These three satellite mosaics cover the entire territory of Quebec and include images taken in 2018, 2019 and 2020. The spectral bands are blue (band 2), near infrared (band 8), and short wave infrared (band 11). The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission includes a constellation of two satellites in orbit that are in tandem and 180° apart from each other. The orbital configuration allows coverage with a revisit rate varying from two to ten days depending on the latitude. The Sentinel-2 constellation captures multispectral satellite images at a resolution of 10 m for the next generation of operational products, such as land use maps, land change detection maps, and geophysical variables. Technical characteristics of the product: https://sentinel.esa.int/web/sentinel/missions/sentinel-2**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

The cloud-corrected NDVI data extracted from historical MODIS satellite images at 250 metre resolution provides reliable, objective, and timely information on the state of vegetation throughout Canada and the northern United States. The methodology applied to the images has remained the same as for the program formerly known as the Crop Condition Assessment Program (CCAP). Since the 2000 growing season, Statistics Canada has been processing and compiling MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectoradiometer (MODIS) data (250 metre resolution). The Multi-Spectral Instrument (MSI) captures two spectral bands (red and infrared) that have proven to be extremely useful to produce the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) utilized for vegetation monitoring. The original NDVI image composites were produced by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (link to original data in the resources section). Additional computations were completed by Statistics Canada to remove the effects of residual clouds and to calculate and extract the NDVI by geographic region. This dataset provides access to the MODIS images from 2000 to present in GeoTIFF format and covers the crop area during the growing season (Julian weeks 15 to 37; mid-April to mid-September). It also provides access to a database that contains the statistical NDVI by geographic regions (Townships, Census Consolidated Subdivisions (CCS), Census Divisions (CD) and Census Agricultural Regions (CAR)) and agricultural masks (Agriculture (AGR), Crop (CROP) and Pasture (PAS)).

The Regional Deterministic Precipitation Analysis (RDPA) produces a best estimate of precipitation amounts that occurred over a period of 6 hours. The estimate integrates data from in situ precipitation gauge measurements, weather radar, satellite imagery and numerical weather prediction models. Geographic coverage is North America (Canada, United States and Mexico). Data is available at a horizontal resolution of 10 km. The 6 hour analysis is produced 4 times a day and is valid at 00, 06, 12 and 18 UTC. A preliminary analysis is available approximately 1 hour after the end of the accumulation period and a final one is generated 7 hours later in order to assimilate more gauge data.

The Regional Deterministic Precipitation Analysis (RDPA) produces a best estimate of the amount of precipitation that occurred over recent past periods of 6 or 24 hours. The estimate integrates data from in situ precipitation gauge measurements, weather radar, satellite imagery and numerical weather prediction models. Geographic coverage is North America (Canada, United States and Mexico). Data is available at horizontal resolution of 10 km. Data is only available for the surface level. Analysis data is made available four times a day for 6h intervals and twice a day for the 24h interval. A preliminary estimate is available approximately 1h after the end of the accumulation period, and revised 7h after in order to assimilate gauge data arriving later.

The cloud-corrected representation of the NDVI using historical AVHRR and VIIRS satellite images at 1 kilometre resolution provides reliable, objective and timely information on the state of vegetation throughout Canada and the northern United States. The methodology applied to the images has remained the same as for the program formerly known as the Crop Condition Assessment Program (CCAP). Since 1987, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) series of satellites carrying the Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) records images of the entire Earth's surface twice a day at 1kilometre resolution. This sensor captures two spectral bands (red and infrared) that have proven to be extremely useful for vegetation monitoring to produce the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). NDVI image composites on crop condition were produced by GeoManitoba until the end of the 2020 growing season. In 2021, Statistics Canada started producing the weekly composites using an application developed by Dr. Rasim Latifovic from National Resources Canada. Since 2022, due to the aging AVHRR sensor affecting the quality of the weekly composites, the team has transitioned to the NOAA-20 - Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) satellite. VIIRS is a new-generation satellite with spectral characteristics comparable to those of its predecessor. To keep the NDVI values stable and continuous throughout the time series, the VIIRS composite values are normalized to obtain comparable NDVI values. Additional computations were performed by Statistics Canada for Julian weeks 15 to 41 to remove residual clouds from the NDVI composites and statistical extractions by geographic regions using three different types of agricultural masks. This dataset gives access to AVHRR images from 1987 to mid-2022 and VIIRS images from mid-2022 to present in GeoTIFF format and covers the agricultural land during the growing season of the field crops in Canada (Julian weeks 15 to 41). It also provides access to a database that contains the statistical NDVI by geographic regions (Townships, Census Consolidated Subdivisions (CCS), Census Divisions (CD) and Census Agricultural Regions (CAR)) and agricultural masks (Agriculture (AGR), Crop (CROP) and Pasture (PAS)).

The Regional Deterministic Precipitation Analysis (RDPA) produces a best estimate of precipitation amounts that occurred over a period of 24 hours. The estimate integrates data from in situ precipitation gauge measurements, weather radar, satellite imagery and numerical weather prediction models. Geographic coverage is North America (Canada, United States and Mexico). Data is available at a horizontal resolution of 10 km. The 24 hour analysis is produced twice a day and is valid at 06 and 12 UTC. A preliminary analysis is available approximately 1 hour after the end of the accumulation period and a final one is generated 7 hours later in order to assimilate more gauge data.

The data presented on this page concern the 2013-2014 mapping of temperature differences, the classification maps of these temperature differences (i.e. urban heat and freshness islands) and the map of the urban heat island intensity index. These different maps are detailed below: - The mapping of __Temperature differences in °C__ represents the temperature difference in the city compared to a nearby forest. It was produced at the scale of the Quebec ecumene (2016 census, 167,764 km2). This mapping, provided on a grid with a spatial resolution of 15 m, was carried out with a predictive machine learning model built on Landsat-8 satellite data provided by the *United States Geological Survey (USGS) * as well as from other geospatial variables such as hydrography and topography. - Mapping of classes of surface temperature differences, i.e. __Islands of urban heat and freshness (ICFU) * as well as from other geospatial variables such as hydrography and topography. - Mapping of classes of surface temperature differences, i.e. __Islands of urban heat and freshness (ICFU) __ was conducted for * [population centers from the 2021 census] ( https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/92-195-x/2021001/geo/pop/pop-fra.htm) * (CTRPOP) with at least 1,000 inhabitants and a density of at least 400 inhabitants per km2 to which is added a 2 km buffer zone. It thus covers all major urban centers, i.e. 14,072 km2. The method for categorizing ICFUs is the ranking of predicted temperature differences for each population center into 9 levels. Classes 8 and 9 are considered __Urban Heat Islands__ and classes 1, 2, and 3 as __Urban Freshness Islands__. The interval values for each class and population center are shown in the production metadata file. Since surface temperatures were analyzed at the Quebec ecumene scale, but the classification intervals were calculated for each population center individually, the differences in temperature grouped into the different classes vary from region to region. Thus, there are differences observed in the predicted temperature differences between North and South Quebec and according to urban realities. For example, a temperature difference of 2°C may be present in class 1 (cooler) in a population center located in southern Quebec, but may be present in class 9 (very hot) in a population center in northern Quebec. It is therefore important to interpret the identification of heat islands in relation to the relative temperature difference data produced at the Quebec ecumene scale. - The __Urban Heat Island Intensity Index (SUHII) __ map __ represents the Surface Urban Heat Island Intensity Index (SUHII) __ represents the Surface Urban Heat Island Intensity Index (SUHII) map __ represents the Surface Urban Heat Island Intensity Index (SUHII) __ map. This index is calculated for each * [dissemination island] (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/92-195-x/2021001/geo/db-id/db-id-fra.htm) * (ID) of Statistics Canada included in the * [2021 census population centers] (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/92-195-x/2021001/geo/pop/pop-fra.htm) * (CTRPOP) * () * (CTRPOP). It highlights areas with higher heat island intensity, by calculating a weighted average from temperature difference classes, giving more weight to the hottest classes. This weight is proportional to the class number (e.g. a class 9 surface is 9 times more important in the index than the same area with a class 1). These maps as well as those of * [2020-2022] (https://www.donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/ilots-de-chaleur-fraicheur-urbains-et-ecarts-de-temperature-relatifs-2020-2022) * are used for the * [Analysis of change between the mapping of heat/freshness islands 2013-2014 and 2020-2022] (https://www.donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/analyse-de-changement-ilots-chaleur-fraicheur-et-indice-intensite-ilots-chaleur-urbains) *. For more details on the creation of the various maps as well as their advantages, limitations and potential uses, consult the * [Technote] (https://www.donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/ilots-de-chaleur-fraicheur-urbains-et-ecarts-de-temperature-relatifs-2013-2014/resource/0696b7d8-b02f-4fcf-9876-1a3cec0587cd) * (simplified version) and/or the * [methodological report] (https://www.donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/ilots-de-chaleur-fraicheur-urbains-et-ecarts-de-temperature-relatifs-2013-2014/resource/a33969ba-143a-4524-88c3-8ec7485676b1) * (version complete). The production of this data was coordinated by the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ) and carried out by the forest remote sensing laboratory of the Center for Forestry Education and Research (CERFO), funded under the * [2013-2020 Climate Change Action Plan] (https://www.environnement.gouv.qc.ca/changementsclimatiques/plan-action.asp) * of the Quebec government entitled Le Québec en action vert 2020.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

Maps of the analysis of change between * [mapping of heat islands/freshness 2020-2022] (https://www.donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/ilots-de-chaleur-fraicheur-urbains-et-ecarts-de-temperature-relatifs-2020-2022) * and * [mapping of heat/freshness islands using 2013-2014 data] (https://www.donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/ilots-de-chaleur-fraicheur-urbains-et-ecarts-de-temperature-relatifs-2013-2014) * on all major urban centers by two methods, i.e. - The map of the __Difference between the differences of temperatures in °C (* [2020-2022] (https://www.donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/ilots-de-chaleur-fraicheur-urbains-et-ecarts-de-temperature-relatifs-2020-2022) * minus * [2013-2014] (https://www.donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/ilots-de-chaleur-fraicheur-urbains-et-ecarts-de-temperature-relatifs-2013-2014)*)__), which is calculated at the pixel level and produced at the scale of the Quebec ecumene (2016 census, 2016 census, 167,764 km2). The temperature difference is the difference in temperature in the city compared to a nearby wooded area. A positive value of the difference in temperature differences represents an increase in the temperature gap in 2020-2022 compared to 2013-2014, a negative value represents a decrease in the temperature difference in 2020-2022 compared to 2013-2014. - The map of __SUHII index variation between 2020-2022 and 2013-2014 (%) __, which represents the percentage of change in the *Surface Urban Heat Island Intensity* (SUHII) index between the two years. This map covers the extent of * [2021 census population centers] (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/92-195-x/2021001/geo/pop/pop-fra.htm) * () * (CTRPOP) with at least 1,000 inhabitants and a density of at least 400 inhabitants per km2 to which a 2 km buffer zone is added and the values are calculated at the scale of the * [dissemination island] (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/92-195-x/2021001/geo/db-id/db-id-fra.htm) * of Statistics Canada. The SUHII index highlights areas with higher heat island intensity, by calculating a weighted average from the temperature difference classes, giving more weight to the hottest classes. Index change values below 100% represent a decrease in the intensity of UHIs in 2020-2022 compared to 2013-2014. Values greater than 100% represent an increase in UHI intensity between 2013-2014 and 2020-2022. Values around 100% correspond to an absence of change. The temperature difference classes were produced by the k-means algorithm, which takes into account the distribution of temperature difference values in a population center in a given year. The limits of temperature difference classes may therefore differ between the two years, which will influence the variation value of the SUHII index. For more details on the creation of the various maps as well as their advantages, limitations and potential uses, consult the * [Technote] (https://www.donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/analyse-de-changement-ilots-chaleur-fraicheur-et-indice-intensite-ilots-chaleur-urbains/resource/021c5399-a7b3-4b02-a753-39dda706ab27) * (simplified version) and/or the * [methodological report] ( https://www.donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/analyse-de-changement-ilots-chaleur-fraicheur-et-indice-intensite-ilots-chaleur-urbains/resource/ef7e3450-9347-4051-b3bb-bedcba3c0d92) * (full version). The production of this data was coordinated by the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ) and carried out by the forest remote sensing laboratory of the Center for Forestry Education and Research (CERFO), funded under the * [2013-2020 Climate Change Action Plan] (https://www.environnement.gouv.qc.ca/changementsclimatiques/plan-action.asp) * of the Quebec government entitled Le Québec en action vert 2020.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

The data presented on this page concern the 2020-2022 mapping of temperature differences, the classification maps of these temperature differences (i.e. urban heat and freshness islands) and the map of the urban heat island intensity index. These different maps are detailed below: - The mapping of __Temperature differences in °C__ represents the temperature difference in the city compared to a nearby forest. It was produced at the scale of the ecumene of Quebec (2021 census, 185,453 km2). This mapping, provided on a grid with a spatial resolution of 15 m, was carried out with a predictive machine learning model built on Landsat-8 satellite data provided by the *United States Geological Survey (USGS) * as well as from other geospatial variables such as hydrography and topography. - Mapping of classes of surface temperature differences, i.e. __Islands of urban heat and freshness (ICFU) * as well as from other geospatial variables such as hydrography and topography. - Mapping of classes of surface temperature differences, i.e. __Islands of urban heat and freshness (ICFU) __ was conducted for * [population centers from the 2021 census] ( https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/92-195-x/2021001/geo/pop/pop-fra.htm) * (CTRPOP) with at least 1,000 inhabitants and a density of at least 400 inhabitants per km2 to which is added a 2 km buffer zone. It thus covers all major urban centers, i.e. 14,072 km2. The method for categorizing ICFUs is the ranking of predicted temperature differences for each population center into 9 levels. Classes 8 and 9 are considered __Urban Heat Islands__ and classes 1, 2, and 3 as __Urban Freshness Islands__. The interval values for each class and population center are shown in the production metadata file. Since surface temperatures were analyzed at the Quebec ecumene scale, but the classification intervals were calculated for each population center individually, the differences in temperature grouped into the different classes vary from region to region. Thus, there are differences observed in the predicted temperature differences between North and South Quebec and according to urban realities. For example, a temperature difference of 2°C may be present in class 1 (cooler) in a population center located in southern Quebec, but may be present in class 9 (very hot) in a population center in northern Quebec. It is therefore important to interpret the identification of heat islands in relation to the relative temperature difference data produced at the Quebec ecumene scale. In addition to this map, the map of * [Temperature variations for the urbanization perimeters of the smallest municipalities 2020-2022] (https://www.donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/variations-des-temperatures-pour-les-perimetres-d-urbanisation-des-plus-petites-municipalites) * covers all the urbanization perimeters that are not (or only partially) covered by the ICFU map. Thus, the two maps put side by side allow a complete coverage of all population centers and urbanization perimeters in Quebec. - The __Urban Heat Island Intensity Index (SUHII) __ map __ represents the *Surface Urban Heat Island Intensity* (SUHII) index __ represents the *Surface Urban Heat Island Intensity* (SUHII) index. This index is calculated for each * [dissemination island] (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/92-195-x/2021001/geo/db-id/db-id-fra.htm) * (ID) of Statistics Canada included in the * [2021 census population centers] (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/92-195-x/2021001/geo/pop/pop-fra.htm) * (CTRPOP) * () * (CTRPOP). It highlights areas with higher heat island intensity, by calculating a weighted average from temperature difference classes, giving more weight to the hottest classes. This weight is proportional to the class number (e.g. a class 9 surface is 9 times more important in the index than the same area with a class 1). These maps as well as those of * [2013-2014] (https://www.donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/ilots-de-chaleur-fraicheur-urbains-et-ecarts-de-temperature-relatifs-2013-2014) * are used for the * [Analysis of change between the mapping of heat/freshness islands 2013-2014 and 2020-2022] (https://www.donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/analyse-de-changement-ilots-chaleur-fraicheur-et-indice-intensite-ilots-chaleur-urbains) *. For more details on the creation of the various maps as well as their advantages, limitations and potential uses, consult the * [Technote] (https://www.donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/ilots-de-chaleur-fraicheur-urbains-et-ecarts-de-temperature-relatifs-2020-2022/resource/285927d4-125e-443a-b5fb-e7c11515b617) * (simplified version) and/or the * [methodological report] (https://www.donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/ilots-de-chaleur-fraicheur-urbains-et-ecarts-de-temperature-relatifs-2020-2022/resource/ef5f91cb-f6c9-48f4-ae06-bbfb3483e06e) * (version complete). The production of this data was coordinated by the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ) and carried out by the forest remote sensing laboratory of the Center for Forestry Education and Research (CERFO), funded under the * [2013-2020 Climate Change Action Plan] (https://www.environnement.gouv.qc.ca/changementsclimatiques/plan-action.asp) * of the Quebec government entitled Le Québec en action vert 2020.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

Map illustrating the differences in relative surface temperatures for all small urban areas in Quebec. The relative temperature difference is the temperature difference in the city compared to a nearby wooded area. With a 9-level scale for classifying relative differences in temperature, this map indicates areas that are relatively cooler or warmer within urbanization perimeters. This map is complementary to the * [map of urban heat/fresh islands (ICFU)] (https://www.donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/ilots-de-chaleur-fraicheur-urbains-et-ecarts-de-temperature-relatifs-2020-2022) *. In fact, it covers all areas of urbanization that are not (or only partially) covered by the ICFU card. Thus, the two maps placed side by side allow a complete coverage of all population centers and urbanization perimeters in Quebec. The interval values for each class of temperature difference within the urbanization perimeters also come from the ICFU map: the classification thresholds for the temperature differences of an urbanization perimeter are reproduced from those of the ICFU map for the population center closest to the urbanization perimeter. The production of this data was carried out by the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ) and was funded under the * [Plan for a Green Economy] (https://www.quebec.ca/gouvernement/politiques-orientations/plan-economie-verte) * of the Government of Quebec.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**