Nova Scotia Topographic Database: Roads, Trails, and Rails

Part of the Nova Scotia Topographic Database (NSTDB), this layer contains road, trail, and rail line features. Data is updated and maintained from aerial photography and field-collected GPS, with inspections verifying attributes like surface type and lane count. The dataset is provided by data.novascotia.ca and was last updated on 2026-05-05.

Use Cases

• Map road networks and calculate feature lengths using NAME, FEAT_CODE, and SHAPE_LEN.
• Classify transportation features (e.g., highway vs. trail) based on FEAT_CODE and FEAT_DESC.
• Perform spatial joins or proximity analysis using the_geom geometry data with other geographic layers.
• Link road names to official route numbers for analysis using NAME and RTE_NO.

Strengths

• Data is verified through field inspections for attributes like surface type.
• Sourced from aerial photography and mobile GPS for positional accuracy.
• Includes a feature code table (FEAT_CODE, FEAT_DESC) for standardized interpretation.

Limitations

• Row count and total dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

data.novascotia.ca

Collection Method

Updated from aerial photography and collected in the field with mobile GPS, with field inspections.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 11:10:54; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Nova Scotia, Canada