Canadian Road And Railway Network Vector Data

CanVec, a digital cartographic product from Natural Resources Canada, provides topographical vector data for Canadian territory. The dataset includes over 250,000 features covering the National Road Network (NRN) and National Railway Network (NRWN), among other transport entities.

Use Cases

• Map road and railway network connectivity by analyzing Road Segment and Track Segment features.
• Identify transportation infrastructure intersections using Road Junction and Track Crossing data.
• Analyze multimodal transport hubs using features like Railway Station, Marina, and Runway.
• Model potential travel blockages or toll points using the Blocked Passage and Toll Point entities.

Strengths

• Contains over 250,000 features for comprehensive national coverage.
• Compiles data from multiple authoritative sources including the National Topographic Data Base and satellite imagery.
• Complies with international geomatics standards for interoperability.

Limitations

• Specific row counts and column schemas for the 250k features are not detailed, limiting precise analytical planning.
• The dataset's multi-source nature may introduce inconsistencies in feature representation or attribute completeness.

Provenance

Source

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), distributed by the Government of Yukon via GeoYukon.

Collection Method

Multi-source product from the National Topographic Data Base, Mapping the North process, Atlas of Canada, GeoBase, and satellite imagery updates.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

Canadian territory.