data/cgn/index.html GeoBase - Canadian Geographical Names] . Accessed May 15, 2008.] 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). [ [http://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/info/cgndb_e.php The Canadian Geographical Names Data Base (CGNDB) 1997] . Accessed Jult 17, 2008.]

Partners

:"Provincial and Territorial 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. It is not intended for legal use, and should be utilized for cartographic purposes only. The dataset is comprised of three files: an administrative boundary file, an administrative areas file, and a metadata file. [ [http://www.geobase.ca/geobase/en/data/cgb/index.html GeoBase - Canadian Geopolitical Boundaries] . Accessed May 15, 2008.]

Partners

The authoritative data source providers for this data layer are:

:* [http://www.statcan.ca/ Statistics Canada] :* [http://www.elections.ca/ Elections Canada] :* [http://www.internationalboundarycommission.org/ International Boundary Commission] :* [http://www.chs-shc.gc.ca/pub/ Canadian Hydrographic Services] :* [http://ontario.ca/ Province of Ontario] :* [http://www.lsd.nrcan.gc.ca/ Canada Centre for Cadastral Management]

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 toponymic information (geographical names) associated to hydrography. [ [http://www.geobase.ca/geobase/en/data/nhn/index.html GeoBase - National Hydro Network] . Accessed May 15, 2008.]

The initial release of the NHN contained data on 287 drainage basins. On March 20, 2008—in celebration of United Nations World Water Day on March 22—an additional 552 drainage basins were added, bringing the available total to 839. Also on this date, a web viewer for NHN data and a national index of drainage area limits were both added to the GeoBase portal.

Three additional NHN data releases of approximately 100 drainage basins each are planned for release in June, October, and December of 2008. This will complete the national coverage of more than 1100 areas. [ [http://www.geobase.ca/geobase/en/news/2008/nhn-cl1.html GeoBase - News] . Accessed May 23, 2008.]

Partners

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

:

:"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. ["GeoBase: Principles, Policies, and Procedures", p. 18, version 1.4, March 10, 2008.]

References

External links

* [http://www.gc.ca/ Government of Canada | Gouvernement du Canada]
* [http://www.geobase.ca/ GeoBase | GéoBase]
* [http://www.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/com/ Natural Resources Canada | Ressources naturelles Canada]
* [http://www.geoconnections.org/Welcome.do GeoConnections | GéoConnexions]
* [http://www.ccog-cocg.ca/ Canadian Council on Geomatics | Conseil canadien de géomatique]