The Integrated Resource Plan - Subregional dataset is comprised of all the polygons that represent the Sub-Regional Integrated Resource Plans (IRP) in Alberta. All the Sub-Regional IRPs were completed under the Integrated Resource Planning Program, from 1976 to approximately 1995. These plans were endorsed by the Government of Alberta with most being approved by Cabinet. The Sub-Regional Plans describe land-use zonation and objectives within individual defined planning areas, to ensure overall consistency with Regional goals and objectives. An Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) is a plan which identifies the values and associated land and resource management goals for the planning area in consideration of the maintenance of social, economic, and ecological values. An IRP provides direction regarding the type of land and resource management activity that would facilitate meeting the stated objectives in the planning area (for example: recreation, grazing, industrial and commercial activities). The public was often involved in contributing input to the development of an IRP. Majority of IRP plans were endorsed by the Government of Alberta in various periods.

The Settlement dataset is comprised of all the polygons that represent Settlements in Alberta. A settlement is an area of land that was surveyed prior to the Third System of Survey and does not normally follow the ATS grid.

Flood studies include detailed engineering reports and flood maps. The engineering reports are typically technical in nature and document the data, assumptions, and results of the hydrologic and hydraulic analyses required to create flood maps. Flood maps are created by combining hydraulic model results for different sized floods with high-accuracy ground information. Flood maps identify where water will flow during a flood, and what land could be flooded during different sized floods. Most flood maps focus on floods caused by high river flows when water escapes the river channel, most often experienced in spring or following summer rainstorms, but they can also show areas at risk from ice jam floods or document the extent of historic floods.Flood inundation maps show areas at risk for different sized floods, including ice jam floods in some communities, and identify areas protected by flood berms. Because they map a wide range of floods, they are most often used for emergency response planning and to inform local infrastructure design. Flood hazard maps define floodway and flood fringe areas for the 1:100 design flood and are typically used by communities for planning or to help make local land use and development decisions. The floodway is the portion of the flood hazard area where flows are deepest, fastest and most destructive. The flood fringe is the portion of the flood hazard area outside of the floodway, where flood water is generally shallower and flows slower than in the floodway. High hazard flood fringe is the area within the flood fringe with deeper or faster moving water than the rest of the flood fringe. Protected flood fringe identifies areas that could be flooded if dedicated flood berms fail or do not work as designed during the 1:100 design flood. Flood hazard maps define floodway and flood fringe areas for the 1:100 design flood and are typically used by communities for planning or to help make local land use and development decisions. Flood hazard maps can also illustrate additional information for communities to consider, including incremental areas at risk for floods larger than the 1:100 design flood, such as the 1:200 and 1:500 floods.Visit www.floodhazard.alberta.ca for more information about the Flood Hazard Identification Program. The website includes different sections for final flood studies and for draft flood studies. Flood maps can be viewed directly using the Flood Awareness Map Application at https://floods.alberta.ca/. The Alberta Flood Mapping GIS dataset is updated when new information is available or existing information changes. therefore, the Government of Alberta assumes no responsibility for discrepancies at the time of use. Users should check https://geodiscover.alberta.ca/ to verify they have the most recent version of the Alberta Flood Mapping GIS dataset.

Polygon layer containing an archaeological reference grid established by Charles Borden. Similar to the BCGS grid or TRIM grid system. All archaeological sites in Canada are numbered based on this grid

A Stock Range is an administrative area established to coincide with local livestock association areas. Generally, stock ranges are made up of one or more range units. Stock ranges are found in select areas of the province where applicable; not all areas of the province contain stock ranges

Landscape Units (Subdivisions) were developed as a part of the 2002 Northern Caribou Strategy and are used for landscape level planning within Wildlife Habitat Area 5-086. For details please see: [Apps, C. D., T. A. Kinley, and J. A. Young. 2001. Multi-scale habitat modeling for woodland caribou in the Itcha, Ilgachuz, and Rainbow mountains of west-central British Columbia. Wildlife Section, Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada.](http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/cariboo/env_stewardship/wildlife/inventory/caribou/northcar/hmi/hsi06-01.pdf)

TA_CROWN_OPERATING_AGRMNTS_SVW contains the spatial representation (polygon) of active and applied for Crown Land Operating Agreements. Operating agreements provide for use of Crown Land for operation/development but do not provide for future purchasing of land. The view was created to provide a simplified presentation of this single tenure type from the disposition information in the Tantalis operational system. The same content could be derived from the TA_CROWN_TENURES_SVW by filtering to this tenure type only

In 2014, the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) initiated a Play-Based Regulation (PBR) pilot project as a step towards implementation of the Unconventional Regulatory Framework. One of the goals of the PBR pilot is to encourage companies in the unconventional play area to work together on plans for surface development to minimize the numbers of facilities and surface impacts. This dataset is one of a series created using earth observation imagery to assess surface change caused by energy exploration. The PBR area extends from Twp. 52, Rge. 7, W 5th Mer. to Twp. 70, Rge. 5, W 6th Mer., covering the towns of Edson, Fox Creek, Mayerthorpe, Whitecourt, Swan Hills, and Valleyview. For this digital data release, a land use and land cover classification dataset was derived from 2005 Landsat multispectral imagery for the PBR pilot area. The classification contains 13 classes: 0 - unclassified, 1 - exposed land/cut blocks/harvested areas, 2 - water bodies, 3 - transitional bare surfaces, 4 - mixed developed areas, 5 - developed areas, 6 - shoal, 7 - shrub land, 8 - grassland, 9 - agriculture areas, 10 - coniferous forest, 11 - broadleaf forest, and 12 - mixed forest. These categories can be used as baseline data for planning, managing and monitoring surface infrastructure needs and impacts.

TA_CROWN_LICENSES_SVW contains the spatial representation (polygon) of active and applied for Land Act Licences. Land Act Licences (chapter 245) is not registerable, does not require a survey, possesses fewer rights than a lease and conveys non-exclusive use. The view was created to provide a simplified presentation of this single tenure type from the disposition information in the Tantalis operational system. The same content could be derived from the TA_CROWN_TENURES_SVW by filtering to this tenure type only

In 2014, the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) initiated a Play-Based Regulation (PBR) pilot project as a step towards implementation of the Unconventional Regulatory Framework. One of the goals of the PBR pilot is to encourage companies in the unconventional play area to work together on plans for surface development to minimize the numbers of facilities and surface impacts. This dataset is one of a series created using earth observation imagery to assess surface change caused by energy exploration. The PBR area extends from Twp. 52, Rge. 7, W 5th Mer. to Twp. 70, Rge. 5, W 6th Mer., covering the towns of Edson, Fox Creek, Mayerthorpe, Whitecourt, Swan Hills, and Valleyview. Landsat multispectral imagery for 2010 and 2011 and Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) classification data derived from 2011 were used to produce this dataset. The LULC changes include vegetation loss from anthropogenic disturbances, such as infrastructure related to oil and gas exploration, forestry and agriculture, and vegetation recovery from these disturbances. This digital data release contains the vegetation recovery data, classified into 6 classes: 1 - shrub land, 2 - grassland, 3 - agricultural areas, 4 - coniferous forest, 5 - broadleaf forest and 6 - mixed forest.