Quebec Land Use Classification from Satellite Imagery

Mapping land occupancy in Quebec provides a geographic reference system for land cover types. The dataset, produced by the Government of Quebec, is derived from semi-automated classification of high-resolution satellite images. It covers southern Quebec and classifies areas into artificial surfaces, agricultural land, forests, wetlands, and water bodies.

Use Cases

• Train a land cover classifier to map artificial surfaces, agricultural areas, forests, and wetlands across southern Quebec.
• Analyze the spatial distribution of water bodies and wetlands for environmental monitoring and conservation planning.
• Use the unified matrix format to calculate area statistics for different land use classes within municipal boundaries.
• Integrate the land cover classification with other spatial data to model habitat fragmentation or urban expansion.

Strengths

• Data is generated from high-resolution satellite imagery, enabling detailed land use identification.
• Covers the entire territory of southern Quebec, providing a regional-scale reference.
• Available in multiple geospatial formats including GEOJSON, GEOTIF, and FGDB for interoperability.
• Includes a user guide documenting the data structure and land use class definitions.

Limitations

• Initial coverage is limited to southern Quebec; northern regions are not included in this version.
• Land use classification is semi-automated, which may introduce label noise or misclassification errors.
• The dataset's size and specific row/column counts are unknown, complicating project resource planning.

Provenance

Source

Government and Municipalities of Québec

Collection Method

Semi-automated classification of high-resolution satellite images.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

Southern Quebec.