The High Resolution Digital Elevation Model (HRDEM) product is derived from airborne LiDAR data (mainly in the south) and satellite images in the north. The complete coverage of the Canadian territory is gradually being established. It includes a Digital Terrain Model (DTM), a Digital Surface Model (DSM) and other derived data. For DTM datasets, derived data available are slope, aspect, shaded relief, color relief and color shaded relief maps and for DSM datasets, derived data available are shaded relief, color relief and color shaded relief maps. The productive forest line is used to separate the northern and the southern parts of the country. This line is approximate and may change based on requirements. In the southern part of the country (south of the productive forest line), DTM and DSM datasets are generated from airborne LiDAR data. They are offered at a 1 m or 2 m resolution and projected to the UTM NAD83 (CSRS) coordinate system and the corresponding zones. The datasets at a 1 m resolution cover an area of 10 km x 10 km while datasets at a 2 m resolution cover an area of 20 km by 20 km. In the northern part of the country (north of the productive forest line), due to the low density of vegetation and infrastructure, only DSM datasets are generally generated. Most of these datasets have optical digital images as their source data. They are generated at a 2 m resolution using the Polar Stereographic North coordinate system referenced to WGS84 horizontal datum or UTM NAD83 (CSRS) coordinate system. Each dataset covers an area of 50 km by 50 km. For some locations in the north, DSM and DTM datasets can also be generated from airborne LiDAR data. In this case, these products will be generated with the same specifications as those generated from airborne LiDAR in the southern part of the country. The HRDEM product is referenced to the Canadian Geodetic Vertical Datum of 2013 (CGVD2013), which is now the reference standard for heights across Canada. Source data for HRDEM datasets is acquired through multiple projects with different partners. Since data is being acquired by project, there is no integration or edgematching done between projects. The tiles are aligned within each project. The product High Resolution Digital Elevation Model (HRDEM) is part of the CanElevation Series created in support to the National Elevation Data Strategy implemented by NRCan. Collaboration is a key factor to the success of the National Elevation Data Strategy. Refer to the “Supporting Document” section to access the list of the different partners including links to their respective data.

This collection is a legacy product that is no longer supported. It may not meet current government standards. The Canadian Digital Elevation Model (CDEM) is part of Natural Resources Canada's altimetry system designed to better meet the users' needs for elevation data and products. The CDEM stems from the existing Canadian Digital Elevation Data (CDED). In these data, elevations can be either ground or reflective surface elevations. A CDEM mosaic can be obtained for a pre-defined or user-defined extent. The coverage and resolution of a mosaic varies according to latitude and to the extent of the requested area. Derived products such as slope, shaded relief and colour shaded relief maps can also be generated on demand by using the Geospatial-Data Extraction tool. Data can then be saved in many formats. The pre-packaged GeoTiff datasets are based on the National Topographic System of Canada (NTS) at the 1:250 000 scale; the NTS index file is available in the Resources section in many formats.

The Canadian Digital Elevation Model (CDEM) is part of Natural Resources Canada's altimetry system designed to better meet the users' needs for elevation data and products.

The CDEM stems from the existing Canadian Digital Elevation Data (CDED). In these data, elevations can be either ground or reflective surface elevations.

A CDEM mosaic can be obtained for a pre-defined or user-defined extent. The coverage and resolution of a mosaic varies according to latitude and to the extent of the requested area.

Derived products such as slope, shaded relief and colour shaded relief maps can also be generated on demand by using the Geospatial-Data Extraction tool. Data can then be saved in many formats.

The pre-packaged GeoTif datasets are based on the National Topographic System of Canada (NTS) at the 1:250 000 scale; the NTS index file is available in the Resources section in many formats.

The High Resolution Digital Elevation Model Mosaic provides a unique and continuous representation of the high resolution elevation data available across the country. The High Resolution Digital Elevation Model (HRDEM) product used is derived from airborne LiDAR data (mainly in the south) and satellite images in the north. The mosaic is available for both the Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and the Digital Surface Model (DSM) from web mapping services. It is part of the CanElevation Series created to support the National Elevation Data Strategy implemented by NRCan. This strategy aims to increase Canada's coverage of high-resolution elevation data and increase the accessibility of the products. Unlike the HRDEM product in the same series, which is distributed by acquisition project without integration between projects, the mosaic is created to provide a single, continuous representation of strategy data. The most recent datasets for a given territory are used to generate the mosaic. This mosaic is disseminated through the Data Cube Platform, implemented by NRCan using geospatial big data management technologies. These technologies enable the rapid and efficient visualization of high-resolution geospatial data and allow for the rapid generation of dynamically derived products. The mosaic is available from Web Map Services (WMS), Web Coverage Services (WCS) and SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog (STAC) collections. Accessible data includes the Digital Terrain Model (DTM), the Digital Surface Model (DSM) and derived products such as shaded relief and slope. The mosaic is referenced to the Canadian Height Reference System 2013 (CGVD2013) which is the reference standard for orthometric heights across Canada. Source data for HRDEM datasets used to create the mosaic is acquired through multiple projects with different partners. Collaboration is a key factor to the success of the National Elevation Strategy. Refer to the “Supporting Document” section to access the list of the different partners including links to their respective data.

The Medium Resolution Digital Elevation Model (MRDEM) product is a multi-source product that integrates elevation data from the Copernicus DEM acquired during the TanDEM-X Mission, and the High Resolution Digital Elevation Model data derived from airborne lidar. This product provides a complete, 30 meters resolution, nationwide coverage for Canada. It includes a Digital Terrain Model (DTM), a Digital Surface Model (DSM) and other derived products. The spatial coverage extends into the USA, where needed, to provide coverage for cross-border watersheds in support of hydrological studies and applications.

The MRDEM DSM dataset is based on the GLO-30 version of the Copernicus DEM. The process to generate the MRDEM DTM dataset is more complex and involves different sources. Where available, the HRDEM Mosaic derived from lidar was used since it already provides reliable terrain elevation values. The HRDEM Mosaic data used was resampled from 1 meter to 30 meters. Elsewhere, the processing workflow combines a forest removal model and a settlement removal model that is applied to the GLO-30 values in order to estimate the terrain elevation values.

NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information is building high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) for select U.S. coastal regions. These integrated bathymetric-topographic DEMs are used to support tsunami forecasting and warning efforts at the NOAA Center for Tsunami Research, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL). The DEMs are part of the tsunami forecast system SIFT (Short-term Inundation Forecasting for Tsunamis) currently being developed by PMEL for the NOAA Tsunami Warning Centers, and are used in the MOST (Method of Splitting Tsunami) model developed by PMEL to simulate tsunami generation, propagation, and inundation.

This is a 1 arc-second (approximately 30 m) resolution tiled collection of the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) seamless data products . 3DEP data serve as the elevation layer of The National Map, and provide basic elevation information for Earth science studies and mapping applications in the United States. Scientists and resource managers use 3DEP data for global change research, hydrologic modeling, resource monitoring, mapping and visualization, and many other applications. 3DEP data compose an elevation dataset that consists of seamless layers and a high resolution layer. Each of these layers consists of the best available raster elevation data of the conterminous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, territorial islands, Mexico and Canada. 3DEP data are updated continually as new data become available. Seamless 3DEP data are derived from diverse source data that are processed to a common coordinate system and unit of vertical measure. These data are distributed in geographic coordinates in units of decimal degrees, and in conformance with the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83). All elevation values are in meters and, over the conterminous United States, are referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). The vertical reference will vary in other areas. The elevations in these DEMs represent the topographic bare-earth surface. All 3DEP products are public domain.

This dataset includes data over Canada and Mexico as part of an international, interagency collaboration with the Mexico's National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) and the Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN) Centre for Topographic Information-Sherbrook, Ottawa. For more details on the data provenance of this dataset, visit here and here.

Click here for a broad overview of this dataset

The joint Natural Resources Canada/Department of Fisheries and Oceans Marine Spatial Planning Program requires the highest resolution marine based bathymetric elevation data and adjacent land based topographic elevation data that are available. This digital elevation model of Canada's west coast compiles the best data available from multiple government agencies to create a regional model gridded at 10 meter spacing. The transitions between the marine and terrestrial areas are seamless creating a continuous surface of elevations for scientific research and mapping.

ATTENTION! The files in this dataset are designed for streaming, not downloading. For the best experience, please follow the instructions available in the resources. In replacement of the former Canadian Digital Elevation Model (CDEM) that is no longer supported, the Medium Resolution Digital Elevation Model (MRDEM) product is a multi-source product that integrates elevation data from the Copernicus DEM** acquired during the TanDEM-X Mission (AIRBUS, 2022), and the High Resolution Digital Elevation Model data derived from airborne lidar. This product provides a complete, 30 meters resolution, nationwide coverage for Canada. It includes a Digital Terrain Model (DTM), a Digital Surface Model (DSM) and other derived products. The spatial coverage extends into the USA, where needed, to provide coverage for cross-border watersheds in support of hydrological studies and applications. The MRDEM DSM dataset is based on the GLO-30 version of the Copernicus DEM** (hereafter named GLO-30). The process to generate the MRDEM DTM dataset is more complex and involves different sources. Where available, the HRDEM Mosaic derived from lidar was used since it already provides reliable terrain elevation values. The HRDEM Mosaic data used was resampled from 1 meter to 30 meters. Elsewhere, the processing workflow combines a forest removal model and a settlement removal model that is applied to the GLO-30 values in order to estimate the terrain elevation values. Both datasets are projected to Canada Atlas Lambert NAD83 (CSRS) (EPSG:3979). The MRDEM is referenced to the CGVD2013 which is the reference standard for orthometric heights across Canada. The product Medium Resolution Digital Elevation Model (MRDEM) is part of the CanElevation Series created in support to the National Elevation Data Strategy implemented by NRCan. ** This product was in part produced using Copernicus WorldDEM-30 © DLR e.V. 2010-2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014- 2018 provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA; all rights reserved. The organisations in charge of the Copernicus program by law or by delegation do not incur any liability for any use of the Copernicus WorldDEM-30.

The Provincial Digital Elevation Model (PDEM) is a general purpose dataset designed to represent true ground elevation and is based on best-available data across the province. This dataset has not been conditioned for any specific application.

This is a legacy product that is no longer supported. It may not meet current government standards. Canada3D is a digital elevation model (DEM) produced by the Canadian Forestry Service, Ontario region. The DEM consists of an ordered array of ground elevations providing coverage of the Canadian landmass. It has been derived from the cells of the Canadian Digital Elevation Data (CDED) at the 1:250 000 scale. Canada3D is available in two levels of detail: grids regularly spaced at 30 or 300 arc seconds. Canada3D 30 and 300 are recorded separately in ASCII format. The elevation values are expressed in metres with respect to mean sea level (MSL), in accordance with the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83).

NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information is building high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) for select U.S. coastal regions. These integrated bathymetric-topographic DEMs are used to support tsunami forecasting and warning efforts at the NOAA Center for Tsunami Research, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL). The DEMs are part of the tsunami forecast system SIFT (Short-term Inundation Forecasting for Tsunamis) currently being developed by PMEL for the NOAA Tsunami Warning Centers, and are used in the MOST (Method of Splitting Tsunami) model developed by PMEL to simulate tsunami generation, propagation, and inundation.

LiDAR Derived Digital Elevation Models available at a 1m resolution in New Brunswick Stereographic Double Projection (NBSDP). LiDAR Derived Digital Elevation Models and Digital Surface Models available at 1m or 2m resolutions from NRCAN in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM).

Digital Elevation Model (DEM) for British Columbia produced by GeoBC. This data is the TRIM DEM converted to the Canadian Digital Elevation Data (CDED)format. The data consists of an ordered array of ground or reflective surface elevations, recorded in metres, at regularly spaced intervals. The spacing of the grid points is .75 arc seconds north/south. The data was converted into 1:50,000 grids for distribution. The scale of this modified data is 1:250,000 which was captured from the original source data which was at a scale of 1:20,000. The CDED format specification are available at ftp://ftp.geogratis.gc.ca/pub/nrcan_rncan/elevation/cdem_mnec/doc/CDEM_product_specs.pdf

This dataset contains one snow covered digital elevation model (DEM) and one snow depth product from April 10, 2019 over the Trail Valley Creek research watershed, Northwest Territories, Canada (68°44'25 N, 133°29'36 W). The products are derived from airborne laser scanner data that was collected with a Riegl VQ-580 on board the Alfred Wegener Institute's POLAR-6 science aircraft. The snow covered DEM contains the snow covered landscape elevations, i.e. the terrain and the snow. To obtain snow depth, a snow-free digital terrain model (DTM) needs to be subtracted from the snow covered DEM. We also provide a snow depth product, which we obtained by subtracting snow-free DTMs of Trail Valley Creek and the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway (ITH) (both from August 2018) from the DEM including snow cover. Please note that the snow depth product covers only parts of the complete snow covered DEM. The data can be used for analysing spatial snow accumulation patterns.

This is a tiled collection of the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) and is 1 arc-second (approximately 30 m) resolution. The elevations in this Digital Elevation Model (DEM) represent the topographic bare-earth surface. The 3DEP data holdings serve as the elevation layer of The National Map, and provide foundational elevation information for earth science studies and mapping applications in the United States. Scientists and resource managers use 3DEP data for hydrologic modeling, resource monitoring, mapping and visualization, and many other applications.. The seamless 1 arc-second DEM layers are derived from diverse source data that are processed to a common coordinate system and unit of vertical measure. These data are distributed in geographic coordinates in units of decimal degrees, and in conformance with the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83). All elevation values are in meters and, over the continental United States, are referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88). The seamless 1 arc-second DEM layer provides coverage of the conterminous United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, other territorial islands, and much of Alaska and Canada. The seamless 1 arc-second DEM is available as pre-staged products tiled in 1 degree blocks in Erdas .img, ESRI arc-grid, and grid float formats. The seamless 1 arc-second DEM layer is updated continually as new data become available. Other 3DEP products are nationally seamless DEMs in resolutions of 1 and 1/3 arc-second. These seamless DEMs were referred to as the National Elevation Dataset (NED) from about 2000 through 2015 at which time they became the seamless DEM layers under the 3DEP program and the NED name and system were retired. Other 3DEP products include one-meter DEMs produced exclusively from high resolution light detection and ranging (lidar) source data and five-meter DEMs in Alaska as well as various source datasets including the lidar point cloud and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (Ifsar) digital surface models and intensity images. All 3DEP products are public domain.

Ce modèle numérique d'altitude (MNT) a été créé à partir du jeu de données de terrain principal (MTD) de Hakai au moyen de l'outil « MNT to raster » dans ArcGIS for Desktop d'ESRI à l'aide d'une méthode d'échantillonnage Natural Neighbour. Le DEM a été créé en mode natif à une résolution de 3 m. Ce DEM a été fixé à une zone tampon à 10 m du rivage. Une combinaison de différentes altitudes autour de l'île a été utilisée pour créer le rivage.

Le MNT qui en résulte est un modèle d'élévation hydroaplati en terre nue et donc considéré comme « topographiquement complet ». Chaque pixel représente l'altitude en mètres au-dessus du niveau moyen de la mer de la terre nue à cet endroit. Le système de référence vertical est le « Système de référence géodésique vertical canadien 1928 » (CGVD28).

Hakai a produit des DEM à différentes résolutions de manière native directement à partir du MTD des données LiDAR. Pour vos recherches, veuillez utiliser le produit de résolution approprié parmi ceux produits par Hakai. Afin de maintenir l'homogénéité, il n'est pas recommandé de procéder à un suréchantillonnage ou à une mise à l'échelle supérieure à partir de produits de résolution supérieure car cela pourrait introduire et propager des erreurs de différentes grandeurs dans les analyses en cours ; veuillez utiliser des produits déjà disponibles, et si vous avez besoin d'une résolution non disponible, contactez data@hakai.org afin d'obtenir un DEM produit directement à partir du MTD.

Les DEM topographiquement complets suivants ont été produits en mode natif à partir du DTM par Hakai :

MNE topographiquement complète de 3 m. Ce produit a été utilisé pour produire les ensembles de données hydrologiques de Hakai (cours d'eau et bassins versants) DEM Topographiquement complet de 20 m. Compatible avec les mesures du couvert végétal de Hakai et les rasters associés. MNT topographiquement complet de 25 m. Compatible avec les produits de données TRIM BCGov. DEM Topographiquement complet de 30 m. Compatible avec les produits STRM.

Création du jeu de données de terrain principal

Nuages de points LiDAR issus de missions effectuées en 2012 et 2014 au-dessus de l'île Calvert où ils ont été chargés (XYZ uniquement) dans une classe d'entités ponctuelles d'une géodatabase ESRI.

Seul le sol (classe 2) renvoie l'endroit où il est chargé dans la géodatabase.

Le « jeu de données de MNT » ESRI a été créé dans la même géodatabase à l'aide des points LiDAR en tant que points de masse intégrés.

Les lacs et les étangs TEM Plus avec des valeurs d'altitude moyennes au-dessus des miroirs des plans d'eau ont été utilisés comme lignes de rupture de remplacement dur pour obtenir un hydroaplatissement.

La géométrie d'emprise minimale de toutes les étendues de fichiers LAS contigus a été utilisée comme masque de découpe souple lors de la création du jeu de données de MNT en tant que limite de projet.

Le système de coordonnées horizontales et le datum utilisés pour le jeu de données de MNT sont : UTM Zone 9 NAD1983 ; le système de référence vertical a été défini sur CGVD28. Les deux systèmes de référence correspondent au système de référence natif des nuages de points LiDAR.

L'espacement minimal des points défini pendant la création du jeu de données de MNT a été défini sur 1.

This DEM has been created from Hakai's Master Terrain Dataset (MTD) by means of the “Terrain to raster” tool in ESRI's ArcGIS for Desktop using a Natural Neighbour sampling method. The DEM has been natively created at 30m resolution. This DEM has been clipped to the shoreline of the island. A combination of different elevations around the island have been used to create the shoreline.

  The resulting DEM is a bare earth, hydro-flattened elevation model and therefore considered "topographically complete". Each pixel represents the elevation in meters above average sea level of the bare earth at that location. The vertical reference system is "Canadian Geodetic Vertical Datum 1928" (CGVD28). 

Hakai has produced DEM's at different resolutions natively directly from the LiDAR data MTD. Please use the appropriate resolution product from those produced by Hakai for your research purposes. In order to maintain homogeneity, up-sampling / up-scaling from higher resolution products is not recommended as it may introduce and propagate errors of varying magnitudes into the analyses being conducted; please use products already available, and if you require a resolution not available contact data@hakai.org in order to obtain a DEM produced directly from the MTD.

Master Terrain Dataset Creation:

LiDAR point clouds from missions flown on 2012 and 2014 over Calvert Island where loaded (XYZ only) into a point feature class in an ESRI Geodatabase.

LiDAR Derived Digital Elevation Models available at a 1m resolution in New Brunswick Stereographic Double Projection (NBSDP). LiDAR Derived Digital Elevation Models and Digital Surface Models available at 1m or 2m resolutions from NRCAN in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM).

The Alberta Provincial Digital Elevation Model has five components: the Alberta Provincial Terrain, the Alberta Provincial 25 Metre Raster, the Alberta Provincial 100 Metre Raster, the Alberta Provincial 25 Metre Hillshade and the Alberta Provincial 100 Metre Hillshade. The source data is contained within the feature dataset that houses the Alberta Provincial Terrain. The source data consists of feature classes generated from the mass points, soft breaklines and hard breaklines that were stored as ASCII generate files in 1:20 000 scale National Topographic System (NTS) blocks. The source data has three origins: Digital Elevation Model: Alberta 1980 1995 60K, Southwestern Alberta 1979 1996 50K and Northeastern Alberta 1955 1986 50K. These three datasets were processed separately and tiled seamlessly along their borders. The Digital Elevation Model Alberta 1980 1995 60K was compiled from 1:60 000 scale aerial photography using analytical stereoplotters with vegetation and structures excluded. The Digital Elevation Model Northeastern Alberta 1955 1986 50K dataset was created primarily from 1:50 000 scale contour and hydrography data acquired from Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN) with supplementary aerial triangulation points derived from 1:60 000 scale black and white aerial photography dating between 1980 and 1995. The Digital Elevation Model Southwestern Alberta 1979 1996 50K dataset was created primarily from 1:50 000 scale contour and hydrography data from Natural Resources Canada, using Geographic Information System (GIS) processes that recognise the relationship between surface contours and hydrography.