Shoreline mapping vector data in regions along Canada's north coast, based on low-altitude helicopter videography in support of environmental emergency preparedness efforts
With the changing climate conditions, marine traffic along Canada’s coastal regions has increased over the past couple of decades and the need to improve our state of preparedness for oil-spill-related emergencies is critical. Baseline coastal information, such as shoreline form, substrate, and vegetation type, is required for prioritizing operations, coordinating onsite spill response activities (i.e. Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique [SCAT]), and providing information for wildlife and ecosystem management.
Between 2010 and 2016, georeferenced high-definition videography and photos were collected for various study sites along the north coast of Canada. The study areas include Beaufort Sea, Mackenzie Delta channels and Banks Island in the western Canadian Arctic and James Bay, Hudson Bay, Nunavik, Resolute Bay, Victoria Strait, Baffin Island and Coronation Gulf in the eastern Canadian Arctic.
Data was collected during ice-free and low tide conditions (where applicable) between July and September. Low-altitude helicopter surveys were conducted at each study site to capture video of the shoreline characteristics. In addition to acquiring videography, ground-based observations were recorded in several locations for validation.
Shoreline segmentation was then carried out by manual interpretation of the oblique videography and the photos aided by ancillary data. This involved splitting and classifying the shoreline vectors based on homogeneity of the upper intertidal zone. Detailed geomorphological information (i.e. shoreline type, substrate, slope, height, accessibility etc.) describing the upper intertidal, lower intertidal, supratidal and backshore zones was extracted from the video and entered into a geospatial database using a customized data collection form. In addition, biological characteristics like biobands, water features, fauna, human use etc. observed along the coast were recorded.
The data was also validated through ground observations (when available) and a second interpreter QA (quality analysis) was performed on each dataset (excluding Nunavik) to ensure high quality and consistency.
The final dataset contains segments ranging in length from 150 metres to 2500 metres. In total, from 2010 to 2016, within the 8 study sites, about 16,800 km of shoreline were segmented.
- Publisher - Current Organization Name: Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Licence: Open Government Licence - Canada
Data and Resources
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View ECCC Data Mart (English)HTMLEnglish web_service HTML
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View ECCC Data Mart (French)HTMLFrench web_service HTML
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FGDB_MappedNorthCoast_CoteNordCartographiee.gdb.zipZIPEnglish French web_service ZIP
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FGDB_FieldNamesDefinitions.pdfPDFEnglish web_service PDF
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FGDB_Noms et définitions des champs.pdfPDFFrench web_service PDF
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SHP_MappedNorthCoast_CoteNordCartographiee.zipZIPEnglish French web_service ZIP
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SHP_FieldNamesDefinitions.pdfPDFEnglish web_service PDF
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SHP_Noms et définitions des champs.pdfPDFFrench web_service PDF
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Symbology_Symbologie.jpgJPGEnglish French web_service JPG
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Symbology_Symbologie.pdfPDFEnglish French web_service PDF
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North Coast Shoreline Segmentation-Upper Intertidal (UI) SCAT ClassWMSEnglish web_service WMS
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North Coast Shoreline Segmentation-Upper Intertidal (UI) SCAT ClassWMSFrench web_service WMS
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North Coast Shoreline Segmentation-Upper Intertidal (UI) SCAT ClassESRI RESTEnglish web_service ESRI REST
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North Coast Shoreline Segmentation-Upper Intertidal (UI) SCAT ClassESRI RESTFrench web_service ESRI REST
Contact Information
Delivery Point: National Wildlife Research Centre,1125 Colonel By Drive
City: Ottawa
Administrative Area: Ontario
Postal Code: K1S 5B6
Country: Canada
Electronic Mail Address: jon.pasher@ec.gc.ca