Canadian Flood Extent Archive Since 2005

Flood extent polygons derived from satellite imagery for emergency response in selected Canadian regions. Natural Resources Canada maintains this archive of all flood products generated since 2005, updated in near real-time during events. The dataset includes products validated on a best-effort basis.

Use Cases

• Analyze flood extent polygon evolution over time using the UTC Date filter for specific events.
• Validate flood prediction models by comparing satellite-derived open water flood extent products with ground observations.
• Assess flood impact on land use by applying the symbology based on underlying land use classification.
• Study historical flood event frequency and spatial distribution across monitored Canadian regions.

Strengths

• Archive contains all flood products generated since 2005.
• Products are updated in near real-time (4 hours) during active events.

Limitations

• Coverage is not comprehensive nationwide, limited to selected regions.
• Products may contain errors due to limited time for validation and cannot map flooded areas under forest canopy.
• Data quality is affected by factors like sensor type, image resolution, and cloud cover.

Provenance

Source

Natural Resources Canada

Collection Method

Satellite imagery processed by NRCan's emergency geomatics services.

Time Range

2005 to present

Freshness

Updated in near real-time (4 hours) during flood events.

Geography

Selected regions within Canada