This site will look much better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.

FOCUS ON:

Earth Observation essential for geohazard mitigation

More than 250 scientists from around the world gathered for a five-day workshop at ESA's Earth Observation Centre in Frascati.

more

BACKGROUNDER

Sustainable Communities Initiative

The goal of GeoConnections' Sustainable Communities Initiative (SCI) is to improve the ability of Canada's Aboriginal, rural and northern communities to plan, make decisions and create partnerships by increasing their capability to obtain, generate, use and discuss geographical information on the Information Highway.

The following is a list of the funding amounts for SCI projects by province since the beginning of the program in 2001. There is also a brief description of each project. For more information about the projects, please visit the SCI Web site at http://ess.nrcan.gc.ca/2002_2006/sci/index_e.php.

Provincial funding breakdown

  • Alberta: $389,716
  • British Columbia: $689,792
  • Manitoba: $257,675
  • New Brunswick: $200,145
  • Newfoundland and Labrador: $89,800
  • Northwest Territories: $104,500
  • Nova Scotia: $270,366
  • Nunavut: $153,600
  • Ontario: $394,095
  • Prince Edward Island: $59,555
  • Quebec: $636,012
  • Saskatchewan: $220,608
  • Yukon: $196,000

ALBERTA

Alberta Métis Settlements (Success story)
Métis Settlements General Council (MSGC) launched a major GIS/GPS training initiative for the youths and employees of six Métis settlements in Northern Alberta. The goals of the project were to interest northern Alberta Métis youth in resource management and to build the capacity of Alberta Métis Settlements in Geographic Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. It will help the MSGC manage the natural resources of the first legally recognized Métis land base in Canada.

Beaver County (Success story)
This project created a regional geospatial, electronic, community-development platform for the towns of Viking and Tofield, the villages of Ryley and Holden, and the County of Beaver. Using Internet mapping technology, it made regional community information available over the Internet for use by community members, all levels of government and companies interested in development in the region.

Bigstone
The Bigstone Cree Nation (BCN) built an advanced land-management unit. The BCN recently completed a Cultural Land Use and Occupancy Study (CLUOS) covering its traditional territory. This study was the foundation on which it developed its in-house GIS expertise. The BCN used GIS technologies to support their land-management strategies.

Blood Tribe (Success story)
This project supported the introduction of a reserve-wide GIS. It included training, the collection of topographic, road-network, cadastral and ortho-photo data, as well as the creation of an emergency-response application covering the whole reserve. The Blood Tribe believes this initiative helped them develop systems of land management to strengthen and protect their historical relationship to the land.

Enoch
The Enoch Cree Nation implemented GIS to study and understand the spatial relationships between development issues. Trainees built a biophysical inventory of reserve lands, including biological features, physical and man-made structures, oil and gas leases, existing land uses and potential future development areas, to aid in sustainable decision-making.

Fort Chipewyan
The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) developed a traditional knowledge, land-use, occupancy and place-names study. Its purpose is to support the development, management and use of the community's traditional knowledge and aid in the protection and monitoring of the natural environment within its lands.

Grande Prairie (Success story)
The Grande Prairie Regional Emergency Medical Service, the City of Grande Prairie and TELUS Geomatics established a GIS-based emergency-response and ambulance-dispatch system to serve over 25,000 km2 in northwestern Alberta. The system provides ambulance crews with on-board, up-to-date digital maps of the road network to the location of the patient. It serves both urban centres and remote isolated communities in the territory.

Hinton
The Town of Hinton developed a community-planning tool for town staff and residents. Using a Web-based GIS portal, it makes base maps, utility, ownership and forestry information available to the public. This information is supplemented by satellite imagery in addition to planning and project information developed by municipal employees.

Mikisew Cree
The Mikisew Cree First Nation (MCFN) is establishing a GIS-enabled Traditional Knowledge and Land Use Study Data Centre. The MCFN needs to develop a knowledge base within a modern information system to help reduce the environmental impact of oil and gas development on its traditional territory. The information maintained in the Data Centre is used to balance the economic, social and environmental needs of the community against the pressures of industry development.

Okotoks
The Town of Okotoks worked with municipal partners to inform the Sheep River watershed communities about the structure, function and dynamics of the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems that comprise watersheds. The tools it developed during the project support decision-making that balances restoration, long-term protection and informed management of water and watersheds with social considerations.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Bowen Island (Success story)
Bowen Island is a new municipality looking to balance human well-being and ecological health. This project helps provide this through the "Bowen Island GeoLibrary Web site" - an operational digital library of geospatial information.

Cowichan
Khowutzun Forest Services Ltd. (KFS), the forestry arm of Cowichan Tribes, wants to develop internal expertise in the use of GIS, specifically related to sustainable community forest management. KFS established a GIS department and trained Cowichan Tribe members in the use of GIS technologies. The project built capacity within Cowichan Tribes. It also generated a Community Forest Management Plan and a timber-supply assessment for the Community Forest Pilot Agreement.

Doig River
The Doig River First Nations' (DRFNs') traditional territories are under pressure from oil and gas development. They have developed a detailed impact review process and maintain an extensive library of responses to the effect of oil and gas exploration on their traditional territories. The DRFN want to import this library into a modern spatial information system and modify their methodologies to use GIS and GPS technologies for gathering and analyzing the impact reviews.

Fraser-Fort George
The Regional District of Fraser Fort George (RDFFG) provides services to people in four municipalities and seven electoral areas. RDFFG built and will maintain a Relational Database Management System to house data related to parcel base and owner information, administration boundaries, roads, topographical, environmental and other data. This information is critical for planning, emergency response and the administration of lands and resources in North Central British Columbia.

Gitxsan I
The Gitxsan First Nation is carrying out an inventory of ecological resources on its territory, including plants, animals, soils, terrain and water. They used GIS and geographical data to identify, rehabilitate and maintain ecosystems in its territory, and to develop territory-based economies.

Gitxsan II
This project helped the Gitxsan Watershed Authorities develop their involvement with wildlife assessment and habitat mapping. It increased support for educating Gitxsan young people in GIS fundamentals, data acquisitions, field applications, database training and GIS software applications. This training involved the production of maps plotting the cultural landscapes of the Gitsegukla Watershed, including trail systems, berry sites, forest-production collection and traditional place names.

Lheidli T'enneh (Success story)
The Lheidli T'enneh Nation developed Internet mapping technologies to disseminate and share geographic data sets and information, including indigenous knowledge. The project permits cooperation and the efficient exchange of data and other information between the First Nation and the forest industry, enhances their relationship and provides both parties with economic benefits. It also provides the Lheidli T'enneh Nation with the technical capacities to integrate its data into other planning.

Lillooet
T'it'q'ét Administration and the neighbouring community of Cayoose Creek are working towards researching, documenting and mapping the lands and resources of their communities. The T'it'q'ét Administration used its new GIS capacity to research and map the physical boundaries of land parcels shared with the other community to develop a land and resource-management plan for the area. With a significant loss of land over the years due to flooding and other erosion, the community of Cayoose Creek now needs to identify where the original boundaries of the community were located using GPS and GIS technologies.

Moricetown
The Moricetown Band, part of the Wet'suet'en Nation, occupies traditional territories around and south of Smithers, British Columbia. It is building a GIS-enabled local Lands Office that helped create a comprehensive, environmental and cultural inventory system of its traditional territory. This will help the Band make better decisions and move toward the sustainable development of its land.

Nicola Tribal Association
Since 1997, Tmixw Research, a department of the Nicola Tribal Association, has been working to gather and store traditional knowledge in a GIS. Tmixw Research now wants to analyze the gathered information and create cultural landscape models for incorporating First Nation's values in resource planning. This new capacity provides additional investment and enhanced employment opportunities. It will also ensure environmental, economic and social sustainability within the Nicola region.

Nisga'a
Four communities of the Nisga'a Nation wanted to develop their young peoples' skills by providing training in GIS and GPS technologies. With the signing of the Nisga'a Final Agreement in 2001, the Nisga'a Nation took ownership of a number of new responsibilities, including resource management and emergency-response planning. The Nisga'a Nation is looking to increase its capacity in the use of modern technological tools to help it carry out these responsibilities.

Okanagan
The Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) wants to support efforts to create a GIS infrastructure within the Alliance and its seven member bands. Major natural resource initiatives have been launched within the ONA to address sustainability, endangered environments and cultural issues. For the pilot project, eight community members were trained in the use of GIS and GPS technologies. They worked together to map the traditional northern boundaries of Okanagan territory.

Quadra Island (Success story)
Four non-profit organizations have come together to form the Quadra Island Mapping Project (QIMP), which serves as a repository of local biophysical data to support sustainable development for the Quadra Island community. This project built capacity within the community to further support QIMP and the collection, knowledge distribution and analysis of recreational facilities and features on Quadra Island.

Shuswap
The Shuswap Nation Tribal Council wants to expand the decision-making authority and self-reliance of the member communities of the Secwepemc peoples in the management of natural resources and the delivery of services to clients. This project extended an established Internet information management system, provided some member communities with specialized GIS and supported the Whispering Pines/Clinton Band with its SCI project. Overall, the project increased capacities in information technologies at both the community and tribal level.

Shuswap metadata
The Shuswap Nation Tribal Council and eight member communities had identified the need for a central database of up-to-date and accessible information on cultural resource areas and values combined with contemporary land-use information. This project allowed for the installation of a metadata cataloguing tool, the development of a metadata standard and the incorporation of existing databases into the new system.

Tl'azt'en/Nak'azdli
To enhance local governance capacity, the Tl'azt'en Nation and Nak'azdli Band prepared digital maps of a 100-km2 area between Beaver Lake and John Prince Research Forest.

The maps included watershed information, vegetation, hunting and harvesting grounds, cultural sites, tree species, topography and forest activity. The final output of the project was a management zone map for use as a decision-making tool to help the communities in sustainable management practices.

Tsilhqot'in
This project provides funding for the Tsilhqot'in National Government (TNG) to compile and use traditional knowledge within GIS applications, including 3D-visualization models. This land-use planning capacity helped TNG address issues of natural resource stewardship in its traditional territory and look at an improved timber-harvesting process. This, in turn, enhances cooperation and potential economic opportunities with its industry partners.

Whispering Pines
The Whispering Pines/Clinton Indian Band is developing a Natural Resources/Forestry Program (NRFP) at the community level. This project supports the NRFP as it develops a Land and Resource Information Data Base for monitoring off-reserve activities in traditional territories. It also supports the development of a Natural Resource/Forestry Management Model to help the Band make informed decisions about land use in management, planning and development.

MANITOBA

Hanover (Success story)
The Rural Municipality of Hanover developed an integrated land-management system to support the rapid growth of the agricultural industry. The municipality integrated high-resolution satellite imagery, hydrology, topographic information, soils data, manure-management structures and relevant drainage data into a GIS. It helps the municipality balance intensive residential and agricultural development with environmental and land-use concerns.

Intermountain
The Intermountain Conservation District (IMCD) and its 11 partnering municipalities are developing an Integrated Watershed Management Initiative. The IMCD conservation-based programs focus on water management, soil conservation, aquatic and terrestrial habitat, public education, and recreation and tourism. For this project, staff from the IMCD and 10 municipalities received advanced training in GIS and GPS technology.

La Salle Redboine
The La Salle Redboine Conservation District planned and implemented an integrated watershed management system for 7,000 km2 of Central Manitoba to help alleviate flooding and erosion in the province's watersheds. The specific goal of the project was to identify the best areas in which to create a water-retention network to reduce the flooding and slow water flow.

Little Saskatchewan/West Souris Conservation District (Success story)
The West Souris River Conservation District and the Little Saskatchewan River Conservation District developed and implemented integrated watershed management plans for each conservation district by using GIS, remote sensing and GPS technologies. Elevated algae levels within the watershed's lakes have caused concern over water quality - a situation that is threatening the eco-tourism industry.

Opaskwayak
The Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) increased its capacity to manage its lands efficiently and sustainably by using modern mapping equipment. Once completed, the pilot project will provide the OCN with the technical tools necessary for land planning and zoning, risk management, natural and renewable resource management, and capacity-building within the community and administration. The OCN will also use the system to increase public awareness about potential development opportunities.

Seine-Rat River
The Seine-Rat River Conservation District will implement a sustainable soil and water-resource conservation plan. Its employees received basic and advanced training in geomatics and use GIS-based and GPS technology to enhance their decision-making abilities. Specifically, they will update livestock databases, create drainage profiles, measure the elevations of low-lying areas, and compile and map water-retention areas to mitigate flooding.

South Interlake Planning District
The South Interlake Planning District is responsible for land-use planning and administration for 1,650 km2 in Manitoba. This project involves linking an existing Access database with a new GIS and demonstrating its usefulness for assessing the proposed locations of large-scale hog operations. The data involved in this assessment will include legal parcel boundaries, ortho-photography, topography and groundwater sensitivity.

Western Interlake
Western Interlake Planning District (WIPD) is developing a geographical information system to identify areas in which livestock operations can be located or expanded. The system allows WIPD to create a set of land-use policies and regulations that protect and enhance the agricultural sector in the region, while, at the same time, protecting the environment and creating separations between agricultural activities and urban and recreational activities.

Winkler
The Town of Winkler wanted to expand its use of GIS, so that a wide range of municipal staff would feel comfortable with it. It did this by offering training and implementing a user-friendly, GIS-based, municipal administration software. In partnership with industry, it also developed a surface hydrology application for use in the planning of future subdivisions and to develop strategies to address drainage concerns and complaints from the public.

NEW BRUNSWICK

Bathurst
Sustainable Development Bathurst (SDB) is helping the City of Bathurst meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. It established the percentages of greenhouse gas emissions coming from within different sectors of the community (residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, waste, municipal buildings, vehicle fleets and streetlights.) This information was displayed on city maps and used to determine emission reductions for each sector.

Belledune
The Village of Belledune developed a community plan by using geomatic tools. As part of this process, it developed a dynamic GIS system to provide timely geographic data on the planning process for the near- and long-term future. The project also included updating the municipal Geographic GIS, building a GIS/mapping base of the entire municipality, and training staff in the effective use of the technology.

Cocagne
The Groupe de développement durable du Pays de Cocagne Sustainable Development Group Inc. ( GDDPC ) will support the communities of the Cocagne River watershed in their sustainable development efforts. Fourteen trainees will prepare digital maps highlighting the salinity levels of water bodies in the Cocagne watershed, and showing bridges, roads and human, marine and terrestrial activities. A network of eco-tourism trails showing the ecological habitats they traverse will also be developed.

Eel Ground (Success story)
Eel Ground First Nation recognizes that protection and management of its natural resources within its traditional territory is an essential requirement for a healthy and productive community. This project supported the expansion of the First Nation's GIS capacity for forestry-related issues. Specifically, it supported the training of staff in GPS and advanced GIS concepts for integrating the Eel Ground First Nation Forest Management Plan into its GIS.

Elsipogtog
The Elsipogtog First Nation (EFN) wants to develop an effective resource-management plan. Under provincial agreements, EFN has access to 300,000 hectares of land for timber-harvesting purposes. Along with this access comes the responsibility for sustainable resource management and rigorous reporting. To meet these obligations, EFN needs modern mapping tools and information management systems and the expertise to use them. This project supports the use of GIS and GPS technologies by the Elsipogtog First Nation to meet these needs.

Miramichi River (Success story)
The Miramichi River Environmental Assessment Committee (MREAC) wants to improve water quality in Miramichi Bay. Using GIS software, this project will identify and assist in remediation of the wastewater discharges and sources of bacteriological contaminants that may contribute directly to water-quality problems. The economic benefits of opening the inner bay to harvesting will be of great importance to several communities along the Miramichi Inner Bay, to the City of Miramichi and to First Nation Communities.

Oromocto
In the Oromocto First Nation, GIS technology is seen as an invaluable tool for developing and maintaining the strategic plan for watershed preservation and restoration. To support the development of GIS capacity, this project will develop a stream survey and habitat assessment of a sub-watershed of the Oromocto River Basin. A GIS trainee will work with Fishery technicians to collect field data, incorporate the data in the GIS and develop working maps. The maps will then be used to develop long-term management and action plans for the area.

Tobique
The Tobique First Nation wants to develop a forestry-management plan using modern mapping technologies in order to sustainably manage its resources. This project will assist Maliseet Forestry - the Forestry department of the Tobique First Nation - and help it develop a community-driven, ecologically sound, Forestry Management Plan for its forest base of 7,000 acres. The project will build the infrastructure and skills necessary to develop and maintain this plan using GIS and GPS technologies.

Tracadie
The Centre sur l'environnement de la Péninsule acadienne et ses environs is an environmental NGO with the mandate to promote sustainable development within the communities of the Acadian Peninsula. The pilot project will create the first and most critical layers (species at risk and endangered habitats) of a large, peninsula-wide GIS Environmental Database of information for use by all regional stakeholders.

NEWFOUNDLAND

Conception Bay South (Success story)
Conception Bay South is developing a municipal GIS that integrates information across departments and enhances the analytical capabilities of the staff. An up-to-date, digital base map of the town has been augmented with property ownership, infrastructure and land-use information. The datasets are integrated into the day-to-day functions of the municipality and allow various municipal departments, including municipal services, land-use planning and real-property assessment, to better coordinate joint activities

Discovery Smart Group
Discovery Smart Group developed a pilot project that aims to improve the quality of life in a maritime community in Eastern Newfoundland. The project, FISHnet, is a comprehensive fisheries management information system. Fishers will be equipped with handheld computers connected to GPSs for on-board catch data. These datasets will be uploaded to dockside GIS workstations on return to shore. Maps will be shared between the various groups and regions on the FISHnet Web site www.aquagis.com/fishnet .

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

Deh Cho
Deh Cho First Nations members at both the regional- and community-government levels now have working knowledge of GIS. This was achieved by using the Deh Cho Atlas and traditional land-use studies. Staff from all 14 community governments were trained in basic GIS concepts and provided with follow-up support.

Fort Simpson
Liidlii Kue First Nation (LKFN) developed integrated land-use plans using advanced geospatial systems. The LKFN's goal was to use the GIS to make decisions in resource management, identifying lands for interim protection through land withdrawals, as well as setting up a co-operative, regional land-use planning process. To do this, LKFN conducted a density analysis of its traditional land-use and occupancy data, identified ecological constraints and development opportunities, and consulted with extended families and the community as a whole to identify lands that should be withdrawn and those that may be developed.

Gwich'in
The Gwich'in Integrated GIS Project is a co-operatively funded effort aimed at producing, as a first step, a community-based atlas of the areas around Fort McPherson. As the Gwich'in have lived in the region for hundreds of years, volumes of information on historical features have been collected and documented in the recent past. The GIS is used for land-management operations, as a spatial mapping tool for cultural and heritage data, for mapping the distribution of vegetation types and monitoring of wildlife habitats and, finally, as a decision-making tool.

NOVA SCOTIA

Birchtown (Success story)
The mandate of the Black Loyalist Heritage Society of Birchtown, Nova Scotia, includes the protection and promotion of land resources and vital heritage sites that provide a "sense of place" for the descendents of Black Loyalists. In the context of a training program, the Society is incorporating a genealogical database with location data dealing with heritage sites, historical and present-day land packages. The resulting database will create much richer opportunities for archaeological research and information products.

Bluenose ACAP
The Bluenose Atlantic Coastal Action Program (BACAP) would like to map the entire watershed of the LaHave River, an area of about 1,500 km2 . The project was the first step in the development of a Watershed Management Plan with support from the community and involvement of all stakeholders. The Management Plan sets priorities for restoration efforts, identifying degraded habitats and directing future conservation initiatives. It will also bring together community groups to work collectively to implement future restoration, enhancement and stewardship, and education projects within the watershed.

Bras d'Or Lake
The Pitu'Paq Committee was formed in 2001 to resolve sewage problems around the Bras d'Or Lake. Its goal is to restore the lake to its original state and to manage the surrounding waters and lands to support aquaculture, wild fisheries and tourism. Through the project, the Committee is consolidating existing data, filling data gaps, analyzing the data to identify priority areas, and develop map products for research and public awareness. It will also research remediation technology and develop options for local councils and the public.

Fundy (Success story)
The Bay of Fundy Marine Resource Centre (BFMRC) is building an integrated, user-friendly and accessible Web-based GIS for the collection, analysis and distribution of community-stewardship assets in the area. In cooperation with the Annapolis Basin and St. Mary's Bay Working Groups, the project is:

  • gathering and map key ecological, economic and social assets of the Annapolis Basin and St. Mary's Bay;
  • building capacity within the working groups in the use of geospatial information and related technology in marine conservation and management; and
  • creating an accessible Web-based application for using the knowledge base they build.

North Sydney
The goal of the North Sydney project is to set up digital maps based on GIS to help provide an overview of the achievements and the work remaining to be done in restoring and sustaining the social, economic and environmental fabric of industrial Cape Breton. The ultimate goal was to create a "Sustainability Tree" - an interactive Web page in which people can search for, store and share sustainable-development projects and activities in the Cape Breton industrial area.

Unama'ki
Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR) on Cape Breton Island wanted to build in-house GIS and GPS expertise in archaeological studies. At issue is UINR's partnership with private industry to jointly develop harvesting layouts and long-term management plans that take into account culturally significant sites. In order to have meaningful input in this process, UINR must begin incorporating traditional knowledge into a GIS. Three of the First Nations represented by UINR (Chapel Hill, Membertou, and Wagmatcook) have received training for development-related issues in their communities. Chapel Hill and Wagmatcook will also develop their GISs for community planning; Membertou, for woodlot management.

Wagmatcook
The Wagmatcook First Nation studied the types and sources of information available to First Nation communities that would be useful in planning for sustainable development and required to supply to government agencies. This was the first phase of a project to develop a model for community planning that would emphasize traditional culture, community needs and community expectations

NUNAVUT

Iqaluit
The City of Iqaluit used a GIS to help prepare an opportunities and constraints map to help guide it toward sustainable municipal growth. City employees and managers received GIS training that enabled them to create and update maps using topographic, municipal, environmental and cultural data. As part of the consultation process, the project team also set up a public-access terminal to make the maps available to members of the community and the general public.

Kivalliq (Success story)
The Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA) developed a system to manage its land. This pilot project saw the KIA become proficient in the use of GIS and GPS by collecting, organizing and analyzing data for map productions. The datasets detailed conservation areas, archaeological sites, fishing, mining and carving grounds, as well as wildlife habitat and water flow for the regions of Rankin Inlet, Baker Lake and Arviat. The project gave the KIA the capacity to make better decisions about the land, sea, and the natural resources in the region.

Kivalliq Web Mapping
The Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA) intends to develop an Internet map-server to distribute information to industry partners, staff, residents and stakeholders. Its goal is to enhance the current GIS database system with a web-mapping interface that will allow applicants to request land-use licenses. The project is an important milestone for incorporating community-level data within the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure. In addition, the application will be compliant with Web Mapping Service protocols, which will facilitate the integration of its data with those of other groups in Nunavut.

Kugluktuk (Success story)
Kuglugtuk built its capacity in the use of geospatial data and the Information Highway. This data was used for enhanced land-use planning and decision-making to encourage mineral development while preserving the environment, wildlife and traditional values. The project also created an electronic service to link people to the information they need.

ONTARIO

Akwesasne
The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne (MCA) developed a GIS Water Quality Monitoring Program. The GIS system was used to tabulate and map monthly water-quality test results, thus allowing for water-quality monitoring and analysis over time. In the future, patterns of acceptable or unacceptable levels will be easily determined for current results, as well as historical data, thereby improving the ability of the MCA to safeguard the health of the community.

Algonquin
The Algonquins of Pikwakànagàn want to control and manage their own land. In today's technological world, a readily accessible and updateable central data system of lands and membership information is a key tool for First Nations land management. The project involves the implementation of a comprehensive Geographic Community Information System to facilitate land development, community planning, real estate, housing, ecosystem management and tourism.

Bearskin Lake
The Bearskin Lake First Nation built a Resource Development Program. This community has a growing population and is looking at economic opportunities within its traditional territories, while maintaining hunting and gathering. The project brings GIS capacity to the planning process and to future land management decision-making by training two First Nation members in the use of desktop GIS software.

Keewaytinook
Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO) and the Fort Severn First Nation want to increase their capacity to use computer-generated maps for land-use planning, forestry and mineral exploration. An endorsed Economic Development Strategy Plan and inquiries from multinational corporations means that both KO and its members must implement sound management plans for 60,000 km2 of traditional territories. This pilot-project with one of the member First Nations (Fort Severn) will serve as a model for supporting greater use of GIS technologies among all member First Nations.

Lake of the Woods (AKRC)
The Anishinaabeg of Kabapikotawangag Resource Council (AKRC) realizes that saving its members' cultural knowledge is dependent on the recording and archiving of past use and history. To do so, they must carry out a comprehensive traditional and contemporary land-use study using advanced GIS technologies. Thus, AKRC built a Digital Traditional Ecosystem and Land Use Knowledge Library of Lake of the Woods for planning and management processes in the region. The cultural and natural knowledge collected is integrated into government planning and management initiatives, providing a complete picture of the landscape.

Nipissing First Nation
The Nipissing First Nation set up a GPS Service Centre for the Nipissing region consisting of a GIS/GPS tracking system for tourism and emergency response. This project provided access to a full GPS for tourists, hunters, anglers and businesses in the Nipissing First Nation area. It also set up the foundation for an Application Service Provider that would enhance the services provided in the region with the integration of GPS hardware and software.

ORCA
The Ontario Rural Capacity Assessment (ORCA) project is an inventory and assessment of community-based organizations and supporting resources that improve the economic capacity of rural locales in Ontario. The information will be accessible through the ORCA Web site, using flexible Web-based tools capable of mapping the data and providing options for analysis tailored by visitors. Analysis of the data gathered will help determine the needs, issues and gaps in current services and programs.

Southeastern Ontario
The Counties of Prescott and Russell, the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville and five local Conservation Authorities are developing and implementing an Internet-based land-management and decision-making system for the 26 small municipalities on their territories. Using Web-based GIS and customized applications, the system enables the communities to easily access consistent regional information on soils, geology, groundwater, surface water, agricultural land-use systems, wetlands, digital elevation models and forest covers across Eastern Ontario.

Wabakimi
The Lake Superior First Nations Development Trust (LSFNDT) worked with five First Nation communities to investigate the issues and opportunities that parks and protected areas generate for First Nation communities. The pilot project led to a Socio-economic Land Use Strategy and a Joint Working Agreement that recognizes and respects Aboriginal values, Aboriginal and treaty rights, and the aspirations of the local First Nation communities to achieve economic and employment opportunities associated with the parks. Thus, the technology will stimulate economic growth, while promoting, protecting and preserving traditional values.

Wahnapitae (Success story)
The Wahnapitae First Nation is creating a digital map showing the traditional territory and uses of the entire Wahnapitae watershed, which is northeast of Sudbury, Ontario. The First Nation will use this information to deal with issues related to mining, forestry and hydropower, while promoting environmental protection and land-use management. The information will also be used to help protect sites related to Wahnapitae First Nation history and its traditional way of life.

Walpole
The Walpole Island First Nation is building a communications network to connect its government departments with each other and the Internet. This will help involve the community in decision making, improve the First Nation's competence with Information Technology and enhance communication and coordination within the First Nation and with other levels of government

West Nipissing
The Municipality of West Nipissing, Ontario, and the Canadian Ecology Centre established a municipal GIS system in the new Municipality of West Nipissing. The new municipality was facing the daunting task of capturing, cataloguing and maintaining all relevant existing and new information into one comprehensive geo-spatial municipal database. In the pilot project, municipal staff learned the basic skills required to capture, analyze and maintain both drainage and parcel data, using the equipment and software acquired through this project.

Wikwemikong (Success story)
The Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve (WUIR) Forestry/Fish and Wildlife department uses it's new GIS capacity to develop maps for environmentally sensitive areas, wildlife sensitive zones and fisheries zones, including spawning locations. The GIS capacity will also assist the department and the current and future Chief and Councils in fostering and managing their land and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Bedeque Bay
The Bedeque Bay Environmental Management Association (BBEMA) has identified soil erosion, water quality, natural habitats and public awareness as the four most important environmental issues facing the Bedeque Bay watershed. This project will touch on all of these issues as it provides training, products and infrastructure for the use of GISs within BBEMA and in the community at large. It will also look at social and economic factors affecting the environment and innovative solutions to minimize negative impacts.

SEA
The South Environmental Association (SEA) located in the Cardigan Bay Region of Prince Edward Island will establish an interactive, Web-accessible community database of environmental information http://www.seapei.ca. Existing stream-assessment and water-quality data will be migrated to a GIS database that will be served on the Internet for public access in the form of interactive maps. Community groups and institutions for resource management will use the GIS Web site for project proposals and as a baseline for assessment of possible environmental impacts.

QUEBEC

Abitibi
The Municipalité régionale de comté (MRC) d'Abitibi developed a risk-management framework. This framework will be the main tool used by the MRC to implement its fire safety plans and will be a major first step in helping to reduce the worst death toll in Canada. The MRC d'Abitibi will use its GIS to inventory the region's infrastructures, perform advanced risk analysis and elaborate it's emergency-response plan.

Aguanish
Vast expanses of the St. Lawrence North Shore Region are isolated, reachable only by ships in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter. The snowmobile routes are largely dependant on the St. Lawrence freezing in the winter, and the inhabitants have noticed a dramatic reduction in "ice-time" in the last decade, which impedes the movement of goods and people. The region wants to reroute the snowmobile trails inland, thus extending the usage time and expanding snowmobile tourism opportunities. For the pilot project, the Village of Aguanish and the Comité Z.I.P. Côte-Nord du Golfe used a GIS system to plan the trail routes and identify areas of potential interest to tourists.

AMFE
The Agence de mise en valeur de la forêt privé de l'Estrie (AMFE) will protect exceptional forest ecosystems (rare forest, old-growth forest and forest sanctuary) on AMFE territory as well as the habitats of endangered species. The GIS allowed the agency to research, identify and inventory forest sites that demonstrate a high potential for biodiversity. The system was also used to develop a regional strategy to protect the sites most likely to be destroyed, to inform private owners of the importance of their sites and to establish financial incentives towards long-term protection. The maps produced raised awareness and allowed AMFE to disseminate information about these exceptional ecosystems to the public and forest stakeholders.

Anse Saint Jean
The Société de Développement de l'Anse St-Jean (SDASJ) wanted to stimulate agricultural activities in the Lower Saguenay. It worked with the MRC du Fjord-du-Saguenay to develop the economy and the territory by returning fallow land to active agricultural use. The implementation of networked GISs allows development officers to answer inquiries about the territory and support local agricultural activities. The SDASJ believes communities that promote local entrepreneurship will increase the area's economic activity and improve its ability to retain its population.

Avataq
The Avataq Cultural Institute is collecting and documenting the Inuit place names of Nunavik. The Inuit consider place names to be extremely important because of their value as expressions of cultural and intellectual heritage and because they are vital for survival on the land. This project developed a Web site ( www.avataq.qc.ca ) to showcase maps of traditional place names for parts of Nunavik.

Baie des Chaleurs
The Comité ZIP Baie des Chaleurs will initiate and coordinate local action plans to improve the overall quality of the environment of the Baie des Chaleurs . This project will support the ZIP and the five pilot projects of its partner community groups. Their goals are to implement integrated decision-making tools to manage the coastal environment of the Baie des Chaleurs and to protect the fragile watershed of the Cascapédia River from the effects of forestry activities. Eight community members are receiving training in GIS and GPS technologies, thus enhancing the local governance capacity of this remote coastal area.

Blanc-Sablon
Blanc-Sablon and the Comité ZIP Côte-Nord wants to diversify the economy of the Lower St Lawrence North Shore. They are investigating whether the harvesting of a small fruit, called chicouté, can be an alternative source of income for people in the area. Significant job-creation potential exists in this renewable resource. The pilot-project has three objectives:

  • to inventory and map the areas of growth and estimate potential volumes;
  • to strategically plan the gathering of the fruit by targeting harvesting team locations according to the fruit's short maturation season; and
  • to develop an environmentally sound harvesting infrastructure.

Eaton
The Municipalité d'Eaton developed and implemented a tree-harvesting system for the private woodlots on it's territory. For the pilot project, and for the purpose of promoting sound forest-management practices within it's territory, the municipality used GISs and GPSs to allocate permits to private owners. The system integrates forest cover, topographic and parcel information. Upon receiving harvesting permits, woodlot owners will get a map showing the percentage of trees to cut, as well as the areas under constraint, such as buffer areas around water bodies or setbacks from municipal infrastructures. Using the GPS, the municipal inspector can survey the areas being harvested, allowing the municipality to properly evaluate volumes, update its maps and plan for future harvesting in a sustainable manner.

Gaspésie
The Agence régionale de mise en valeur de la forêt privée Gaspésie-les-Îles (AFOGIM) has a mandate to develop a "protection and development of resources plan" for its territory. The project's goals were to provide the AFOGIM foresters with the tools to enable them to properly supervise forest harvesting activities and make appropriate decisions to maximize the sustainable development of their forest heritage. The pilot project focussed on three components that were presently beyond the capabilities of the AFOGIM:

  • forestry accounting using satellite imagery;
  • protection of sensitive areas and visual corridors; and
  • protection of salmon habitats from adverse effects of unregulated forest harvesting.

Kativik
The Kativik Regional Development Council (KRDC), its university partners, the Inuit villages of Umiujaq, Kangiqsujuaq, Kangiqsualujjuaq and Akulivik, and the Naskapis village of Kawawachikamach want to develop a coordinated approach to collecting information and monitoring environmental changes observed in the region. The project will provide training and equip participating communities with the appropriate mapping tools and technology to collect and record information, while community members are on the land. This information will become the basis upon which the regional government and Laval University will analyze the impacts of observed environmental changes.

La Pêche
The La Pêche GIS Society (LPGISS) and the Centre local de développement (CLD) des Collines-de-l'Outaouais are setting up a GIS Resource Management Unit for the MRC des Collines area. The two groups are simultaneously running pilot projects on the territory of the MRC des Collines with the common objective of stimulating economic growth in the region. The CLD focusses on creating a GIS database of land available for agricultural development, while the LPGISS concentrates on the development of tourist trails in and around the village of Wakefield.

Les Oiseleurs
The Fondations les oiseleurs du Québec is a not-for-profit agency dedicated to research, education and the preservation of the environment. Using advanced mapping technologies, it will identify woodlots of importance to the preservation of bird habitats and biological diversity. The agency and its partners will cooperate with four regional municipalities and private woodlot owners to help prevent fragmentation of the eco-corridors in the region.

Madeleine (Success story)
The Comité ZIP Îles-de-la-Madeleine will develop a plan to protect inland salt-water marshes from overuse. Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine has five major inland water-bodies that are home to a multitude of animal species and diversified plant life. These water bodies are also used for industrial and leisure activities. The Comité ZIP Îles-de-la-Madeleine will use the GIS to map the vegetation types, the hydrography, the multiple-access points and the types of use of two major inland water-bodies ( Baie du Bassin and le Bassin aux Huîtres ). The maps will be used for consultation and to localize formal access points and paths according to the type of use.

Manawan
Two communities worked together to create an atlas of geographical data for the Manouane River Drainage Basin. The goal was to develop the capacity to manage their territory in a way that supports both their traditional way of life and sustainable forestry. The GIS-based system allows them to better assess numerous tree-cutting proposals received from forestry companies and study the cumulative affect of these proposals on their land and its resources.

Mont O'Brien
The Mount O'Brien Association (at Danford Lake) wants to create a 9,500-acre wilderness park that would protect the flora and fauna of a unique mixed-forest ecosystem and complement the existing eco-tourist attractions. The Association is using the GIS to gather existing data about the proposed park and collect new ecological, geographic and trail network information. The result will be a geo-database of information that will assist in the development and management of the park in partnership with surrounding interests.

Rimouski (Success story)
The Comité ZIP Sud-de-l'Estuaire and the Regional Municipality of Rimouski-Neigette prepared maps that help manage farm animal waste on its territory. The objective of the project was to map and evaluate the agricultural area available to spread manure produced by the farm animals, the proximity to human activity and to water access. Populations in rural regions are becoming increasingly concerned about the management of agricultural areas and associated agricultural activities. As part of the long-term revision plan, the MRC must hold public consultations. This project provides the MRC with an important consultation and decision-making tool.

Robert-Cliche
The Municipalité régionale de comté Robert-Cliche will developed and implemented a land-management system for the 10 small municipalities on its territory. To do so, the MRC needed the tools to enable it to legislate to prevent overcutting or unregulated felling. For the pilot project, and for the purpose of promoting sound forest-management practices within its territory, the MRC worked with its partners to integrate private woodlot and legal parcel information. Private owners will also get updated with descriptions of the health and status of their forests.

Témiscamingue
The MRC de Témiscamingue will develop an Internet map-server to distribute information to its 21 municipalities, industry partners, staff and residents. The information, which will include tax roles and municipal and agricultural-zoning and forestry maps, will be used for decision-making and long-term planning. The project is an important early milestone for incorporating municipal data with the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure.

Témiscouata
The MRC du Témiscouata will model the movement of pollutants within Lake Méruimticook's watershed. Using GIS technologies, the MRC identified sources of phosphate pollution, modelled and understood the pollutants' movements and brought remedial action to the area. The MRC will thus be able to demonstrate that a moratorium on development imposed by the provincial government can be lifted without adversely affecting the lake's ecology, while providing a new economic-development opportunity for the region.

Val-Morin
The municipality of Val-Morin, neighbouring municipalities and university researchers will launch an innovative GIS project to sustainably manage large traffic increases in the region. The computerized tools will facilitate consultation among municipalities with respect to sustainable transportation. This will enable the ecological management of the greater number of local and regional trips within the Laurentians. It will also serve to demonstrate to the local and tourist population that they can minimize the effects of climate change caused by increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Winneway
The Long Point First Nation (LPFN) wanted to integrate its traditional values in the five-year harvesting plans of the forest industry. The LPFN firmly believes that the planning should integrate fauna, flora and traditional activities to ensure a sustainable future and maximize the benefits to the community. The project's objectives were to develop a geomatics system that demonstrated the issues and challenges related to the management of these resources, and to integrate these values in the five-year planning processes of the forestry stakeholders and companies harvesting on LPFN traditional territory.

SASKATCHEWAN

Bridgeford
The Mid Sask Community Futures Development Corporation developed a community-planning tool for the region of Bridgeford. The pilot project saw the development of a zoning plan for the Rural Municipality of Rudy #284 using GIS mapping tools. Data layers include water, population density, soil profiles, topography, existing intensive livestock operations, tourist attractions and utilities.

Humboldt
Eighteen towns and villages around Humboldt have been involved in a sustainable communities planning process. All of these communities have expressed interest in the potential for tourism and eco-tourism in the region's economic development. Through this project, they set up a regional GIS unit in the Centre for Rural Studies at St. Peter's College. In addition, trainees from a number of the region's institutions produced a series of digital maps highlighting tourist attractions.

Kawacatoose
Kawacatoose First Nation wants to develop value-added organic-based agriculture. To do so, it will put in place a land-tracking system to build an historical land-use database. This project will train three employees of the Kawacatoose Land and Resource Management Unit in the use of GIS/GPS. They will produce a Community Land Use Base map of the reserve and purchased lands to be used for land management and for tracking land-use practices.

Montreal Lake
The Montreal Lake Cree Nation (MLCN) is developing a Land Management Unit to sustainably manage its traditional lands in a way that balances job creation and environmental protection. The Land Management Unit will build a GIS-enabled Land Information System that will include MLCN traditional knowledge, land-use plans and results from the Wapus Elk Project. The pilot project will support the establishment of the Land Management Unit and the gathering of traditional knowledge into a Naturalized Knowledge System.

NorthWest Sask Métis
The Northwest Saskatchewan Métis Council (NWSMC) undertook a Traditional Land Use and Occupancy Mapping project. Through the project, nine students created digital maps of traditional land use in northwest Saskatchewan, based on interviews with local residents from 20 communities. Features included traditional hunting and fishing sites and routes, historic and contemporary camping and gathering places, sites of cultural importance and information about natural resource use. The result was a collection of primary research data based on oral knowledge, correlated and digitized with GIS systems.

Willow Bunch
The Eastern Slope Archaeology Project aimed to identify and preserve the historic archaeological sites on the eastern slope of the Wood Mountain Plateau in southern Saskatchewan. Using GPS and GIS systems the Willow Bunch Métis Local will also produce digital maps highlighting significant archaeological and heritage sites. These will be useful tools for attracting tourists and researchers to the area. The data gathered will be instrumental in setting up an historical village called "The Willow Bunch Trading Post." This village will also link its archaeological programming with other sites in the region, such as Métis wintering sites and the St. Victor Petroglyphs.

YUKON

Carmacks (Success story)
The Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation is establishing a GIS to aid its Lands and Resources Department in environmental and resource management. It will establish mechanisms for incorporating traditional knowledge into a GIS and develop cultural base-maps. Community elders will guide this process.

Champagne and Ashihik
The Champagne and Aishihik First Nations (CAFN) want to develop their in-house expertise in the use of GIS for resource management and land and community planning. They are responsible for the effective and sustainable management of more than 40,000 km2 in southwest Yukon and northwest British Columbia. For the purpose of this project, the CAFN is developing a land-use and infrastructure map of Champagne to address rapid growth within the community. They are also creating a land and resource map of rural settlement land in the Aishihik area, which is experiencing increasing development pressures.

Dawson (Success story)
The Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation require an accurate, reliable and accessible source of land-related information to balance the community, economic and environmental needs of its members. Through this project, it will build a comprehensive database of land-related geospatial information. It also has the infrastructure and staff in place to provide the First Nation with support in land-resource decision-making.

Kluane
The Kluane First Nation (KFN) wants to manage and monitor its lands, resources and diverse ecosystems. Their traditional territories include Kluane National Park, a proposed Territorial park, many mineral interests and mining claims, and the proposed Alaska pipeline route. To do this, the KFN has recognized the need for modern management tools including GIS. This project built the KFN's capacity in GIS technology around the creation of a base map of its traditional territories, which included traditional knowledge components, infrastructure, resources and legal boundaries.

Mayo (Success story)
The Nacho Nyak Dun First Nation upgraded its computer systems to effectively use satellite imagery and other digital map products to help manage its forest and wildlife resources according to traditional values. It is also using GIS to integrate social and education programs, especially youth training, with its land-management system.

For more information, media may contact:

Tom Ormsby Ghyslain Charron
Office of the Minister Media Relations
Natural Resources Canada Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa Ottawa
(613) 996-2007 (613) 992-4447