Sustainable development of Canada's immense natural resources requires careful decision making to efficiently and responsibly use our natural, human, and economic resources. The Earth Sciences Sector (ESS) is contributing to Canada's progress on sustainable development by collecting, processing, and making accessible its geological and geomatics knowledge.

The Consolidating Canada's Geoscience Knowledge (CCGK) program enhances ESS partnerships with provinces, territories, industry, and academia. The program also provides more efficient, effective, and comprehensive access to geoscience information and knowledge. Achieving these goals will enable Canada to compete more effectively for global investment in oil, gas, and mineral exploration and development and better equip the country to make sound sustainable development decisions. More information ...

Federal, Provincial and Territorial Governments Endorse Cooperative Geological Mapping Strategies

Members of the Consolidating Canada's Geoscience Knowledge (CCGK) program coordinated numerous regional workshops throughout 2004 to consult with the leaders of provincial and territorial Geological Surveys in order to define the key outcomes for the Cooperative Geological Mapping Strategies initiative. The resulting Implementation Plan was developed by members of the National Geological Surveys Committee and endorsed by Canada's Mines Ministers. This agreement is a new model for federal and provincial-territorial collaboration and focuses public geoscience contributions to secure clean energy supplies for Canada, to help resource-based communities prosper, and to develop resource based economic opportunities.

Geoscience Data Repository Simplifies Data Sharing and Integration

In 2004, the CCGK program introduced the Geoscience Data Repository (GDR), a distributed network of databases that makes it easier for users to access and use the extensive holdings of ESS resource geoscience data. On-line, low-cost access to these data is essential for geological mapping and for mineral and hydrocarbon resource exploration. The GDR employs a series of services and applications to more effectively manage geoscience data, information, and its subsequent dissemination. It now distributes a significant portion of the Geological Survey of Canada's extensive mineral and energy geoscience legacy data and information through the Internet. As well as providing this service externally, the GDR will become an important information asset to internal ESS programs and activities. These developments better equip the Canadian Geoscience Knowledge Network to assist Canada's federal, provincial, and territorial geoscience agencies to share and integrate geoscience data and knowledge.

This program contributes to the geoscience knowledge that is required to enhance decision making in Canada's offshore lands. This knowledge is necessary to balance social, economic, and environmental considerations with land-use decisions, including those affecting offshore structures and resource-development. Underpinning this program is a systematic approach to sea-floor mapping necessary for integrated ocean management. The legislative and strategic framework for this program is found in the Canada Oceans Act and Canada's Oceans Strategy. More information ...

Marine Geoscience Information Used to Manage Dredge Spoils in the Strait of Georgia

The Geoscience for Ocean Management (GOM) program of ESS is helping to balance the competing interests of dredge disposal and habitat protection in B.C. The Fraser River, one of Canada's busiest waterways, routinely requires dredging to accommodate ocean-going ships. The dredged material is deposited off Sand Heads, at the mouth of the Fraser River's main channel. ESS scientists studied the suitability of this disposal site by mapping the Georgia Basin with multibeam sonar and measuring sediment transport. The study revealed a potential issue with slope instability, which will be examined further with the University of Victoria's VENUS cabled observatory. ESS scientists also evaluated depositing dredged material at an alternative site on the adjacent tidal flats of Roberts Bank. Deposits here may re-nourish the sediment transport system and preserve critical habitats for migratory birds.

Seabed Maps Help Nova Scotia Scallop Fishery Cut Costs and Improve Catch

Canada is committed to developing high resolution seabed maps of the bathymetry and surficial geology of its continental shelf to help manage and conserve its biological and mineral resources. In partnership with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the local scallop fishing industry, the GOM program of ESS recently mapped scallop grounds off southwest Nova Scotia using multibeam sonar technology. Fisheries managers within the government use bottom habitat maps to develop sustainable harvest plans and the valuable commercial scallop industry uses them to cut costs and boost catches by concentrating on areas identified as scallop habitats. As well, these maps allow fishers to avoid rugged terrain ill-suited to towing fishing gear.

Assessing Environmental Impact of Beaufort Sea Oil and Gas Exploration

In late 2005, Canada will drill its first Arctic offshore oil and gas exploration well in 15 years in the Beaufort Sea. This well, the first of four to be drilled by 2009, reflects renewed interest in frontier oil and gas. The GOM program of ESS is using seabed geohazard research to assess how this exploration will affect the environment. Working with the oil industry, the Inuvialuit, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, ESS is mapping active shallow gas vents, mud volcanoes, abandoned artificial islands, subsea permafrost, seabed scouring from ice keels, and underwater ecosystems. This work relies on multibeam technology to generate 3D images that will ultimately assist policy makers, regulators, and other decision makers to meet public health and safety objectives and protect the environment.

Habitat Mapping on the Scotian Shelf

Which areas of the Eastern Scotian seafloor are the most sensitive to resource exploration and commercial fishing, and how should Canada balance these endeavours with the health of the seafloor ecology? These are the questions that the GOM program of ESS and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans are answering by mapping the seafloor habitat of the Scotian Shelf. GOM's Eastern Scotian Shelf Integrated Management project will generate insight that can be used to plan the installation of structures on the sea floor and resolve conflicts regarding sea-floor use. The mapping solutions and data that this project produces will meet the needs of government, First Nations, ocean industries, resource users, environmental interest groups, coastal communities, and university researchers.

Effective implementation of natural resource policies requires access to reliable and up-to-date information about our resources. Each project in the Sustainable Development Through Knowledge Integration (SDKI) program of ESS addresses specific technological barriers that need to be overcome in order to provide consistent and current data about Canada's natural resources. SDKI contributes new technology to facilitate the integration of Earth Science information and expert knowledge into policy making. ESS scientists are using their expertise to develop data models, data integration methods and visualization techniques that help monitor environmental change resulting from human or natural causes. These activities use ESS data based on the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure as well as information resources from a broad range of other organizations.

Wildland Fire Reporting System Leading the Global Fire Community

On average, 2.5 million hectares of Canadian forests burn annually. ESS scientists are leading the world in using Earth observation imagery and innovative web-based tools to help monitor and map forest fires. A team from the SDKI program of ESS and the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) is developing the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS) to monitor and report annually on the impacts of forest fires. This comprehensive system combines satellite data products and ground-based fire and weather data with fuel consumption and carbon budget models. In conjunction with CFS's National Forest Carbon Monitoring, Accounting and Reporting System, it provides a mechanism for estimating carbon emissions from wildland fires. These estimates will be included in NRCan's report against our Kyoto commitments and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. CWFIS data can also be used for issues related to climate change, forest management, and biodiversity and habitat fragmentation.

Restoring Ecologies Around Abandoned Mine Sites

SDKI has collaborated with the City of Greater Sudbury to track changes in plant species and vegetation near abandoned mine sites in the Sudbury region. Imagery from satellite remote sensing systems and ground observations are being used to help track a land rehabilitation project begun by the city in 1978. Although much progress has been made in restoring biologically diverse and productive forests, new information indicates that trees grown naturally in the affected areas are less healthy and more susceptible to insect infestation and diseases than those outside these areas. SDKI's data and expertise will help Sudbury and others involved in the reclamation of the estimated 27,000 remaining abandoned mines in Canada.

Assessing the Impact of Urban Growth and Land Use on Energy Consumption

According to 2001 census data, 64% of Canada's population lives in twenty-seven cities with populations greater than 100,000. SDKI is addressing the recommendations of the 2002 Prime Minister's Caucus Task Force on Urban Issues to develop indicators of how urban growth and land use affects transportation-related energy consumption. In response, SDKI project scientists are assembling information from the 30-year record of Landsat acquisitions and other historic federal land-use databases. Land-cover, land-use, and census information for each city are being integrated to produce four quantifiable, energy-related sustainability indicators: urban land use per capita, land-use mix, urban compactness, and road network connectivity. In 2004, an analysis of these four indicators for twenty-eight cities was prepared for the policy makers in NRCan's Energy Sector. Phase II of this project will apply historical land use information to generate a time series of urban sustainability trends, information that can guide policies about transportation, energy, and development in urban areas.

Groundwater and Geohazard Vulnerability Assessments Assist Community Planning

Municipal planners in Pender Island, British Columbia, are using ESS groundwater vulnerability maps and SDKI human settlement scenarios in the development of their official community plan. The web-based decision support tools integrate socio-economic and geoscience information, enabling municipal planners to examine different development scenarios and assess the potential impacts of groundwater and geohazard risks in different areas. These new tools offer planners three important advantages: the capability to develop alternative human settlement scenarios and present them visually, web access to the data and scenario-modelling tools, and the information and support that ESS geoscientists can provide.

Interactive Web-based Tools Reveal Land-Use Trends in Ottawa

SDKI is developing web-based visualization tools to allow users to explore and interact with a wide range of visual geospatial data from different periods. For instance, by incorporating topographic maps, imagery, virtual reality models, and aerial photographs, SDKI developed an animated time series for Ottawa that spans 82 years. An even more detailed animation of a small area in the city centre was also created to highlight the evolution of Ottawa's transportation and urban development. ESS contributed this product to help Ottawa celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2005.

The Geomatics for the Sustainable Development of Natural Resources (GSDNR) program promotes awareness of and access to the high-quality geospatial information and products of ESS. Helping Canada make responsible decisions about the sustainable development of its natural resources, GSDNR projects provide basic geospatial information layers such as geographic names, national thematic frameworks, elevation data, hydrography, transportation networks, and satellite ortho-rectified imagery. These layers are generated according to national data standards developed through partnerships and a common technological environment with various data producers. More information ...

National Road Network Updates

The recently completed National Road Network (NRN), Level 1, contains accurate, consistent, and up-to-date information about every highway, thoroughfare, street, boulevard, crescent, avenue, and cul-de-sac in the country. This information is valuable for geographic information systems developers who want to build global positioning systems or web-based applications that rely on roadway data. For example, a rural fire department could use this resource to respond faster to fires and also to save on gas and vehicle wear and tear.

National Hydro Network Gains an Important Standard

In August 2004, the Canadian Council on Geomatics (CCOG) approved a National Hydro Network (NHN), Level 1, Edition1, standard for describing and modelling features of the Canadian surface-water system (inland waters and coastline). CCOG commissioned experts from the Centre for Topographic Information of ESS, Nova Scotia's Geomatics Centre, and British Columbia's Base Mapping and Geomatics Services to develop the standard using the same approach that guided the development of the standard for the National Road Network. It is anticipated that the NHN model will be completed by 2009 and could be used for water flow analysis, watershed monitoring and management, as well as data querying and manipulation. For example, the NHN could be used to monitor water levels in the case of drought or flood to help decision-makers evaluate the need for relief measures or evacuation.

New National Landsat 7 Orthographic Images Offer Resource Management Benefits

Led by the Centre for Topographic Information of ESS, various federal, provincial, and territorial agencies have established the GeoBase Data Alignment Layer, which comprises Landsat 7 satellite orthographic images of Canada. Having a unique, shared geometry for topographic spatial reference makes it easier to integrate data from the many federal, provincial, and territorial databases in use across Canada. Orthorectified images remove perspective distortion by compensating for the Earth's curvature and can be applied in many resource management situations. For example, the Canadian Forestry Service uses them as part of their National Forest Carbon Accounting program. Information derived from the images is also used by Parks Canada to better manage Canada's national parks. The downloading of over 135,000 images from the GeoBase portal during the month of February 2005 shows the value and usefulness of this data.

Hyperspectral Technology May Change the Mapping of Northern Canada

Hyperspectral remote sensing can identify potential mineral exploration targets more quickly and economically than traditional methods and this could potentially revolutionize the mapping process in northern Canada. In the Earth Observation Data Standards Project of GSDNR, ESS scientists are working to improve the accuracy of airborne hyperspectral data. While the need for on-site validation will still be essential, hyperspectral technology will provide valuable information enabling programs to more effectively allocate and schedule resources. These developments will have a direct impact on ESS projects such as those in the Northern Resources Development program.

The Gas Hydrates-Fuel of the Future? program contributes to the development of this unconventional energy source. Gas hydrates could hold 1,000 years of an environmentally friendly fuel supply, compared to about 10 years of natural gas reserves and 100 years of conventional gas resources. ESS coordinates the science activities of the program, which identifies the gaps in scientific and technological knowledge required for the sustainable development of this resource. Large gas hydrate deposits are located mainly in the high Arctic and in offshore areas at water depths greater than 800 metres.

Mallik Gas Hydrate Study Results to Be Published in 2005

During 2004-2005, the Gas Hydrates program continued its studies of gas hydrate properties and reservoir behaviour as well as characterized terrestrial and marine gas hydrate occurrences. In particular, ESS scientists worked with the Mallik gas hydrate research well consortium, the world's leading gas hydrate production and characterization study group, to analyze and create a report on the results of the previous year's activities in the high arctic MacKenzie Delta. The preliminary results of this benchmark experiment were presented at scientific and technical meetings. They indicate that under specific circumstances, gas hydrates could be a potentially economically viable source of methane. Additional work needs to be done to provide the necessary engineering and economic parameters for investment evaluation by Canadian resource industries. The final scientific report will be published in summer 2005.

Gas Hydrates Marine Research Captures Interest of International Scientific Community

Scientists from the Gas Hydrates program of ESS were busy off both Canada's east and west coasts last year conducting geophysical surveys to identify and characterize gas hydrates in Canada's marine environment. The research revealed that geophysical surveys do a better job of locating gas hydrates on the Pacific margin than they do on the Atlantic margin. A key goal of these marine activities is to understand these types of differences and to learn more about how the tectonic environment affects gas hydrates under the sea. The Pacific margin research attracted the interest of the international scientific community, and the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program plans to conduct scientific drilling off the west coast of Vancouver Island during August 2005.