GeoConnections Projects

Ecosystem-based Geospatial Planning Tool for Canada's Inland Sea

2010-09-15 15:56:38

Project Description:

Ecosystem-based Geospatial Planning Tool for Canada's Inland Sea

This project will lay the foundation for a web-based ecosystem-management tool for governments, managers, and other stakeholders in the Bras d'Or Lake ecosystem of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia.

Users will employ the tool to predict and manage the effects of agriculture, forestry, mining, and tourism in the Bras d'Or watershed. The tool will predict these effects on estuarine community structures such as eelgrass meadows and oyster beds, and on ecosystem goods and services such as fishery production, sewage assimilation, and recreation. Understanding these effects will enable stakeholders to make decisions that better reconcile ecological and economically sustainable development in the Bras d'Or watershed-a benefit to the area's residents, tourists, and businesses.

The project will generate a series of Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI)-compliant data layers and numerical models of linked terrestrial and marine ecosystem processes that draw on existing data.

The ecosystem management tool will be used to generate a periodically updated "Bras d'Or Report Card" that depicts changes in ecosystem health. The tools will also be used to develop a model-driven scenario generator that shows how different watershed land uses affect these changes.

Primary Partner: Bras d'Or Institute for Ecosystem Research, Cape Breton University Sydney, Nova Scotia;

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tim West
Year project is completed:
Region: Atlantic
Sector: Academic
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $342,775.00

Proponent Contact Information
Bras d'Or Institute, Cape Breton University
1250 Grand Lake Road
Sydney
Nova Scotia
B1P 6L2
Canada

2010-09-14 10:50:03

Project Description:

Primary Thematic Area: Matters of Importance to Aboriginals
GeoConnections Project Authority: Simon Riopel
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Aboriginal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $94,768.71

Proponent Contact Information
Indigenous Cooperative on the Environment
131 Queen street
Eganville
Ontario
K0J 1T0
Canada

Integration of Land and Water Information for Decision-makers: Pilot Project in the Okanagan Valley Basin

2010-08-06 14:01:55

Project Description:

Integration of Land and Water Information for Decision-makers: Pilot Project in the Okanagan Valley Basin

The core objectives of this project are twofold: first, to create a multi-agency partnership that shares information pertaining to the Okanagan River Basin in British Columbia, and second, to develop a web portal, based on endorsed Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) standards, that will enable access to comprehensive monitoring and research results for the study area.

With the fastest growing population among Canada's 23 major watersheds (i.e., large drainage basins), the Okanagan River Basin needs an integrated sustainable development and conservation strategy. A great deal of information exists that could assist in establishing such a strategy, but this information is fragmented, being held by numerous government, academic, non-governmental organizations, and private institutions.

This project will build a local, multi-stakeholder community of practice that has both the technical capacity and the organizational ability to contribute data and information that will be shared through a common web portal. Through this web portal, complex, science-based watershed data will be translated into information that land-use planners, land developers, and the general public can understand and use.

This project represents the first step in fully integrated watershed planning and has the potential to significantly influence decision making and contribute to a sustainable future for the Okanagan River Basin.

For more information...

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tony Turner
Year project is completed:
Region: Quebec
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $301,421.00

Proponent Contact Information
Environment Canada
8th Floor, 351 St-Joseph Blvd.
Gatineau
Quebec
KIA 0H3
Canada

Vancouver Coastal Health GIS Capacity Building

2010-07-16 10:34:54

Project Description:

Vancouver Coastal Health GIS Capacity Building

This project will increase the use of geographic information systems (GIS) within the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA). This organization delivers health services to more than one million people-a quarter of B.C.'s population. The project will accomplish this objective through a variety of means:

Creating a data warehouse that combines clinical and patient databases with census data; this step will help VCHA plan and administer services

Adding GIS software to develop spatial and non-spatial analysis tools, aid site selection, and determine drive times between locations, among other applications

Training VCHA personnel on how to integrate this new software into VCHA's existing GIS system and how to use the software

Hosting stakeholder workshops to build GIS capacity and awareness

Establishing a data directory structure and metadata standards to make it easier for users to find and share data

Developing more-detailed boundaries of VCHA's Local Health Areas

Customizing a GIS toolset for VCHA to improve its current GIS system

These outcomes will equip VCHA to make the kinds of informed decisions that help the organization optimally deliver care to its population and monitor and track diseases.

VCHA will use Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) standards in developing its GIS data repository, and the organization intends to contribute its findings and results to the CGDI for others to use as well.

GeoConnections is assisting public health organizations to use geospatially referenced information about health status and factors that affect health. These factors can be biological, behavioural, social, economic, or cultural. Organizations use this information to make correlations and identify priorities and strategies to improve and protect health and the factors that influence it. In addition, public health organizations are expanding their knowledge and use of geospatial information and tools, which helps organizations analyze and share information. This project is funded under the Population Health Surveillance GeoConnections priority area.

Primary Partner: Vancouver Coastal Health Authority Vancouver, British Columbia;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $102,158.00

Proponent Contact Information
Vancouver Coastal Health
200-520 West 6th Ave,
Vancouver
British Columbia
V5Z 4H5
Canada

A User-Needs Assessment for an Application to Illustrate the Criticality and Interdependencies of Critical Infrastructure Geospatially

2010-07-15 14:14:39

Project Description:

A User-Needs Assessment for an Application to Illustrate the Criticality and Interdependencies of Critical Infrastructure Geospatially

This project will consult users regarding their critical infrastructure information needs and examine the functionality of a software application. This software application both categorizes critical infrastructure and assesses critical areas and the interdependencies among important infrastructures.

The user-needs assessment will indicate the requirements for sharing information about infrastructure. It will also establish the requirements for a software tool that allows users to share geospatial information about the degree of criticality, the proximity of critical infrastructure with other critical infrastructure and the levels of interdependence between and among critical infrastructure.

This knowledge will help public safety officials determine how to protect critical infrastructure and respond to emergencies involving this infrastructure. It will also allow users to share geospatial information and analyze proximity data based on a dynamic model to improve decision making. The project results will build upon and enhance the use of the National Infrastructure Data Model, a standard structure for infrastructure data that leverages the Candian Geospatial Data Infrastructure.

For more information...

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Philip Dawe
Year project is completed:
Region: Atlantic
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $90,600.00

Proponent Contact Information
New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization
65 Brunswick Street
Fredericton
New Brunswick
E3B 5H1
Canada

Decision Support for Flood Event Prediction and Monitoring (FEPM)

2010-07-15 14:11:03

Project Description:

Decision Support for Flood Event Prediction and Monitoring (FEPM)

This project will build a decision-support system, called the “Flood Event Prediction and Monitoring” (FEPM) system, that will provide the public and emergency response organizations with near real-time information about the potential for and extent of flooding in their areas. Delivered using the FEPM's web-mapping service, this information will help the public evaluate and respond to flood risks. For example, by creating an online map that predicts the path and level of flood waters, citizens can plan earlier and more effectively for evacuating or preparing their properties (e.g., building sandbag walls, readying pumps). Emergency-response organizations can use the FEPM to plan evacuation routes, mitigate damage, and coordinate personnel.

This project will augment an existing hydrometric monitoring system, adding new inputs for flood modelling, prediction, and decision support. These inputs include sensors, such as water-level cameras attached to bridges over rivers, as well as automated hourly updates of water-level data and a flood-risk mapping database.

The project will capitalize on the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) to overlay web-based maps with transportation networks, property boundaries, municipal infrastructure (e.g. power lines, natural gas lines) and contour lines. As well, the flood-risk mapping database and a digital elevation database will be provided to the CGDI, so that others also can use this data.

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Philip Dawe
Year project is completed:
Region: Atlantic
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $607,149.00

Proponent Contact Information
New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization
65 Brunswick Street
Fredericton
New Brunswick
E3B 5H1
Canada

COINAtlantic Development and Implementation Phase I

2010-07-07 13:36:24

Project Description:

COINAtlantic Development and Implementation Phase I

This project will create an online utility for coastal and ocean managers, as well as users of coastal and ocean space and resources. Known as the Coastal and Ocean Information Network-Atlantic (COINAtlantic), this utility will help users make better decisions by providing access to marine-based data, information, and applications.

A national needs assessment revealed that numerous individuals and organizations working in coastal and ocean regions in Atlantic Canada need information about land, water, and environmental and socio-economic conditions. This information, however, is held by dozens of agencies, groups, and individuals and is therefore difficult to find and access.

COINAtlantic will overcome this challenge by enabling users to search for, access, and overlay information from authoritative data sources registered in the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI). The CGDI supports better decisions by providing better data.

COINAtlantic will offer access to data and information that will assist users in implementing integrated coastal and ocean management. Industry representatives, consultants, ocean and coastal planners and managers, community resource managers, and researchers will be able to use COINAtlantic to increase the competitiveness of Atlantic Canadian coastal-related enterprises, and make better decisions affecting coastal and ocean regions in Atlantic Canada.

COINAtlantic will provide a web-accessible user interface along with new Web Mapping Services (WMS) and Web Feature Services (WFS).

This project was funded under the Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) priority area of GeoConnections.

For more information...

Primary Partner: ACZISC Association Halifax, Nova Scotia;

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Trevor Rankin
Year project is completed:
Region: Atlantic
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $1,182,401.00

Proponent Contact Information
ACZISC Association
1226 LeMarchant Street
Halifax
Nova Scotia
B3H 3P7
Canada

2010-07-05 14:11:36

Project Description:

Primary Thematic Area: Matters of Importance to Aboriginals
GeoConnections Project Authority: Simon Riopel
Year project is completed:
Region: Quebec
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $470,563.97

Proponent Contact Information
Cree Outfitting and Tourism Association

OujÃ©-Bougoumou
Quebec
G0W 3C0
Canada

Implementation of a support tool for land resource planning and management

2010-06-30 14:37:49

Project Description:

Implementation of a support tool for land resource planning and management

Using the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure, this project will involve the development of a resource planning and management support tool. The tool will include single-window access to all thematic data for the lands (static data), a real-time updating process (dynamic data) for disseminating key indicators for the lands (e.g., water quality, forest fires, mining and forestry operations) and a process for integrating traditional Algonquin knowledge with current scientific knowledge in order to classify various habitats (vegetation and wildlife). Participation by the Regional County Municipality of Témiscamingue and a private geomatics firm with more than 20 years of experience in land management (in close collaboration with the two Algonquin communities) should ensure the long-term success of the project. Finally, implementation of a broadband Internet network in Témiscamingue will produce a certain stability with respect to regional infrastructures.

Primary Thematic Area: Matters of Importance to Aboriginals
GeoConnections Project Authority: Annie Laviolette
Year project is completed:
Region: QuÃ©bec
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $176,729.00

Proponent Contact Information
Timiskaming First Nation
P.O. Box 336
Notre-Dame du Nord
Quebec
J0Z 3B0
Canada

New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization - Multi-Agency Situational Awareness System (MA-SAS)

2010-06-30 14:36:48

Project Description:

New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization - Multi-Agency Situational Awareness System (MA-SAS)

This project will enable the development of a provincial multi-agency situational awareness system (MA-SAS) that will equip the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization (NB EMO) and its partners to better coordinate emergency activities, including their flood-fighting efforts every spring.

NB EMO leads provincial agencies, federal agencies, municipal governments, utilities, and others in preparing for and responding to annual flooding. In the past, these stakeholders invested too much time manually responding to information requests and extracting and sending situational awareness data to one another. This data is well suited to being sent over the Internet and displayed on electronic maps-capabilities offered by the MA-SAS.

This system will allow stakeholders to share data with one another through a central hub. Each agency on the system will be able to access all or part of the data available to them, without having to either request it or establish links to each other. This approach will enable stakeholders to operate much more efficiently than they can today. They will also gain awareness of situations faster-a key to saving property and lives.

Creating a provincial MA-SAS will result in local and regional partners leveraging the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI). CGDI data and technology enable decision-makers to integrate data from many sources and to develop models and visualize situations, providing valuable insights into social, environmental, and economic issues.

To manage and respond to threats and hazards, public safety and security organizations need to be aware of the situations they face. In support of this goal, this project is funded under the Situational Awareness GeoConnections priority area of focus for the Public Safety & Security Community

Primary Partner: New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization Fredricton, New Brunswick;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Trevor Rankin
Year project is completed:
Region: Atlantic
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $429,884.00

Proponent Contact Information
New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization
65 Brunswick Street
Fredericton
New Brunswick
E3B 5H1
Canada

CAFGRIS: Developing geospatial applications for decision making on conservation and sustainable management of forest genetic resources

2010-06-30 14:35:11

Project Description:

CAFGRIS: Developing geospatial applications for decision making on conservation and sustainable management of forest genetic resources

This project will develop and use Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) technology to integrate and synthesize geospatial data for assessing, reporting, and making decisions on the status and management of native tree species.

Specifically, the project will develop an application to access information sources over the Internet. The application will help users assess the status of native tree species by ecozones, predict the future under a variety of climate change scenarios, and forecast conservation requirements.

Obtaining a perspective of how tree species are tolerating various threats is difficult today because many levels of government are involved in monitoring or administering Canada's forests. This complexity results in disparate and fragmented information sources and conservation efforts. Canada needs information concerning tree species, and it needs to conserve species and populations across jurisdictional boundaries-before the species become at risk. This project will address these requirements.

The system's users include federal, provincial, and territorial governments; First Nations; NGOs; the forest industry; and academia. The proposed application will build on information that resides now in the Canadian Forest Genetic Resource Information System (CAFGRIS).

The project will incorporate CGDI services where available, new services will adhere to CGDI principles, protocols, standards, and specifications. CGDI data and technology enable decision-makers to integrate data from many sources and to develop models and visualize situations, providing valuable insights into social, environmental, and economic issues.

This project was funded under the Integrated Land Management priority area of focus.
For more information

Primary Partner: Natural Resources Canada, Canadain Forest Service, Atlantic Forestry Center, Hugh John Flemming Forester Center Fredricton, New Brunswick;

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Trevor Rankin
Year project is completed:
Region: Atlantic
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $356,075.00

Proponent Contact Information
Canadian Forest Service [Atlantic]
PO Box 4000
Fredericton
New Brunswick
E3B 5P7
Canada

Canadian Land Cover Data Project

2010-06-30 11:12:53

Project Description:

Canadian Land Cover Data Project

This project added a land cover map layer to the GeoBase portal.

Numerous public and private sector organizations require land cover information to address issues concerning the environment, regulation, public safety, and matters of importance to Aboriginal people.

In the project's first phase, proponents surveyed users about their needs for land cover information in both the short and long terms.

The National Land Cover Project Team was then formed from members of the land cover community of practice and the GeoBase program. The team's objective was to meet user needs by integrating land cover maps from provincial and federal organizations and producing a harmonized database consistent with international standards.

After assessing user needs, project proponents coordinated their efforts with federal and provincial departments to do the following:

Recommend and promote national land cover standards

Provide common technical input to national Earth observation strategies and policies that deal with land cover

Promote and facilitate the sharing of knowledge and data and increase the opportunity for new integrated national land cover products

Improve the availability, quality, and extent of land cover information

Support common infrastructure to develop and share land cover data

Land cover data is available on the GeoBase Website at the following link:
http://www.geobase.ca/geobase/en/data/landcover/index.html.

Primary Partner: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Ottawa, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Common
GeoConnections Project Authority: Pascale Roussel
Year project is completed:
Region: Prairies
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $322,500.00

Proponent Contact Information
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - PFRA
1800 Hamilton Street
Regina
Saskatchewan
S4P 4L2
Canada

BC Emergency Event Map Viewer (BCeMap)

2010-06-29 10:07:22

Project Description:

BC Emergency Event Map Viewer (BCeMap)

This project will enhance the emergency management information system being implemented by Emergency Management British Columbia. This enhancement will involve improving the BC Emergency Event Map Viewer (BCeMap) to better enable emergency management personnel to prepare for and mitigate the impacts of emergencies by sharing geospatial information.

All BC agencies involved in emergency planning and response currently spend considerable time manually responding to information requests and extracting and distributing situational awareness data. This data is well suited to electronic distribution and automated geospatial presentation-a function that the BC Emergency Event Map Viewer (BCeMap) promises to fulfill. Specifically, the BCeMap is intended to:

Support the production and real-time dissemination of provincial and territorial-wide incident maps;

Provide local government emergency management with the ability to receive and share geospatial incident information; and

Offer a common mapping environment that integrates location-based information about basic infrastructure, threats, and hazards.

Beginning with a user needs assessment this five-phase project is expected to be completed for the 2010 Olympic Games.

The BCeMap initiative will use the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) for sharing event data, creating interoperability between the various systems, and producing common tools that can be used across British Columbia and elsewhere. The CGDI enables Canadians to share, access, use, and combine location-based information over the Internet.

To manage and respond to threats and hazards, public safety and security organizations need to be aware of the situations they face. In support of this goal, this project is funded under the broader national Multi-Agency Situational Awareness System (MASAS) initiative of GeoConnections.

Primary Partner: Emergency Management BC Richmond, British Columbia;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Trevor Rankin
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $454,196.00

Proponent Contact Information
Emergency Management BC
11411 Number 5 Road, Richmond
Richmond
British Columbia
V7A 4E8
Canada

MEGAPHONE Thematic Data Project - University of Montreal

2010-06-21 16:00:59

Project Description:

MEGAPHONE Thematic Data Project - University of Montreal

The Research Centre of the University of Montreal Hospital Centre (CRCHUM) seeks to enhance the functionality and data availability of their current geographic information system (GIS) called the Montreal Epidemiological and Geographical Analysis of Population Health Outcomes and Neighbourhood Effects, or MEGAPHONE. The improvement to MEGAPHONE will increase the quality of decision making in the areas of health analysis and surveillance, and sustainable development in the metropolitan area.

Enhanced GIS functionality will be accomplished through collaboration with the Léa-Roback Centre, the Public Health Agency of Quebec, and the provincial Ministry of Health and Social Services. Using CGDI endorsed standards, these groups will collectively prepare and structure data, establish data standards, and implement a Web portal to ensure data interoperability.

Health related data is easily accessed by the user via the Web portal from a desktop computer or laptop. Quick and easy access to data results in higher quality health care services, assessment, treatment, and sharing of time-sensitive data among health care practitioners and the public.

Primary Partner: Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal Montréal, Quebec;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Denis Poliquin
Year project is completed:
Region: Quebec
Sector: Academic
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $200,000.00

Proponent Contact Information
Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de lâ€™UniversitÃ© de MontrÃ©al
3875, rue St-Urbain
Montreal
Quebec
H2W 1T7
Canada

Integrated Bathymetric-Topographic Digital Elevation Data

2010-06-16 13:10:25

Project Description:

Integrated Bathymetric-Topographic Digital Elevation Data

This project will create a new GeoBase Canadian Digital Elevation Data (CDED) layer that integrates both land and marine data sets from across Canada.

A vast community of users have expressed need for land-sea products that marry land and marine data sets. These users include engineers, oceanographers, biologists, mariners, port authorities, emergency response organizations, coastal management authorities, land use planners, and the military.

Traditionally, marine and land measurements have been collected independently for different purposes, a practice that has separated the marine and land environments. Today, however, numerous coastal scientific processes and socio-economic activities need integrated land and sea data. A land-sea database will not only help address these needs but also equip Canada to better deal with global warming, which is expected to affect Canada's coasts earlier than it will the country's interior.

This new Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) framework data layer will integrate the CDED model from GeoBase and the digital bathymetric model produced from the Canadian Hydrographic Service sources data.

Making this data product available on GeoBase and maintaining it there will allow end-users to find information easily. As well, users will know that the data comes from an authoritative source. Consequently, the project will standardize and strengthen the analysis done with elevation data across Canada.

Primary Thematic Area: Common
GeoConnections Project Authority: Rhian Evans
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $799,820.00

Proponent Contact Information
Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Ottawa
Ontario

Canada

Development of the strategic plan (2007-2012) and the operational plan (2007-2008) for management of data on the Québec Region's fish habitat and coastal zone

2010-06-15 11:15:10

Project Description:

Development of the strategic plan (2007-2012) and the operational plan (2007-2008) for management of data on the Québec Region's fish habitat and coastal zone

The objective of the project is to develop a five-year strategic plan and an annual business plan. Numerous changes have taken place at Fisheries and Oceans Canada in recent years, making the development of such documents a priority for the organization.

Geomatics is already an integral part of the department. However, because of numerous changes, the various processes must be reviewed. Once the existing structure of the ministry is defined, development of the strategic plan will make it possible to characterize the mission, the vision and the various objectives for the next five years. On the basis of this work, a business plan will be developed for 2007-2008. In this way, the Regional Oceans and Habitat Branch will be able to review the strategic plan annually, adjusting it accordingly.

To ensure that the strategic plan meets interoperability objectives, the Fish Habitat and Coastal Zone Data Management section will be responsible for aligning the development of its geospatial infrastructure with CGDI standards. The strategic plan will focus on the aspects of content, service and technology.

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: Quebec
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $62,408.00

Proponent Contact Information
Institut Maurice-Lamontagne
850 rue de la Mer
Mont-Joli
QuÃ©bec
G5H 3Z4
Canada

First Nations Information Support Services (FNISS) - Phase 3

2010-06-14 08:17:56

Project Description:

First Nations Information Support Services (FNISS) - Phase 3

The First Nations Information Support Services (FNISS) is fulfilling a high-priority need of all 203 First Nations and 39 tribal councils within British Columbia by providing access to current and reliable cultural, land and marine resource information and information management tools. Standardized access to essential location-based datasets and tools will support the function of strong First Nations governments and economies.

Identified through extensive consultation and study, key components of the FNISS, including data-sharing templates, assessment tools, and improved data access, are now being developed. With the participation of British Columbia's provincial government and academic institutions, a province-wide capacity-building program of over 20 workshops will meet the needs of beginners to IM/IT experts in learning how to fully leverage the capabilities and resources of FNISS for improved administration and decision-making.

The FNISS is being developed according to principles of interoperability, and has standards-based information sharing at its core. When complete, this project will ensure access for all First Nations and tribal councils in British Columbia to authoritative and culturally-significant data, along with the tools to manage it effectively.

Primary Partner: First Nations Technology Council West Vancouver, British Columbia;

Primary Thematic Area: Matters of Importance to Aboriginals
GeoConnections Project Authority: Cindy Mitchell
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Aboriginal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $568,942.00

Proponent Contact Information
First Nations Technology Council
1200-100 Park Royal South
West Vancouver
BC
V7T 1A2
Canada

National Hydro Network Data Layer

2010-06-10 16:40:27

Project Description:

National Hydro Network Data Layer

This project will add a hydro data set to Canada's GeoBase framework data layers. The National Hydrographic Network (NHN) will be built onto the existing GeoBase layers and will align with the GeoBase geometric framework.

The National Hydro Network project will improve existing base maps by contributing value-added attributes such as water flow directions, toponyms (place names), and water-related features like falls, dams, and wharfs. These additions will help users analyze data more effectively than is currently possible.

Specifically, decision makers will be able to manage and plan water-resource use in greater detail, and with more accuracy. The NHN will support decision making in various fields including public safety, health, natural resources, and matters of importance to Aboriginal people.

The NHN will be built closest to source by Canadian Council on Geomatics collaborators using the best data available in the country. NHN products will be offered to users at no cost through the GeoBase Portal.

Primary Partner: Natural Resources Canada - DMDB Ottawa, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Common
GeoConnections Project Authority: Rhian Evans
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $7,320,832.00

Proponent Contact Information
Natural Resources Canada - DMDB
615 Booth St
Ottawa
Ontario
K1A 0E9
Canada

Expert Workshop on Development of a Marine Biodiversity Strategy for British Columbia

2010-06-10 16:06:39

Project Description:

Expert Workshop on Development of a Marine Biodiversity Strategy for British Columbia

Through this project a three-day marine biodiversity workshop was held in Vancouver, BC in November 2005.

The workshop enabled discussion on how the marine conservation community can use geospatial data and modelling compliant with the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI), to help conserve critical biodiversity areas along the Pacific coast of British Columbia.

Workshop attendees included BC marine experts who cooperate through a forum called the Pacific Marine Analysis and Research Association or PacMARA. PacMARA is an impartial and independent network of researchers representing a range of disciplines that is taking a coordinated approach to sharing information, developing high-quality analyses, and filling the critical gaps in the knowledge of the Pacific coastal and marine environments. PacMARA experts range from species specialists, to ecologists and modellers who work with key BC environmental non-governmental organizations, academia, the federal government, the province of BC, and the consulting world.

The workshop reviewed the spatial analysis and modeling activities of PacMARA partners. In addition, discussions focussed on sharing and gathering information, data, analyses, tools, and developing preferred output products:

The results of this workshop will ultimately contribute to the widespread use of a geospatially informed, ecosystem-based approach to integrated marine planning and management of the Pacific coast of Canada.

This project was funded under the Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) priority area of focus. ILM includes land-use planning, environmental assessment within a planning context, environmental monitoring, and developing and using indicators. ILM is emerging as a systematic and practical means of managing trade-offs and identifying positive solutions for all parties involved in complex environmental, economic, and social issues.

Primary Partner: World Wildlife Fund Canada - Pacific Region Vancouver, British Columbia;

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tony Turner
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $36,083.28

Proponent Contact Information
World Wildlife Fund-Canada, Pacific Region
#512B, 409 Granville Street
Vancouver
British Columbia
V6C 1T2
Canada

Canadian Profile of the Common Alerting Protocol and Related Geomatics Initiatives

2010-06-03 16:27:20

Project Description:

Canadian Profile of the Common Alerting Protocol and Related Geomatics Initiatives

The international public alerting community is adopting the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) as its standard for public alerts and notices.

In Canada, the CAP is to be used to create and transport public alerts and notices for all hazards and public-service disruptions (for example, a blackout due to a hydro outage).

This GeoConnections project has as its goals to:

Define a Canadian Profile (CAP-CP) for the Common Alerting Protocol standard;

Define a Change Management Process (CAP-CMP) and support it through 2009;

Work towards official standardization of CAP-CP;

Identify requirements for a common geospatial presentation of CAP-CP alerts;

Identify and promote reference implementations of CAP-CP and the geospatial presentation of CAP-CP content; and

Develop and disseminate educational materials and programs.

The project will result in the establishment of a Canadian Association for Public Alerting and Notification chartered CAP-CP Oversight Committee. The committee's goal is to satisfy the requirements of federal, provincial, territorial, municipal and Aboriginal officials, as well as academics and private-sector representatives. The Committee will meet regularly to complete and document a revised CAP-CP and manage a CAP-CP change management process.

The adoption of a CAP-CP means that there will be a common operational picture across platforms and between agencies in Canada. The primary benefit will be improved situational awareness in the public safety community and the Canadian public.

Improved situational awareness will be achieved through increased information via several sources, in a common format, supported by automated processing, translation, and geospatial presentation.

For more information...

Primary Partner: Canadian Association for Public Alerting and Notification (CAPAN) Ottawa, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Trevor Rankin
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $213,960.00

Proponent Contact Information
Canadian Association for Public Alerting and Notifcation (CAPAN)
PO Box 24202 Hazeldean Rd
Ottawa
Ontario
K2M 2C3
Canada

Improving Aboriginal Consultations and Information Sharing Through the Development of a Google-based Web-mapping Application - Needs Assessment

2010-06-03 16:23:03

Project Description:

Improving Aboriginal Consultations and Information Sharing Through the Development of a Google-based Web-mapping Application - Needs Assessment

Situated near the headwaters of the Salmon River on the central plateau of British Columbia, Maiyoo Keyoh comprises 22,000 hectares of land rich in fish, wildlife, timber and other resources. The project will formally assess the needs of the Maiyoo Keyoh Society to employ simple Web-based tools to capitalize on cultural data and better evaluate development proposals. The assessment will target application users, data suppliers and developers.

The recent Haida and Taku River decisions by the Supreme Court of Canada established "the duty to consult" and accommodate First Nations interests before Aboriginal title or rights claims have been fully determined. As a result, small communities are being inundated with hundreds of development approvals each year. These communities lack the capacity to respond to such numerous requests.

This lack of capacity often relates to information management tools and experience. Just about every Aboriginal community in Canada has an inventory of its cultural uses or is planning to conduct such an inventory. However, these rich datasets are often locked in complex mapping systems and rarely find their way into decision making at the operational level. The use of visualization tools endorsed by the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure to help bring data into the decision-making process will be examined in this needs assessment.

The Maiyoo Keyoh Society has recognized the need to use its cultural data during consultations but does not have the resources to fund a mapping program. The society sees real potential in applying simple Web-based tools to achieve its objectives. These tools may help other First Nations that face similar challenges in Canada.

Primary Thematic Area: Matters of Importance to Aboriginals
GeoConnections Project Authority: Annie Laviolette
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $15,658.00

Proponent Contact Information
Maiyoo Keyoh Society
702 Willoughby Place
Williams Lake
British Columbia
V2G 3J6
Canada

Publication of Canadian Content Standard Document for Protected Area Data

2010-06-03 16:21:15

Project Description:

Publication of Canadian Content Standard Document for Protected Area Data

This project will prepare the final content of the Canadian Guidebook for the Application of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Protected Area Management Categories and publish the document for the Canadian protected area community.

The guidebook is a key contribution to the Canadian Conservation Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) initiative, the online system through which Canadian protected areas locations and summaries will be shared. The use of the guidebook by protected area agencies will enable the CARTS project to track and report on the status of Canada's protected areas in a consistent, standard, and authoritative manner consistent with Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) principles.

The guidebook provides a Canadian interpretation of an international standard for protected areas led by the IUCN. Canada will now be able to contribute reliable data and statistics to the world community in response to commitments under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA). Canadian protected areas jurisdictions will also benefit from the project by having a solid foundation upon which to accurately analyze and compare their protected area networks. National mapping agencies can also benefit by being able to create consistent, authoritative, national protected area layers.

GeoConnections supports two priority areas of the environment and sustainable development community: Integrated Landscape Management and Environmental Assessment. With GeoConnections' support, planning authorities, regulatory boards, and environmental assessment agencies are using geospatial tools, technologies, and data more effectively than ever before. These entities are also developing standards and best practices that assist users to better manage Canada's lands, watersheds, and oceans.

This project contributes to both the Integrated Landscape Management and Environmental Assessment priority issues.

For more information...

Primary Partner: Canadian Council on Ecological Areas Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Annie Laviolette
Year project is completed:
Region: Prairies
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $85,580.00

Proponent Contact Information
Canadian Council on Ecological Areas
3325 Rae St
Regina
Saskatchewan
S4S 1S5
Canada

Montreal Hospital Emergency Room Health Watch, Information and Surveillance Project

2010-06-03 15:46:57

Project Description:

Montreal Hospital Emergency Room Health Watch, Information and Surveillance Project

Using CGDI endorsed standards, the Montreal Agency for Health and Social Services developed an online atlas to support the coordination, monitoring, surveillance, and planning, for hospital and clinic emergency room response.

The atlas is populated with data from 22 emergency rooms which receive over one million visits annually. The geographic area of the online atlas comprises the Island of Montreal which includes 1.8 million people.

The online atlas allows users to display health data visually, facilitating health analysis, coordination, and management of emergency room response efforts. The expected results include improved health prevention measures, monitor response times, wait times, and resource management. The atlas data will also be linked to existing databases which will improve data quality and analysis.

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Denis Poliquin
Year project is completed:
Region: Quebec
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $156,279.00

Proponent Contact Information
Agence de la santÃ© et des services sociaux de MontrÃ©al
3725, rue Saint-Denis
MontrÃ©al
QuÃ©bec
H2X 3L9
Canada

Demonstrating and Illustrating a Conservation Economy: A Nuu-chah-nulth Community Land and Water Planning Atlas

2010-06-03 13:54:33

Project Description:

Demonstrating and Illustrating a Conservation Economy: A Nuu-chah-nulth Community Land and Water Planning Atlas

This project will generate an online atlas that will assist seven communities in British Columbia's Clayoquot Sound region to grow sustainable local economies, as well as celebrate their cultural heritage.

Working with partner organizations and businesses in the region, the project proponent will use the atlas to track a number of economic indicators in these communities, including:

Employment in local businesses that better reflects the region's demographics

A regionalized and economically viable commercial fishery that involves First Nations

An economically viable forest sector that offers increased employment to local residents and leadership from First Nations

A reduced carbon footprint

Increased local and regional markets and businesses

The atlas will include thematic maps and descriptions as well as indicators that show how these themes change over time. The atlas will therefore enable the communities to better understand the Clayoquot Sound region. Specifically, communities will be able to see how indicators vary over time, insight that will improve decisions affecting resource use and allocation.

The atlas will be compatible with the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI). CGDI data and technology enable decision-makers to integrate data from many sources and to develop models and visualize situations, providing valuable insights into social, environmental, and economic issues.

Primary Partner: Ecotrust Canada Vancouver, British Columbia;

Primary Thematic Area: Matters of Importance to Aboriginals
GeoConnections Project Authority: Cindy Mitchell
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $199,500.00

Proponent Contact Information
Ecotrust Canada
1238 Homer Street
Vancouver
British Columbia
V6B 2Y5
Canada

Archaeological Sites Online Database

2010-06-03 13:14:33

Project Description:

Archaeological Sites Online Database

This project will provide information on archaeological sites and research in the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Prince Edward Island through two different levels of access.

A restricted-access level will provide Canadian Museum of Civilization (CMC) clients with site-specific information such as location, cultural attributes, previous research results, and bibliographies. CMC clients include territorial agencies responsible for managing land-based heritage resources and preserving the culture and heritage of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in Canada's Arctic.

A public-access level will provide general information on archaeological sites registered with the CMC Sites Office. This information will be linked to archaeological cultures and to the distribution of archaeological sites in the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Prince Edward Island.

This project will make it easier for the CMC to share data about archaeological sites with their clients and the general public. This data will be used to improve land-use decisions, increase the access to information on archaeological research, and encourage further information sharing. The data sets are expected to be used by Aboriginal communities, land managers, cultural resource managers, archaeologists, students, and the public.

For more information...

Primary Thematic Area: Matters of Importance to Aboriginals
GeoConnections Project Authority: Ken Marshall
Year project is completed:
Region: Quebec
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $182,590.00

Proponent Contact Information
Canadian Museum of Civilization
100, rue Laurier
Gatineau
Quebec
K1A 0M8
Canada

Geo-referenced Air-quality Data for the City of Hamilton

2010-06-03 13:02:02

Project Description:

Geo-referenced Air-quality Data for the City of Hamilton

This project provides geo-referenced data regarding health-impacting air pollutants gathered in Ontario through real-time mobile monitoring surveys in Hamilton and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Development of this project entailed the validation, analysis and publication of detailed (i.e. by neighbourhood, traffic corridor and industry) health-impacting air pollution data and maps for the city.

The information includes atmospheric conditions and seasons, as well as temperature inversions, and it clearly shows the local health impacts of air pollutants, including those from traffic and industry. Potential users of the information include the public, health units and medical professionals, community groups, all levels of government, air-quality/health-impact modellers, and researchers.

The data was published using Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) data interoperability standards and is offered in a format that can be analyzed, geo-referenced and made available locally. The data is also published on the Clean Air Hamilton and McMaster University web sites.

For more information...

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Ken Marshall
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Municipal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $146,000.00

Proponent Contact Information
City Of Hamilton

Hamilton
Ontario

Canada

Emergency Management and Public Safety for 2010 Olympics

2010-06-03 12:59:06

Project Description:

Emergency Management and Public Safety for 2010 Olympics

The primary objective of the 2010 Olympics Data Atlas for Emergency Management and Public Safety project is to facilitate public safety and security for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games by publishing emergency and public safety-related spatial information. The focus of the area is the Olympic Theatre that includes Metro Vancouver and the Sea-to-Sky Corridor.

The objective of this GeoConnections project is to publish the data contained in the Atlas through GeoBC, and make it accessible to the wider emergency management and public safety community. In particular the project will integrate the data with the Emergency Management Information System currently being implemented by Emergency Management BC. This information will be also made available through the BCeMap, a node of the Multi Agency Situational Awareness System funded through GeoConnections. The project will also build upon the Critical Infrastructure User Needs Assessment project recently completed by EMBC.

The results of this component of the project include:

Common situational awareness;

Increased capacity to integrate emergency management planning among different jurisdictions; and

An enhanced understanding of critical infrastructure

This Emergency Management and Public Safety project is one of the key elements in creating a geospatial legacy of the 2010 Games for Metro Vancouver. Even though the 2010 Olympic Games is a major driver for this project, the information will be available for all future emergency management and public safety events in BC. Collaboration in the sharing and publishing of data between multiple agencies will likely lead to collaboration on similar initiatives in Metro Vancouver and elsewhere in BC.

This project falls primarily within the thematic area of Public Safety and Security: Facilitating Critical Infrastructure Identification and Situational Awareness & Management of Consequences, with some linkages to Public Health: Health Emergency Response and Inter-Emergency Planning.

For more information...

Primary Partner: GeoBC, Ministry of Forests and Range Surrey, British Columbia;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Ken Marshall
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $224,640.00

Proponent Contact Information
GeoBC

British-Columbia

Canada

Public Safety GeoInfoExchange Project

2010-06-03 11:49:07

Project Description:

Public Safety GeoInfoExchange Project

The Public Safety GeoInfoExchange project will equip federal public safety departments to share and access geospatial information. Delivered over the Internet, this information will help these departments—and eventually members of the broader public safety/security community—to better predict, detect, assess, and act upon threats to public safety.

This project will provide a common operating picture (COP) of the public safety/security environment and allow public safety/security organizations to share important operational information that is held in a variety of locations and departments. Specifically, GeoInfoExchange will enable public safety/security organizations to share plans, procedures, data, information, services, and technologies. This capability will help users better coordinate emergency responses and improve decisions.

This collaboration will be afforded by the common data standards of the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI). Relying on these standards, the project will equip users to access geospatial data and services from a variety of distributed databases. This distributed-network approach avoids the need for large central geographic databases and allows data custodians to manage their data. Public safety community of practice members who adhere to CGDI standards and specifications will therefore be able to better coordinate activities with other emergency-response organizations, improving the safety and well-being of Canadians.

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Philip Dawe
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $214,250.00

Proponent Contact Information
Public Safety Canada
2nd Floor, 122 Bank Street
Ottawa
Ontario
K1A 0P8
Canada

Geospatial Situational Awareness Data, City of Vancouver

2010-06-03 11:44:13

Project Description:

Geospatial Situational Awareness Data, City of Vancouver

The goal of this project is to publish location-based alerts and geospatial data in order to increase situational awareness within the City of Vancouver. The data will include E-Comm 9-1-1 and BCeMap web info, which are part of Emergency Management B.C. and the province's Multi-Agency Situational Awareness System. The goal is to create a true, real-time common operating picture.

The published data will be interoperable and include the city's road impacts information feed. The data can be used by emergency management stakeholders such as E-Comm, and by the general public when using systems such as Translink's i-move.ca.

The project will benefit the City of Vancouver by increasing situational awareness, shortening response time, notifying key staff and providing alerts that typically take many hours before all stakeholders are notified. The project will help the B.C. emergency management community to share geospatial situational awareness data.

Primary Partner: City of Vancouver Vancouver, British Columbia;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Ken Marshall
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Municipal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $194,081.00

Proponent Contact Information
City of Vancouver
453 West 12th Avenue
Vancouver
British Columbia
V5Y 1V4
Canada

Collaborative Land Management Portal

2010-06-03 11:43:50

Project Description:

Collaborative Land Management Portal

This project will conduct a user needs assessment for the development of a collaborative land management portal to support resource management and forestry planning in the Chinook Business Area of British Columbia (BC).

BC's Forest and Range Practices Act requires British Columbia Timber Sales to prepare and seek approval of a Forest Stewardship Plan. Location-based, or spatial information, is at the heart of a Forest Stewardship Plan. The key information that is presented in the plan is the spatial representation of planned cut blocks, as well as maps indicating the location of supporting infrastructure, such as access roads.

This project is required because forest license holders need to share data to determine whether proposed timber-harvest locations (cut blocks) or roads comply with BC's Forest and Range Practices Act. However, today there are no readily available tools that track, compare, and consolidate this data. Therefore, licensees have to share data manually, which is a cumbersome approach. Nor can the public access this consolidated data. The project proposes to implement tools that support sustainable management plans for landscape level management and area-based forest certification.

The Consolidated Land Management Portal will assist licensees in working together to analyze proposed cut blocks or roads, and integrate this data with other data layers, such as natural features, trap lines, protected or culturally sensitive areas, and habitat of rare, threatened or endangered species.

The goal of the user needs assessment is to ensure the planned portal will deliver the information its users want, how they want it. Users of the portal are expected to include the following:

BC Timber Services and licensees

First Nations

Regulatory agencies such as the BC Ministry of Forests and Range and BC Ministry of Agriculture & Lands

Third parties such as guides, outfitters, recreational users, community groups, and the public

The portal will capitalize on Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) framework data services from federal and British Columbia provincial sources. The CGDI enables Canadians to share, access, use, and combine location-based information over the Internet.

GeoConnections supports two priority areas of the environment and sustainable development community: Integrated Landscape Management, and Environmental Assessment. With GeoConnections' support, planning authorities, regulatory boards, and environmental assessment agencies are using geospatial tools, technologies, and data more effectively than ever before. These entities are also developing standards and best practices that assist users to better manage Canada's lands, watersheds, and oceans.

This project contributes to the Integrated Landscape Management priority issue.

Primary Partner: British Columbia Timber Sales Chillawak, British Columbia;

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Simon Riopel
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $69,314.22

Proponent Contact Information
British Columbia Timber Sales
46360 Airport Rd
Chilliwack
British Columbia
V2P 1A5
Canada

Yukon Land Development Decision Support Web Portal: Online Socio-Economic Indicators-User Needs Assessment

2010-06-03 11:42:47

Project Description:

Yukon Land Development Decision Support Web Portal: Online Socio-Economic Indicators-User Needs Assessment

This two-phased project will produce a socio-economic web portal that includes Yukon Bureau of Statistics data holdings and other Yukon Government administrative data.

The portal is being developed in response to the Yukon Socio-economic and Environmental Assessment Act. This Act requires the Yukon Government to contribute socio-economic information to help assess how proposed projects will affect local peoples and First Nations.

The first of the portal's two development phases consists of a user needs assessment. This assessment will determine the following:

The portal's likely users (expected to be proponents, assessors, technical experts, and regulators)

The data content required by users

The way that users would like to interact with the portal and its data

The requirements for the portal's functionality

The user needs assessment will drive the project's second phase, the creation of the portal itself.

To be addressed in a separate project, the second phase will employ two services endorsed by the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI), which supports better decisions by providing better data. Web Mapping Service will be used to retrieve regional boundaries (e.g., municipal boundaries, subdivision boundaries, and economic regional coverage) and Geolinked Data Access Service will include tables on income, demographics, labour markets, education, production, and health.

GeoConnections supports two priority areas of the environment and sustainable development community: Integrated Landscape Management and Environmental Assessment. With GeoConnections' support, planning authorities, regulatory boards, and environmental assessment agencies are using geospatial tools, technologies, and data more effectively than ever before. These entities are also developing standards and best practices that assist users to better manage Canada's lands, watersheds, and oceans.

This project contributes to both the Integrated Landscape Management and Environmental Assessment priority issues.

Primary Partner: Yukon Bureau of Statistics, Executive Council Office, Government of Yukon Whitehorse, Yukon Territory;

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Simon Riopel
Year project is completed:
Region: Yukon
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $23,686.33

Proponent Contact Information
Yukon Bureau of Statistics
PO Box 2703
Whitehorse
Yukon
Y1A 2C6
Canada

Geospatial Decision Support System for Newfoundland and Labrador

2010-06-02 13:46:27

Project Description:

Geospatial Decision Support System for Newfoundland and Labrador

This project will create a Water Resources Mapping Portal for Newfoundland and Labrador. This portal will enable a host of stakeholders to make smarter decisions about the province's water, its use, and its protection.

The lead agency for water resources management in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Water Resources Management Division requires access to various data regarding water resources. However, community decision makers have had trouble using this data because of access constraints and the lack of standards.

The mapping portal will be a usefull tool in overcoming these challenges by providing decision makers with the ability to integrate water resources data from a variety of sources. A whole host of stakeholders will be better equipped to make sound decisions about the province's water, its use, and its protection. These stakeholders include the provincial government agencies directly responsible for water resources management, other provincial and local agencies responsible for public health and safety, engineering firms, and many other users in some 600 municipalities scattered throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

The mapping portal will harness Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) tools and services. The CGDI enables Canadians to discover, access, analyze and share location-based information in a standardized manner over the Internet.

GeoConnections supports two priority areas of the environment and sustainable development community: Integrated Landscape Management and Environmental Assessment. With GeoConnections' support, planning authorities, regulatory boards, and environmental assessment agencies are using geospatial tools, technologies, and data more effectively than ever before. These entities are also developing standards and best practices that assist users to better manage Canada's lands, watersheds, and oceans.

This project contributes to the Integrated Landscape Management priority issue.

Primary Partner:Newfoundland Department of Environment and Conservation, Water Resources Management Division St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador;

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tony Turner
Year project is completed:
Region: Atlantic
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $404,453.58

Proponent Contact Information
Newfoundland Department of Environment and Consevation
4th Floor, West Block, Confederation Building
St John's
Newfoundland and Labrador
A1B 4J6
Canada

Saskatoon Health Region - Comprehensive Community Information System

2010-06-02 13:37:02

Project Description:

Saskatoon Health Region - Comprehensive Community Information System

The purpose of the project is to develop the Comprehensive Community Information System (CCIS), which will enable the management of census data and present it spatially, to support decision making.

The CCIS will support:

population health analysis and reporting,

public health surveillance,

infections and chronic disease surveillance,

quality of life monitoring,

indicator monitoring, and

community planning

Various human services organizations require the ability to share various types of information between sectors and jurisdictions. Building on preliminary planning, this project will see the implementation of the new system for use among its partners.

It will be used to support decision making within the Saskatoon Health Region, the City of Saskatoon, Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools and Saskatoon Public Schools, as well as other various human services organizations.

The development of the Comprehensive Community Information System will incorporate:

the implementation of Census Data Explorer Component for discovery and analysis of census data;

the implementation of the Map Tool Component to present attributes and spatial data to users in map formats;

the integration of the Web Map Service Data Services endorsed by the CGDI

This project was funded under the Public Health community Population Health Surveillance priority area of focus.

Primary Partner: Saskatoon Health Region Saskatoon, Saskatchewan;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: Prairies
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $511,852.00

Proponent Contact Information
Saskatoon Health Region
101-310 Idylwyld Drive North
Saskatoon
Saskatchewan
S7L 0Z2
Canada

2010-06-02 13:30:53

Project Description:

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tony Turner
Year project is completed:
Region: Quebec
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $348,113.00

Proponent Contact Information
Environment Canada
351 St Joseph Blvd
Gatineau
Quebec
K1A 0H3
Canada

Hectares BC-A Collaborative Environmental Analysis System for British Columbia

2010-06-02 13:29:40

Project Description:

Hectares BC-A Collaborative Environmental Analysis System for British Columbia

This British Columbia project has created a collaborative environmental analysis system known as Hectares BC (HaBC). The system provides a common '1 ha geographic framework' for the province, within which all types of biophysical data is presented and analyzed.

This system is being used by government agencies, First Nations, non-government organizations, researchers, and other stakeholders including the public to reach consensus on environmental decisions more efficiently than previously possible. These environmental stakeholders are involved in planning, assessment, reporting, and decision-making regarding BC's environment and natural resources.

In the past, stakeholders found it difficult to agree on baseline conditions in the landscape because some had access to inferior or less-complete data than others. This lack of agreement hampered the environmental decision-making process.

By simplifying environmental information access and analysis, HaBC has enabled stakeholders to agree more readily on which data to use and what baseline conditions to analyze. Geographic information systems experts and non-experts alike will therefore, be able to devote more time and resources to reaching consensus about what management actions to take. BC's environment and the province's citizens will both benefit from this newfound effectiveness.

HaBC uses Web Map Service and Web Coverage Service, both standards approved by the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI). The CGDI enables Canadians to share, access, use, and combine location-based information over the Internet.

GeoConnections supports two priority areas of the environment and sustainable development community: a) Integrated Landscape Management, and b) Environmental Assessment. With GeoConnections' support, planning authorities, regulatory boards, and environmental assessment agencies are using geospatial tools, technologies, and data more effectively than ever before. These entities are also developing standards and best practices that assist users to better manage Canada's lands, watersheds, and oceans.

For more information...

Primary Partner: Nature Trust of British Columbia Victoria, British Columbia;

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tony Turner
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $319,735.35

Proponent Contact Information
Nature Trust of British Columbia

Victoria
British Columbia

Canada

Mackenzie Gas Pipeline Monitoring Portal

2010-06-02 13:28:01

Project Description:

Mackenzie Gas Pipeline Monitoring Portal

The Mackenzie Gas Project (MGP) Monitoring Portal provides a web-based document and location-based ("geospatial") data-discovery tool that enable users to access and share data associated with environmental monitoring of the Mackenzie Gas Project.

The MGP Monitoring Portal is vital to managing the vast amount of data that the MGP has and will generate. Effective storage and online dissemination of the collected data improves the ability of stakeholders to monitor the environmental effects of the MGP and undertake appropriate management actions. By gaining easy access to this data, stakeholders are better equipped to manage both the MGP and future Northwest Territories projects.

Users of the MGP Monitoring Portal include government departments, regulators, Aboriginal organizations, co-management planning boards and communities, MGP project proponents, and future developers.

The MGP Monitoring Portal improves decision making by:

Assisting users to conduct environmental assessments and regulatory reviews in the MGP and future Mackenzie Valley projects;

Helping users better predict cumulative environmental impacts; and

Meeting legislative and land-claim agreement requirements.

The project uses Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) standards and services wherever possible. The CGDI enables Canadians to share, access, use, and combine geospatial information over the Internet.

GeoConnections supports two priority areas of the environment and sustainable development community: Integrated Landscape Management and Environmental Assessment. With GeoConnection's support, planning authorities, regulatory boards, and environmental assessment agencies are using geospatial tools, technologies, and data more effectively than ever before. These entities are also developing standards and best practices that are assisting users to better manage Canada's lands, watersheds, and oceans. This project contributes to the Environmental Assessment priority issue.

Primary Partner: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Yellowknife, Northwest Territories;

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tony Turner
Year project is completed:
Region: North
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $459,507.35

Proponent Contact Information
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC)
P.O. Box 1500
Yellowknife
Northwest Territories
X1A 2R3
Canada

Defining the Strategic and Business Plans for the Use of the CGDI in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, DFO Science Sector

2010-06-02 13:24:53

Project Description:

Defining the Strategic and Business Plans for the Use of the CGDI in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, DFO Science Sector

This project will deliver national strategic and business plans for the Departement of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Science to undertake the second phase of a project to implement interoperable geospatial services for the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI).

In the project's first phase, DFO Science introduced the DFO GeoPortal. The second phase will enable DFO Science to target clients that could use the CGDI to share geospatial information and enable them to make better decisions.

Specifically, DFO will develop a strategy to quickly and effectively integrate and use geospatial data from various internal and external sources. The strategy will address both operational and research requirements of DFO Science users as well as external stakeholders.

This strategy is necessary because DFO Science depends on the scope and quality of its information. The organization also depends on the ease of finding, accessing, analyzing, and integrating that information.

Based on interviews and workshops, this project will develop the strategy and business plans needed to bring all of DFO Science's geospatial data and related services into the environment endorsed by GeoConnections for CGDI. The project is expected to benefit marine planners and operators, university scientists, inspectors, international oceanographic organizations and biological communities, and environmental assessors.

Primary Partner: Ocean Science and Canadian Hydrographic Service Science, Fisheries and Oceans Canada Ottawa, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $82,850.00

Proponent Contact Information
Ocean Science and Canadian Hydrographic Service Science
200 Kent Sreet, 12W083
Ottawa
Ontario
K1A 0E6
Canada

Online Archaeological Data Project

2010-06-02 13:20:52

Project Description:

Online Archaeological Data Project

This project will create an application to allow the Ministry of Culture for Ontario to manage archaeological data generated and employed by end-users. The project will enable the Ministry to do the following:

Collect and distribute archaeological data efficiently among end-users over the Internet

Improve the accuracy and accessibility of this data, which is used in integrated land management

Conserve archaeological resources potentially threatened by development

Managing archaeological data involves thousands of interactions each year taking place between the Ontario Ministry of Culture and nearly 250 archaeologists. Today, these interactions are recorded in hard-copy forms, maps, and reports submitted by fax or mail. The Ministry manually enters this information in databases, and processes data requests by hand.

The Online Archaeological Data Project will develop a web-based application accessible through the Ontario Heritage Portal which will improve the accuracy and accessibility of archaeological data in Ontario. The application will be used by the Ontario Ministry of Culture and archaeological consultants and researchers, municipal, provincial, and federal planning authorities, First Nations, property owners and development proponents, and other stakeholders. The application will also create a model that other jurisdictions can share, even when dealing with other types of heritage data.

This project will employ Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) standards and Web-mapping services. CGDI data and technology enable decision-makers to integrate data from many sources. The CGDI therefore helps to develop models and visualize situations, providing valuable insights into social, environmental, and economic issues.

Primary Partner: Heritage Operations Unit, Programs & Services Branch Toronto, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $4,095,057.50

Proponent Contact Information
Heritage Operations Unit, Programs & Services Branch, Ontario Ministry of Culture
4th floor, 400 University Avenue
Toronto
Ontario
M7A 2R9
Canada

Lake Modelling for Sound Development of the Territory

2010-06-02 13:18:43

Project Description:

Lake Modelling for Sound Development of the Territory

This project is aimed at characterizing, classifying and attributing sensitivity indices to all lakes over 1 hectare (approximately 1,125 out of 3,008 in total) in the Regional county municipality (RCM) of Collines-de-l'Outaouais.

Cottages and agricultural and forestry activities exert pressure on the lakes and streams, especially with regard to nutrient enrichment and soil erosion. Modelling will make a number of indicators available, including exceeded acceptable pollution thresholds and a sensitivity index, using a lake-by-lake approach. This information will allow the municipalities concerned, the Federation of Lakes of Val-des-Monts, the various lake associations and several regional organizations to make informed decisions to ensure development that respects the territory's carrying capacity. The application developed under this project will be available on the Internet, and will allow users to consult information gathered by means of theme maps of the territory.

Location-based or "geospatial" data will be described by metadata to make them easier to catalogue and to find on the GeoConnections Discovery Portal. The specification used will be based on international Web interface specifications developed mainly by the Open Geospatial Consortium and endorsed by GeoConnections for the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI). The Web Map Service (WMS) of the Atlas of Canada and the Meteorological Service of Canada will also be used to integrate the data.

Primary Partner: Federation of Lakes of Val-des-Monts Gatineau, Quebec;

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: Quebec
Sector: Municipal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $170,229.42

Proponent Contact Information
FÃ©dÃ©ration des lacs de Val-des-Monts
29 rue Boucherville, app.5
Gatineau
Quebec
J9A 1J6
Canada

Development of a open Web-based geomatics infrastructure for use in public security

2010-06-02 13:16:50

Project Description:

Development of a open Web-based geomatics infrastructure for use in public security

The project objective is to develop a secure geomatics infrastructure, for public use, composed of interoperable geomatics Web tools and services that will assist decision making during emergencies and major crises. The services and tools will be integrated into the GOcité software package in place in a number of cities in Quebec. The infrastructure will facilitate information exchange between the various levels of government and stakeholders who must collaborate during events and disasters. To facilitate implementation and portability, the proposed infrastructure will be based on the standards of the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure, World Wide Web Consortium, Open Geospatial Consortium, National Information Standards Organization of the American National Standards Institute and Technical Committee 211 of the International Standards Organization.

With the assistance of user partners, the development team will first review needs, then construct a detailed architecture and develop infrastructure services and tools. Once services have been developed, user partners will be able to test the infrastructure in order to adapt it to their needs as much as possible.

The result of the project will be a Web-based infrastructure that allows rapid real-time dissemination of critical information during emergency response. In addition, the infrastructure will allow this geospatial information to be disseminated to portable devices such as Pocket PCs, BlackBerrys, etc.

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: QuÃ©bec
Sector: Municipal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $399,539.74

Proponent Contact Information
Ville de Sherbrooke
555, rue des Grandes-Fourches Sud
Sherbrooke
QuÃ©bec
J1H 5H9
Canada

Enhancing CGDI-compliant Integrated Web GIS Capacity across the Canadian Network for Public Health Intelligence: Supporting Zoonotic Disease Surveillance in Canada

2010-06-02 13:15:01

Project Description:

Enhancing CGDI-compliant Integrated Web GIS Capacity across the Canadian Network for Public Health Intelligence: Supporting Zoonotic Disease Surveillance in Canada

This project will enable Canadian public health officials to use a web-based mapping application to identify the spread of zoonotic diseases, to issue prompt alerts, and to coordinate responses. Zoonotic diseases are caused by pathogens that infect animals and are also transmittable to humans. For example, Lyme disease, hantavirus, West Nile virus, and avian influenza all fall into this category.

The web-mapping application will capitalize on data in the Canadian Network for Public Health Intelligence (CNPHI), a national information system for infectious-disease management in Canada. Providing tools for visualizing, exploring, and understanding zoonotic disease data, this project will enable public health officials to use spatial analysis to quickly identify regions afflicted with zoonotic diseases and to respond promptly.

The project will also embed geographic information systems (GIS) applications within the CNPHI interface and ensure that these applications comply with Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) standards. Embedding applications firmly within the CNPHI is essential both to maintaining consistent, accurate, and up-to-date maps and data and to making this information accessible to those who need it for decision making. Complying fully with CGDI standards and practices, the system will integrate Web Mapping Service (WMS) and metadata and will leverage a number of CGDI-compliant WMS data sources.

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $246,306.59

Proponent Contact Information
Public Health Agency of Canada
Unit 120,255 Woodlawn Road West
Guelph
Ontario
N1H 8J1
Canada

Development of a Web-based Secure Interface for Sequential Mapping and Spatial Exploration of Surveillance Data

2010-06-02 11:34:21

Project Description:

Development of a Web-based Secure Interface for Sequential Mapping and Spatial Exploration of Surveillance Data

This project will develop a secure Web application that will enable health officials to explore and describe health surveillance data from various public health organizations. Users will be equipped to quickly recognize possible disease clusters and health trends either locally or regionally. The Public Health Agency of Canada will manage this new capacity under a broader plan to provide public health organizations with the tools, expertise, and infrastructure to support surveillance, research and risk analysis.

The Web application will assist in the repetitive task of assessing point-pattern distributions of health events from surveillance databases. There is currently no cost-effective solution for providing this type of spatial-temporal data analysis tool to all public health and health surveillance professionals in Canada. This project will address this shortcoming by making use of valid, standardized, and updated spatial and demographic information available through the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) and its many contributors. The ability to analyze surveillance data using credible and valid methods will help and encourage end-users to share information with collaborators. This information exchange will promote the growth and enrichment of the CGDI in the public health sector. This capacity would otherwise be unavailable or unaffordable for many public health practitioners, especially those in remote or rural areas.

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: Quebec
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $380,575.00

Proponent Contact Information
Public Health Agency of Canada
3200 Sicotte
St-Hyacinthe
Quebec
J2S 7C6
Canada

2010-06-02 08:19:14

Project Description:

Primary Thematic Area: Common
GeoConnections Project Authority: Rhian Evans
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $3,332,636.69

Proponent Contact Information
Natural Resources Canada - DMDB
615 Booth St
Ottawa
Ontario
K1A 0E9
Canada

Mapping of Air Quality Health Index and Associated Health Risk Factors in Ontario

2010-06-01 16:43:49

Project Description:

Mapping of Air Quality Health Index and Associated Health Risk Factors in Ontario

This project will develop a system capable of generating spatial representations of the new Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) for the province of Ontario.

In cooperation with Environment Canada, provincial and municipal governments as well as non-governmental organizations, Health Canada has developed, a new Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) designed to gauge the affect of ambient air pollution on Canadians. The intended AQHI mapping will cover all Ontario municipalities affected by higher levels of industrial and transportation air pollution.

The AQHI will be of great value to population health authorities at the national, provincial, and municipal levels across Canada in communicating the potential health impact of air pollution and of poor air quality days. It will also assist Canadians in making personal lifestyle decisions on how to respond to episodes of elevated air pollution.

The ability to spatially and temporally visualize the AQHI will assist people in making personal lifestyle decisions to protect their health from adverse effects related to exposure to air pollution.

This project will build on the results of the recently completed User Needs Assessment, and will inform the design specifications for this system.

This project will utilise the standardized Web-based mapping and publishing methodologies supported by the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) to assure effective dissemination of the information to users.

This project was funded under the Population Health Surveillance Public Health community priority area of focus.

Primary Partner: University of Ottawa Ottawa, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tim West
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Academic
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $340,000.00

Proponent Contact Information
University of Ottawa
1 Stewart Street, Suite 318
Ottawa
Ontario
K1N 6K9
Canada

Infectious Disease Simulation Tool - A Geospatial Decision Support System

2010-06-01 16:43:22

Project Description:

Infectious Disease Simulation Tool - A Geospatial Decision Support System

The project is to develop an Infectious Disease Simulation Tool at Peel Public Health, which will help create a more effective local infectious disease outbreak planning process, by allowing decision makers to visualize the dynamics of the outbreak over time and space, to simulate readiness and response, evaluate response times, quantify the costs (human and dollar), and ultimately contrast the outcomes of different public health intervention strategies.

Currently, public health units across Ontario are linked for case management and outbreak management using Integrated Public Health Information System or iPHIS. This system does not have the ability to analyze data the way the proposed new product would predict and plan effectively, within public health and the community.

This outbreak simulation tool will allow health organizations to delve more deeply into current and future scenarios, as well as provide organizations with the ability to quantify these scenarios. Being able to model and visualize a range of simulations will lead to more informed decision making, and ultimately, better decisions for a more prepared community, and a safer public.

The tool will be built using Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) data and services and be compatible with open standards such as Web Mapping Service (WMS).

Primary Partner: Regional Municipality of Peel - Peel Public Health Brampton, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tim West
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Municipal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $347,505.00

Proponent Contact Information
Region of Peel
3515 Wolfedale Road
Mississauga
Ontario
L5C 1V8
Canada

Integrated Landscape Management to Sustain and Enhance our Natural Infrastructure

2010-06-01 16:42:44

Project Description:

Integrated Landscape Management to Sustain and Enhance our Natural Infrastructure

This project will help local municipalities and community leaders foster more strategic approaches to stewardship and natural heritage protection across Eastern Ontario. The project is intended to encourage community stakeholders -both government and non-government - to develop a common vision for a future landscape.

Specifically, the project will contribute to preserving the ecological integrity of the Eastern Ontario landscape by generating a decision-support system. This system will allow planning authorities, interest groups, provincial government ministries, and municipal councils and staff at the township and county levels to test proposed developments against sustainability scenarios.

The project will develop natural heritage mapping and modeling to show what the landscape will have to look like to deliver specific ecological goods and services (e.g., clean air and abundant fresh water) identified by local communities. Incorporating ecological goods and services concepts into the modeling process will improve awareness of the benefits (economic and otherwise) of natural areas to society and will increase support for stewardship and natural heritage protection.

Standards endorsed for the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) such as Web Map Service and Web Feature Service will be used to share the final natural heritage systems map(s) developed through the project. Eastern Ontario will benefit as stakeholders will be able to adopt more strategic approaches to stewardship and natural heritage protection.

Primary Partner: Parks Canada - St. Lawrence Islands National Park Mallorytown, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tim West
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $515,150.00

Proponent Contact Information
St. Lawrence Islands National Park, Parks Canada
2 County Rd. 5
Mallorytown
Ontario
K0E 1R0
Canada

Technical Support for the Integrated Land Management Network

2010-06-01 16:41:31

Project Description:

Technical Support for the Integrated Land Management Network

This project will provide technical support to the Integrated Land Management (ILM) network, a national network of ILM practioners. Specifically, the project will assist GeoConnections and the ILM Secretariat to develop a detailed ILM network research and work plan. This network is intended to help land-use planning organizations, regulatory authorities, and environmental assessment practitioners better coordinate how they manage ecosystems and regional planning in Canada.

A more coordinated management approach will improve decision making, cut costs, and ultimately benefit Canada's environment and its citizens. This approach will capitalize on Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) technologies, data, standards, and policies. The CGDI supports better decisions by providing better data.

To fulfill its expected roles, the project proponent, the International Institute for Sustainable Development, will do the following:

Produce a paper on best practices in integrated land management and modelling;

Prepare a strategic document that will provide structure to the ILM network;

Plan and facilitate three network-development workshops;

Produce guidance documents and deliver capacity-building modules;

Assist the ILM Secretariat to report on, review, and analyze the performance of pilot projects, as well as the network; and

Participate in the ILM network steering committee as a non-voting member.

GeoConnections supports two priority areas of the environment and sustainable development community: Integrated Landscape Management and Environmental Assessment. With GeoConnections' support, planning authorities, regulatory boards, and environmental assessment agencies are using geospatial tools, technologies and data more effectively than ever before. These entities are also developing standards and best practices that assist users to better manage Canada's lands, watersheds, and oceans.

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tim West
Year project is completed:
Region: Prairies
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $567,744.00

Proponent Contact Information
International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
161 Portage Avenue East, 6th Floor
Winnipeg
Manitoba
R3B 0Y4
Canada

Improving Human Health Risk Assessments using CGDI Endorsed Geospatial Technologies

2010-06-01 16:41:06

Project Description:

Improving Human Health Risk Assessments using CGDI Endorsed Geospatial Technologies

The goal of this project is to expand the use of geospatial tools to help human-health risk assessors evaluate thousands of contaminated or potentially contaminated sites in Canada and to follow up on their remediation.

To accomplish this goal, the project will develop plans for using geomatics to improve the accuracy and efficiency of risk assessments. The plans will also be used to enhance access to information that supports evaluating human health risk near contaminated sites. In particular, the latter could allow assessors to respond more quickly to human health abnormalities noted during evaluations.

Health Canada requires a strategic plan for integrating and disseminating location-based data and knowledge. The organization also needs to build geographic information systems (GIS) knowledge and capacity for risk assessors and their information providers. To date, these skill sets are limited and underutilized.

In addressing these limitations, the project will expand the understanding of the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) among project partners. Specifically, the project will help educate human-health risk assessors and the surveillance community on the importance and benefits of adopting geospatial standards. This understanding, combined with the introduction of spatial tools, will greatly improve contaminated-site assessments in Canada by enhancing information access, sharing, and analysis.

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tim West
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $105,768.00

Proponent Contact Information
Health Canada
50 Columbine Driveway
Ottawa
Ontario
K1A 0K9
Canada

Geospatial Decision Support System for Extreme Heat and Urban Heat Island Effect in the Greater Toronto Area

2010-06-01 16:39:07

Project Description:

Geospatial Decision Support System for Extreme Heat and Urban Heat Island Effect in the Greater Toronto Area

The Clean Air Partnership (CAP) develops and delivers community-based strategies to reduce energy use and clean the air as part of an effort to achieve healthy and sustainable local communities. A key component of this work involves highlighting the importance of climate change impacts and adaptations. A priority of CAP is to facilitate collective, institutional and individual action through partnership.

This project will develop an online mapping tool that will help municipal staff make decisions on how to respond to urban heat, and how to communicate information about heat to the public.

This decision support system will:

assess vulnerability to heat of both people and places in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA),

examine the relationship between 'hotspots' and other variables, and

support heat-related communications activities

The products generated by the system will include reports on correlations between vulnerable populations and 'hotspots'. The system would be used by public health units to recognize areas that may require cooling centres or additional attention during a heat event. It would also support decision making in allocating public health nurses, activating networks that supply water, provide warnings to nursing homes (especially those without air conditioning), check on street people and other services.

The tool will be developed using Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) standards and concepts and will allow users to view physical, environmental and demographic data from the GTA, including satellite thermal images. Data will be shared between partners, including municipalities, provincial agencies (such as Land Information Ontario) and the federal government.

Primary Partner: Clean Air Partnership Toronto, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tim West
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $305,106.00

Proponent Contact Information
Clean Air Partnership
75 Elizabeth Street
Toronto
Ontario
M5G 1P4
Canada

National Coverage of Sea-Surface Temperature Fields

2010-06-01 09:01:21

Project Description:

National Coverage of Sea-Surface Temperature Fields

This project will offer data on sea surface temperatures obtained through remote sensing using a Web map server (WMS) as well as national coverage of all Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic coastal waters and Canadian inland lakes.

The current series of images from the NOAA-19 AVHRR sensors is nearing an end, but these sensors will be maintained on the European polar-orbiting operational meteorology satellites (MetOp), which will supply basic data for the next fifteen years. Presently, Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO) Maurice Lamontagne Institute remote sensing laboratory posts sea-surface temperature maps through the St. Lawrence Observatory Web portal (www.osl.gc.ca). This information, presented as images in JPG format, is easily downloadable, but cannot be incorporated into a spatial reference system. Using the Web, mapping applications will have access to authoritative data from the most appropriate source.

At the national level, the increased availability of ocean temperature data in a format that is compatible with interoperable applications will allow DFO to integrate this information into management and decision-making systems. The adoption of Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) standards and specifications will make it easier for managers in the areas of environment and public safety to access data of relevance to them, giving them an additional layer of information to use in decision making.
Since an operational structure is already in place, the project will essentially allow DFO to better serve its users by offering them a new way of sharing existing data. To that end, new metadata will be accessible through the CGDI.

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Denis Poliquin
Year project is completed:
Region: Quebec
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $65,590.00

Proponent Contact Information
Institut Maurice-Lamontagne
850 rue de la Mer
Mont-Joli
QuÃ©bec
G5H 3Z4
Canada

Yukon Land-use Planning Atlas

2010-06-01 08:58:35

Project Description:

Yukon Land-use Planning Atlas

This project will create a land-use planning atlas that will enable the Yukon Regional Land Use Planning commissions and their stakeholders to integrate, analyze, and capitalize on land-use planning data.

Under the Umbrella Final Agreement for the Yukon, regional land-use planning commissions develop land-use plans for the Government of Canada, the Government of Yukon, and the affected First Nation(s). Consequently, the commissions collect a large amount of primary and secondary data. The challenge is to make this information easily accessible to the large number of governments and stakeholders that require it. Although the commissions create and distribute both hardcopy and digital maps and reports, these products are static and do not allow audiences to analyse and manipulate them further. The Yukon Land-use Planning Atlas will address this shortcoming and provide a tool for efficiently updating land-use plans.

The atlas will

help present land-use planning data consistently;

employ the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure to leverage existing data and reduce the effort required to obtain the most current data; and

provide project assessors, decision-makers, industry, and the public with information on Yukon resources and cultural assets.

Communities will also benefit by increasing their awareness of both the local environment and traditional knowledge.

Primary Thematic Area: Matters of Importance to Aboriginals
GeoConnections Project Authority: Steve McCourt
Year project is completed:
Region: North
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $50,000.00

Proponent Contact Information
Yukon Land Use Planning Council
307 Jarvis Street
Whitehorse
Yukon
Y1A 2H3
Canada

Yukon Land-use Planning Atlas

2010-06-01 08:57:35

Project Description:

Yukon Land-use Planning Atlas

This project will create a land-use planning atlas that will enable the Yukon Regional Land Use Planning commissions and their stakeholders to integrate, analyze, and capitalize on land-use planning data.

Under the Umbrella Final Agreement for the Yukon, regional land-use planning commissions develop land-use plans for the Government of Canada, the Government of Yukon, and the affected First Nation(s). Consequently, the commissions collect a large amount of primary and secondary data. The challenge is to make this information easily accessible to the large number of governments and stakeholders that require it. Although the commissions create and distribute both hardcopy and digital maps and reports, these products are static and do not allow audiences to analyse and manipulate them further. The Yukon Land-use Planning Atlas will address this shortcoming and provide a tool for efficiently updating land-use plans.

The atlas will

help present land-use planning data consistently;

employ the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure to leverage existing data and reduce the effort required to obtain the most current data; and

provide project assessors, decision-makers, industry, and the public with information on Yukon resources and cultural assets.

Communities will also benefit by increasing their awareness of both the local environment and traditional knowledge.

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Steve McCourt
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $446,856.00

Proponent Contact Information
Natural Resources Canada - DMDB
615 Booth St
Ottawa
Ontario
K1A 0E9
Canada

Mapping a brighter future: Building an Anishinabek Nation geospatial application for inclusive traditional knowledge and resource management

2010-05-18 14:40:42

Project Description:

Mapping a brighter future: Building an Anishinabek Nation geospatial application for inclusive traditional knowledge and resource management

The Union of Ontario Indians (UOI) and its partners are developing an Anishinabek Nation online information management portal. The portal will contain a web-enabled mapping application and data library using the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI).
This project will equip three groups with the necessary location-based or "geospatial" information, matched with the proper GIS functionality, to facilitate community planning; improve resource-based administrative and management routines; and integrate, protect, and promote traditional knowledge:

Anishinabek First Nation members will have user-friendly access to current resource data for their traditional territories and will be supported by the UOI in collecting and managing this data.

UOI programs and staff will have forestry and trapping information for the analysis of proposed and current land-use plans to assess their impact on program and community values.

Elders and trappers will be supported in their use of the system so that their knowledge and cultural wisdom can be shared and communicated more effectively.

This project is seen by the UOI and its partners, including the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, as an opportunity to develop a new planning framework from which to more effectively address land-based issues such as forest management, hydro development, mining, tourism, land tenure, referrals, and treaty negotiations.

Primary Thematic Area: Matters of Importance to Aboriginals
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tim West
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $251,024.00

Proponent Contact Information
Union of Ontario Indians
P. O. Box 711
North Bay
Ontario
P1B 8J8
Canada

A Tsilhqot'in Stewardship Planning Portal for land-stewardship planning

2010-05-18 14:27:00

Project Description:

A Tsilhqot'in Stewardship Planning Portal for land-stewardship planning

This project will create a portal to streamline First Nation land-stewardship planning. The portal will provide end-users with Web-based tools that simplify and accelerate exchanging location-based (“geospatial”) data, non-geospatial data, and other land-use planning information.

End-users will comprise First Nation resource managers, companies with land-use interests, and governments.

Every year, the Tsilhqot'in National Government (TNG) is asked to respond to hundreds of resource-related referrals—timber-harvesting proposals in particular. TNG also receives referrals for tourism, Crown land sales, pesticide spraying, wildlife management, archaeological impact assessments, and range use.

In addition to addressing these operational referrals, the Tsilhqot'in must engage in higher-level land and resource planning. To date, however, TNG has not had the capacity to perform high-level planning. This project is an important part of building this capacity.

The portal will combine and extend existing Web-based mapping applications that are compliant with the standards of the Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. and the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI); and allow users to upload, view, query, edit, download, and print land-use content.

With these abilities, end-users will be able to navigate areas of proposed land-use activity while relying on a mass of thematic decision-support information provided by the CGDI and other sources.

Primary Thematic Area: Matters of Importance to Aboriginals
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tim West
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Aboriginal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $196,847.00

Proponent Contact Information
Tsilhqotâ€™in National Government
383 Oliver Street
Williams Lake
British Columbia
V2G 1M4
Canada

SensorBay-Integrating and Exposing Sensor Data Through Open Standards

2010-04-30 16:48:17

Project Description:

SensorBay-Integrating and Exposing Sensor Data Through Open Standards

This project will capture data from sensors in, around, and under Placentia Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, and make this data available on the Internet.

The SensorBay project will enable anyone with a stake in the Placentia Bay region to benefit from the applications and information the sensors offer. For example, if oil spills in the bay, response personnel can use sensor data to assess in real time the spill's potential impacts on local communities and coastlines. Maintained by Compusult Limited and the Canadian Centre for Marine Communications, the SensorBay network will also provide access to real-time data about the Placentia Bay marine environment.

The SensorBay project will deliver new web services to the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) using standards-based service interfaces and formats.

In part with $150,000 in funding from GeoConnections, Compusult will host SensorBay on a dedicated server on its premises and develop a new SensorWeb module for its Web Enterprise Suite (WES) product. Adding the WES SensorWeb module to its portfolio of commercial products will enable Compusult to provide additional off-the-shelf technology for the CGDI.

Primary Thematic Area: Common
GeoConnections Project Authority: Otto Krauth
Year project is completed:
Region: Atlantic
Sector: Private Sector
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $423,000.00

Proponent Contact Information
Compusult
40 Banniester Street
Mount Pearl
Newfoundland and Labrador
A1N 1W1
Canada

Multi-Source, Multi-Standard Discovery, Access, and Updating Service (M²DAU)

2010-04-30 16:47:42

Project Description:

Multi-Source, Multi-Standard Discovery, Access, and Updating Service (M²DAU)

This project will develop an application that automatically informs registered users about data updates. The Multi-Source, Multi-Standard Discovery, Access, and Updating Service (M2DAU) will enable a Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) user to register with a data supplier and flag data of interest. The service will then notify these registered users whenever the data supplier updates the users’ data of interest.

This project is intended to ensure that CGDI data users work with up-to-date data. Candidates for this service include Parks Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, National Defence, the ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Québec, and the ministère des Transports du Québec.

Many web services face problems with performance, security, or availability. In other cases, web services data must be significantly processed before it can be used. (Web services provide data to web applications, and the services employ a programming interface, not a user interface; in other words, the services run in the background and involve machine-to-machine communications.) Web service users must therefore often access data locally. This compromise can mean that web service users may be working with out-of-date data.
The M2DAU application will improve the efficiency and applicability of the CGDI to Canadians.

Primary Thematic Area: Common
GeoConnections Project Authority: Otto Krauth
Year project is completed:
Region: Quebec
Sector: Private Sector
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $475,879.00

Proponent Contact Information
IntÃ©lec GÃ©omatique
696, avenue Ste-Croix
Saint-Laurent
Quebec
H4L 3Y2
Canada

Providing Online Data Access To Help Meet the Land and Resource Management Needs of the Nicola Tribal Association's Nlaka'pamux Communities

2010-04-08 15:17:19

Project Description:

Providing Online Data Access To Help Meet the Land and Resource Management Needs of the Nicola Tribal Association's Nlaka'pamux Communities

This project will catalogue cultural and traditional location-based ("geospatial") information from communities into logical data sets and merge them into one database. By streamlining access to this data, the database will assist communities in managing and sustaining resources. The project will also promote new levels of resource stewardship and management by:

ensuring that data used in resource planning reflects cultural, traditional, and ecological resource interests; and

linking with other existing geospatial data developed by provincial and federal agencies.

This project will connect data to the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) in accordance with CGDI-endorsed standards, enabling approved users from across Canada to access the resource-planning information.

Primary Thematic Area: Matters of Importance to Aboriginals
GeoConnections Project Authority: Rhian Evans
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Aboriginal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $142,150.00

Proponent Contact Information
Nicola Tribal Association
# 104 Â– 2090 Coutlee Avenue
Merritt
British Columbia
V1K 1B8
Canada

Delivering Data for Yukon's Corporate Spatial Warehouse (CSW)

2010-04-08 14:01:23

Project Description:

Delivering Data for Yukon's Corporate Spatial Warehouse (CSW)

Three departments in the Yukon Government will publish location-based ("geospatial") information in 46 data layers through the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure, where it will be publicly accessible over the Internet. The data will be housed by the Corporate Spatial Warehouse (CSW), which hosts Yukon Government geospatial information.

Government employees and private-sector clients will be able to use the CSW web portal to make faster and more effective decisions. For example, analysis tools in the CSW will enable decision-makers to generate consistent reports and inform stakeholders about land, resource, and environmental activities on Crown and private land within the Yukon Territory. The CSW will also deliver a single access window to the Yukon Government's and other collaborating agencies' geospatial data, thereby eliminating duplicate services, redundant data sources, and inconsistent data presentation.

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Rhian Evans
Year project is completed:
Region: North
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $141,200.00

Proponent Contact Information
Information & Communication Technology, Department of Highways and Public Works
PO Box 2703
Whitehorse
Yukon
Y1A 2C6
Canada

Plan for the Standardization of Five Layers of GeoBase Framework Data

2010-03-31 08:24:07

Project Description:

Plan for the Standardization of Five Layers of GeoBase Framework Data

This project will update and harmonize five existing GeoBase data set standards with those set by the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB). This process will help GeoBase meet its primary goal, which is to provide quality geospatial framework data for all of Canada.

Initiated by the Canadian Council on Geomatics, this project will provide several advantages:

GeoBase standards will benefit from longevity and national recognition.

Federal agencies will save money and avoid duplication.

Broader scrutiny will improve the standards' quality and functionality.

Standards will help developers create solutions that offer economic, environmental, and social benefits.

New standards will be compatible with the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI). CGDI data and technology enable decision-makers to integrate data from many sources, and to visually display data for analysis providing valuable information about social, environmental, and economic issues.

The following five GeoBase layers are included in this standardization effort:

National Road Network 1.0

Landsat 7 Orthoimagery

Canadian Geographical Names

Canadian Geopolitical Boundaries

Canadian Digital Elevation Model

This project will ensure that these GeoBase layers meet the following CGSB criteria for national standards:

Developed by consensus of a balanced committee of stakeholders

Subjected to public scrutiny

Published in both official languages

Consistent with, or incorporate international and pertinent foreign standards

Not a barrier to trade

Primary Partner: IDON Technologies Inc. Ottawa, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Common
GeoConnections Project Authority: Rhian Evans
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Private Sector
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $23,731.20

Proponent Contact Information
IDON Technologies Inc.
1430 Prince of Wales Dr, # 38038
Ottawa, ON
Ontario
K2C 1N0
Canada

Protective Response Interactive Services Management GIS (PRISM)

2010-02-22 14:00:50

Project Description:

Protective Response Interactive Services Management GIS (PRISM)

This project will enhance the Protective Response Interactive Services Management (PRISM) application operated by the City of Quinte West in Ontario. This enhanced application will better enable emergency responders to easily communicate and collaborate with staff in the field, other emergency organizations, and the public.

The project will provide emergency personnel with a near real-time collaborative view of City events. Employing interactive map sketching, the application will assist users to communicate information such as accident sites, evacuation routes, road closures, staging areas, helicopter landing sites, and triage areas.

The project will enable users to generate regional maps that incorporate live weather radar feeds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and from, Environment Canada's weather information, Land Information Ontario's Road Network, and Emergency Management Ontario's Emergency Visualization application. As well, the project will integrate location-based ("geospatial") information with a telephone emergency notification system to inform the public.

These enhancements will not only benefit the numerous agencies involved in emergency response but will also benefit the citizens of the City of Quinte West will also gain by increased ability of these organization to coordinate and respond to emergencies.

This project will capitalize on a number of Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) elements including data access and standards, such as Web Map Service (WMS) and GeoRSS.

Primary Partner: City of Quinte West Trenton, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Philip Dawe
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Municipal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $116,100.00

Proponent Contact Information
City of Qunite West
7 Creswell Dr, PO Box 490
Trenton
Ontario
K8V 5R6
Canada

OGC Web Services, Phase 6 (OWS-6)

2010-02-19 09:24:48

Project Description:

OGC Web Services, Phase 6 (OWS-6)

Organized by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Interoperability Program, the OGC Web Services (OWS) project is a test bed that will use prototyping and technology interoperability experiments to develop, test, validate, report on, and implement OGC standards.

For example, this project will contribute to establishing an internationally recognized standard way to portray and exchange 3D city information. A lack of such geospatial standards can make sharing data and integrating applications extremely difficult, if not impossible. Establishing standards for 3D city information will help emergency response organizations coordinate their planning and responses more effectively than they can today.

GeoConnections is one of 10 organizations sponsoring OWS-6, the sixth iteration of OGC's test-beds. The OWS-6 sponsors are seeking open standards for specific interoperability requirements. OGC therefore recommended that OWS-6 concentrate on the following threads:

Sensor Web Enablement (SWE)

Geo Processing Workflow (GPW)

Aeronautical Information Management (AIM)

Decision Support Services (DSS)

Compliance Testing (CITE)

GeoConnections will provide funding to support the Decision Support Services (DSS) thread of OWS-6 and an integrated demonstration.

The Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure stands to gain by adopting the public standards that the OWS-6 test bed generates.

For more information...

Primary Partner: Open Geospatial Consortium

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Peter Rushforth
Year project is completed:
Region: International
Sector: International
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $2,006,000.00

Proponent Contact Information
Open Geospatial Consortium Inc.
35 Main Street
Wayland
MA
01778-5037
United States

CGDI Interoperability Pilot Project

2010-02-18 11:23:02

Project Description:

CGDI Interoperability Pilot Project

GeoConnections, the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), and their federal and provincial partners are testing mechanisms for distributing and updating framework data. As a key resource for all Canadians, GeoBase framework data is a particular priority for GeoConnections. The objective of this project is to evolve the GeoBase portal so that it operates in a more distributed fashion and to make maintenance transactions more efficient.

Users of GeoBase data require access to authoritative location-based (“geospatial”) information directly from its source, to be able to make effective decisions in a timely manner. In this project, all of the provincial and federal partners will implement the OGC Web Feature Service (WFS) standard endorsed for the CGDI. Using this nationally endorsed specification will enable the partners to exchange and interact with geospatial information on the web, demonstrating its capabilities.The WFS will enable users to access the most current and authoritative data, avoiding version disparities, and minimizing duplication. And, by keeping data closest to its source, data providers can maintain control over their data while making it accessible to users.

This project focuses on three key GeoBase layers:

geographic names

the national road network

Canada's administrative boundaries

Primary Partner: Open Geospatial Consortium

Primary Thematic Area: Common
GeoConnections Project Authority: Mohamed Habbane
Year project is completed:
Region: Quebec
Sector: Private Sector
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $484,000.00

Proponent Contact Information
CubeWerx Inc
15 Gamelin Street, Suite 506
Hull
Quebec
J8Y 6N5
Canada

CGDI Interoperability Pilot Project

2010-02-18 11:19:48

Project Description:

CGDI Interoperability Pilot Project

GeoConnections, the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), and their federal and provincial partners are testing mechanisms for distributing and updating framework data. As a key resource for all Canadians, GeoBase framework data is a particular priority for GeoConnections. The objective of this project is to evolve the GeoBase portal so that it operates in a more distributed fashion and to make maintenance transactions more efficient.

Users of GeoBase data require access to authoritative location-based (“geospatial”) information directly from its source, to be able to make effective decisions in a timely manner. In this project, all of the provincial and federal partners will implement the OGC Web Feature Service (WFS) standard endorsed for the CGDI. Using this nationally endorsed specification will enable the partners to exchange and interact with geospatial information on the web, demonstrating its capabilities.The WFS will enable users to access the most current and authoritative data, avoiding version disparities, and minimizing duplication. And, by keeping data closest to its source, data providers can maintain control over their data while making it accessible to users.

This project focuses on three key GeoBase layers:

geographic names

the national road network

Canada's administrative boundaries

Primary Partner: Open Geospatial Consortium

Primary Thematic Area: Common
GeoConnections Project Authority: Mohamed Habbane
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Private Sector
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $140,000.00

Proponent Contact Information
Galdos Systems Inc.
Suite 1300, 409 Granville Street
Vancouver
British Columbia
V6C 1T2
Canada

CGDI Interoperability Pilot Project

2010-02-18 11:13:14

Project Description:

CGDI Interoperability Pilot Project

GeoConnections, the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), and their federal and provincial partners are testing mechanisms for distributing and updating framework data. As a key resource for all Canadians, GeoBase framework data is a particular priority for GeoConnections. The objective of this project is to evolve the GeoBase portal so that it operates in a more distributed fashion and to make maintenance transactions more efficient.

Users of GeoBase data require access to authoritative location-based (“geospatial”) information directly from its source, to be able to make effective decisions in a timely manner. In this project, all of the provincial and federal partners will implement the OGC Web Feature Service (WFS) standard endorsed for the CGDI. Using this nationally endorsed specification will enable the partners to exchange and interact with geospatial information on the web, demonstrating its capabilities.The WFS will enable users to access the most current and authoritative data, avoiding version disparities, and minimizing duplication. And, by keeping data closest to its source, data providers can maintain control over their data while making it accessible to users.

This project focuses on three key GeoBase layers:

geographic names

the national road network

Canada's administrative boundaries

Primary Partner: Open Geospatial Consortium

Primary Thematic Area: Common
GeoConnections Project Authority: Otto Krauth
Year project is completed:
Region: International
Sector: Private Sector
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $207,286.00

Proponent Contact Information
Lisasoft
Suite 112 The Lower Deck Jones Bay Wharf
Pyrmont New South Wales
New South Wales
2009
Australia

Six Geomatics Learning Sessions Planned for Community Organizations in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence

2010-01-12 14:31:23

Project Description:

Six Geomatics Learning Sessions Planned for Community Organizations in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence

This project will train 54 environmental community organizations on how to use the new online regional sustainability atlas of the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability (Coalition-SGSL). The Coalition-SGSL works to keep the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence ecosystem healthy.

The Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence is an important ecological, economic, and socio-cultural region. Gulf coast communities depend on its resources for income and quality of life.

Today however, Coalition members have difficulty sharing data about the Gulf. This difficulty complicates managing the Gulf ecosystem in an integrated way. To address these difficulties, the project will provide training throughout the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. The training will cover such topics as:

Understanding how and why geomatics can improve decision making and collaboration

Using the online regional sustainability atlas to access data, insert data, and overlay data sources for comparisons

Searching and accessing data from the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) Discovery Portal

The training offered under this project will enable Coalition members to use the online regional sustainability atlas and other geomatics tools to plan land use, conserve wildlife habitats, and sustain development more effectively than they can now.

Primary Partner: Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability Moncton, New Brunswick,

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: Atlantic
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $66,710.00

Proponent Contact Information
Southern Gulf of St.Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability
057 Pavillon P.A. Landry,
Moncton
New Brunswick
E1A 3E9
Canada

Mapping the Relationships between Neighborhoods, Poverty and Population Health

2009-12-16 13:23:53

Project Description:

Mapping the Relationships between Neighborhoods, Poverty and Population Health

This project will develop plans to create atlases that map the relationships between community infrastructure, poverty, and population health on behalf of the Community Social Data Strategy (CSDS) network. Led by the Canadian Council on Social Development, this network represents more than 50 Canadian municipalities, as well as local social planning networks, health and family service agencies, school boards, United Way branches, and police services.

Many Canadian researchers and planners are developing neighbourhood health, income, and poverty profiles. However, much of their knowledge goes unused or underused. This poverty atlas project will ensure that community level poverty and health indicator data is easily accessible to web-based geomatics mapping applications while insuring that individuals' privacy is respected.

By mapping location-based or "geospatial" data from distributed sources, the atlases will be used by CSDS network members to identify disparities in income, health, and poverty concentration-keys to developing effective social policies. The atlases may also be used to monitor, compare, and evaluate strategic interventions.

To be published on the web, the atlases' data sets will comply with Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) standards such as Web Map Service. The project will increase the supply of community-scale social data and strive to make this data publicly accessible. These achievements would be important first steps in building a social data inventory and archive portal.

Primary Partner: Canadian Council on Social Development Ottawa, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Municipal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $101,495.00

Proponent Contact Information
Canadian Council on Social Development
190 O'Connor St, suite 100
Ottawa
Ontario
K2( 2R3
Canada

GeoBase Municipal Boundaries Data Design

2009-12-02 09:57:06

Project Description:

GeoBase Municipal Boundaries Data Design

In response to the need for nationwide, authoritative location-based information about municipal boundaries, GeoConnections is contributing to the development of a national data model and associated standards. The resulting data model will enable the development of a new GeoBase data layer for Canada's municipal boundaries - including incorporated cities, towns and villages, townships, and First Nations reserves, along with their key attributes.

This project represents the second phase of the Canadian Council on Geomatics (CCOG) initiative to improve access to municipal boundary data across Canada. Compatible with the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI), the new data model will leverage the information framework captured in the GeoBase Municipal Boundaries Data Project initiated in 2007 by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR).

The current project involves soliciting advice from stakeholders, developing use cases for applications, creating the data model with associated standards, testing the model, and conducting information sessions for stakeholders.

Improved access to municipal boundary information will help users to better plan developments, conduct environmental assessments, and coordinate emergency responses, among other applications.

Primary Thematic Area: Common
GeoConnections Project Authority: Cindy Mitchell
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Private Sector
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $60,620.00

Proponent Contact Information
Refractions Research
Suite 300 - 1207 Douglas Street
Victoria
British Columbia
V8W 2E7
Canada

2009-11-26 09:35:23

Project Description:

Primary Thematic Area: Matters of Importance to Aboriginals
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tim West
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Aboriginal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $101,350.00

Proponent Contact Information
First Nations Summit Society
1200-100 Park Royal South
West Vancouver
British Columbia
V72 1A2
Canada

2009-11-26 09:34:36

Project Description:

Primary Thematic Area: Matters of Importance to Aboriginals
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tim West
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Aboriginal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $222,750.00

Proponent Contact Information
First Nations Technology Council
1200-100 Park Royal South
West Vancouver
BC
V7T 1A2
Canada

GeoBase National Road Network NRNv1 Provincial/Territorial Maintenance Pact

2009-11-17 11:50:24

Project Description:

GeoBase National Road Network NRNv1 Provincial/Territorial Maintenance Pact

Under this project, GeoConnections is contributing to the maintenance of the GeoBase National Road Network (NRNv1) data. This funding will be used by participating provinces and territories to keep their respective road network data current and accurate, and to provide regular updates to the GeoBase NRN. The Earth Sciences Sector Contribution to the GeoBase Initiative program of Natural Resources Canada will distribute funding to the provinces and territories participating in the Maintenance Pact.

This data describes a number of roadway features including type of road surface, number of lanes, name of highway, and the like.

A current, accurate NRNv1 serves many stakeholders, such as those involved with national defence, statistics, elections, housing, postal service, agriculture, public works, natural resources, policing, and public safety. To date, users have downloaded more than 30,000 NRNv1 datasets (each datasets represents a provincial road network.) The NRNv1 is available for free through the GeoBase Portal, and the network is also posted on the GeoConnections Discovery Portal.

By capitalizing on the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI), this project focuses the road network community on building one data set, collected once closest to source. This efficient approach cuts duplication and cost and helps the
road-network community work together more easily.

This maintenance pact project will help provide Canadian governments, institutions, companies, and citizens with an accurate, standardized, and up-to-date road network. This network is vital for informed decision making in many important areas that affect Canadians today.

For more information...

Primary Thematic Area: Common
GeoConnections Project Authority: Denis Poliquin
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $2,400,000.00

Proponent Contact Information
Natural Resources Canada - DMDB
615 Booth St
Ottawa
Ontario
K1A 0E9
Canada

Maintenance of the GeoBase National Road Network (NRNv1)

2009-11-13 13:31:01

Project Description:

Maintenance of the GeoBase National Road Network (NRNv1)

This project will help ensure that GeoBase National Road Network (NRNv1) data is properly updated and maintained, on schedule, by those closest to the data's source. This data describes a number of roadway features including surface type, number of lanes, highway numbers, and the like.

The project will help data custodians manage and update the NRNv1. A current, accurate NRNv1 serves many stakeholders, such as those involved with national defence, statistics, elections, housing, the postal service, agriculture, public works, natural resources, policing, and public safety.

By capitalizing on the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI), this project focuses the road network community on building one data set, collected once closest to source. This efficient approach reduces duplication and costs and helps the road-network community work together more easily.

This project will provide Canadian governments, institutions, companies, and citizens with an accurate, standardized, and up-to-date road network. This network is vital for informed decision making in many priority areas that affect Canadians today.

The NRNv1 is available for free through the GeoBase Portal, and it is also posted on the GeoConnections Discovery Portal.

Primary Thematic Area: Common
GeoConnections Project Authority: Denis Poliquin
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $934,669.00

Proponent Contact Information
Natural Resources Canada - DMDB
615 Booth St
Ottawa
Ontario
K1A 0E9
Canada

Health Geomatics Analysis Capacity for British Columbia Researchers

2009-11-02 11:53:32

Project Description:

Health Geomatics Analysis Capacity for British Columbia Researchers

This project will generate training, Internet-based best practices guides and a comprehensive inventory of public health surveillance information in British Columbia. These products will help health researchers and analysts in B.C. to spatially analyze population health data.

B.C. researchers and analysts have limited opportunities for training and professional development in advanced population health analysis and health geomatics techniques. These restrictions affect the quantity and quality of population health research, which is an area of increasing national and international importance.

The project will help address this critical research gap by increasing the capacity for undertaking geomatics-based analyses of health-related data by:

convening a workshop of health geomatics experts to develop and publish an academic research agenda to distinguish best practices for existing techniques and methods

bringing newly developed and existing health geomatics training opportunities to B.C. researchers and analysts; and

creating and maintaining a comprehensive Web resource for health geomatics.

The workshop will also offer an opportunity to investigate how Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) interoperability concepts and standards can be incorporated into future training. Much of the material developed from the project will be publicly available and so may benefit other researchers and analysts.

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tim West
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Academic
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $164,162.00

Proponent Contact Information
University of Victoria
3800 Finnerty Road
Victoria
British Columbia
V8P 5C2
Canada

Development of a Web Coverage Server and Image Correction Appliance

2009-10-22 06:49:47

Project Description:

Development of a Web Coverage Server and Image Correction Appliance

This project will enable users to retrieve raw data that describes the Earth's surface and then use this data in scientific modelling, data analysis, or other applications. Specifically, the project will develop a commercial Web Coverage Server (WCS), which is a web service that returns a geographic “coverage” of the Earth's surface in response to a request.

(Web servicesprovide data to web applications, and the services employ a programming interface, not a user interface; in other words, the services run in the background and involve machine-to-machine communications. An example of ageographic coverageis a satellite image of the Earth's surface.)

The WCS delivers grid-based data defined by a range of properties or values for a geographic location. This data is presented in the particular projection, resolution, or format specified by the coverage request. Unlike a Web Map Server which renders data, the WCS supplies raw data for further analysis.

This product will lower the complexity and cost of owning and operating WCS servers. The project will also develop a capability to automatically correct satellite images for anywhere in Canada using GeoBase data. This capability will enable organizations to publish data to national standard-level accuracy and to provide online access to images without in-house expertise and without a lot of effort.

Consequently, the system will be ideal for organizations with small to medium imagery archives and no in-house expertise to support WCS services.

Primary Thematic Area: Common
GeoConnections Project Authority: Otto Krauth
Year project is completed:
Region: Quebec
Sector: Private Sector
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $298,961.26

Proponent Contact Information
PCI Geomatics
Suite 400, 490 St. Joseph Blvd
Gatineau
Quebec
J8Y 3Y7
Canada

Organizing Space: Enabling Documented Knowledge to Flow through Location

2009-10-22 06:40:03

Project Description:

Organizing Space: Enabling Documented Knowledge to Flow through Location

This project will make it easier for scientific researchers and other users of location-based ("spatial" or "geospatial") data to integrate text documents or non-spatial images with geospatial information. This integration will enable users to search for and discover texts and images without onerous manual document georeferencing.

As much as 90 percent of geospatial knowledge within scientific projects is maintained as text-based documents or non-spatial imagery and not as traditional geospatial data types. This project will enable on-demand integration of geospatial information with such documents. Specifically, the project will equip users to share and discover distributed geotagged documentation within the PYXIS WorldViewTM application. This application will be deployed in the University of Alberta’s Canadian Circumpolar Institute.

The project employs a grid that acts like a spreadsheet of cells over the planet’s surface, each cell describing its coverage area in varying levels of detail. It is quicker, simpler, and less expensive to geo-tag documents to such a global grid index than it is to manually link features to documents.

The project will develop innovative software that is based on the ISO 19100 coverage and gridded-data standards and compatible with the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI). It t will enable the seamless integration of CGDI data with traditional scientific documents.
The contract for this project is the result of a successful response to a Request for Proposals to develop and deploy innovative technologies for use within the CGDI.

Primary Thematic Area: Common
GeoConnections Project Authority: Otto Krauth
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Private Sector
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $450,000.00

Proponent Contact Information
PYXIS Innovation
645 Gardiners Road
Kingston
Ontario
K7M 8K2
Canada

Regional Public Safety Atlas for the Cobourg, Ontario Area

2009-10-19 15:32:43

Project Description:

Regional Public Safety Atlas for the Cobourg, Ontario Area

This project will define the needs of the town of Cobourg, Ontario, for an online regional atlas. To be known as the Cobourg and Area Public Safety Atlas (CAPS), this resource will enable end-users in public safety and security, and other stakeholders to respond more effectively to emergencies.

Cobourg held an emergency exercise on September 19, 2007 and discovered issues related to communications and information sharing before, during, and after emergencies. They found that using internet-based geographic information systems (GIS) in emergency services in Cobourg and Northumberland County would help to resolve these issues.

By conducting a user needs assessment, the project coordinators will determine the atlas' users and their data and tools requirements. This information will enable the town to create specifications for the atlas that can be implemented quickly, and cost effectively during future project phases.

The user needs assessment will survey a host of emergency management professionals including those employed by police and fire departments, ambulance services, hospitals, utility companies, the town of Cobourg, health units, and emergency management organizations.

The atlas is expected to capitalize on the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) and Web Map Service. The CGDI enables Canadians to share, access, use and combine location-based information over the Internet.

To manage and respond to threats and hazards, public safety and security organizations need to be aware of the situations they face. By equipping themselves with location-based information that improves situational awareness, officials can better predict, detect, prepare for, and respond to public-safety threats.

Emergency response organizations from different jurisdictions also need to cooperate and share information. Location-based information can give the public safety and security community a common operating picture-a perspective that helps them collaborate both while planning for and responding to threats and disasters.

GeoConnections is working with the public safety and security community to increase situational awareness using location-based information. In support of this goal, this project is funded under the Situational Awareness GeoConnections priority focus.

Primary Partner: Town of Cobourg Cobourg, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Municipal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $53,862.19

Proponent Contact Information
Town of Cobourg
55 King Street West
Cobourg
Ontario
K9A 2M2
Canada

Okanagan Nation Alliance Capacity Building Opportunity

2009-10-19 15:20:48

Project Description:

Okanagan Nation Alliance Capacity Building Opportunity

This project will assist the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) and its member bands to develop and enhance capacity in several areas related to geographic information systems (GIS): database structure, organization, data access and use, and data entry.

The database built through this project will increase the ability of the ONA and its member bands to respond to the Interagency Management Committee (IAMC) and to referrals from other organizations on a wide range of subjects including Species at Risk, Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping, Forestry Plan mapping, General forestry use, Emergency Response, Housing Numbering and Health Assessments. The database will also help the ONA provide maps that can increase the communication of Syilx land and resource management priorities to the IAMC participating ministries.

The bands and ONA lands departments will have the means to conduct GIS investigations for themselves and as required, or desired, to act as a resource for the bands in fields not directly related to land and resource management (e.g. human health issues mapping). They will also have the means to act as a service provider/contractor for outside agencies. This project will enable the bands and ONA lands departments to make important gains in implementing key goals outlined in the ONA strategic geomatics plan;

Being the Catalyst for Intra-band Communication and Coordination,

Nurturing Professional Growth, Training and Local Capacity,

Promoting and Coordinating Use of Professional Standards and Methodologies

Creating Data sharing agreements, information catalogue design, security & backup and data collections methodology.

The ONA office will utilize the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure and its standards-based technologies and datasets to facilitate sharing its vast amount of information with the ONA bands in support of their decision making.

Primary Thematic Area: Matters of Importance to Aboriginals
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Aboriginal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $121,332.98

Proponent Contact Information
Okanagan Nation Alliance
3255C Shannon Lake Road
Westbank
British Columbia
V4T 1V4
Canada

Development of a Strategic Geomatics Plan for Land and Resource Planning for the Okanagan Nation Alliance

2009-10-19 15:13:48

Project Description:

Development of a Strategic Geomatics Plan for Land and Resource Planning for the Okanagan Nation Alliance

This project will develop a comprehensive nationwide geospatial strategy and business plan in collaboration with the geospatial departments of the seven member bands of the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA).

These documents will be used to build geographic information systems (GIS) capacity-for ONA to make land use planning decisions within its 69,000 square km territory.

Specifically, the ONA requires an effective geospatial data storage and mapping system to support a variety of objectives including those involving aboriginal rights and title cases. The geospatial strategy and business plan will pave the way to such a system.

The users of these plans will be the ONA Natural Resources Land Use Team (NRLUT), the ONA Natural Resources Committee, the ONA Chiefs' Executive Council, and the seven member bands' geospatial departments.

The plans will investigate how ONA and its member bands can help meet their goals by adopting and applying Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) standards and best practices. CGDI data and technology enable decision-makers to integrate data from many sources and to develop models and visualize situations, providing valuable insights into social, environmental and economic issues.

Aboriginal leaders, managers, and land planners require better information and improved planning tools to efficiently manage their communities, treaty and settlement lands, and co-managed lands and resources. The CGDI addresses these needs by ensuring that location-based information is increasingly shared by Aboriginal leaders, managers, and land planners; governments; and businesses. This information sharing will improve partnerships and make it easier for end-users to co-manage land and resources.

This project is funded under the land and Resource Management/Community Planning GeoConnections priority area for the Aboriginal Community.

Primary Thematic Area: Matters of Importance to Aboriginals
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Aboriginal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $95,927.98

Proponent Contact Information
Okanagan Nation Alliance
3255C Shannon Lake Road
Westbank
British Columbia
V4T 1V4
Canada

Geospatial Approach to Communicating Nazko First Nation Values for Land and Resource Management Decision Making

2009-10-19 15:02:52

Project Description:

Geospatial Approach to Communicating Nazko First Nation Values for Land and Resource Management Decision Making

This project will see the development of a strategic and business plan for the Nazko First Nations (NFN). By consulting with community members, the project administrators will attempt to answer a number of important questions, such as:

What internal resources do we have available?

How do others use Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) standards?

Where do we want to be in the future?

What do we need to do to achieve our goals?

This project will assist the NFN in moving toward self government by helping community members participate meaningfully in land-use decisions. Overwhelmed by referrals from various groups, the NFN currently rely on paper-based information gathered from traditional-use planning to make land-use decisions. Government agencies typically require 45 days for a response to referral letters, but the NFN decision-making process is unable to meet this demand.

By assisting the NFN to determine its geospatial information system (GIS) needs, the strategic plan will illustrate how the NFN can use GIS to respond more efficiently to referral letters. The strategic plan will also show how the NFN can benefit from CGDI standards and services.

Primary Partner: Nazko First Nation Quesnel, British Columbia;

Primary Thematic Area: Matters of Importance to Aboriginals
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Aboriginal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $92,891.28

Proponent Contact Information
Nazko First Nation
P O Box 4129
Quesnel
British Columbia
V2J 3J2
Canada

Fort McKay First Nation's Requirements for a Land and Resource Planning Application

2009-10-19 09:45:27

Project Description:

Fort McKay First Nation's Requirements for a Land and Resource Planning Application

This project will assess the needs of the Fort McKay First Nation and its partners and stakeholders for a spatial data infrastructure. Using focus groups and interviews to identify potential users, the project will also uncover possible obstacles to the infrastructure, as well as methods to sustain the infrastructure once it is developed.

The existing Fort McKay Band geomatics system was sufficient in managing data in the past, however the region's robust development now requires creating a more sophisticated geomatics system. The new spatial data infrastructure would enable Fort McKay First Nation to:

Improve the management and sharing of Fort McKay geospatial information

Integrate Fort McKay's geospatial data with that from central repositories to improve decision making; other repositories could include, for example, Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) compliant Web services

Develop geomatics infrastructure and capability

Users to be consulted as part of the project include elders, trappers, Chief and Council, the Fort McKay Industry Relations Corporation, an emergency preparedness planning committee, the reserve land use initiative technical team, and traditional land use project managers.

Aboriginal leaders, managers, and land planners require better information and improved planning tools to efficiently manage their communities, treaty and settlement lands, and co-managed lands and resources.

The results of this user needs assessment will facilitate the sharing of location-based information among Aboriginal leaders, managers, and land planners; governments; and businesses. This information sharing will improve partnerships and make it easier for end-users to co-manage land and resources.

This project is funded under the land and Resource Management/Community Planning GeoConnections priority area.

Primary Thematic Area: Matters of Importance to Aboriginals
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: Prairies
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $43,535.19

Proponent Contact Information
Fort McKay Industry Relations Corporation
Box 5905
Fort McMurray
Alberta
T9H 4V9
Canada

Capacity Development in Public Health GIS for Eastern Health Regions of Newfoundland and Labrador

2009-10-19 09:42:25

Project Description:

Capacity Development in Public Health GIS for Eastern Health Regions of Newfoundland and Labrador

This project will develop strategic and business plans to guide the creation of a web-based health-information tool. The tool will be used to support population health surveillance in the Eastern Health region of Newfoundland and Labrador, which is the largest integrated health organization in the province. The geographical area extends from the St. John's region west to Port Blandford, including both urban and rural communities.

This project will ensure that the tool is sustainable and that it leverages the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) standards and encourages regional and provincial health service providers to collaborate. It will also broaden support for geomatics and better ensure the tool's alignment with the goals and priorities of Eastern Health and its partners.

The process of developing the strategic and business plans will help to bridge information silos, fill information gaps, ultimately improve decisions related to programming and resource allocation, and provide direction for public health surveillance. In addition to generating support for current Eastern Health programs over the long term, the plans will assist in preparing for public health emergencies such as outbreaks and pandemic influenza.
The capacity to access and appropriately use location-based or "geospatial" data is particularly important in regions where expertise in epidemiology (the study of factors affecting population health and illness) is limited, and where there is a definite need to assess population health and respond effectively to issues. Ideally, strategic planning will provide the foundation for placing location-based information in the hands of key public health practitioners and decision-makers within the Eastern Health region, and provide a focal point for further development of this Web-based health information tool across the province.

Primary Partner: Eastern Health St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: Atlantic
Sector: Municipal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $87,938.70

Proponent Contact Information
Eastern Health
20 Cordage Place
St-John's
Newfoundland and Labrador
A1B 4B4
Canada

Strategic and Business Plans for the West Coast Vancouver Island Information System

2009-10-19 09:36:41

Project Description:

Strategic and Business Plans for the West Coast Vancouver Island Information System

This project will update and formalize a strategic vision and plan for the West Coast Vancouver Island (WCVI) Information system including an assessment of how the WCVI can link with the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure. It will also develop a business plan for the WCVI Information System.

The WCVI Aquatic Management Board has reached a stage where they need to 1) ensure the various government agencies represented on their Board are integrating their existing and future geomatic applications 2) ensure government direction is supported by stakeholder, community and user priorities, 3) explore available tools and establish priority goals and applications in concert with agencies and users; and 4) explore business plan options for the sustainability of an integrated, ecosystem-based information system.

This project will enable the Board to significantly advance the use of geomatics. It will allow the members to align goals and priorities and will provide them with a network to research and discuss geomatic applications of interest.

Harnessing the results of this project, the WCVI's leadership in oceans and coastal management will set an example for other similar projects in Canada and internationally.

Primary Partner: West Coast Vancouver Island Aquatic Management Board Port Alberni, British Columbia;

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $52,528.77

Proponent Contact Information
WCVI Aquatic Management Board
PO BOX 1042 STN A
Port Alberni
British Columbia
V9Y 7L9
Canada

VIHA GIS Capacity Building and User Needs Assessment Project

2009-10-19 09:20:05

Project Description:

VIHA GIS Capacity Building and User Needs Assessment Project

This project will increase geographic information system (GIS) capacity in the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) by providing training and acquiring special software. A 2007 study indicated that VIHA also would benefit from a geospatial decision support system. The project will also generate a user needs assessment that will assist VIHA to develop a geospatial decision support system. The user needs assessment will identify this system's user communities and document their needs.

Serving a population greater than 700,000, VIHA intends to use this project to provide more efficient and higher quality health care. Specifically, VIHA expects the project to provide technical staff and decision-makers with the GIS skills, software, and capacity to make more informed decisions about programs, health service delivery, and community health planning. Training will improve VIHA's ability to respond to GIS requests.

This project will give VIHA staff the ability to take advantage of the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI), which supports better decisions by providing more complete data. The VIHA also intends to expand an existing Web Map Service health atlas(www.viha.ca/atlas)and make it available through GeoConnections' Discovery Portal.

GeoConnections is assisting public health organizations to use geospatially referenced information about health status, and factors that affect health. These factors can be biological, behavioural, social, economic, or cultural. Organizations use this information to make correlations and identify priorities and strategies to improve and protect health, and the factors that influence it. In addition, public health organizations are expanding their knowledge and use of geospatial information and tools which helps them analyze and share information. This project co-funded under the Population Health Surveillance GeoConnections priority area.

Primary Partner: Vancouver Island Health Authority Victoria, British Columbia;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $143,372.79

Proponent Contact Information
Vancouver Island Health Authority
1952 Bay Street
Victoria
British Columbia
V8R 1J8
Canada

Public Health Mapping for Interior Health Region

2009-10-19 09:04:52

Project Description:

Public Health Mapping for Interior Health Region

This project will generate a geomatics-based strategic plan and a business plan for Interior Health Authority based in BC. These plans will be used to both develop the organization's use of spatial data through a geographic information system (GIS) capacity and to capitalize on this technology to improve decision making for population health surveillance, emergency response planning, and health services planning.

This planning phase will provide an opportunity to coordinate projects and their related partnerships, thereby ensuring effective and efficient use of GIS infrastructure and geospatial data.

Users of these plans will consist primarily of the project's collaborators. Focusing on decision-makers, the plans are expected to:

Foster a greater awareness and understanding of GIS;

Build internal support for GIS;

Formalize a process to implement GIS within Interior Health; and

Align the implementation of the resulting system with other Interior Health organizational goals and with GIS work being done within other organizations.

The Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) will be used to structure and guide the plans. Exploring policies and standards concerning the storage, format, and documentation of data will influence the integration of GIS with existing Interior Health information systems.

Primary Partner: Interior Health Authority (IH) Kelowna, British Columbia;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $67,031.42

Proponent Contact Information
Interior Health Authority
Interior Health Administrative Offices
Kelowna
British Columbia
V1Y 4N7
Canada

Web Map Service (WMS)–Web Coverage Service (WCS) Geospatial Catalogue for ArcticNet / International Polar Year

2009-10-16 08:58:18

Project Description:

Web Map Service (WMS)–Web Coverage Service (WCS) Geospatial Catalogue for ArcticNet / International Polar Year

This project will enable users to query, browse, and download climate change-related data for the North online.

Specifically, the project will develop a new data capability for the Canadian Cryospheric Information Network (CCIN) and the ArcticNet research community. Canada's cryosphere includes sea ice, lake ice, snow cover, frozen ground, and glaciers. The ArticNet research community studies climate change in the coastal Canadian Arctic.

ArcticNet researchers generate considerable data as they analyze the cryosphere and the Earth's climate system. This project will enable researchers and the public to search, query, and download data that ArcticNet registers with the CCIN. This search capability will also be extended to the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) via links with the GeoConnections Discovery Portal.

This project will enhance the current CCIN portal by adding Web Map Service (WMS) and Web Coverage Service (WCS) capabilities. WMS delivers graphics (jpegs, pngs, etc.) of rectangular areas of the Earth's surface in response to requests. WCS delivers geographic coverages (a particular geospatial raster data type) of the Earth's surface, again in response to requests.

The project will also enhance the open source MapServer, allowing it to support the Open Geospatial Consortium's (OGC) Web Coverage Service (WCS) 1.1 specification. The project will also enable WCS client capabilities within MapServer. Currently MapServer supports only version 1.0 of the WCS specification and offers no WCS client capabilities.
By understanding how global warming is affecting the cryosphere, the public and decision-makers will be better equipped to deal with climate change and its impact on Canada's North.

Primary Thematic Area: Common
GeoConnections Project Authority: Peter Rushforth
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Private Sector
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $454,705.00

Proponent Contact Information
Noetix Research Inc.
265 Carling Avenue
Ottawa
Ontario
K1S 2E1
Canada

2009-10-15 15:53:15

Project Description:

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tony Turner
Year project is completed:
Region: Atlantic
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $290,284.62

Proponent Contact Information
Nova Scotia Environment and Labour
PO Box 697
Halifax
Nova Scotia
B3J 2T8
Canada

Integrated Watershed Planning and Management Applications for Water Planning Authorities in Manitoba

2009-10-15 15:37:49

Project Description:

Integrated Watershed Planning and Management Applications for Water Planning Authorities in Manitoba

This project will improve the ability of water-planning authorities to develop and implement Integrated Watershed Management and Planning (IWMP) across Manitoba. The project will enable rural, urban, and northern communities to:

establish and track indicators that gauge watershed health;

track the projects and management practices of multiple agencies, and assess their effectiveness;

access, gather, and share information with adjacent watersheds, the Province, and partners; and

more effectively set priorities.

This project will integrate the conservation efforts of federal and provincial agencies, as well as conservation-minded non-governmental organizations (NGOs) through one IWMP decision- support system. The system will bring together data, standards, and online services from the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure. As a result, communities and other stakeholders will be equipped to protect drinking water sources, monitor recreational water uses, protect aquatic and wetland plants and animals, and contribute to other environmental issues within the watershed. Consequently, planning processes within the conservation district will be informed by reliable information.

There is a hope that the IWMP approach, which is currently focused in an agricultural area of southern Manitoba, will be extended to central and northern resource-based and Aboriginal communities.

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tony Turner
Year project is completed:
Region: Prairies
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $341,693.78

Proponent Contact Information
Manitoba Water Stewardship
200 Saulteaux Cres
Winnipeg
Manitoba
R3J 3W3
Canada

Developing Integrated Geospatial Tools Needed by Coastal and Oceans Managers in the Transboundary Gulf of Maine Region

2009-10-15 15:30:43

Project Description:

Developing Integrated Geospatial Tools Needed by Coastal and Oceans Managers in the Transboundary Gulf of Maine Region

This project will create a decision-support system to deliver useful data and information to coastal and oceans managers to aid decision making in the transboundary Gulf of Maine region. This Internet-based system employs location-based, or “geospatial”, information that will help users understand important environmental attributes of this region, identify changes in those attributes, and assess their efforts to effectively manage issues such as coastal pollution.

The short-term objectives are to integrate environmental and other related information that is currently housed in many different locations and provide end-users with one-window Internet access to the data. In addition, a variety of new tools will help view and interpret the data. As well, the development and sharing of key indicators of ecosystem change is an important aspect of the project that will aid decision making. The long-term objective is to build the capacity of coastal managers to make decisions that place local conditions in a broader, regional context.

The Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) offers a standards-based technical framework that will enable end-users to learn about and access geospatial data, and to integrate that data into products that can help users take appropriate management actions as well as evaluate the results of those actions. By implementing CGDI-endorsed technologies and bridging those technologies with other standards-based systems, the project will be able to provide important data products to the wider Gulf of Maine community.

This initiative will support decision-makers in achieving environmental sustainability for the Gulf of Maine region.

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tony Turner
Year project is completed:
Region: International
Sector: International
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $310,402.80

Proponent Contact Information
Gulf of Maine Council
P.O. Box 6063
Falmouth
ME
04116
United States

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) -User Need Assessment for the 2010 Biodiversity Challenge.

2009-10-15 15:03:36

Project Description:

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) -User Need Assessment for the 2010 Biodiversity Challenge.

A user needs assessment will be conducted to support the 2010 Biodiversity Challenge which is a national reporting activity and obligation under the United Nations' Biodiversity Convention that Canada has ratified. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is leading the reporting requirements primarily on behalf of industry and non-governmental organizations. The project will help IUCN determine who uses biodiversity data, what type of data users contribute and require, and the uses of biodiversity information, as well as the potential role for the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI).

Biodiversity data tends to either be inaccessible or come from multiple sources with varying standards and formats. These characteristics make it difficult to integrate biodiversity data into key policy or decision making processes. The main objective of the user needs assessment is to identify key elements of a geospatial information management system that would enable decision-makers, policy analysts, educators, and those with reporting responsibilities to get the biodiversity information they need.

The study results will influence future GeoConnections activities with respect to improving biodiversity data management. GeoConnections has the opportunity to uncover much useful information about biodiversity data providers and users that otherwise would be difficult to obtain. In short, this work is providing intelligence on user requirements for a priority data set, therefore will be valuable for developing national capacity to effectively manage biodiversity data.

Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) includes land-use planning, environmental assessment within a planning context, environmental monitoring, and developing and ussage indicators. ILM is emerging as a systematic and practical means of managing trade-offs and identifying positive solutions for all parties involved in complex environmental, economic, and social issues.

To be effective, ILM needs to be an essential part of planning and decision-making processes. This integration enables users to consider social, economic, and environmental factors while pursuing their development goals.

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tony Turner
Year project is completed:
Region: QuÃ©bec
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $87,184.54

Proponent Contact Information
IUCN (The World Conservatoin Union)
555 RenÃ© LÃ©vesque Blvd., suite 500
Montreal
Quebec
H2Z 1B1
Canada

Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Program Portal Development Project

2009-10-15 14:55:14

Project Description:

Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Program Portal Development Project

This project will develop a single source, user-friendly Web portal that enables decision-makers to access, view, select, and analyze information on Alberta's biodiversity. The portal will provide these capabilities through an online, interactive mapping service.

The portal is part of the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Program (ABMP). Currently, the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute's (ABMI's) Website provides scientifically rigorous and relevant biodiversity information to decision-makers to support sustainable resource management objectives.

ABMP's stakeholders have identified the need for biodiversity information to support decision making in the following areas:

Strategic land-use planning;

Cumulative impact assessment and management;

Performance monitoring (effectiveness monitoring and stewardship reporting);

Status reporting;

Adaptive management;

Identification of biodiversity hotspots and critically important areas.

Users of the portal will be able to access information on the state of Alberta's species, habitats, and human footprint. ABMP's Web portal will include 2,000 species, 200 habitat types, and 50 human land uses. Managing Alberta's living resources will be significantly improved by having comprehensive and timely access to regional and provincial biodiversity information tools.

The portal will apply Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) standards, specifications, and data sources. The CGDI enables Canadians to share, access, use and combine location-based information over the Internet.

This project was funded under the Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) and Environmental Assessment priority areas of focus.

For more information...

Primary Partner: University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta;

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tony Turner
Year project is completed:
Region: Prairies
Sector: Academic
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $340,355.02

Proponent Contact Information
University of Alberta
Department of Biological Sciences
Edmonton
Alberta
T6G 2E9
Canada

Critical Infrastructure Information Identification Project

2009-10-14 08:57:23

Project Description:

Critical Infrastructure Information Identification Project

GeoConnections is working with the Canadian public safety and security community to develop a standard way to exchange critical infrastructure data across the nation. Canada's critical infrastructure consists of those physical and information technology facilities, networks, services, and assets which, if disrupted or destroyed, would have a serious impact on the health, safety, security, or economic well-being of Canadians or on the effective functioning of governments in Canada.

GeoConnections has contracted Holonics Inc. to undertake the two phase project. The first begins with consultations in New Brunswick, Quebec, Alberta, the Yukon Territory, British Columbia, and the National Capital Region. These consultations will identify authoritative suppliers of location-based infrastructure data and allow emergency managers and public safety and security decision-makers to prioritize information requirements based on Public Safety Canada'sten sectors of critical infrastructure. The second phase will involve developing a standard framework to exchange critical infrastructure data. This approach will allow data to be maintained and controlled by data suppliers-eliminating the need for centralized databases.

Accessing and exchanging this information using the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure will allow the public safety and security community to share data between different levels of government, infrastructure owners, and emergency agencies while respecting any security or privacy limitations. This capability will better equip these organizations to predict, prepare for, detect and respond to threats to public safety and security.

For more information contact :Ken.Marshall@NRCan.gc.ca

Primary Partner: Holonics Inc. Gatineau, Quebec;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Ken Marshall
Year project is completed:
Region: Quebec
Sector: Private Sector
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $173,222.41

Proponent Contact Information
Holonics Inc
53 Cremazie
Gatineau
Quebec
J8Y 3P1
Canada

Publication of natural resources thematic data related to land-use planning

2009-10-13 12:31:44

Project Description:

Publication of natural resources thematic data related to land-use planning

This project involves the implementation of a mapping server to disseminate thematic data related to forestry and natural resources for the unorganized territory of Rivière-Ojima. The server would further integrate data on social, environmental and economic factors into the decision-making process concerning territorial resource development. Different user groups will be given access to various types of information including territorial resources, riparian zones, special interest sites, current and future work, work follow-up, history of completed work and access to the territory.

The data will be published using a Web Map Service in accordance with the WMS standard recognized by the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI). In addition, metadata will be created for each information layer, which will allow specific databases to be searched on the CGDI.

The project will allow for more active user participation in planning activities in the territory, improved harmonization of uses and much improved sustainable territorial and resource management. The anticipated long-term environmental benefits include preservation of water quality, protection of ecosystems, safeguarding of biodiversity and, from a socio-economic perspective, the creation or protection of local jobs and the optimization of territorial access infrastructure.

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Denis Poliquin
Year project is completed:
Region: Quebec
Sector: Municipal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $0.00

Proponent Contact Information
MRC D'Abitibi-Ouest
6 8e Avenue Est
La Sarre
QuÃ©bec
J9Z 1N6
Canada

Federal Biodiversity Information Partnership Needs Analysis

2009-10-08 17:59:35

Project Description:

Federal Biodiversity Information Partnership Needs Analysis

The objective of this project is to document the user requirements for biodiversity information from federal data holders. Specifically the project will:

identify the user community for Canadian federal biodiversity information, including within the Canadian federal family and the broader community of users;

identify the information needs of that user community, for federal data and information, including how they will use that information; and,

propose options for improving the access to Canadian federal biodiversity information, including examining the contribution of the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) towards enabling that open access.

Comprising seven federal departments and agencies, the Federal Biodiversity Information Partnership (FBIP) provides a forum to facilitate improved access to the federal government's biodiversity data. NatureServe Canada provides scientific information about Canada's ecosystems and species, particularly species at risk.

As part of this process, FBIP is interested in understanding how NatureServe Canada and its network of conservation data centres could aid FBIP partners on information managment towards better management, conservation, and sustainable use of Canada's biodiversity. The project will also explore how NatureServe Canada tools, especially Biotics IV can help users meet their needs for biological information.

This project contributes to the Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) priority area of focus. ILM includes land-use planning, environmental assessment within a planning context, environmental monitoring, and developing and using indicators. ILM is emerging as a systematic and practical means of managing trade-offs and identifying positive solutions for all parties involved in complex environmental, economic, and social issues.

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tony Turner
Year project is completed:
Region: Quebec
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $50,965.00

Proponent Contact Information
Parks Canada
25 Eddy St
Gatineau
Quebec
K1A0M5
Canada

Vancouver Coastal Health Authority GIS Infrastructure Development

2009-10-05 14:44:24

Project Description:

Vancouver Coastal Health Authority GIS Infrastructure Development

This project supports the vision of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA) for promoting healthy communities through care, education and research. The project is intended to accomplish two objectives:

develop a five-year strategic plan for the implementation of geographic information systems (GIS) across the VCHA; and

develop a business case for a central GIS data repository.

This project will enable the VCHA to use GIS to assess and understand local public health needs and to improve the planning and delivery of public health services. Ultimately, the entire population of the VCHA region is expected to benefit from this GIS project.

One such benefit is in the planning for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. This event has been identified as a key responsibility for the VCHA, as it will impose a higher demand on the healthcare system. All Olympic-based venues are located within the VCHA's district, and the Authority understands the urgent need to predict utilization patterns during this period to be able to best serve the existing population and the anticipated influx of 2 million spectators.

The Authority recognizes that the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) will provide critical insight (data, policies, lessons learned, etc.) on many of the components that will be encompassed within the new GIS infrastructure. The VCHA also recognizes the need to standardize the manner in which GIS-related data is stored and accessed by internal and external partners. The CGDI has a number of standards (accessibility, visualizing, data storage, etc.) that will have an immense benefit to the VCHA.

Primary Partner: Vancouver Coastal Health Authority Vancouver, British Columbia;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $101,600.00

Proponent Contact Information
Vancouver Coastal Health
200-520 West 6th Ave,
Vancouver
British Columbia
V5Z 4H5
Canada

User Needs Assessment for a GIS Web-Enabled Support System for Animal Emergencies

2009-10-05 14:32:50

Project Description:

User Needs Assessment for a GIS Web-Enabled Support System for Animal Emergencies

The mandate of theChief Veterinarian Office/Food Safety, a knowledge center of the provincial Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives(MAFRI), is to:

protect the health of the public from diseases of animals,

protect the safety of the food supply,

protect the health and welfare of animals, and

protect trade in agricultural products

The lack of a well developed decision support system to support all phases of animal emergency disease management (prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery) severely curtails the ability of CVO/Food Safety to fulfill its role in preparing for and managing animal disease emergencies in Manitoba.

This project will develop a user needs assessment that will focus on identifying and prioritizing the core business functions, and define the key implementation issues, for an animal emergency disease management decision support system. The product from the UNA will be a technical business requirements document of sufficient detail to facilitate rapid progression to the "build phase" of the system. The creation of a well designed and integrated decision support system will be a critically important cornerstone of on-going disease preparation efforts.

This project supports the development of tools that are needed to help control the consequences of animal disease outbreaks. In Canada, recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in British Columbia and Saskatchewan have highlighted the serious impact that uncontrolled animal diseases can have on the viability of the Canadian livestock industry, and the importance of having public health responses in place to effectively manage these outbreaks.

Primary Partner: Manitoba Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Winnipeg, Manitoba;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Tim West
Year project is completed:
Region: Prairies
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $65,497.49

Proponent Contact Information
Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives
545 University Crescent
Winnipeg
Manitoba
R3T 5S6
Canada

Geospatial Mapping of Respiratory and Gastrointestinal Hospital Visit Data through a Regional, Real-time, Emergency Department Surveillance System

2009-10-03 14:13:00

Project Description:

Geospatial Mapping of Respiratory and Gastrointestinal Hospital Visit Data through a Regional, Real-time, Emergency Department Surveillance System

"Infection Watch Live" helps officials within the Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health unit to quickly identify respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases. To protect privacy, the system will use real-time data about anonymous hospital patients.

Quickly detecting gastrointestinal and respiratory illness is important because these diseases can rapidly spread and heavily burden communities. Geospatial systems can assist in tracking the spread of such diseases.

The objective of this project is to empower public health officials, researchers, and community members in detecting and understanding infection rates of respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases. Achieving this objective will help:

limit the spread of disease;

reduce the impact on hospital emergency departments;

protect and better inform at-risk populations (children and elderly); and

help officials better understand the spread of disease.

Infection Watch Live complements the already existing real-time Emergency Department Syndromic Surveillance (EDSS) system in Kingston, Ontario. Infection Watch Live will provide more and better geographic data than the EDSS system offers, as well as simplified maps that the public can view.

Infection Watch Live capitalizes on a wide variety of data leveraging the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI), including those pertaining to public health unit boundaries, long-term care facilities, hospitals, medical clinics, family physician offices, schools, day-care centres, and water treatment plants.

Primary Partner: Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health Kingston, Ontario,

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Nina Wesch
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $317,287.19

Proponent Contact Information
Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Additiongton Public Health
221 Portsmouth Avenue
Kingston
Ontario
K7M 1V5
Canada

Public Health Geomatics Conference

2009-10-02 16:58:21

Project Description:

Public Health Geomatics Conference

This project resulted in Canada's first Public Health Geomatics Conference, entitled Geographic Information Systems in Public Health. The conference had two streams - Advancing Public Health Practice through Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and GIS Applications to Public Health Research and was held as part of the 98th Annual Conference of the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA), in Ottawa, Ontario, in September 2007.

The objectives of the project were to increase the public health community's exposure to and awareness of the necessity of incorporating a spatial and temporal aspect to their health data analyses, and the use of geomatics (specifically GIS) to accomplish this.

The conference allowed public health professionals to share research, as well as network and learn from others about spatial issues and methods in public health. The conference promoted geospatial resources for public health professionals, such as tools available through the Public Health Agency of Canada, and data, services and funding provided by GeoConnections and the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure.

Primary Partner: Public Health Agency of Canada Ottawa, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Nina Wesch
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $102,956.05

Proponent Contact Information
Public Health Agency of Canada
Unit 120,255 Woodlawn Road West
Guelph
Ontario
N1H 8J1
Canada

User Needs Assessment (UNA) with respect to Mapping of Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) in Ontario

2009-10-02 16:55:15

Project Description:

User Needs Assessment (UNA) with respect to Mapping of Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) in Ontario

The User Needs Assessment (UNA) will address the design of the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) mapping service, requested content of the service, functionality, requirements with respect to periodicity, spatial and temporal resolution and additional information to be included in the mapping products.

The objective of a future follow-up proposal will be to develop the capacity to generate satellite-based, daily, and near real-time, spatial representations of the new AQHI, developed by Health Canada, throughout the province of Ontario.

The project deliverables will be used for the development of the AQHI by the Institute of Population Health and collaborating organizations.

Major needs concern:

Identifying regions within Canada that demonstrate unacceptably high levels of air pollution in terms of increased health risk from exposure to air pollution (present air quality indices do not take into account such health effects);

Sufficiently high spatial resolution of the information, facilitating air quality decisions at the local level;

Availability of a health-based air quality index which will ultimately permit the design of Canada-wide standards for criteria air pollutants that take into account the joint effects of multiple pollutants as embodied in the AQHI; and

User-friendly access to detailed maps of the AQHI which will enable the design of air quality management strategies that target regions in Canada that are of most concern from the point of view of population health.

The acquired AQHI data files (in text format) will be encoded in Geographic Markup Language (GML) for ingestion into a database compatible with an open source Web Map Service server. Metadata conforming to a Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure standard, such as the Federal Geographic Data Committee-Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata, will be generated.

Users will have a choice of feature overlays. Recommended overlays will include the available road network, political boundaries, water and parks.

The air quality data generated through a synoptic mapping approach would greatly enhance Canada's ability to manage the well known health risks associated with ambient air pollution. At the global level, the World Health Organization estimates that approximately 1.4% of all deaths are attributable to air pollution.

Primary Partner:Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa Ottawa, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Nina Wesch
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Academic
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $89,227.36

Proponent Contact Information
University of Ottawa
1 Stewart Street, Suite 318
Ottawa
Ontario
K1N 6K9
Canada

Defining the Strategic and Business Plans for an On-Line Mapping Portal to Monitor Neighbourhood-level Population Health Using the CGDI

2009-10-02 16:42:30

Project Description:

Defining the Strategic and Business Plans for an On-Line Mapping Portal to Monitor Neighbourhood-level Population Health Using the CGDI

This project will produce a strategic plan and a business plan for an on-line mapping portal that will help health stakeholders in Ottawa, Ontario, to understand and improve population health.

Geomatics and on-line mapping promise exceptional potential as public health tools, whether to monitor diseases, manage outbreaks, or simply to better understand the state of a community's health and well being. This project will increase the capacity of the Social Planning Council of Ottawa and its key collaborators to use geomatics to understand and improve population health.

The project will emphasize to collaborators the importance of using the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) as much as possible, both in their current operations and within the portal to be developed. The project will familiarize users with four primary CGDI components: national framework data, common data policies, technical standards to facilitate data sharing, and technologies for on-line mapping.

An on-line mapping portal will offer many benefits. Foremost, population health decision-makers will have better access to health data, and this data will be presented in a user friendly format. As well, the portal's development process will help build partnerships around data sharing and research that would have been impossible without the initiative.

Primary Partner: Social Planning Council of Ottawa Ottawa, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Nina Wesch
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $71,916.48

Proponent Contact Information
Social Planning Council of Ottawa
280 Metcalfe Street, Suite 501
Ottawa
Ontario
K2P 1R7
Canada

A Spatially Enabled Population Health Framework for Disease Surveillance

2009-10-02 16:39:30

Project Description:

A Spatially Enabled Population Health Framework for Disease Surveillance

This project will develop a web-based health information tool that can be used to support disease surveillance. This tool, which uses location-based or geospatial information, will allow public health officials in B.C. to analyze disease and population-health ecology (the interrelationships of the broad range of factors that affect population health).

The theoretical concept of population health perspective on disease surveillance is that the simple but important epidemiological construct of disease rate requires a sophisticated understanding of the population at risk, based on both the transmission characteristics of the disease agent and the vulnerability of the underlying population. Case identification and reporting, the traditional disease surveillance approach, fails to consider that diseases do not occur at random, but result from the complex interplay between multiple factors. For example, reporting disease rates based on administrative population boundaries alone may mask significant clusters of disease that require active intervention. Knowing the context in which diseases occur is vital to preventing or dealing with outbreaks.

This project is unique in that it combines disease surveillance with this important context of health ecology and recognizes that geography is essential to this context. By incorporating Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure standards, this project will enable health practitioners to explore the myriad factors that potentially influence diseases—population and demographic structures, housing conditions, health resources, socio-economic status, land uses, water bodies, watersheds, and drinking water systems, to name a few.

This context-driven approach will equip health practitioners to identify and better understand disease clusters, patterns of disease distribution over time and space, disease diffusion paths, and potentially vulnerable communities. It will also provide practitioners with pertinent information for disease control and prevention.

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Nina Wesch
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $157,067.29

Proponent Contact Information
British Columbia Ministry of Health
2-1, 1515 Blanshard Street
Victoria
British Columbia
V8W 3C8
Canada

The Ontario Health and Environment Information System (OHEIS)

2009-10-02 16:31:57

Project Description:

The Ontario Health and Environment Information System (OHEIS)

This project will create a comprehensive, standardised geographic information system (GIS) for the rapid assessment of environmental hazards and associated health outcomes. Having a standardized GIS will improve the understanding of the links between environmental hazards/exposures and health outcomes, facilitating non-communicable disease surveillance and risk assessment.

The project will create a surveillance system considerably more sophisticated than the ones currently in use in public health settings. The Ontario Health and Environment Information System (OHEIS) will also operate at a much higher spatial resolution, allowing for more exact analysis of exposures and outcomes. In addition, the new system will be closely integrated with specialized statistical software, allowing for more sophisticated analysis. In fact, OHEIS will allow analysis and modeling at almost the individual case level. The system will play a crucial role in providing rapid and accurate information to policy-makers, scientists, and the general public at local, provincial, and national levels.

The system's full use of Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) formats will enable collaborators to access and exchange data, and disseminate results. In addition, cancer risk maps for Ontario will be developed. The maps will be distributed using a Web Feature Service (WFS) and made discoverable using the Geodata Resource Registry. In addition, CGDI technology will enable Ontario Cancer Registry data to be incorporated with other public health GIS resources, as well as with the Toronto Health Profile maps.

Primary Partner: Cancer Care Ontario Toronto, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Nina Wesch
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $516,745.78

Proponent Contact Information
Cancer Care Ontario
620 University Avenue
Toronto
Ontario
M5G 2L7
Canada

Ontario Health Service Provider Maps

2009-10-02 16:26:13

Project Description:

Ontario Health Service Provider Maps

This project will develop a GIS-based application and underlying infrastructure to support the analysis, operational and planning needs of the Ontario Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs), the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) and Ontario health service providers. The application will provide a tool to ensure that health service provider information is current and integrated with location-based ("geospatial") data. The application will also ensure that data is available for planning purposes by providing an integrated approach to data management through community engagement. As well, it will allow for health services to be integrated with population health data and health system indicators. The Ontario Health Service Provider Maps will help the LHINs, the MOHLTC and health service providers maintain up-to-date records of all providers delivering health services in the province through a collaborative partnership.

This project makes use of various Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure-endorsed standards, services, and technologies in developing the application to meet the above needs. Through its design, the application will provide provincially consistent, standard, high-quality base map data, and geo-coded data that can be leveraged by planning, analytical, and business intelligence tools. It will offer health service providers an easy way to maintain their information while making it available in a timely manner for use by other participating organizations. The information will be part of a larger geospatial database containing other geospatial data that will provide a foundation for end-users involved in the analysis, planning, and visualization of health data.

Primary Partner: Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Health System Information Management and Investment Division Toronto, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Nina Wesch
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $606,964.73

Proponent Contact Information
Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
5700 Yonge St., 10th floor
Toronto
Ontario
M2M 4K5
Canada

CGDI Interoperability Pilot Project

2009-08-27 10:32:13

Project Description:

CGDI Interoperability Pilot Project

GeoConnections, the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), and their federal and provincial partners are testing mechanisms for distributing and updating framework data. As a key resource for all Canadians, GeoBase framework data is a particular priority for GeoConnections. The objective of this project is to evolve the GeoBase portal so that it operates in a more distributed fashion and to make maintenance transactions more efficient.

Users of GeoBase data require access to authoritative location-based (“geospatial”) information directly from its source, to be able to make effective decisions in a timely manner. In this project, all of the provincial and federal partners will implement the OGC Web Feature Service (WFS) standard endorsed for the CGDI. Using this nationally endorsed specification will enable the partners to exchange and interact with geospatial information on the web, demonstrating its capabilities.The WFS will enable users to access the most current and authoritative data, avoiding version disparities, and minimizing duplication. And, by keeping data closest to its source, data providers can maintain control over their data while making it accessible to users.

This project focuses on three key GeoBase layers:

geographic names

the national road network

Canada's administrative boundaries

Primary Partner: Open Geospatial Consortium

Primary Thematic Area: Common
GeoConnections Project Authority: Mohamed Habbane
Year project is completed:
Region: Quebec
Sector: Private Sector
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $144,408.00

Proponent Contact Information
Sunertek Inc
53 rue Saint-Germain Ouest
Rimouski
Quebec
G5L 4B4
Canada

Mapping Infectious Disease Across the New Brunswick-Maine Border

2009-08-27 00:00:05

Project Description:

Mapping Infectious Disease Across the New Brunswick-Maine Border

GeoConnections and the U.S. Federal Geographic Data Committee are partnering with the New Brunswick Lung Association (NBLA) and the American Lung Association of Maine to develop an interoperable web-mapping atlas. This atlas will be used to plan how to protect citizens on both sides of the border from infectious diseases.

The atlas will enable public health officials, researchers, policy-makers, and the public to use web-mapping technology to view infectious-disease information. The atlas will also be used to identify public health risks and disease control measures on seamless maps of New Brunswick and Maine. The project's goal is to encourage health practitioners on both sides of the border to use this resource to strengthen disease surveillance and plan immunization strategies.

Borders do not stop infectious diseases. Agencies on both sides of the Canadian and US border therefore need to work together closely to combat outbreaks. This project will better equip health practitioners in Canada and the US to deal effectively with disease outbreaks and minimize their effects.

The web-mapping application will rely on the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) and the US National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) both for data and for the integration of this data into multi-layered cross-border maps. This project will benefit Canadians by better preparing health practitioners to plan for and respond to disease outbreaks.

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Denis Poliquin
Year project is completed:
Region: Atlantic
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $533,413.00

Proponent Contact Information
New Brunswick Lung Association
65 Brunswick Street
Fredericton
New Brunswick
E3B 1G5
Canada

Saint John River Atlas

2009-08-26 23:53:34

Project Description:

Saint John River Atlas

The Saint John River Atlas will provide users with information about New Brunswick’s largest river system, an area covering approximately 40 per cent of the province.

The project will produce an atlas architecture report, the web-based Saint John River Atlas, and an accompanying user guide. It will also publish metadata (data about data) that complies with the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI). In addition, the project will allow users to access the Canadian Rivers Institute’s online data repository. This repository contains 21 000 data entries from 14 organizations within the Saint John River basin.

The atlas is intended to assist users to manage ecosystems, conduct research, and sustain development. To fulfill these objectives, the atlas will provide tools to create and view interactive maps and will offer easy access to resource data, maps, charts, and reports. The atlas’ expected users include the project partners, along with more than 25 conservation or environmental not-for-profit organizations, several First Nation communities, 45 municipalities, and 8 rural planning commissions.

Complying with CGDI standards, data and information on the Saint John River basin will be presented in ways useful to a broad array of end-users. These formats include tables, statistics, charts, graphs, reports, and images. Moreover, users will be able to employ the atlas to view, map, and download data dynamically. The atlas will present various thematic views of the data, organized by discipline, such as fisheries, land use, or social sciences. Users who require more detail or flexibility will be able to create custom maps.

This project promises to offer many groups the insights needed to protect the Saint John River basin while taking advantage of natural resources and development opportunities within this large area.

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Denis Poliquin
Year project is completed:
Region: Atlantic
Sector: Academic
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $204,597.00

Proponent Contact Information
Canadian Rivers Institute
Bag Service 45111
Fredericton
New Brunswick
E3B 6E1
Canada

Online Injury Atlas for Ontario

2009-08-26 23:49:55

Project Description:

Online Injury Atlas for Ontario

In Canada, injuries are the greatest single contributor to potential years of life lost before age 65. As the largest province by population, Ontario represents a significant proportion of the national injury burden, with thousands of lives lost, and hundreds of thousands of injuries sustained annually. The reported economic cost each year is in the billions of dollars.

To increase public awareness about the threat of injury, the Injury Prevention Research Office of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, is collaborating with GeoConnections to develop a web-based injury atlas for the province.

The online atlas will enable users to visualize key injury-prevention, social, economic, and demographic data, and to examine the spatial relationships of injury and its determinants. Public health units using the atlas will be able todetermine areas and populations at risk, enabling them toprovide appropriate injury prevention programs and make informed decisions about policies and programming.

The Ontario Injury Atlas will make significant contributions to the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure by combining a number of existing Web Map Services (WMSs) with health, injury, and demographic data published as new WMSs for this project.

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Denis Poliquin
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $213,833.13

Proponent Contact Information
St. Michael's Hospital Injury Prevention Research Office
2 Queen Street East
Toronto
Ontario
M5C 3G7
Canada

Ottawa-Gatineau Watershed Management Atlas

2009-08-26 23:47:02

Project Description:

Ottawa-Gatineau Watershed Management Atlas

A watershed is defined as the entire catchment area, both land and water, drained by a watercourse and its tributaries. Managing water at a watershed level allows for a far more complete accountability of the processes that determine the health and status of a river and its surrounding environment. To best protect and preserve such a river requires cooperation between all parties that help regulate the area, as individual authorities hold only pieces of the information needed.

Pollution Probe is developing a Web-based interactive mapping application that will enable watershed managers in the Ottawa-Gatineau area to access integrated information when developing and implementing watershed-management plans, so they can plan more efficiently and avoid duplicating effort. The atlas will also provide a contextual discussion on water issues to raise community awareness and build capacity, provided in both French and English, ensuring that it is relevant to the diverse community members within the watershed.

The proposed atlas will be built entirely upon CGDI endorsed open standards and specifications. This will allow access to atlas data through a single, unchanging user accessible service interface.

All data will be distributed using Open Geospatial Consortium compliant Web Services. In addition, data will be available for download in different formats.

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Denis Poliquin
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $262,942.00

Proponent Contact Information
Pollution Probe
63 Sparks Street
Ottawa
Ontario
K1P 5A6
Canada

Northern Appalachian Ecoregion Conservation Planning Atlas

2009-08-26 23:44:03

Project Description:

Northern Appalachian Ecoregion Conservation Planning Atlas

The lack of transboundary environmental information is a major limitation to conservation planning and sustainable land-use decision making in the Northern Appalachian Ecoregion. This initiative will create an online atlas that addresses these limiting information gaps. This atlas project will improve awareness and assist land planners in maintaining and even restoring the ecological integrity and connectivity of this biologically diverse region.

The Northern Appalachian Ecoregion Conservation Planning Atlas will disseminate the results of four science-based studies that provide users with detailed conservation planning information, such as the diversity of habitat and the lands that best contribute to building ecological connectivity. The Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) standards and technologies will be used to combine the data layers from these studies and create a set of thematic maps. Through these maps, atlas users will be able to navigate and interact with the conservation planning information. The goal of the initiative is to produce a definitive conservation vision for the ecoregion, based on the conservation values and threats identified by the four studies.

Anticipated end-users of the Atlas include the Two Countries, One Forest consortium, as well as other non-government organizations, scientists, land trust groups, government land planners, and concerned community groups.

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Denis Poliquin
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $179,255.06

Proponent Contact Information
WCS Wildlife Conservation Society Canada
Suite 600, 720 Spadina Avenue
Toronto
Ontario
M5S 2T9
Canada

SCORE (Système de cartographie en ligne pour les ouvrages de retenue), an online mapping system for retaining structures in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint Jean region

2009-08-26 23:38:47

Project Description:

SCORE (Système de cartographie en ligne pour les ouvrages de retenue), an online mapping system for retaining structures in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint Jean region

The SCORE project will include a Web-based mapping system that will avail thematic and descriptive data on the area's dams to allow planning and management of consequences in the context of various flood simulation scenarios for the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region. The system will provide continuous access to up-to-date data that enable public safety agencies, municipal managers and dam controllers to have situational awareness of the effects of the various types of flood situations—specifically, dam failures—and to make informed decisions more quickly (security measures, evacuations and response team deployments). By providing essential map data (municipal boundaries, road networks, flood zones, drainage basins, etc.) the system will enable users to react, but also to take preventive action. The content will be presented in a standardized, uniform environment consistent with the protocols of the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure, thereby preventing delays in access to map information.

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Denis Poliquin
Year project is completed:
Region: Quebec
Sector: Private Sector
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $121,919.54

Proponent Contact Information
Centre de gÃ©omatique du QuÃ©bec inc.
534, Jacques-Cartier Est
Chicoutimi
Quebec
G7H 1Z6
Canada

Publishing New Brunswick Agriculture and Aquaculture Geographic Information for Decision Making

2009-08-26 23:34:48

Project Description:

Publishing New Brunswick Agriculture and Aquaculture Geographic Information for Decision Making

This project will provide access to geographic information relating to New Brunswick's agriculture and aquaculture resources. This information, which is maintained by the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, will be used by two primary groups of decision-makers: producers, and the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization (EMO).

Producers include such organizations as the Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick, Potatoes New Brunswick, the Professional Shellfish Growers Association of New Brunswick, and the New Brunswick Salmon Growers Association. These producers will be able to use the online information to prepare environmental plans, develop pest- and waste-management programs, assess environmental impacts, manage fuel- and pesticide-storage locations, and manage land and water resources.

The New Brunswick EMO, a section under the province's Department of Public Safety, will use the online resource to better prepare for and respond to fires and floods. Having access to the up-to-date information this project will offer will help EMO officials make the kinds of smart, fast decisions that can save property and lives during emergencies.

The agriculture and aquaculture data sets, in addition to data from weather stations in western and north-western New Brunswick, will be made available online using standard web services of the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI).

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Rhian Evans
Year project is completed:
Region: Atlantic
Sector: Federal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $56,235.00

Proponent Contact Information
New Brunswick Department of Agriculture and Aquaculture
PO Box 6000
Fredericton
New Brunswick
E3B 5H1
Canada

Mainland Mi'kmaq Communities Geographic and Metadata Information Gateway

2009-08-25 08:06:39

Project Description:

Mainland Mi'kmaq Communities Geographic and Metadata Information Gateway

The Confederacy of Mainland Mik'maq (CMM) proposes to work with qualified experts (consultants) to develop a strategic plan and business case for the implementation and use of collaborative geomatics technology designed with sustainability in mind. The strategic plan and business case will investigate using the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) to link client communities to information needed for community decision-making and governance.

The CMM has experienced tremendous growth over its 20 years of operation and this pattern is expected to continue for some time. Just as services and programming expand, so too does the need for credible, easily accessible community information. Geomatics technology and the CGDI present an opportunity to pool information into common collaborative maps, and provide them on-line to the community as well as other stakeholders.

The project will take a comprehensive approach to the needs and potential applications for the work of CMM, build a strategic approach, and prepare a sound business case for sustainable implementation.

Primary Thematic Area: Matters of Importance to Aboriginals
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: Atlantic
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $114,080.00

Proponent Contact Information
The Confederacy of Mainland Miâ€™kmaq
57 Martin Crescent P.O. Box 1590
Truro
Nova Scotia
B2N 5V3
Canada

Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability - Strategic Plan for Building a Regional Sustainability Atlas

2009-08-25 07:37:16

Project Description:

Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability - Strategic Plan for Building a Regional Sustainability Atlas

The Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability intends to develop a strategic plan that will help it build an Internet-based regional sustainability atlas. This atlas will assist the coalition's 54 members and other partners to coordinate how they collect, manage and deliver data. The strategic plan and sustainability atlas will also present coalition members and partners with an important opportunity to collaborate.

Currently, the coalition's numerous independent members have difficulty sharing monitoring data and other information gathered in the Southern Gulf region. These community groups capture and store monitoring data using various techniques that are often incompatible. As a result, this data tends not to be shared, which limits the ability of coalition members to compare trends, detect problems and manage their ecosystems effectively.

The strategic plan will illustrate how the regional sustainability atlas can incorporate Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) standards, meet the needs of its various intended users and become an effective tool for managing integrated ecosystems. By building upon the CGDI data-delivery model using a standards-based approach, coalition members will be able to share data rather than working in isolation.

Primary Partner: Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability Moncton, New Brunswick,

Primary Thematic Area: Env/Sust/Dev
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: Atlantic
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $76,470.00

Proponent Contact Information
Southern Gulf of St.Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability
057 Pavillon P.A. Landry,
Moncton
New Brunswick
E1A 3E9
Canada

Strategic GIS Approach for Ontario Local Health Integration Networks

2009-08-25 07:32:40

Project Description:

Strategic GIS Approach for Ontario Local Health Integration Networks

This project will create a GIS (geographic information system) Strategic and Business Plan for 14 Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) in Ontario.

The LHIN GIS Strategic and Business Plan will focus on one representative LHIN-Central East LHIN-and consider the unique requirements of the 13 others. These other LHINs will leverage the plan to build their own GIS capacity.

LHINs are not-for-profit corporations that plan, integrate, and fund local health services within specific geographic areas. These services include home care, long-term care, and mental health care as well as services offered by spitals and community care access centres.

The GIS Strategic and Business Plan will help answer questions, common to all LHINs, such as what data are required and what operations systems can be tied into a GIS. Senior management will use the plan to integrate information systems and build information-systems capacity. In addition, numerous local, provincial, and national health service providers will be able to use the plan in directing their organizations.

The project will ensure the GIS architecture of the LHINs in Ontario will enable easy interaction with the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure. By better equipping LHINs to plan, coordinate, and fund community health services, this project will help Ontarians determine and meet their health service needs and priorities.

Primary Partner: Central East LHIN and the Ontario LHINs Data Working Group on behalf of the 14 LHINs in Ontario Ajax, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $108,583.00

Proponent Contact Information
LHIN Data Working Group
314 Harwood Ave, Suite 204A
Ajax
Ontario
L1S 2J1
Canada

Developing a Shared Strategic and Business Plan for the Calgary Consortium

2009-08-24 14:36:07

Project Description:

Developing a Shared Strategic and Business Plan for the Calgary Consortium

This project will create a strategic and business geomatics plan for the Calgary Health Region (CHR) and the other members of the Calgary Consortium.

The primary goal of the project is to encourage Consortium members to adopt Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) standards.

The project will also develop a business model for incorporating a CGDI-compliant Web Mapping Service. This service will allow Consortium members to share geospatial datasets and display thematic data over the web to internal and external end-users.

In the project's first phase, interviews and document reviews will help appraise the Consortium's geomatics capacity. During the second phase, the project will help develop a multi-year geomatics business plan for the consortium.

The project's main users will be the program managers and service delivery professionals working for the CHR, the City of Calgary, the Calgary Board of Education, and United Way of Calgary and its affiliated agencies, and the public.

GeoConnections is assisting public health organizations to use geospatially referenced information about health status and factors that affect health. These factors can be biological, behavioural, social, economic, or cultural. Organizations use this information to make correlations and identify priorities and strategies to improve and protect health and the factors that influence it. In addition, public health organizations are expanding their knowledge and use of geospatial information and tools, which helps them analyze and share information. This project is funded under the Population Health Surveillance GeoConnections priority area.

Primary Thematic Area: Public Health
GeoConnections Project Authority: Judy Guenette
Year project is completed:
Region: Prairies
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $43,662.00

Proponent Contact Information
Calgary Health Region
10101 Southport Road SW
Calgary
Alberta
T2W 3N2
Canada

Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Public Safety and Security Workshop

2009-08-23 20:04:55

Project Description:

Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Public Safety and Security Workshop

The Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Municipal Affairs (Emergency Measures Organization) and the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Environment and Conservation (Surveys and Mapping Division) will host a workshop to identify approaches for using location-based information and technologies for public safety and security.

This workshop is required to further develop the operational systems that will better address the needs of users in the public safety and security domain.

Bringing together professionals from the public safety and security communities, the workshop will offer opportunities to discuss using location-based information and technologies to improve decision making. During the workshop, representatives from Newfoundland Hydro, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, the RCMP, City of St. Johns, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, Town of Conception Bay South, Canadian Red Cross Society, Department of Municipal Affairs (Emergency Measures Organization), Department of Environment and Conservation and Department of Health & Community Services will share information on federal, provincial, and municipal initiatives of interest to members of public safety and security community.

To be discussed is the role of the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) and how it can improve location-based information exchange within and across these communities. The CGDI supports better decision-making by providing discovery, access and visualization of better data.

Public safety and security practitioners need to be aware of the situations they face. By equipping themselves with location-based information that improves situational awareness, officials can better predict, detect, prepare for, and respond to public safety threats, hazards and emergencies.

Emergency management organizations from different jurisdictions often need to share information and collaborate on managing common issues. Location-based information can provide a common operating picture-a perspective that helps them collaborate both while planning for and responding to threats and disasters. In support of this goal, this project is funded under GeoConnections' Public Safety & Security Community Situational Awareness priority focus area.

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Philip Dawe
Year project is completed:
Region: Atlantic
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $10,400.00

Proponent Contact Information
Newfoundland Department of Environment and Conservation

St. John`s
Newfoundland and Labrador

Canada

Critical Infrastructure Information Identification Project

2009-08-23 19:55:17

Project Description:

Critical Infrastructure Information Identification Project

GeoConnections is working with the Canadian public safety and security community to develop a standard way to exchange critical infrastructure data across the nation. Canada's critical infrastructure consists of those physical and information technology facilities, networks, services, and assets which, if disrupted or destroyed, would have a serious impact on the health, safety, security, or economic well-being of Canadians or on the effective functioning of governments in Canada.

GeoConnections has contracted Holonics Inc. to undertake the two phase project. The first begins with consultations in New Brunswick, Quebec, Alberta, the Yukon Territory, British Columbia, and the National Capital Region. These consultations will identify authoritative suppliers of location-based infrastructure data and allow emergency managers and public safety and security decision-makers to prioritize information requirements based on Public Safety Canada'sten sectors of critical infrastructure. The second phase will involve developing a standard framework to exchange critical infrastructure data. This approach will allow data to be maintained and controlled by data suppliers-eliminating the need for centralized databases.

Accessing and exchanging this information using the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure will allow the public safety and security community to share data between different levels of government, infrastructure owners, and emergency agencies while respecting any security or privacy limitations. This capability will better equip these organizations to predict, prepare for, detect and respond to threats to public safety and security.

For more information contact :Ken.Marshall@NRCan.gc.ca

Primary Partner: Holonics Inc. Gatineau, Quebec;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Philip Dawe
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $118,560.00

Proponent Contact Information
Emergency Management BC
11411 Number 5 Road, Richmond
Richmond
British Columbia
V7A 4E8
Canada

User Needs Assessment of E2MV (Emergency Event Map Viewer)

2009-08-23 19:47:47

Project Description:

User Needs Assessment of E2MV (Emergency Event Map Viewer)

This project will help E-Comm (Emergency Communications for Southwest British Columbia Incorporated) assess its needs for a web-based emergency response application known as "E2MV". This application will capture information from multiple sources and integrate it into a single geographic view of emergencies.

E-Comm plays an important role in managing emergencies in southwest B.C. The organization handles all 9-1-1 calls, operates the region's wide area radio system, and dispatches for a number of police and fire departments. This project will reduce overlap between E-Comm and its partners; define users, their problems, and their demand for new products; prioritize requirements; and provide input into E2MV's development. In fact, this project is required to ensure that E2MV meets the needs of its users.

The project will take advantage of Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) services and data, including Web Map Service (to provide event information to users through a common situational awareness interface) and CGDI framework data (for road network data sets).

By providing 9-1-1 call takers, dispatchers, supervisors, fire battalion chiefs, commanding police officers, and others in the public safety community with greater insight into the location and scope of emergencies, E2MV will help this community respond faster and more effectively to those in need.

Primary Partner: E-Comm (Emergency Communications for Southwest British Columbia Inc.) Vancouver, British Columbia;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Philip Dawe
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $35,690.97

Proponent Contact Information
E-Comm - Emergency Communications For Soutwest British Columbia Inc
3301 East Pender Street
Vancouver
British Columbia
V5K 5J3
Canada

Region of Peel Spill Response System - Strategic Plan

2009-08-23 19:24:02

Project Description:

Region of Peel Spill Response System - Strategic Plan

This project will develop a strategic business plan-the first step in creating a web-based emergency response system for the Region of Peel (ROP), Ontario. The proposed emergency response system is intended to improve situational awareness when dealing with chemical and oil spills. The strategic plan will identify a project vision, partnership opportunities, and benefits, and present the business case for developing the web-based system.

Highly industrialized, the ROP is one of the areas within and around Toronto most prone to spills. A web-based spill-response system would provide real-time situational information regarding spills and improve ROP responses. Such a system would also integrate terrestrial and aquatic data to better assess impacts that may require involving the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.

The users of the business plan and the web-based system are expected to be the public safety and security community that deals with situational awareness and consequence management. The preliminary goal of the plan is to develop partnerships between these community stakeholders. The project will also look to use web-based geomatics data standards from the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) and build new predictive modelling tools based on existing standards.

To manage risk from hazards and respond to threats, public safety and security organizations need to be aware of the situations they face. In support of this goal, this project is funded under GeoConnections' Public Safety and Security Situational Awareness priority area.

Primary Partner: Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Toronto, Ontario;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Philip Dawe
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $21,665.00

Proponent Contact Information
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
5 Shoreham Drive
Downsview
Ontario
M3N 1S4
Canada

Overcoming Canada's Public Alerting and Notification Distribution Challenge

2009-08-23 18:54:16

Project Description:

Overcoming Canada's Public Alerting and Notification Distribution Challenge

The objective of this project is to develop a strategic plan to overcome Canada's public alerting and notification distribution challenges. Overcoming these challenges will involve linking the authorities that issue alerts with the organizations that broadcast alerts to the public.

Today, some 6000 organizations ranging from police departments to television weather networks and cell phone companies have the potential to either issue or transmit emergency alerts. These alerts can deal with a host of topics: severe weather, road outages, accidents, missing persons, diseases, and so on.

At present, however, no single organization is responsible for aggregating these alerts. This project's strategic plan will determine how best to establish such a role. It will also provide recommendations on how to encourage organizations such as government agencies, broadcasters, telecom companies, and utilities to issue alerts using the Common Alerting Protocol Canadian Profile (CAPCP)-a protocol that will help the aggregator collect and authenticate alerts.

This project will help Canada lead the introduction, promotion, and adoption of Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) data standards and common practices related to geospatial public alerts. Canadians will benefit from this project by the quick and effective distribution of emergency alerts, notices that could save property as well as lives.

For more information...

Primary Partner: New Brunswick Department of Public Safety - New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization Fredericton, New Brunswick;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Philip Dawe
Year project is completed:
Region: Atlantic
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $91,996.00

Proponent Contact Information
New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization
65 Brunswick Street
Fredericton
New Brunswick
E3B 5H1
Canada

Downtown Transportation and Emergency Management System

2009-08-23 18:43:10

Project Description:

Downtown Transportation and Emergency Management System

This project will equip public safety decision-makers in Vancouver, B.C., with a transportation and emergency management system. Designed to improve situational awareness, this application will assist users to prepare for and coordinate responses to emergencies by modelling crowd behaviours in 3D geographic space.

This system will enable decision-makers to plan and manage large events, such as the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Using real-world pedestrian and vehicle movement, the application will simulate crowd management in Vancouver's heavy traffic areas-for instance, in the entertainment district and around venues such as GM Place and B.C. Place.

Initially, the application will be used by the City of Vancouver, the Vancouver Emergency Operations Center, the Vancouver Police Department, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), the B.C. Provincial Emergency Program (PEP), the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (GVTA), and the Justice Institute of B.C.

Although the system is being developed for the 2010 Olympics, it will also benefit Vancouver during large events beyond 2010. By capitalizing on the Web Map Service (WMS) standard of the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure, the application will enable public safety officials to better understand crowd movement and traffic dispersion in downtown Vancouver. In short, the project outcome will ensure public safety officials are more prepared to plan for major events and respond efficiently to emergencies.

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Philip Dawe
Year project is completed:
Region: British Columbia
Sector: Municipal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $352,257.00

Proponent Contact Information
City of Vancouver
453 West 12th Avenue
Vancouver
British Columbia
V5Y 1V4
Canada

Geospatial Emergency Response System

2009-08-23 17:51:56

Project Description:

Geospatial Emergency Response System

This project was created to address public safety requirements and to develop an emergency response system for Lanark County and four collaborating local municipalities.

The system will be used to collect, share and maintain location-based information required during an emergency and incorporate the capabilities needed to address emergency situations. The system will allow all parties to access and share situational location-based information during an emergency. In addition, it will facilitate the upload of critical information for sharing by multiple jurisdictions during an emergency situation — allowing all authorized emergency organizations to view the same real-time information without the need to resort to phone calls or file transfers.

Overall, this project will enable the County to move its basic Emergency Plan to a more comprehensive and integrated emergency response system. It will cover the entire county of Lanark using location-based information from local municipal sources, provincial sources, national sources, and its own information. County data will be available to partner organizations using Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) endorsed standards. In addition, architecture and CGDI standards developed for this system will be used in other county geo-spatial systems.

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Philip Dawe
Year project is completed:
Region: Ontario
Sector: Municipal
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $180,519.00

Proponent Contact Information
Lanark County
P.O. Box 37, 99 Christie Lake Road
Perth
Ontario
K7H 3E2
Canada

Web-based Alberta Wildfire System

2009-08-23 17:21:35

Project Description:

Web-based Alberta Wildfire System

This project will develop a web-based Alberta wildfire system. The new system will help users collect and share required wildfire information online and will provide the tools for business partners to conduct activities in relation to wildfire suppression and prevention on a temporal and spatial scale.

Wildfires can devastate communities, destroy wildlife habitats, disrupt tourism and commerce, and take human life. Preventing wildfires-and managing them effectively when they do strike-are important goals.

This project will contribute to achieving those objectives. The Alberta Wildfire System will enable officials to better communicate fire bans and forest closures, spot wildfires early, report dangerous materials in wildfire-affected areas, coordinate fire-fighting efforts more effectively, and better prevent wildfires.

The new system will provide a web-map interface that end users can employ to query and view wildfire protection information. This information includes wildfire threat assessments, resource allocations, and locations of values at risk. The system will also enable users to check the status of existing wildfires or report new wildfires.

Potential users comprise municipalities, national parks staff, fire-response crews, wildfire agency personnel, the public, and employees of forestry, oil and gas, and railway companies.

The Alberta Wildfire System will also incorporate a wide variety of data from the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI). This includes information pertaining to road and rail networks, drainage boundaries, elevations, wetlands, and power networks.

Primary Partner: Alberta Sustainable Resource Development Edmonton, Alberta;

Primary Thematic Area: Public Safety
GeoConnections Project Authority: Philip Dawe
Year project is completed:
Region: Prairies
Sector: Provincial/Territorial
Funding Information

Total Project Funding: $459,245.00

Proponent Contact Information
Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
9920-108 Street
Edmonton
Alberta
T5K 2M4
Canada