Mapping a territory as vast as Canada represents a major challenge. It is therefore essential to track progress on an ongoing basis. The Cartographic Development Index (CDI), a standardized and reliable tool, will provide the means for objectively measuring map production progress on a yearly basis.

To develop the Cartographic Development Index (CDI) applied to Canada, the Geomatics for Northern Development and the Geomatics for Sustainable Development of Natural Resources programs worked with the Department of Geography of Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM).

The purpose of the project is to develop, adapt, and put in place a cartographic development index applicable to the northern territories as well as to the entire Canadian landmass using metadata issued from Earth Sciences Sector (ESS) geospatial databases.

This project will make it possible to:

• Have a single index for assessing the cartographic development in the three northern territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut) and the rest of Canada.
• Compare the status of Northern mapping to that of the ten Canadian provinces using the Cartographic Development Index via standardized criteria.
• Use the concept developed by UQAM (guide, methodology, examples) and to train NRCan staff attached to this Cartographic Development Index project.

This joint development project with UQAM, financed through both programs for 23,300 $ will be completed by the end of June 2004. We anticipate that this index will be extremely useful for the monitoring of future production activities.

Representatives from the Earth Science Sector,
Paul Jolicoeur and Richard Bilodeau accompanied by the project team from UQAM, Yves Baudoin, Olivier Caron, Élise Paré and Olivier Filiatrault following a project meeting at UQAM in Montreal.