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January 5, 2004
What is GeoBase?
GeoBase is a federal / provincial / territorial initiative endorsed
by the Canadian Council on Geomatics (CCOG) to ensure the provision
of quality base geospatial data covering Canada.
GeoBase can be summed up by the following three main characteristics:
- Quality geospatial data (accurate, consistent, current and
sustainable);
- Unique (data captured once and maintained closest to the source);
and
- No fee to user (easily accessible with no restrictions on
use).
GeoBase Version 1 offers six data themes:
- National Road Network (NRN): Continuous accurate centreline
data of the basic Canadian road network.
- Canadian Digital Elevation Data (CDED): National digital elevation
model coverage at the 1:50 000 and 1:250 000 scales.
- Geographical Names of Canada (Toponymy): Selected feature
names taken from the Canadian Geographical Names Data Base.
- Administrative Boundaries: International, provincial and territorial
boundaries, and the exclusive economic zone of Canada.
- Canadian Geodetic Network: Information about horizontal and
vertical geodetic control points distributed across Canada.
- Landsat-7 Ortho Images: National coverage of recent orthorectified
satellite images.
Why GeoBase:
GeoBase responds to Canadians’ requests for access to basic geographic
data at no cost to users. By working together, multiple levels
of government are increasing their efficiency in collecting and
maintaining geographic data. Nova Scotia is supportive of the
GeoBase initiative because it is in alignment with our own GeoNova
Program which promotes source data collection, collaborative maintenance
and dissemination/sharing of this source geographic data.
Nova Scotia’s contribution to GeoBase includes the required content
of the Nova Scotia Topographic Database (NSTDB) for the GeoBase
themes. Further NSTDB data content will be offered through the
Province of Nova Scotia GeoNova Portal (under development) at
no cost to the user. The transition to a free data environment
for the NSTDB will occur over the next few months with the financial
support of GeoConnections to offset lost revenues. In addition
to the financial support of GeoConnections, Nova Scotia has an
agreement with Natural Resources Canada to ensure ongoing maintenance
of our provincial topographic data through cost shared support
of the GeoBase themes.
The opening and official launch of the GeoBase Portal took place
on November 19, 2003. Further information and access to the GeoBase
Portal can be found at: www.geobase.ca
If you have questions regarding GeoBase, please contact Danny
Gray at Geographic Information Services - dgray @ gov.ns.ca
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