Linear Disturbances in Alberta's Upper Saskatchewan and Red Deer River Basins

2016/2017 linear disturbance data for the Upper North Saskatchewan and Upper Red Deer River Basins in Alberta, Canada. The dataset was compiled by Alberta Environment and Parks from five government data sources to support a scientific assessment of ecological responses. It categorizes linear features such as roads, pipelines, and trails.

Use Cases

• Analyze the spatial density and distribution of paved roads, gravel roads, and unimproved roads to assess road network impact on watersheds.
• Model habitat fragmentation by overlaying pipeline and powerline features with wildlife corridor data.
• Assess recreational and industrial trail (cutlines and trails) usage patterns within the river basins for land management planning.
• Compare linear disturbance categories (e.g., truck trails vs. official park trails) across different administrative boundaries like national parks.
• Integrate the polyline dataset with vegetation maps to study the correlation between specific disturbance types (e.g., powerlines) and ecological changes.

Strengths

• Data compiled from five current government sources including Alberta Base Features and 2017 pipeline data.
• Linear disturbances are grouped into five specific categories (e.g., paved roads, pipelines, cutlines).
• Covers two major river basins in Alberta, providing regional-scale coverage.

Limitations

• The dataset is a legacy product and will not be updated, making the 2016/2017 data stale for current analyses.
• Specific row counts, feature lengths, or attribute details for each category are unknown.
• Geographic coverage is limited to two basins in Alberta, not representative of broader regions.

Provenance

Source

Government of Alberta (Alberta Environment and Parks) and Government of Canada (Banff and Jasper National Parks).

Collection Method

Compilation from five government data sources: Alberta Base Features, 2017 trail data, 2017 pipeline data, and official trails from two national parks.

Time Range

~2016/2017

Freshness

null

Geography

Upper North Saskatchewan and Upper Red Deer River Basins, Alberta, Canada.