Canadian Hydrographic Obstacles From CanVec Topographic Data

250,000 hydrographic features detail Canada's surface water network. This vector dataset from Natural Resources Canada includes watercourses, waterbodies, and obstacles like falls and rapids, compiled from multiple authoritative sources including the National Topographic Data Base and satellite imagery.

Use Cases

• Map and analyze the distribution of hydro obstacles like falls and rapids across Canada's water network.
• Integrate waterbody and watercourse features with other geospatial data for watershed modeling.
• Use the vector format of hydro features for cartographic production and topographic analysis.

Strengths

• Contains approximately 250,000 distinct hydrographic features.
• Compiled from multiple authoritative sources including the National Topographic Data Base and satellite imagery.
• Complies with international geomatics standards for vector data.

Limitations

• Specific column definitions and sample data are unavailable for detailed inspection.
• The dataset's size in gigabytes and exact row count beyond the 250k estimate are unknown.
• As a multi-source product, consistency in feature representation across regions may vary.

Provenance

Source

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) CanVec product, distributed by the Government of Yukon.

Collection Method

Multi-source compilation 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.