In 2014, the Earth Observation Team of the Science and Technology Branch (STB) at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) repeated the process of generating annual crop inventory digital maps using satellite imagery to for all of Canada, in support of a national crop inventory. A Decision Tree (DT) based methodology was applied using optical (Landsat-8) and radar (RADARSAT-2) based satellite images, and having a final spatial resolution of 30m. In conjunction with satellite acquisitions, ground-truth information was provided by provincial crop insurance companies and point observations from the BC Ministry of Agriculture and our regional AAFC colleagues.

The National Ecological Framework for Canada's "Surficial Geology by Ecodistrict” dataset contains tables that provide surficial geology information with the ecodistrict framework polygons. It provides codes that characterize surficial geology (unconsolidated geologic materials) and their English and French-language descriptions as well as information about the area and percentage of the polygon that the material occupies.

Towfish (sidescan and video) and echo sounder surveys were utilized to examine bottom type and macrophyte cover within the area of two coastal marine finfish aquaculture sites, one in New Brunswick (Welch Cove) and one in Nova Scotia (Jordan Bay). Both towfish and echo sounder data could be used independently of one another. However, the towfish data were very useful for ground truthing echo sounder based classifications. All survey data were placed into a GIS which could be used to answer management questions such as the placement of cages at sites, benthic impacts and baseline conditions to determine long term changes. Cite this data as: Vandermeulen H. Data of: Exploratory Video-Sidescan and Echosounder Survey of Welch Cove. Published: June 2021. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/0083e317-8bb5-492a-8348-c021e183f307

The National Ecological Framework for Canada's "Surficial Geology by Ecoprovince” dataset contains tables that provide surficial geology information with the ecoprovince framework polygons. It provides codes that characterize surficial geology (unconsolidated geologic materials) and their English and French-language descriptions as well as information about the area and percentage of the polygon that the material occupies.

The ecological classification of Quebec territory consists of mapping and describing ecological units in a system with nine levels of perception between the continental and landscape scales. It presents the diversity of terrestrial ecosystems in all of Quebec taking into account both the characteristics of the vegetation (physiognomy, structure and composition) and the physical environment (relief, geology, geomorphology, hydrography). The nine levels that compose it are: the vegetation zone and sub-zone at the continental scale (1,000,000 km2), the bioclimatic domain and sub-domain at the national level (100,000 km2), the ecological region and subregion at the regional scale (10,000 km2) and the regional landscape unit, the ecological district and the vegetation stage at the landscape scale (10,000 km2) and the regional landscape unit, the ecological district and the vegetation stage at the landscape scale (100 to 1,000 km2).**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

The West Nile virus (WNV) activity zone corresponds to the territory where WNV cases have been documented by human, animal, and entomological (mosquito) surveillance. This zone indicates where there is a higher probability of the virus being present in Quebec based on historical data. All surveillance data was aggregated to form the WNV's area of activity over the study period, by merging the 2 km resolution buffer zones and the municipalities of each mosquito case or batch. Outside of this area, the presence of WNV remains possible, but the virus has not been detected by surveillance. This can be explained, among other things, by the movements of infected birds and mosquitoes over varying distances. The climatic zone favorable to the transmission of WNV by Culex pipiens (one of the main vectors of the virus) highlights the territory where the estimated seasonal average temperature could be conducive to the transmission of WNV in Quebec. This zone is defined by a seasonal average temperature (calculated from April to September) greater than or equal to 14°C. The indicator was calculated for historical records 1989-2018 (current distribution) and for the horizons of 2030, 2050 and 2080 according to the greenhouse gas emissions scenarios SSP2-4.5 and SSP3-7.0 (future distribution). Seasonal mean temperatures were calculated during the WNV's active period (i.e. April to September) by adding up the daily maximum and minimum temperatures and then dividing them by two. These temperatures were generated with a resolution of 10 km x 10 km covering the whole of Quebec for time horizons and greenhouse gas emission scenarios. The final value for seasonal mean temperatures used is the 50th percentile. For more information on the area of activity of the WNV or the climatic zones favorable to the transmission of WNV by Culex pipiens, you can consult the [Mapping of the current and future distribution of the West Nile virus in Quebec in the context of climate change] (https://www.inspq.qc.ca/publications/3693) OR the INSPQ website [Current and future distribution maps of zoonoses in Quebec] (https://www.inspq.qc.ca/zoonoses/cartes).**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

The Canada Land Inventory (CLI), 1 100,000, Land Capability and Limitation for Agriculture dataset illustrates the varying potential of a specific area for agricultural production. Classes of land capability for agriculture are based on mineral soils grouped according to their potential and limitations for agricultural use. The classes indicate the degree of limitation imposed by the soil in its use for mechanized agriculture. The subclasses indicate the kinds of limitations that individually or in combination with others, are affecting agricultural land use. Characteristics of the soil as determined by soil surveys.

The National Ecological Framework for Canada's "Soil Development by Ecodistrict” dataset contains tables that provide soil development information for components within the ecodistrict framework polygon. It provides soil development codes and their English and French-language descriptions as well as the percentage of the polygon that the component occupies. The soil development descriptions are based on the second edition of the Canadian System of Soil Classification (Agriculture Canada Expert Committee on Soil Survey, 1987).

The “Biomass Inventory Cartographic Layer” dataset provides the information that is used with the Biomass Report Framework to generate a visual representation of the availability of agricultural and forestry biomass and municipal solid waste in Canada. In addition to yield and production information for biomass produced by the agricultural and forestry industries, this dataset also provides information about the demand for agricultural residues for cattle feed and bedding, tillage systems currently in use on agricultural lands, and land suitability for hybrid poplar and willow plantations that are grown specifically to produce biomass. Agricultural information includes the median annual residue yield and available residue amounts. Residue yields were calculated using crop-to-residue ratios. The available residue information includes the amount that is available after adjusting for the estimated demand of straw used for cattle feed and bedding. Forestry estimates include average residue production, based on forestry activities including permitted amounts of harvesting, mills in operation and mill production. Municipal Solid Waste information includes organic waste (food and yard), paper waste and total residential municipal solid waste (which includes organic and paper waste, among others).

Towfish (sidescan and video) and echo sounder surveys were utilized to examine bottom type and macrophyte cover within the area of two coastal marine finfish aquaculture sites, one in New Brunswick (Welch Cove) and one in Nova Scotia (Jordan Bay). Both towfish and echo sounder data could be used independently of one another. However, the towfish data were very useful for ground truthing echo sounder based classifications. All survey data were placed into a GIS which could be used to answer management questions such as the placement of cages at sites, benthic impacts and baseline conditions to determine long term changes. Cite this data as: Vandermeulen H. Data of: Exploratory Video-Sidescan and Echosounder Survey of Jordan Bay. Published: March 2019. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/752d277f-8b3e-40c7-b99d-cfa67e69d975