Contains 2 datasets: * lower and single tier municipalities * upper tier municipalities and districts.

Welcome to Middlesex County Open Data. This is the platform for exploring and downloading GIS data, discovering and building apps, and engaging others to solve important issues. You can analyze and combine datasets using maps, as well as develop new web and mobile applications. [County of Middlesex]

Contained within the Atlas of Canada's Reference Map Series, 1961 to 2010, is a map of Ontario. The map shows federal and provincial boundaries, and also boundaries of counties and of places of more than 50 000 inhabitants. There is also extensive coverage of the boundaries of geographical townships. The county-level units are named. The transportation content consists of roads (shown in four classes), ferries, and railways. Populated places are shown in one of five size classes. The map shows national parks and the larger provincial parks. Data is as of about 1990.

Contained within the Atlas of Canada's Reference Map Series, 1961 to 2010, is a map of Ontario. The map shows federal and provincial boundaries, and also boundaries of counties and of places of more than 50 000 inhabitants. There is also extensive coverage of the boundaries of geographical townships. The county-level units are named. The transportation content consists of roads (shown in four classes), ferries, and railways. Populated places are shown in one of five size classes. The map shows national parks and the larger provincial parks. Data is as of about 1990.

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, in cooperation with the Ministry of Natural Resources, have compiled a geo-spatial soils database for Southern Ontario. The database consolidated the existing digital soil data mapped on a county basis into a digitally stitched and standardized product.

The soil survey data was mapped by a number of soil surveyors from the 1920s to the 1990s. The Soil Ontario product incoporates soil information from a variety of map scales. The project has brought the individual county or regional municipality surveys together in a digitally stitched database which reveals inconsistencies in soil data across county boundaries. Using GIS and NRVIS (Natural Resource Values Information System) a GIS Specialist matched the soil polygons that crossed boundaries using the best available resources.

Additional Metadata Location: Agriculture and AgriFood Canada - Canada Soils Information System

Additional Metadata:

Canadian Soil Information Service

 Additional Documentation

Soil Survey Complex - Data Description (PDF) Soil Survey Complex - Documentation (Word) Status On going: data is being continually updated Maintenance and Update Frequency As needed: data is updated as deemed necessary Contact Daniel Saurette, omafra.gis@ontario.ca

Annual population estimates as of July 1st, by census division, single year of age, five-year age group and gender, based on the Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021.

Get statistical data on number of cattle, pigs and sheep by county in Ontario.

Statistical data are compiled to serve as a source of agriculture and food statistics for the province of Ontario. Data are prepared primarily by Statistics and Economics staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, in co-operation with the Agriculture Division of Statistics Canada and various government departments and farm marketing boards.

{"This dataset consists of the tabular data files used to create a database of energy activities led by co-operatives, the Canadian Community and Co-operative Energy Database (CCED). The CCED and the map it enables, the Canadian Renewable Energy Co-operative Map, extends the analysis of energy activities done by Fezulla, Pare, and Parkins' 2024 Canadian Renewable Energy and Battery Storage Map (CREBS) project. The CCED builds on existing outdated or more narrowly focused datasets of Canadian energy co-operatives, extending beyond power generation to grid ownership, electricity retailing, and installation of energy equipment for demand management and efficiency purposes. These key sources of data included the 2023 Census of Renewable Energy Co-operatives (Leonhardt, R., Pigeon, M.-A., & Boucher, M. 2022) which focused only on generation co-operatives but not the range and location of projects across Canada. It also included the outdated datasets in MacArthur (2016) and MacArthur and Hoicka (2018), and more geographically focused (Ontario) data from Tarhan (2025). The CCED updated and supplemented these existing datasets, classifying entries based on the primary activities and geographic location. Additional data sources included the Ontario Feed-in Tariff Program awarded projects data, the Nova Scotia Community Feed-in Tariff Program project data, the Bullfrog Community Projects website, the Federal Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities (CERRC) initiative, Community Energy Co-operative Canada (CECC), and online research based on Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada data. More detail on the data sources and gaps is outlined in the methodology section below. The entries in the CCED database that were active as of March 2025 were mapped using ArcGIS Online to the Canadian Renewable Energy Electricity Co-operative Map, which shows the key projects and activities undertaken by co-operatives in the energy section. The names of the map layers created, Co-Operative Renewable Electricity Generation and Other-Co-operative Energy Activity, correspond to the names of the data files found in this dataset. Methodology and data sources, including information on data gaps, can be found in the included PDF.","Funding for this project was provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Insight Grant 'Pathways to Energy Democracy in Canada' led by J. Parkins, as well as the Canada Research Chairs Program."}

Get consolidated soil data mapped on a county basis in a digitally stitched and standardized product. This soil survey data was mapped by a number of soil surveyors from the 1920s to the 1990s. The product incorporates soil information from a variety of map scales. The project has brought the individual county or regional municipality surveys together to reveal inconsistencies in soil data across county boundaries. The soil complex database contains other descriptive information including: * slope class * Canada Land Inventory (CLI) ranking * stoniness * drainage class * texture

Zoom in on the map above and click your area of interest or use the Tile Index linked below to determine which package(s) you require for download.The DTM data is available in the form of 1-km by 1-km non-overlapping tiles grouped into packages for download.This dataset is a compilation of lidar data from multiple acquisition projects, as such specifications, parameters and sensors may vary by project. See the detailed User Guide linked below for additional information.You can monitor the availability and status of lidar projects on the Ontario Lidar Coverage map on the Ontario Elevation Mapping Program hub page. Now also available through a web service which exposes the data for visualization, geoprocessing and limited download. The service is best accessed through the ArcGIS REST API, either directly or by setting up an ArcGIS server connection using the REST endpoint URL. The service draws using the Web Mercator projection. For more information on what functionality is available and how to work with the service, read the Ontario Web Raster Services User Guide. If you have questions about how to use the service, email Geospatial Ontario (GEO) at geospatial@ontario.ca.Service Endpointshttps://ws.geoservices.lrc.gov.on.ca/arcgis5/rest/services/Elevation/Ontario_DTM_LidarDerived/ImageServerhttps://intra.ws.geoservices.lrc.gov.on.ca/arcgis5/rest/services/Elevation/Ontario_DTM_LidarDerived/ImageServer (Government of Ontario Internal Users)Additional Documentation Ontario DTM (Lidar-Derived) - User Guide (DOCX) OMAFRA Lidar 2016-2018 - Cochrane - Additional Contractor Metadata (PDF)OMAFRA Lidar 2016-2018 - Peterborough - Additional Contractor Metadata (PDF)OMAFRA Lidar 2016-2018 - Lake Erie - Additional Contractor Metadata (PDF)CLOCA Lidar 2018 - Additional Contractor Metadata (PDF)South Nation Lidar 2018-19 - Additional Contractor Metadata (PDF)OMAFRA Lidar 2022 - Lake Huron - Additional Contractor Metadata (PDF)OMAFRA Lidar 2022 - Lake Simcoe - Additional Contractor Metadata (PDF)Huron-Georgian Lidar 2022-23 - Additional Contractor Metadata (Word)Kawartha Lakes Lidar 2023 - Additional Contractor Metadata (Word)Sault Ste Marie Lidar 2023-24 - Additional Contractor Metadata (Word)Thunder Bay Lidar 2023-24 - Additional Contractor Metadata (Word)Timmins Lidar 2024 - Additional Contractor Metadata (Word)Cataraqui Lidar 2024 - Additional Metadata (Word)Chapleau Lidar 2024 - Additional Metadata (Word)Dryden-Ignace-Sioux Lookout Lidar 2024 - Additional Metadata (Word)Atikokan Lidar 2024 - Additional Metadata (Word) Ontario DTM (Lidar-Derived) - Tile Index (SHP)Ontario Lidar Project Extents (SHP) OMAFRA Lidar DTM 2016-2018 - Cochrane - Breaklines (SHP)OMAFRA Lidar DTM 2016-2018 - Peterborough - Breaklines (SHP)OMAFRA Lidar DTM 2016-2018 - Lake Erie - Breaklines (SHP)CLOCA Lidar DTM 2018 - Breaklines (SHP)South Nation Lidar DTM 2018-19 - Breaklines (SHP)Ottawa-Gatineau Lidar DTM 2019-20 - Breaklines (SHP)OMAFRA Lidar DTM 2022 - Lake Huron - Breaklines (SHP)OMAFRA Lidar DTM 2022 - Lake Simcoe - Breaklines (SHP)Eastern Ontario Lidar DTM 2021-22 - Breaklines (SHP)Muskoka Lidar DTM 2018 - Breaklines CGVD2013 (SHP) / CGVD28 (SHP)Muskoka Lidar DTM 2021 - Breaklines CGVD2013 (SHP) / CGVD28 (SHP)Muskoka Lidar DTM 2023 - Breaklines CGVD2013 (SHP) / CGVD28 (SHP)DEDSFM Huron-Georgian Bay 2022-23 - Breaklines (SHP)DEDSFM Kawartha Lakes 2023 - Breaklines (SHP)DEDSFM Sault Ste Marie 2023-24- UTM16 - Breaklines (SHP)DEDSFM Sault Ste Marie 2023-24- UTM17 - Breaklines (SHP)DEDSFM Sudbury 2023-24 - Breaklines (SHP)DEDSFM Thunder Bay 2023-24 - Breaklines (SHP)DEDSFM Timmins 2024 - Breaklines (SHP)DEDSFM Cataraqui 2024 - Breaklines (SHP)DEDSFM Chapleau 2024 - Breaklines (SHP)DEDSFM Dryden 2024 - Breaklines (SHP)DEDSFM Ignace 2024 - Breaklines (SHP)DEDSFM Sioux Lookout 2024 - Breaklines (SHP)DEDSFM Northeastern Ontario 2024 - Breaklines (SHP)DEDSFM Atikokan 2024 - Breaklines (SHP)Product PackagesDownload links for the Ontario DTM (Lidar-Derived) (Word)Projects:LEAP 2009GTA 2014-18OMAFRA 2016-18CLOCA 2018South Nation CA 2018-19Muskoka 2018-23York-Lake Simcoe 2019Ottawa River 2019-20Ottawa-Gatineau 2019-20Lake Nipissing 2020Hamilton-Niagara 2021Huron Shores 2021Eastern Ontario 2021-22OMAFRA Lake Huron 2022OMAFRA Lake Simcoe 2022Belleville 2022Digital Elevation Data to Support Flood Mapping 2022-26Huron-Georgian Bay 2022-23Kawartha Lakes 2023Sault Ste Marie 2023-24Sudbury 2023-24Thunder Bay 2023-24Timmins 2024Cataraqui 2024Chapleau 2024Dryden 2024Ignace 2024Northeastern Ontario 2024Sioux Lookout 2024Atikokan 2024Greater Toronto Area Lidar 2023StatusOn going: Data is continually being updatedMaintenance and Update FrequencyAs needed: Data is updated as deemed necessaryContactOntario Ministry of Natural Resources - Geospatial Ontario, geospatial@ontario.ca

The soil complex database contains other descriptive information including slope class, Canada Land Inventory (CLI) ranking, stoniness, drainage class, texture etc. The CLI components of the data layer is generally intended to be used as a tool for broad land use planning decision making, and not necessarily for field-level management. The soil complex information can also be applied to source water protection, nutrient management and soil erosion modeling. Note: The soil complex data layer is subject to a continuous improvement strategy - data was last download August 2023.Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, in cooperation with the Ministry of Natural Resources, have compiled a geo-spatial soils database for Southern Ontario. The database consolidated the existing digital soil data mapped on a county basis into a digitally stitched and standardized product.The soil survey data was mapped by a number of soil surveyors from the 1920s to the 1990s. The Soil Ontario product incorporates soil information from a variety of map scales. The project has brought the individual county or regional municipality surveys together in a digitally stitched database which reveals inconsistencies in soil data across county boundaries. Using GIS and NRVIS (Natural Resource Values Information System) a GIS Specialist matched the soil polygons that crossed boundaries using the best available resources.

The survey of Perth County soils, initiated in 1936 by the Experimental Farms Service, Canada Department of Agriculture, and the Soils Department at the Ontario Agricultural College, was completed in 1946. This report and the enclosed map present the findings of the survey. The map is drawn on a scale of 1 inch to the mile and it indicates the distribution and extent of the various types which may differ in texture, structure, topography, drainage etc. The purpose of the report is to contribute to the knowledge of the land resources of Perth County by outlining and describing the soils and by classifying them in terms of present and potential agricultural use. Perth County is located in the central portion of southwestern Ontario. The area of the County is approximately 840 square miles, or 537,600 acres (Eighth Census of Canada, 1941). Of this, approximately 515,500 acres is occupied farmland.

Contained within the 3rd Edition (1957) of the Atlas of Canada is a plate that shows maps of earthquakes, magnetism and tides across Canada. The two larger upper maps on this plate show geomagnetism. Since the North Magnetic Pole is in a different position from the Geographical North Pole, and the lines of the earths magnetic forces are deflected by various agencies, the compass needle does not point toward the Geographical North Pole in most locations. The deflection of the compass needle from True North is called magnetic variation or declination. Thus, for example, where variation is west, north as indicated by the compass needle is west of True North by the number of degrees marked on the isogones, as illustrated by the upper left map on this plate. The upper right map indicates the average annual change of magnetic variation in minutes. The small inset map at the top of this plate, entitled Earthquake Probability, shows the damage which may result from earthquakes occurring in different parts of the country. The zones are graded from 0, where such earthquakes are likely to do no damage, to 3, where earthquakes are likely to do major damage. The small-type numbers indicate the magnitude of some recorded earthquakes. The index of magnitude is related to energy released rather than the damage done. A magnitude 5.6 is considered as the threshold at which damage begins. The four lower maps on this plate show co-tidal and co-range lines for/from the semi-diurnal and diurnal tides. A co-tidal line indicates the position of the crest of the tidal undulation at a given time. The hours marked on these lines are intervals in lunar time from that instant when the moon crosses the Greenwich meridian. A co-range line indicates the difference in level between the crest and the trough of the undulation.

Information on the amount of water flowing in streams and rivers is critical to the management of water resources, emergency response to flooding, fisheries management, and many other uses. This layer provides access to near real-time stream gauge readings compiled from a variety of agencies and organizations.Dataset SummaryThe Live Stream Gauges layer contains near real-time measurements of water depth from multiple reporting agencies recording at sensors across the world. This layer updates every hour. Flow forecasts are provided where available. These sensor feeds are owned and maintained by the GIS community via the Community Maps Program. For details on the coverage in this map and to find out how to contribute your organization's gauges, please email environment@esri.com.Contributors to the Live Stream Gauges Service:United States Geological Survey (USA)National Weather Service (USA) * Includes Stage Status *Washington State Department of Ecology (USA)San Joaquin County (USA)Maricopa County Flood Control District (USA)Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (USA)PEGELONLINE (Germany) * Includes Stage Status *Bureau of Meteorology (Australia)Horizons Regional Council (New Zealand) Environment Agency (UK)Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (USA) * Includes Stage Status *Iowa Flood Center (USA)Oregon Water Resource Department (USA)Dartmouth Flood Observatory (Global) * Includes Stage Status *Meteorological Service of Canada (Canada)Volusia County Florida (USA) * Suspended *Somali Water and Land Information Management (Somalia) * Includes Stage Status *Office of Public Works (Ireland)RevisionsDec 13, 2024: Added 'Status Classification' field, allowing symbol level draw order based on severity of flood status!Aug 26, 2024: Corrected update issue with USGS source data reported by several users.Aug 14, 2024: Updated USGS feed to pull from JSON data source, see: https://waterservices.usgs.gov/Jul 24, 2024: Added Office of Public Works (Ireland) dataJul 10, 2024: National Weather Service (NOAA) source reinstated after provider fix!Jul 8, 2024: Volusia County Florida, suspended during administrative holdJul 5, 2024: National Weather Service (NOAA) source stopped updating, suspended waiting on provider to correctMay 28, 2024: National Weather Service (NOAA) source updated, replaced retired AHPS with NWPSJan 22, 2024: Reinstated Somali Water and Land Management source after they successfully migrated to HTTPS ProtocolJan 3, 2024: Somali Water and Land Management source deactivated until Web Site issues are resolved!Mar 20, 2023: Nebraska DNR has been updated to leverage new source and now honors Stage Status!Feb 16, 2023: Nebraska DNR source update temporarily disabled due to source repository change!Aug 10, 2021: Added missing source for Nova Scotia CanadaJul 3, 2021: Added Somali Water and Land Information Management dataJun 30, 2021: Added Volusia County dataFeb 9, 2021: Refinements and Fixes:Corrections to Flow conversion for 'Environment Agency - UK'Corrections to Flow conversion for 'Horizons Regional Council - New Zealand'Added display of Metric Stage Height and Flow to PopupJan 27, 2021: Official release of Feature Service offering. Upgrades include:Automatic addition of new source stationsRemoval of stations with data older than 180 daysAddition of 'Governing Location' field that provides geographic State or Province (optional) plus Country NameAddition of 'Hours Since Last Update' field that maintains the age since gauge data was last updated

TERMS OF USE 1. Restriction on the use of Material on this websiteUsage and/or downloading this data indicates Your acceptance of the terms and conditions below.The data here controlled and operated by the Corporation of the County of Lennox and Addington (referred to the “County” herein) and is protected by copyright. No part of the information herein may be sold, copied, distributed, or transmitted in any form without the prior written consent of the County. All rights reserved. Copyright 2018 by the Corporation of the County of Lennox and Addington.2. DisclaimerThe County makes no representation, warranty or guarantee as to the content, accuracy, currency or completeness of any of the information provided on this website. The County explicitly disclaims any representations, warranties and guarantees, including, without limitation, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.3. Limitation of LiabilityThe County is not responsible for any special, indirect, incidental or consequential damages that may arise from the use of or the inability to use, any web pages and/or the materials contained on the web page whether the materials are provided by the County or by a third party. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the County assumes no responsibility whatsoever for: any errors omissions, or inaccuracies in the information provided, regardless of how caused; or any decision made or action taken or not taken by the reader or other third party in reliance upon any information or data furnished on any web page.The Data is provided "as is" without warranty or any representation of accuracy, timeliness or completeness. The burden for determining accuracy, completeness, timeliness, merchantability and fitness for or the appropriateness for use rests solely on the requester. Lennox and Addington County makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the use of the Data. There are no implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The requester acknowledges and accepts the limitations of the Data, including the fact that the Data is dynamic and is in a constant state of maintenance, corrections and update.

Contained within the 2nd Edition (1915) of the Atlas of Canada is a plate that shows two maps. The first map shows the origin of the population in Ontario and western Quebec, circa 1911. The second map shows the origin of the population in Eastern Quebec and the Maritime Provinces, circa 1911. A varying number of ethnic groups are shown, but always included are: English, Scotch [Scottish], Irish, French and German. People of British origin predominate in all provinces, except Quebec, where the French predominate. The areas of Carleton county down to Kingston is predominated with Irish settlers. Counties and major railway systems displayed, extending into the U.S.

Information on the amount of water flowing in streams and rivers is critical to the management of water resources, emergency response to flooding, fisheries management, and many other uses. This layer provides access to near real-time stream gauge readings compiled from a variety of agencies and organizations. Dataset SummaryThe Live Stream Gauges layer contains near real-time measurements of water depth from multiple reporting agencies recording at sensors across the world. This layer updates every hour. Flow forecasts are provided where available. These sensor feeds are owned and maintained by the GIS community via the Community Maps Program. For details on the coverage in this map and to find out how to contribute your organization's gauges, please email environment@esri.com. Contributors to the Live Stream Gauges Service:United States Geological Survey (USA)National Weather Service (USA) * Includes Stage Status * Includes Flood Forecast Status *Washington State Department of Ecology (USA)San Joaquin County (USA)Maricopa County Flood Control District (USA)Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (USA)PEGELONLINE (Germany) * Includes Stage Status *Bureau of Meteorology (Australia)Horizons Regional Council (New Zealand) Environment Agency (UK)Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (USA) * Includes Stage Status *Iowa Flood Center (USA)Oregon Water Resource Department (USA)Dartmouth Flood Observatory (Global) * Includes Stage Status *Meteorological Service of Canada (Canada)Volusia County Florida (USA)Somali Water and Land Information Management (Somalia) * Includes Stage Status *Office of Public Works (Ireland) RevisionsOct 6, 2025: Dartmouth Flood Observatory, reinstatedApr 15, 2025: Added fields for Flood Forecast Status for Full, 24 Hour, 48 Hour, and 72 Hour Forecast PeriodsApr 2, 2025: Volusia County Florida, reinstatedFeb 13, 2024: Dartmouth Flood Observatory, suspended by government cutbacksDec 13, 2024: Added 'Status Classification' field, allowing symbol level draw order based on severity of flood status! Aug 26, 2024: Corrected update issue with USGS source data reported by several users. Aug 14, 2024: Updated USGS feed to pull from JSON data source, see: https://waterservices.usgs.gov/Jul 24, 2024: Added Office of Public Works (Ireland) data Jul 10, 2024: National Weather Service (NOAA) source reinstated after provider fix! Jul 8, 2024: Volusia County Florida, suspended during administrative holdJul 5, 2024: National Weather Service (NOAA) source stopped updating, suspended waiting on provider to correct May 28, 2024: National Weather Service (NOAA) source updated, replaced retired AHPS with NWPS Jan 22, 2024: Reinstated Somali Water and Land Management source after they successfully migrated to HTTPS Protocol Jan 3, 2024: Somali Water and Land Management source deactivated until Web Site issues are resolved! Mar 20, 2023: Nebraska DNR has been updated to leverage new source and now honors Stage Status! Feb 16, 2023: Nebraska DNR source update temporarily disabled due to source repository change! Aug 10, 2021: Added missing source for Nova Scotia Canada Jul 3, 2021: Added Somali Water and Land Information Management data Jun 30, 2021: Added Volusia County dataFeb 9, 2021: Refinements and Fixes:Corrections to Flow conversion for 'Environment Agency - UK'Corrections to Flow conversion for 'Horizons Regional Council - New Zealand'Added display of Metric Stage Height and Flow to PopupJan 27, 2021: Official release of Feature Service offering. Upgrades include:Automatic addition of new source stationsRemoval of stations with data older than 180 daysAddition of 'Governing Location' field that provides geographic State or Province (optional) plus Country NameAddition of 'Hours Since Last Update' field that maintains the age since gauge data was last updated

The main purpose of the Conservation Atlas of Wetlands is to develop a portrait of the wetlands of the St. Lawrence Valley using innovative mapping methods in order to favor bird conservation by helping land managers to make decisions about land use and bird habitat conservation. Another objective was to develop methods needed to allow a monitoring of the St. Lawrence Valley wetlands and make a link to a potential national mapping project of that type as an indicator on environment quality in Canada. The Atlas is considered a large-scale project because of the area covered, the great variability in the area’s characteristics and the various types of wetlands encountered. Using Canadian RADARSAT satellite images, along with other sources of information available (e.g., digital hydrological and hypsometric data) and data from Landsat-TM images, the mapping has required certain adjustments and the use of innovative methods. Achieving the objectives set at the start of the project in the spring of 1999 has resulted in the following products: - A global mosaic of the distribution of wetlands in southern Québec - A 1:50 000 scale map showing the location of wetlands in each of the area’s regional county municipalities (RCMs) - Descriptive statistics on wetlands' characteristics (number, category, average area, etc.) to complement the maps, - Information and links to to sites that promote wetland conservation. In the last few years, the Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment Canada has been carrying out a project to map natural habitats using Landsat-TM imagery. This mapping has been used to apply methods for analysing landscape features in a large area of southern Québec in order to ensure adequate habitat protection and development. As a follow-up to the project, the CWS decided to produce an Atlas of wetlands in the St. Lawrence Valley. The CWS’s work has shown that multispectral imagery does not provide all the information needed to differentiate between some wetlands. For example, forested wetlands and flooded forests can be confused with other forested areas. To increase the accuracy of wetland identification, it was decided that radar imagery should be incorporated into the project. Research carried out in Canada and abroad is attempting to show that this imagery, when acquired at the right time, can help to differentiate wetlands and map agricultural land and grasslands. Mapping and appropriate wetland monitoring require remote sensing tools that are independent of cloud cover and sensitive to soil humidity. Equipped with SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) captors capable of providing high-resolution images unaffected by daytime and nighttime weather conditions, the Canadian RADARSAT satellite is able to map the exact boundaries of wetlands. Phase I: image acquisition Image acquisition took place between April 27, 1999 and June 11, 1999. The Data Acquisition Division of the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing established an acquisition plan based on various criteria, i.e., image acquisition had to take place in the ascending mode to eliminate the dew effect, it had to be carried out in a short time period (after flooding but before the dry spells of summer) and it had to offer the possibility of producing a mosaic for a large portion of the territory. Thirty-four images were finally acquired, 28 in fine mode and 6 in standard mode. Following this acquisition, a partnership agreement between Environment Canada, the Canadian Space Agency and the Geography Department of the University of Montréal was signed. In the project’s first phase, Landsat-TM images were used to mask certain soil types, which resulted in the production of a mosaic of RADARSAT images of southern Québec and preliminary image classification results. Although the product was generally satisfactory, it was felt that the mosaic image and the classified RADARSAT images could be improved. Phase II: a classification method development The CWS thus developed a new classification method that combines several formats of RADARSAT images (texture, homogeneity and contrast indices) with the decorrelated Landsat-TM image and a digital elevation model. Several hundreds ground control points were used as basic information to guide tree analysis. The preliminary results at test sites proved the method’s efficiency for these types of images. The wetlands of 68 RCMs in the St. Lawrence Valley could thus be classified. Phase III: final validation of maps Another phase of our work was the final validation of the Atlas maps. This was made possible through extensive consultation with Quebec wetlands experts (see the list of financial and technical partners in the Acknowledgements section). In all, over 60 hours of consultation took place with more than 30 experts in the various regions of Southern Québec. This final phase of the mapping project was dubbed “Operation Open House.” A complete series of 1:50 000 scale maps, drawn up according to the boundaries of the topographical maps (UTM co-ordinates), was printed out so that the various experts could examine them and, if necessary, signal any errors and plot the required corrections. It should be noted that there are two possible sources of discrepancies. Errors may have occurred during the image classification process, or may be a result of changes to wetlands since the two series of satellite images used for this project were taken (1993-1994 and 1999). We have assigned a specific code in the map legend for areas where such changes have occurred so that, until a second map is produced in the coming years, the reader can get an idea of the dynamics of these habitats and the major areas of change (disappearance or degradation of wetlands) resulting from various human activities. Phase IV: towards interactivity A fourth phase now allows to produce a map for the sector of their choice through the interactive mapping procedure and improve the database by adding supplementary information. Citation Bélanger, L., M. Grenier, 2003. Atlas de conservation des terres humides. Environnement Canada, Service canadien de la faune, région du Québec