The National Elevation Strategy, led by Natural Resources Canada, aims to increase high-resolution elevation data coverage for Canada and improve accessibility to the products. In the southern part of the country, Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and derived data (e.g. shaded relief, slope, etc.) are generated from airborne LiDAR data. They cover an area of 20 km by 20 km at a 2 m resolution. In the northern part of the country, DEMs are derived from autocorrelation of high resolution optical satellite images. They cover an area of 50 km by 50 km at a 2 m resolution. This web service represents the current state of the available zones and is updated as new areas become available.

**ATTENTION! The files in this dataset are designed for streaming, not downloading. For the best experience, please follow the instructions available in the resources.** In replacement of the former Canadian Digital Elevation Model (CDEM) that is no longer supported, the Medium Resolution Digital Elevation Model (MRDEM) product is a multi-source product that integrates elevation data from the Copernicus DEM** acquired during the TanDEM-X Mission (AIRBUS, 2022), and the High Resolution Digital Elevation Model data derived from airborne lidar. This product provides a complete, 30 meters resolution, nationwide coverage for Canada. It includes a Digital Terrain Model (DTM), a Digital Surface Model (DSM) and other derived products. The spatial coverage extends into the USA, where needed, to provide coverage for cross-border watersheds in support of hydrological studies and applications. The MRDEM DSM dataset is based on the GLO-30 version of the Copernicus DEM** (hereafter named GLO-30). The process to generate the MRDEM DTM dataset is more complex and involves different sources. Where available, the HRDEM Mosaic derived from lidar was used since it already provides reliable terrain elevation values. The HRDEM Mosaic data used was resampled from 1 meter to 30 meters. Elsewhere, the processing workflow combines a forest removal model and a settlement removal model that is applied to the GLO-30 values in order to estimate the terrain elevation values. Both datasets are projected to Canada Atlas Lambert NAD83 (CSRS) (EPSG:3979). The MRDEM is referenced to the CGVD2013 which is the reference standard for orthometric heights across Canada. The product Medium Resolution Digital Elevation Model (MRDEM) is part of the CanElevation Series created in support to the National Elevation Data Strategy implemented by NRCan. ** This product was in part produced using Copernicus WorldDEM-30 © DLR e.V. 2010-2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014- 2018 provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA; all rights reserved. The organisations in charge of the Copernicus program by law or by delegation do not incur any liability for any use of the Copernicus WorldDEM-30.

The High Resolution Digital Elevation Model (HRDEM) product is derived from airborne LiDAR data (mainly in the south) and satellite images in the north. The complete coverage of the Canadian territory is gradually being established. It includes a Digital Terrain Model (DTM), a Digital Surface Model (DSM) and other derived data. For DTM datasets, derived data available are slope, aspect, shaded relief, color relief and color shaded relief maps and for DSM datasets, derived data available are shaded relief, color relief and color shaded relief maps. The productive forest line is used to separate the northern and the southern parts of the country. This line is approximate and may change based on requirements. In the southern part of the country (south of the productive forest line), DTM and DSM datasets are generated from airborne LiDAR data. They are offered at a 1 m or 2 m resolution and projected to the UTM NAD83 (CSRS) coordinate system and the corresponding zones. The datasets at a 1 m resolution cover an area of 10 km x 10 km while datasets at a 2 m resolution cover an area of 20 km by 20 km. In the northern part of the country (north of the productive forest line), due to the low density of vegetation and infrastructure, only DSM datasets are generally generated. Most of these datasets have optical digital images as their source data. They are generated at a 2 m resolution using the Polar Stereographic North coordinate system referenced to WGS84 horizontal datum or UTM NAD83 (CSRS) coordinate system. Each dataset covers an area of 50 km by 50 km. For some locations in the north, DSM and DTM datasets can also be generated from airborne LiDAR data. In this case, these products will be generated with the same specifications as those generated from airborne LiDAR in the southern part of the country. The HRDEM product is referenced to the Canadian Geodetic Vertical Datum of 2013 (CGVD2013), which is now the reference standard for heights across Canada. Source data for HRDEM datasets is acquired through multiple projects with different partners. Since data is being acquired by project, there is no integration or edgematching done between projects. The tiles are aligned within each project. The product High Resolution Digital Elevation Model (HRDEM) is part of the CanElevation Series created in support to the National Elevation Data Strategy implemented by NRCan. Collaboration is a key factor to the success of the National Elevation Data Strategy. Refer to the “Supporting Document” section to access the list of the different partners including links to their respective data.

The High Resolution Digital Elevation Model Mosaic provides a unique and continuous representation of the high resolution elevation data available across the country. The High Resolution Digital Elevation Model (HRDEM) product used is derived from airborne LiDAR data (mainly in the south) and satellite images in the north. The mosaic is available for both the Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and the Digital Surface Model (DSM) from web mapping services. It is part of the CanElevation Series created to support the National Elevation Data Strategy implemented by NRCan. This strategy aims to increase Canada's coverage of high-resolution elevation data and increase the accessibility of the products. Unlike the HRDEM product in the same series, which is distributed by acquisition project without integration between projects, the mosaic is created to provide a single, continuous representation of strategy data. The most recent datasets for a given territory are used to generate the mosaic. This mosaic is disseminated through the Data Cube Platform, implemented by NRCan using geospatial big data management technologies. These technologies enable the rapid and efficient visualization of high-resolution geospatial data and allow for the rapid generation of dynamically derived products. The mosaic is available from Web Map Services (WMS), Web Coverage Services (WCS) and SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog (STAC) collections. Accessible data includes the Digital Terrain Model (DTM), the Digital Surface Model (DSM) and derived products such as shaded relief and slope. The mosaic is referenced to the Canadian Height Reference System 2013 (CGVD2013) which is the reference standard for orthometric heights across Canada. Source data for HRDEM datasets used to create the mosaic is acquired through multiple projects with different partners. Collaboration is a key factor to the success of the National Elevation Strategy. Refer to the “Supporting Document” section to access the list of the different partners including links to their respective data.