Canadian Geospatial Digest – March 31, 2025

• IceMAP-R – A new algorithm to monitor river ice in Quebec
• Halifax gets the most accurate floodplain map for Sackville River
• An interactive grid capacity map for Toronto Hydro, Ontario
• Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar : A collaborative operation to monitor Canada’s north with Australia
• All-Canadian Antarctic mission to map ocean floor of ‘white continent’
• Calgary-based satellite ‘CASSIOPE’ detects and tracks space debris

IceMAP-R – A new algorithm to monitor river ice in Quebec

Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) and Ministère de la Sécurité publique (MSP) collaborate on river ice monitoring, marking a significant technological advancement.

A new version of the IceMAP-R algorithm has been developed to monitor river ice in real time across Quebec. This improved version now allows for autonomous processing of imagery from the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) satellite via independently developed software. It has been in use since December 2024.

This system no longer uses commercial software for data pretreatment and analysis. MSP automates the entire process, including satellite image gathering, ice chart generation, and distribution, resulting in improved responsiveness and performance. Read more here.

Halifax gets the most accurate floodplain map for Sackville River

The Halifax Regional Municipality released new floodplain maps — a 1-in-20-year map for regions with a 5% probability of flooding in any given year, and a 1-in-100-year map for locations with a 1% chance of flooding, over the original boundaries from the 1980s.

Residents can use Halifax’s online mapping tool to enter their address and learn about whether and where they fall inside the new proposed modified floodplain zones. Also, Walter Regan, past president of the Sackville Rivers Association, suggested that the provincial and federal governments should collaborate to purchase all properties within floodplain zones and convert them into parks to “protect the river, the environment, and the public. Read more here.

An interactive grid capacity map for Toronto Hydro, Ontario

Toronto Hydro is the province’s largest utility to introduce new interactive grid capacity maps, which provide a high-level overview of the city’s available electrical load capacity.

The publishing of utility maps is part of an Ontario Energy Board program that was announced last year. The OEB requires all licensed provincial electricity distributors (LDCs) to offer customers with access to energy distribution capacity data at both the station and feeder levels. The regulations’ primary purpose is to increase customer transparency while also supporting Ontario’s expanding electricity demand.

Toronto Hydro’s capacity map depicts accessibility using a color-coding technique. Green areas indicate significant grid capacity, whereas red zones indicate limited capacity or planned grid upgrades. It will be updated quarterly to include any new infrastructure developments and possible capacity expansions over time. Read more here.

Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar: A collaborative operation to monitor Canada’s north with Australia

The Canadian government, stated Tuesday that it will collaborate with Australia to develop over-the-horizon radar equipment for surveillance of areas in and around Canada’s north. The venture is part of Canada’s efforts to maintain sovereignty over the Arctic.

According to the release, industry associations in Australia will collaborate with their Canadian counterparts “to build expertise and capacity in Canada, grow our domestic defence industry, support high-paying Canadian jobs, and help Canada scale up its own radar system,” while continuing efforts with the US will “ensure the seamless integration of domain. Read more here.

All-Canadian Antarctic mission to map ocean floor of the ‘white continent’

Antarctica has historically been a hotspot for exploration, and it is essential to understanding the effects of climate change.

For the past two weeks, 15 researchers have been collecting data as part of the first all-Canadian Antarctic project.
The Canadian Navy’s HMCS Margaret Brooke, an Arctic and offshore patrol vessel, is leading the operation via the cold Drake Passage to the South Shetland Islands, where researchers are doing scientific study in coves and bays.

Kevin Wilcox, a research scientist with the University of New Brunswick’s Ocean Mapping Group, stated that the autonomous vehicle is around two meters long and can see 80 meters below the surface, allowing it to create a detailed map of the ocean floor. That map is then used to chart or to assist geologists in understanding the composition and appearance of the sea floor. Read more here.

Calgary-based satellite ‘CASSIOPE’ detects and tracks space debris

CASSIOPE, or the Cascade Smallsat and Ionospheric Polar Explorer, was first launched on an 18-month mission in 2013 to collect data on space storms is now being used to monitor space debris. With around 8,000 satellites already in low-Earth orbit, Andrew Howarth, the University of Calgary’s manager of space research initiatives, believes space debris is a rising threat. Even minor objects in orbit, such as existing satellites that break apart, might cause damage to other spacecraft or space stations.

The University of Calgary is collecting data from CASSIOPE and collaborating with the University of Alaska Fairbanks to identify techniques to detect space debris and anticipate where it will go, allowing satellites to be moved out of its path. Read more here.