Frontenac Maps now includes highly accurate elevation data following joint LiDAR acquisition

This year the County of Frontenac, along with project partners, acquired LiDAR mapping for the region. This data product is now available to view as topographic contours on the Frontenac Maps interactive mapping site. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is a remote sensing technology that gathers detailed elevation data over a large geographic area and at a level of accuracy that will support efficient and informed decision making.

“The introduction of LiDAR mapping on Frontenac Maps now gives us the most accurate topographic mapping we have ever worked with and it covers all of the lands in Frontenac," says Joe Gallivan, Director of Planning and Economic Development, Frontenac County. "It is a big step forward in helping planners with future development planning and to also help protect our incredible natural environment.”

Highly accurate elevation data derived from LiDAR can be widely used to support municipalities and add value to watershed initiatives. Examples of how LiDAR-derived data products can be used in practice include:

• Supporting future municipal/conservation authority infrastructure and development projects that require topographical information.
• Streamlining local development by providing accurate topographic information at the pre-consultation stage of the planning/regulation and approval process.
• Natural hazard modeling that identifies and helps to mitigate the impact of hazards on infrastructure and urban development.
• Modernization of outdated floodplain studies and prioritizing needs for new floodplain mapping.

LiDAR on Frontenac Maps:

A variety of useful data products can be derived from raw LiDAR datasets. The County GIS Team has chosen to share the LiDAR data on the Frontenac Maps interactive mapping site as elevation contours (1m), as they are recognizable and easily interpreted. To view the elevation contours, simply check the box beside both the Elevation group and the 1m Contour (LiDAR) layer in the layers list (see below). We hope this addition to our data catalogue will be a helpful reference to both staff and members of the public. If you have any questions regarding the dataset, please reach out to frontenacmaps@frontenaccounty.ca.

Note: To maintain loading performance of the mapping site, the contours are only visible at the most useful reference scales. Contours will not appear on the map when zoomed out beyond 1:70,000, or in beyond 1:500.

Background & Funding:

In 2020, five Eastern Ontario Conservation Authorities expressed interest in jointly acquiring LiDAR imagery to update and complete coverage throughout their respective watersheds. South Nation Conservation, acting as project manager on behalf of the partnership, issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ) in March 2021. The RFQ was circulated directly to five LiDAR imaging contractors, and it was also posted to an online tendering portal. The contract was awarded to Airborne Imaging Inc. Due to the large extent of the coverage area and a desire to capture the imaging products during leaf-off conditions, the collections took place over multiple years (2021-2023).

In 2021, Frontenac County expressed interest in partnering with the conservation authorities to achieve full coverage for the region and offset the acquisition costs. The County came on board as a 50 percent funding partner for the Frontenac region. The County acquired provincial funding support through both the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and the Municipal Modernization Fund, as well as federal support through Natural Resources Canada.