Canada Geographic Information System (CGIS)

The Capabilities

The actual development of the CGIS computer system was carried out under contract by IBM. The sheer size of the map database of the CLI and the complex analysis for land use planning imposed extraordinary requirements on an information system. The CGIS lived up to these expectations and can be described by the following characteristics:

• Geospatial analysis, rather than automated cartography, formed the core of the CGIS, resulting in sophisticated (for its time) overlay capabilities (with eight or more maps at a time) to integrate information from different disciplines, including environmental and socioeconomic dimensions.
• Continental-wide analysis to support national policy and program initiatives and deal with transboundary issues in a North American context was a core objective. This required efficient map-linking techniques to build seamless spatial databases and the ability to deal efficiently with huge databases.
• Though unusual for the early 1970s, analysis of databases of over 500,000 polygons was quite common in the CGIS. It was made possible by using the point, polygon, and vector approaches to store information efficiently and “frames” to chunk analysis into smaller segments.
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• The large volume of map input required innovation in digitization. The world's first optical drum scanner capable of handling 48 × 48 inch maps was developed in 1965 especially for the CLI. This scanner, now in Canada's Museum of Science and Technology, in Ottawa, played a strategic role in the long-term viability of the CGIS. In the short term, it enabled a significant part of the preparation work for data input to be done in the regions and provinces. In the longer term, the volume of map digitization could be doubled with only small incremental operational costs.
• The size of the database and the complexity of analysis required the power of a mainframe computer. While this turned out to be a strength in its operation as a federal government service center, it provided a barrier to commercialization of the CGIS software.
• Regional planning required access to the CGIS data-base hosted on a mainframe in Toronto, and as early as the mid-1970s, CLI offices and provincial organizations across Canada used remote interactive graphics systems to carry out regional analysis.
• To support special land use planning projects and other applications, the CGIS had to be able to integrate socioeconomic data as well as provide outputs in vector and raster format.

The Evolution

The CGIS evolved over time, moving up the geospatial value chain. The development phase was completed in 1968, but serious “teething” problems delayed full operations to 1972. By 1976, all available CLI data were entered into the system, and the analysis of national data sets began. The applications phase focused on the application of the CLI to the policy, program impact, and land use planning domain, nationally and provincially. In addition, a number of new programs based on the CLI were included, like the Canada Land Use Monitoring Program (CLUMP). During the diversification phase, the CGIS expanded into ecological databases and planning for national parks, major environmental impact assessments (for example, acid rain sensitivity mapping), mapping of census areas, forest inventory applications, climate change modeling, and, ultimately, “State of the Environment” reporting.

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