LiDAR Point Clouds: CanElevation Series for Canada

LiDAR point clouds from various airborne acquisition projects conducted across Canada. The data is part of the CanElevation Series created by Natural Resources Canada to support the National Elevation Data Strategy. Point cloud files are distributed in the compressed .LAZ / Cloud Optimized Point Cloud (COPC) format and are referenced to the NAD83(CSRS) and CGVD2013 datums.

Use Cases

• Generate high-resolution digital elevation models based on the LiDAR point cloud data.
• Analyze terrain features and land cover changes using the detailed 3D point data.
• Perform hydrological modeling for flood risk assessment based on the orthometric elevation data.
• Visualize and analyze landscapes via web-based tools using the Cloud Optimized Point Cloud (COPC) format.

Strengths

• Data is licensed under the open government license OGL-CA-2.0, facilitating reuse.
• Files are distributed in the industry-standard .LAZ format and the modern Cloud Optimized Point Cloud (COPC) format for efficient access.
• All data uses a consistent reference system (NAD83(CSRS), epoch 2010) and vertical datum (CGVD2013).

Limitations

• Point cloud files are distributed by individual LiDAR acquisition project without integration between projects.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and total data size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and various partners.

Collection Method

Airborne LiDAR acquisition projects.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-12 15:01:02.003812; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Canada