NRCan announces the release of 290 new, updated or re-released Canadian Topographic Maps accessible via GeoGratis.
The maps primarily cover regions of Canada’s North previously unmapped at 1:50 000 scale, but also include areas in British Columbia, the Prairie Provinces, Ontario and the Atlantic Provinces. With this release the number of new Canadian Topographic Maps released since June 2009 is 996. Completing 1:50 000 scale mapping of Canada’s northern regions remains a priority over the next two years.
New Format: All new Canadian Topographic Maps are now available in GeoTIFF format in addition to the TIFF, PDF and GeoPDF formats already available. The GeoTIFF format includes embedded georeferencing information allowing CanTopo maps to be used in various geo-enabled devices and combined with other data in GIS applications.
See the list of newly released topographic maps on GeoGratis:
Paper copies of all Canadian Topographic Maps are also available through Regional Distributors of the Canada Map Office, and through Certified Map Printers who ensure local, high quality, on-demand plotting of topographic maps.
News from the Geographical Names Board of Canada
The Geographical Names Board of Canada offers geographical names data at no fee through the GeoBase portal. These geographical names files are now available by region, province or territory or by 1:250 000 NTS map sheet tiles, in KML (Keyhole Markup Language), GML (Geography Markup Language), Shapefile and text formats.
As of February 9, 2010, the name Salish Sea (and the French form Mer des Salish) became official in Canada. Salish Sea is a collective name applying to the inland waters adjacent to Washington State and southwest British Columbia, comprising Juan de Fuca Strait, Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound. The name recognizes the local contribution of the Coast Salish Aboriginal peoples and the unique ecological character of this body of water spanning the international boundary.
As of June 3, 2010, Haida Gwaii (‘Islands of the People’) became the sole name for the former pan-Canadian names Queen Charlotte Islands and Îles de la Reine-Charlotte.
New Geological Survey of Canada publications
- 7 A-Series maps,
- 2 Popular Geosciences (Geoscape Nunavut poster)
- 3 Scientific Presentations
- 1 Bulletin
- 4 Current Research articles, and
- 89 Open Files
New and re-released Geological Survey of Canada publications from April-June 2010 include:
These publications can be downloaded free of charge from GeoPub or are available from the Geological Survey of Canada Bookstore. View the listings of new publications and re-released publications online or subscribe to ESS New Releases RSS feed.
News from GeoConnections
The 2010 federal budget announced a renewed commitment for the GeoConnections program, a national initiative led by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). GeoConnections supports the integration and use of the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI), and fosters collaboration and partnerships within the geomatics community.
NRCan’s Mapping Information Branch participated in the first annual Canadian Geomatics Conference, held in Calgary from June 15-18, 2010. The conference was successful in enabling key members of the geomatics community, including government, academia and industry, to develop partnerships and discuss a future geomatics action plan for Canada.
New From GeoBase
Federal Electoral Districts data is now available through the GeoBase portal in GML, KML and Shapefile formats. This data layer – the third in the GeoBase Administrative Boundaries data theme – is produced by Elections Canada. It contains representations of the 308 electoral districts that elect Canada’s Members of Parliament.
Toporama Visualization Prototype – Thank you for feedback
In May 2010, NRCan released a prototype Toporama application through the Atlas of Canada for visualization and access to topographic maps, along with a questionnaire to gather feedback on the user experience. Over 450 responses and extensive comments were received regarding this prototype. Thank you to all who contributed; this feedback will be used as input in our initiative to develop a unified on-line gateway to allow Canadians to discover, assess and access essential geographic information such as maps, data, scientific & technical publications and geomatics policy documents.
Museum of Nature Re-opening
The Canadian Museum of Nature re-opened on May 22, 2010, after an extensive six-year renovation of its century-old building in downtown Ottawa. The Museum worked closely with NRCan’s Mapping Information Branch on developing exhibits for the Vale Earth Gallery, including a two-metre high definition video globe onto which is projected the Geological Map of the Arctic from the Geological Survey of Canada, and 10 meteorites on loan from NRCan’s National Meteorite and Tektite Collection of Canada