National Eelgrass Dataset For Canada (NETForce)

This collection of eelgrass data has been collated to produce a national map of the location and distribution of eelgrass beds across Canada. The data providers collaborating in this initiative include Federal, Provincial and Municipal government departments and agencies, academia, non-governmental organizations, community groups, private sector, Indigenous groups and independent science organizations. The National Eelgrass Task Force (NETForce) is a collaborative, diverse and inclusive partnership of scientists, managers, and stakeholders working towards a concrete vision which is to create a national map of eelgrass distribution in Canada that is publicly accessible, dynamic, and useful for monitoring and collective decision-making. The eelgrass data were collected using various mapping techniques including species distribution models, benthic sonar, field measurements of habitat presence or absence, video transects, aerial photography, field validation, literature review, satellite imageries, LiDAR, Airborne spectrographic imaging, and Unoccupied Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The metadata provided by the partners relevant for their own projects and the field names were made similar for the compiled dataset. We also created additional fields that differentiated the datasets, and these include data provider, institution code, water body, mapping techniques, province, biogeographic region, eelgrass observation... Other fields are included depending on the original metadata provided by the data provider (i.e. eelgrass percentage cover, eelgrass density, map reference, image classification technique). The data span from 1987 to present, with some eelgrass beds being surveyed only once while others were sampled across several years. Uncertainty information associated with a dataset is included in the metadata when available. This map is intended to be evergreen and more eelgrass data will be added when available. This compiled dataset has been collected by many organizations for different purposes, using different survey techniques and different methodologies and, therefore, considerable care must be taken when using these data. For further information concerning specific datasets contact the data provider/institution and/or see the associated technical report (if available) included in the Report folder under the ‘Data and Resources’ section.

This group of eelgrass data has been divided using the geographic boundaries of the Federal Marine Bioregions (https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/23eb8b56-dac8-4efc-be7c-b8fa11ba62e9). The title of each geodatabase (FGDB/GDB) contains the name of the bioregion.

The Data Dictionary guide provides the fields description (English and French) from each layer included in the geodatabases.

For additional information please see:

Gomez C., Guijarro-Sabaniel J., Wong M. 2021. National Eelgrass Task (NET) Force: engagement in support of a dynamic map of eelgrass distribution in Canada to support monitoring, research and decision making. Can. Tech. Rep. Aquat. Sci. 3437: vi + 48 p. https://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/library-bibliotheque/4098218x.pdf

Guijarro-Sabaniel, J., Thomson, J. A., Vercaemer, B. and Wong, M. C. 2024. National Eelgrass

Task Force (NETForce): Building a dynamic, open eelgrass map for Canada. Can. Tech. Rep.

Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3583: v + 31 p. https://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/library-bibliotheque/41223147.pdf

Simple

Date ( RI_367 )
2023-10-25
Date ( RI_366 )
1987
RI_409
  Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Javier Guijarro-Sabaniel ( )
Bedford Institute of Oceanography, 1 Challenger Drive, PO Box 1006 , Dartmouth , Nova Scotia , B2Y 4A2 ,
Status
onGoing; enContinue RI_596
Maintenance and update frequency
asNeeded; auBesoin RI_540
Keywords ( RI_528 )
  • Aquatic ecosystems
  • Aquatic plants
  • Coastal waters
  • Maps
  • Geographic information systems
  • Marine Spatial Planning
  • Marine Conservation Targets
  • Blue Carbon
  • Blue Economy
Government of Canada Core Subject Thesaurus Thésaurus des sujets de base du gouvernement du Canada ( RI_528 )
  • Oceans
Classification
unclassified; nonClassifié RI_484
Use limitation
Open Government Licence - Canada (http://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada)
Access constraints
license; licence RI_606
Use constraints
license; licence RI_606
Spatial representation type
vector; vecteur RI_635
Metadata language
eng; CAN
Character set
utf8; utf8 RI_458
Topic category
  • Oceans
  • Environment
  • Biota
Begin date
1987
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W
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Reference system identifier
http://www.epsg-registry.org / EPSG:4326 / 8.2.6
Distribution format
  • ESRI REST ( 2.7.0 )

  • FGDB/GDB ( 2.7.0 )

  • CSV ( n/a )

  • PDF ( N/a )

RI_412
  Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Data Acquisition Assembly and Distribution / Acquisition, assemblage et distribution de donnée ( )
Bedford Institute of Oceanography, 1 Challenger Drive, PO Box 1006 , Dartmouth , Nova Scotia , B2Y 4A2 , Canada
OnLine resource
National Eelgrass Dataset Canada NETForce Newfoundland Labrador Shelves ( HTTPS )

Dataset;FGDB/GDB;eng

OnLine resource
National Eelgrass Dataset Canada NETForce Northern Shelf ( HTTPS )

Dataset;FGDB/GDB;eng

OnLine resource
National Eelgrass Dataset Canada NETForce Southern Shelf ( HTTPS )

Dataset;FGDB/GDB;eng

OnLine resource
National Eelgrass Dataset Canada NETForce Strait Georgia ( HTTPS )

Dataset;FGDB/GDB;eng

OnLine resource
CORI Shore Zone Protocol ( HTTPS )

Supporting Document;PDF;eng

OnLine resource
DFO Gulf Region AIS Biodiversity Survey ( HTTPS )

Supporting Document;PDF;eng

OnLine resource
DNRR Musquodoboit Harbour Port Joli ( HTTPS )

Supporting Document;PDF;eng

OnLine resource
DRDC Janvrin Island ( HTTPS )

Supporting Document;PDF;eng

OnLine resource
Hakai Central Coast Metadata ( HTTPS )

Supporting Document;PDF;eng

OnLine resource
MICS Southern Gulf Islands Eelgrass Methods ( HTTPS )

Supporting Document;PDF;eng

OnLine resource
Pugwash Musquodoboit Estuary Eelgrass Monitoring ( HTTPS )

Supporting Document;PDF;eng

OnLine resource
NSCC Nova Scotia New Brunswick ( HTTPS )

Supporting Document;PDF;eng

OnLine resource
Using Landsat Time-Series to Monitor and Inform Seagrass Dynamics: A Case Study in the Tabusintac Estuary, New Brunswick Canada ( HTTPS )

Supporting Document;HTML;eng

OnLine resource
Branching Algorithm to Identify Bottom Habitat in the Optically Complex Coastal Waters of Atlantic Canada Using Sentinel-2 Satellite Imagery ( HTTPS )

Supporting Document;HTML;eng

OnLine resource
Comparing Sentinel-2 andWorldView-3 Imagery for Coastal Bottom Habitat Mapping in Atlantic Canada ( HTTPS )

Supporting Document;HTML;eng

OnLine resource
Refinements in Eelgrass Mapping at Tabusintac Bay (New Brunswick, Canada): A Comparison between Random Forest and the Maximum Likelihood Classifier ( HTTPS )

Supporting Document;HTML;eng

OnLine resource
Fine-scale ensemble species distribution modeling of eelgrass (Zostera marina) to inform nearshore conservation planning and habitat management ( HTTPS )

Supporting Document;HTML;eng

OnLine resource
Data Dictionary ( HTTPS )

Supporting Document;CSV;eng,fra

OnLine resource
National Eelgrass Dataset Canada NETForce HudsonBay Complex ( HTTPS )

Dataset;FGDB/GDB;eng

OnLine resource
National Eelgrass Dataset Canada NETForce Scotian Shelf ( HTTPS )

Dataset;FGDB/GDB;eng

OnLine resource
National Eelgrass Dataset Canada NETForce Gulf Saint Lawrence ( HTTPS )

Dataset;FGDB/GDB;eng

OnLine resource
National Eelgrass Dataset For Canada ( ESRI REST: Map Service )

Web Service;ESRI REST;eng

OnLine resource
National Eelgrass Dataset For Canada ( ESRI REST: Map Service )

Web Service;ESRI REST;fra

OnLine resource
Dataset descriptions ( HTTPS )

Supporting Document;PDF;eng,fra

File identifier
a733fb88-ddaf-47f8-95bb-e107630e8e62 XML
Metadata language
eng; CAN
Character set
utf8; utf8 RI_458
Hierarchy level
dataset; jeuDonnées RI_622
Date stamp
2025-02-11T21:21:05.03Z
Metadata standard name
North American Profile of ISO 19115:2003 - Geographic information - Metadata
Metadata standard version
CAN/CGSB-171.100-2009
RI_414
  Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Coastal Ecosystem Science Division (CESD) - CESD Data Manager / DSEC Gestionnaire de données ( Data Manager )
Bedford Institute of Oceanography, 1 Challenger Drive, PO Box 1006 , Dartmouth , Nova Scotia , B2Y 4A2 , Canada
 
 

Overviews

overview
Overview of the eelgrass extent and locations across Canada

Spatial extent

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Keywords


Provided by

Associated resources

Not available